"I would be one of those who has constantly questioned and suspected the motivations of people like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and their commitment to the peace process," Mr John Cunningham, editor of the Connacht Tribune wrote in an editorial a month ago. "I was wrong in my estimation of what they were about," he added, and he was happy to admit it.
To his mind the contribution made by politicians like John Hume to the Belfast Agreement can only now be counted. "It shows that the people directly involved were far more visionary than those outside looking in, who were hugely cynical. And that the groundwork had been laid by others who were working behind the scenes."
Editor since 1983, Mr Cunningham is responsible for producing three newspapers weekly - the Connacht Tribune, the City Tri- bune and the Connacht Sentinel.
The two broadsheets have a combined circulation of 29,600, while the Connacht Sentinel has a circulation of 7,500. He does not intend to tell his readers how to vote, but his editorials have been supporting the Yes campaign on the Belfast Agreement.
"We have been carrying reports covering both sides, but one of the difficulties is that the major political parties were conducting little or no campaign at constituency level until a week ago. The local TD is the traditional way of bringing out a vote in this country.
"Of course the parties are saying it nationally but it is very important for local TDs to get out and about. If they aren't, people will be slower about voting. And if the parties are not satisfied with the turnout, they will have to look at themselves."
He believes that the Belfast Agreement is the best solution on offer right now. "Traditional republicans will have some difficulties, but for a long time I've been listening to politicians rattling the sabre and then promptly forgetting about it after elections."
The debate is no longer about "a line on a map", he believes: identity has moved beyond territory and is now concerned with varying traditions living together.
His one concern is an adequate acknowledgement of the immense hurt and suffering experienced by people over the last quarter century on both sides of the Border. "If you have over 3,000 deaths and you multiply that by the number of families and friends involved, there are an awful lot of people in pain.