It's crazy to me that Northern Ireland can have a population more than 2.5 times smaller than the Republic and still have registered hundreds more deaths from the virus.

I don't know that I've seen too much talk about this, but it will be a shame if the Republic were to carry on as though both places don't share a citizenry. Pretending Northern Ireland's problems are nothing to do with us is a fallback position for the Republic, and it's a shame.

It hardens the perception of irreconcilable difference between the Republic and the North. Which would be ironic now given the evidence that UK health policy is so far more dangerous to the North than the Republic's would be.

This is sensitive stuff to discuss (I typed, deleted, retyped & edited a lot before posting); but what's important is that if Northern Ireland deaths were at the rate of the Republic's (which is by no means a health paradise by the way) 1,300 lives would have been saved.