No camera was present for the latest historic breakthrough in Northern Ireland last week. Peter Robinson, the DUP leader, shook hands for the first time with Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, albeit in private.
For years, the DUP would not even appear in the same television studio as a representative of Sinn Fein. Even after relations thawed, Ian Paisley still denied McGuinness the hand of friendship at the height of their Chuckle Brothers fame. Even though the pair found common ground for civil discussion, they never quite managed the final symbolic gesture.
The Sinn Fein MP was commiserating with Robinson following the TV exposé of the adulterous affair that his wife, Iris, had with a 19-year-old. The two ministers share an office in Stormont, where the meeting took place.
Relations between them have greatly improved since their last public appearance, after a north-south meeting in Armagh, when they argued.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Robinson revealed that McGuinness had sent him text messages of support and left a voice message on his phone following the revelations about Iris.
Advertisement
The DUP leader said he was also gratified to receive letters of support from across the community in Northern Ireland, including some from nationalists and priests.