2 (40) Never Waged War Islands are exciting. It takes power of initiative to get to an island. Ever since my teens, I have had two islands in my heart: Ireland and Cyprus. Ireland differs from Cyprus in one crucial aspect. Whilst Cyprus is a crossroad where advancing superpowers always have met, Ireland is an eremitic rock at the fringe of international politics; an island that has to be consciously searched out. Like Cyprus, Ireland has long been conquered and oppressed by others. The Irish are a peaceful people. They have never conquered anyone, never waged war against others, only sent out missionaries with peaceable intentions. The violence has always been brought to them.   1 3 First published: Friday 20th December, 2002 Send a to the author! You may also use this form