New year optimism and hope was shattered by another act of terrorism

ANEW year has dawned and the daylight hours are gradually stretching as we pass the longest day of the year and look ahead to the approaching spring.

The new year is a time for reflection and as the years tick by the exuberant celebrations of our teenage years and early adulthood become more reserved, as we fear what might lie ahead in the coming twelve months.

The boundless optimism of our youth is drained away by our years of experience.

Nevertheless ringing in another year is always a cause for celebration, even if the tone of the occasion might be quieter and RTE/BBC has replaced the heavy base beat of a night club or party and the tipple might be less alcoholic and smaller in quantity than that of years gone by.

The year had barely dawned when the murderous actions of one attacker in a Turkish nightclub punctured any fresh optimism and hope for the year ahead.

That and the other similar terrorist attacks across Europe during the past twelve months are a threat to our way of life in western Europe.

The scale and number of attacks might not yet stop us from going about our daily lives, but certainly they must be at the back our minds whenever we travel to a major European city.

These attacks are so murderous and their targets so random and innocent that they strike at the heart of our freedoms.

We in Ireland might feel detached from these attacks which have hit at mainland Europe, but we Irish find ourselves everywhere, we like to travel and have spread throughout the world.

Our friends and family could easily find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We all hope not of course and pray for the safe passage of our loved ones whenever they leave home.

In the broadest sense, we cannot allow ourselves to be cowered by terrorism, we must live our lives and travel and enjoy the simple rituals and practices, such as attending a market, celebrating a national event or simply going out at night to enjoy ourselves.

We all hope and pray that the first headline of 2017 will not set a trend for the year ahead.