Hi George, and others:
There has in deed been a change in the way we discuss these things in this forum, and I think we do so with much more respect than we did a few years ago, and that's good. George, you and I and Richard Brige and Fionn and a number of us were part of that.
However, unfortunately, as I wrote in my song, "Pig in the Middle" the personal and political are intertwined, when a human is killed by reason of her or his identity as a symbol, not a human. Ciaran was killed not because he was Ciaran, but as a nameless Catholic and a symbol of nationalist and civil rights desires by his community. He was killed, likely, in spite of his personal oppions as likely as by reason of his oppions.
Therefore we discuss the underlying situation with objectified Ciaran.
I'm sure we all join you in the great sadness, more than that, there isn't a human word for the emptyness of such constant loss, and thank you for that degree of care.
But we have to also cure the political situation which leads to Ciaran becomeing objectified, and killed. - The body is burried with the man and the symbols live on.
Keep talking and beg our governments for a peace and concilliation process... no demand it.
ALl the best
Larry