The old friends strolled to the edge of the hill and gazed down on the weary streets of Belfast, at the silent giants in the shipyard in the distance, and the Lough shimmering in the morning sun.

‘The problem with this place, Cormac, even today, is that two children can be born into families who live a hundred yards apart and it may as well be a million miles. The bit that really pisses me off is the constant lack of willingness to see the other person’s point of view. I never understood why the death of a Catholic was any worse than the death of a Protestant.’

‘We should be grateful at least the killing has stopped.’

‘Yeah, it has for the moment anyway!’

‘Come on, Harry, don’t be so pessimistic, you can’t believe we will ever go back there again?’

‘Put it this way, I don’t have much confidence in politicians – no offence intended – and I also have my concerns about letting the lunatics out of the asylum without any real attempt at rehabilitating them.’

‘The people, the ordinary decent people, will never allow it to happen again!’

‘That would be the same people who now vote in their thousands for Sinn Fein on one hand and the DUP on the other. Whatever is happening at the moment can all be lost again if the right circumstances occur. You are not so naïve, Cormac, that you can believe the complexities which have dogged this little island’s history are all suddenly made simple now, because a few politicians are suddenly able to sit in the same room as each other!’

Cormac stretched and gazed down the hill.

‘Cheers for that, Harry, you’ve really brightened up my day!’

His friend sighed and blew his cheeks out over the city.

‘Don’t mention it, my friend, but I’m afraid I’ve only just started. I came to see you this morning to ask you to go home immediately, or at least get out of Killane! Those lunatics I was referring to have settled around these parts. There is a group of them here who don’t accept the IRA is finished. Who see themselves as carrying the torch of Pearse and Tone. Who think the current leadership has betrayed the cause. They’re still using the back room in Lalor’s for their meetings, for fuck’s sake. I just think a British Government minister walking into their laps is too good an opportunity for them to miss.’

‘I’m not stupid, Harry. I checked the risks before I came home and was told that these groups were nothing more than relics. They have no popular support and they present no risk at all. Do you think I would have brought Annie here if I felt there was any danger?’

‘I’m just saying that some people are still operating under the radar and intelligence is not an exact science. They sometimes get it wrong.’

Cormac was appreciative of his friend’s genuine but unnecessary concerns.

‘I am grateful for the words of warning, Harry. The thing is, I am only here for a few days to help Tom and Maggie through this and then I’ll be nestled in the Northumberland hills having at least given my family a little support - too little, far too late, but better than nothing. On the subject of family, we’d better head back, or Maggie will have another stick to beat me with when I’m late for lunch.’