Northern Ireland had become one of the brighter spots for international affairs. While ethnic, racial and political conflicts continued to rage, as they have for decades, even centuries, in other regions, it appeared that the warring factions in and around Belfast had been able to reach an accord that was inspiring to many.

Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland had been involved in a bloody conflict up to 1998, but it appeared a lasting peace had emerged. Then, last weekend, Irish Republican Army dissidents gunned down two British soldiers and a policeman. The ghastly threat was back, and Northern Ireland may be plunged back into more sectarian bloodshed.

One of the many sad aspects of the return to the troubled past is that the vast majority of Catholics and Protestants in the region want the peace to remain. Four decades of conflict left nearly 4,000 people dead. Youngsters grew up “playing soldier” and using guns as playthings, well aware that the day might come when they would use them for “the cause.”

The traditional IRA goal is to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom and into the Irish Republic. Most IRA members renounced violence and disarmed in 2005, eight years after calling an open-ended truce. Both Catholic and Protestant leaders had found ways to work together and create harmony.

The self-proclaimed Continuity IRA fatally shot 48-year-old police constable Stephen Carroll as he sat in a patrol car. Another splinter group, the Real IRA, killed two army engineers and wounded two other soldiers and two pizza delivery men Saturday night as Afghanistan-bound troops collected a final meal at the entrance to their base.

There have been demonstrations and edicts issued by Northern Ireland leaders who promise the guilty will be punished and ask everyone else to return to the days of the truce and cease-fire. Considering the ill feeling that is bubbling again below the surface of all those involved, there may be more trouble in the weeks ahead.

Northern Ireland had been projecting a beacon of hope to the world that violence could be ended and harmony restored. Hopefully, that beacon can be lighted again.