The history of Northern Ireland’s troubles goes back basically as far as you want it to, but its origins hundreds of years ago shouldn’t overshadow the fact that it’s an intensely modern conflict that still rages even 27 years after the signing of the Good Friday peace accords in 1998. Anyone who’s visited Belfast, for instance, has seen the “peace walls” dividing the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods, and if you’ve been to Derry, you’ve seen the murals in the Bogside. Northern Ireland is home to almost two million people, and most of them have their own connection to the Troubles.
Rory is no different. In this week’s Local Knowledge podcast episode, we examine the golfer’s complex relationship with Northern Ireland in the wake of his Masters victory. There is family tragedy here, but what’s most remarkable is how avowedly he has avoided staking out any political territory in regard to the conflict. Aside from an odd slip-up or two in interviews, he’s been as neutral as it’s humanly possible to be…which doesn’t mean he’s avoided being entangled.
His choices can be seen as practical (for his own safety) or self-interested, but the best explanation may be cultural—Rory, in many ways, is the ultimate totem of a younger generation of Northern Ireland. It’s a generation that has realized there is no fighting your way through to the end of this conflict, and the only progress is through peace…and sometimes, peace means trying to forget the past. Check out the episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
