If ‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word for the government at the moment, then ‘creativity’ can’t be far behind. The word was notable by its absence in the 332-page document that is the Government’s White Paper on ‘levelling up’, the signature policy that is meant to define the government’s purpose.

One also looked in vain for any real mention of the ‘creative industries’ in the document. Not until Page 167 do we hear that the creative industries have a ‘critical role to play’ as ‘drivers of growth and productivity.’

What Northern Ireland has is an excess of national myths. Nationalists comfort themselves in the Gaelic ones, unionists in the British ones. The real story of what happened in this island is obscured beneath a thick coat of legends. These legends are exclusive – the other ‘side’ has no real part in them – except as demons and evildoers.

The BBC’s latest blockbuster drama is called The North Water. It’s an appropriate name for a tale of hard seafaring men, battling with the ice in their 19th century whaling ship.

But what if the action in the TV series, based on a book by Ian McGuire, had been located in the South Pole near the Antarctic Ocean, where climate conditions are equally grim and challenging for human survival? They would have had to find a different title entirely. The South Water would not have conjured the right sense of danger and derring-do.

It’s the hope that gets you in the end. Ask any artistic director or CEO of an arts institution how they have survived this calamitous year and most will say that the prospect of re-engaging with live audiences is what has sustained them through the long months of lockdown. As the vaccination programme ramps up and Covid numbers fall, theatres, arts centres, museums and galleries are busy drawing up plans for re-opening.

But if we build it, will they come?