We will eventually face up to the fact that we are proud Europeans - just as gay Ireland is able to celebrate its prosperity, writes Quentin Fottrell.
THE TIME has come to put away the rainbow flag of Gay Pride and EU flag with its 12 gold stars. Until next year. If you want to fight the good fight for tolerance, openness and progress, put your posters and bunting and flags where you can find them.
I know I will.
I am proud to be an Irish European.
One of the nice things about travelling around Europe is that moment when you say, "I'm not English, I'm Irish." If you're lucky, faces light up. Other Europeans expect us to be agreeable and friendly and welcoming. They might even expect us to make them laugh.
They're not laughing now. Some eurocrats even tried scapegoating Charlie McCreevy, which is a crock. He is as committed as anyone to free movement of labour, capital and services in the EU. Brussels forgets: we had two choices for Lisbon, Yes or No.
Not one.
Friday's EU flash poll said 98 per cent of Yes voters and 80 per cent of No voters support EU membership. How do you psychoanalyse a nation of contrarians? We have fits of pique, but we are still proud Europeans. That is something we will eventually face up to.
Failing that, the use of the word "recession" in the latest ESRI bulletin released today may send us back to the apron strings of Brussels, in fear of our lifestyles, pleading for forgiveness . . . and back to toasted cheese sandwiches with EasiSingles for lunch.
I am proud of the pluck of the Irish.
People say control your emotions if you want to win an argument. But it was not a good idea to muzzle an outspoken Dick Roche. Anger turned inward can lead to depression or confusion or No votes for all the wrong reasons or - God forbid - all of the above.
Micheál Martin said talk of Lisbon II is "premature". Brussels doesn't understand the pluck and the pride of the Irish. Martin clearly does. We must be allowed to reflect. As Brian Cowen says, democracy is "sovereign". It just appears to have a best-before date.
If Cowen unveils grand plans for Lisbon II before waiting a respectable period of time we will feel hoodwinked. Until then, he should analyse the data and, publicly at least, bide his time with EU leaders by pretending to rearrange the ornaments on their mantels.
But Lisbon II is the only way forward. Cowen knows it. We know it. With a recession looming, people may worry about immigration and jobs, but this is no time for isolation. When the time is right, we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and vote again.
I am also proud to be an Irish gay man.
It sounds silly, I know. Are you proud of being heterosexual, or bisexual for that matter? Are you proud of having brown hair, green eyes or ginger curls? Do you look at the corn on your big toe or freckle on your nose and weep great big glorious tears of pride? How can you be proud of something you had no control over, bestowed on you with the wisdom and grace of Mother Nature? Dunno. I just am. Actually, that's not true. Flying in the face of adversity, discrimination, hate crimes and hate speech makes me proud.
Saturday's Gay Pride parade also made me happy. It was an in-the-moment happy. The kind you don't notice because you're too busy thinking, "How lovely is that old lady at the bus stop waving like crazy at the floats?" and, "Did she really blow me that kiss at me?"
The Front Lounge was packed with gay men and women. It is one of the few bars in Ireland where men and women have zero interest in each other. A friend said it was like a céilí, women on one side, men on the other. Without the priests and nuns, obviously.
I am proud of Ireland's social history.
The National Library last week took ownership of the Irish Queer Archive, which means that the State has finally recognised decades of another set of struggles and triumphs and tragedies as part of our national history. It complements the other struggles nicely.
The archive contains a quarter of a million press cuttings dating back to 1951. After years of being on the outside looking in, we are now part of the fabric of history, looking out. Prejudice is part of that history too and it takes resolve to look beyond it.
People like Peter Robinson's wife can abuse the word of God, say offensive things about gays, and step into the fickle embrace of the spotlight. It's a re-run of the same sad sectarian/morality politics of the past. For Catholics, now read Homosexuality.
I proudly wrap up her words with an imaginary bow and return them as an unwanted gift. They won't be reprinted here. If you want to read her words, they will be filed away in the Irish Queer Archive . . . forever. Which is kind of sweet, if you think about it.