This is a fascinating thread and I am grateful for the range and fierceness of it. I am not Irish, I am not Catholic, nor Protestant, but I am from Boston and in my elementary school days there were more Brians than Roberts in my classes. I've spent time in Ireland and read plenty of literature that is adorned with Irish thought and perspective. The Irish have had a major impact on my country and me. So this thread speaks to me.
I think when people exhibit a capacity and commitment to change, that puts them above the average level of behavior.
I also remember a saying that it is good to bury the hatchet, but no one forgets WHERE it's buried.
It is easy to enumerate the dead and their numbers, and harder to note the cases where people are not killed.
I visited Eason's in Dublin and bought a bunch of books to ship home. The title of one of them: "It's handy when people don't die."