You might say that everywhere there is a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly – it just depends on the strength of the mix. This summer has certainly seen all kind of everything in Northern Ireland. An editorial in the last issue https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/2026/07/02/editorials-racism-nonviolence/ looked at the racist pogrom of June in Belfast which was an incredibly ugly and hate filled affair. And yet in August we had Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann taking place, also in Belfast, which was a wonderful cultural affair – and to a considerable extent cross-community, a very considerable achievement given that it was primarily a festival of ‘traditional’ Irish music and dance. And, thankfully, Irish music continues to evolve and develop and is outward looking in terms of relating to other cultures.

So are we talking about different worlds here which never interact? Yes and no. The involvement of loyalist bands through the Belfast Bands Forum was a positive step forward in inclusiveness. Undoubtedly many loyalists chose not to be involved or attend, and perhaps some republicans might have looked askance at militantly loyalist involvement, albeit in the guise of music. However in terms of inclusiveness and feel good factor it was an amazing affair. And there was little or no trouble, just a few reports of minor attacks or threats on people walking home from the Fleadh after midnight – extremely unwelcome but an incredibly positive advance on streets where people were regularly slaughtered for sectarian reasons just a few decades ago.

Business was booming for pubs and static or mobile eateries with an estimated 1.6 million visits made to the Fleadh (though one person attending every day of the Fleadh might count as 8 visits) but it was the most visited Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to date, and double the number estimated beforehand. It was a cultural milestone and the Assembly Rooms, site of the 1792 harp festival, and now owned by the city, was one of the venues.

There will certainly be a knock on, positive effect in the cultural world. Expect to see more cross-community collaborations. Expect to see more people from the northern Protestant community taking an interest in trad, and possibly more interest in marching bands by people from the northern Catholic community. Such an event was simply unimaginable just a few decades ago. It will have a long term positive effect on community relations but how appreciable that will be remains to be seen,

However there are limits to the knock on effect. It is highly unlikely to make any direct impact on the political world and the sectarian divisions which bedevil Northern Ireland and decision making at Stormont. Change, unfortunately, is not going to happen in this sphere because people came together for a week long cultural binge. Divisions are much too entrenched and (metaphorically) in people’s DNA for that to happen. There is no clear way forward so far as the political parties are concerned beyond the blame game – and that gets Norn Iron nowhere except backwards.

And the problem is also that the North is also hostage to the past in other ways. The race pogrom of June happened so easily not just because of the modern communication methods of social media but because of the old tradition of sectarian violence. Except now instead of of religious-cultural identity being the marker for attack, it was racial identity. And that is also highly ironic given the low level of migrants in Northern Ireland, 6%, half of whom have white or ‘pink’ skin. Ignorance and prejudice concerning incomers is a dangerous factor indeed.

But there is another aspect, and this also relates to the past. A small number of people can create a lot of fear and violence if they put their mind to it – and this also reflects the experience of the Troubles to some extent. There were only a few hundred people involved in the pogroms and racist violence of June but they were well prepared, and using the memory of fear from the past Troubles conflicts and crisis. Civic society and community groups did respond very significantly to support victims and people threatened, and there were many more involved at this level than involved in the violence, but it was the violence that got the attention – as it always does.

There are no magic solutions to the divisions in Northern Ireland and unfortunately sectarian violence has to some extent transmogrified, magically transformed into racist violence. Sectarianism still exists and the extent to which it has been diluted is a moot point. And neither option of continuing in the ‘United’ Kingdom or moving to a united Ireland is in itself a solution; there are far more issues to be settled than that. One is ensuring that people can feel comfortable and safe in their identity, whatever the nature of the state. Another is ensuring that there is a viable decision making process to deal with the real problems that people face in the North. And both of these areas require a huge amount of work, and good will, to take forward viable solutions.

Thankfully with the end of the Troubles, Northern Ireland has stopped digging itself deeper and deeper into a hole. But it has not yet worked out how to get the cooperation necessary to get itself out of that hole – an ancient one dating back to the Plantation of Ulster if not further. There are many who are working to build a way out and there are some who wish to thwart that effort. But that sectarian hole has not yet been overcome. It will eventually and the question is how this can be done most speedily and effectively but, given its nature, we are talking more decades and even generations.