So this week, as you’ll know unless you’ve been living under a rock, is G8. When the 8 big leaders come together.
This year they come together in Northern Ireland, at Lough Erne in Enniskillen.
And to kick it off, President Obama gave a speech here in Belfast today.
I could go into a massive rant here about what that did to the city but it did what it does to any city he visits. It shut us down.
Still. It was nice to have him.
And his speech?
He rocked the Waterfront Hall.
Not just because he said ‘What’s the craic’ to 1,800 school children, making them cheer. He’s always been very with it, what with fist bumping Mrs O all the time and such.
But because he made the speech that only he could ever make.
He, not only as The President of the United States, but as the first black President of the United States.
A speech about acceptance and unity and ending conflict.
A speech about America’s past and Northern Ireland’s future.
All we can hope is that the people in the audience who still have open minds about this, the ones in school uniforms, were listening and listening well. Based on this BBC piece, they were.
This is a good thing. Because at this point? Their elders have stopped.