IF you look through the history books you will find numerous examples when, during the Middle Ages, the English openly protested against atrocities committed against the Irish.

Surviving accounts from soldiers who fought under Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange, show how sickened they were by what they saw and were ordered to do, but to disobey meant execution.

Atrocities against the Irish are undeniable, as is the fact that such atrocities were never the will of the British public.

The British Government, Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries have all apologised for their actions, now it’s time for people to move on, leave the past to the historians.

CT Riley, Spennymoor.