Make no mistake. Arlene Foster made history by attending last weekend’s GAA Ulster Championship Final in County Monaghan: a pointed, deliberate and symbolic offering of the hand of friendship. It’s the latest in a series of attempts by the DUP leader to lead a charge of reconciliation and celebrating different cultures across the province.

Accompanied by fellow DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, Mrs Foster was warmly welcomed by the fans. There were even chants of “come on Arlene” from the crowd – a huge reflection of how much has changed here over recent years.

Her attendance at Sunday’s game and, before that, a training day with the Fermanagh side have been welcomed and embraced by both sides of the community. This is a symbolic gesture for a unionist leader to make, it would once have been unimaginable. The move may draw criticism both externally and internally, amongst grassroots unionism and at senior levels of her party, but as Mrs Foster said: “I am a leader of a political party that promotes a shared society in Northern Ireland and to do that you have to take steps.”

Re-positioning her party as being more inclusive to parts of the electorate which, let’s be frank, may not have voted DUP in the past, Mrs Foster is doing the right thing both for Northern Ireland and for unionism. The week before last, she attended the end of Ramadan celebrations at Belfast’s Islamic Centre. On Sunday she reached out to the GAA in Clones. Next week at Stormont she will be attend an event, organised by PinkNews, celebrating the contribution of LGBT people to business.

Is Mrs Foster heralding a new era for the DUP? She is certainly challenging the party’s base. Whilst her attendance at next week’s LGBT event doesn’t seem to signal a change in the party’s opposition to equal marriage, the mere softening of approach will mean something to LGBT unionists presumably torn in their support for unionist parties but who have generally not reciprocated.

Attending GAA matches, acknowledging the Irish national anthem, celebrating the LGBT and Muslim communities in our society: this is what leadership looks like. This outreach cannot be underestimated nor overlooked; gestures like these represent the change which unionism must embrace to have confidence in securing the Union.

Of course, events like Sunday won’t change the party nor unionism overnight. But it will generate goodwill – the feelgood factor at Clones was evident. It will build blocks of a long-term vision and show that unionism has nothing to lose from reaching out.

For the sake of the Stormont Assembly and efforts to forge a shared future I hope there’ll be many more similar events for celebration in future.