ON the same day that protesters were roaring “You can shove your Palestine up your hole” across a Scarva river bank at people walking in support of Gaza, I was in a different world, sitting on a quiet, unspoiled grassy bank in Carlow, beside the River Barrow.

Swifts swooped and skimmed, drinking on the wing, and a heron surveyed the glistening water below, looking for a catch.

I thanked my lucky stars that I was well out of it, even if only for a few days.

The previous evening, at the Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas, I joined hundreds as writer Colm Tóibín chaired a discussion between journalists Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride.

Máiría Cahill: Scarva protesters would benefit more from a book than bellowing abuse

They addressed the need for any united Ireland to listen to and accommodate the PUL community.

The Scarva scenes stood in stark contrast to the factual, measured discussion. Sometimes, we northerners feel like our own worst enemies.

Dubbed by The Telegraph as the “best literary festival in the world,” Borris consistently sells out months in advance, attracting renowned speakers from Chrissie Hynde to Mary Robinson, and writers like Lara Marlowe, Max Porter, and Liz Nugent.

I had a great experience as a speaker at Borris two years ago, so when tickets went online, I snapped mine up and took my daughter along. What she encountered was far from the recent angry ‘othering’ outbursts.

Her........

© The Irish News