Basic HTML Version
by
Robert C. Boraker
DIVIDED
BY
FEARAND
HATRED
Why do Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland fight each other? Is
there any genuine hope for a peaceful solution to the Irish problem?
ORTHERN lRELAND
is
now at the crisis point
of her history. After 12
yea r s of sickeni n g
bloodshed and turmoil,
a peacefu1 solution to
the .. Irish Question" defies
solution.
Since the beginning of the
present troubles in 1969, more
than 2,200 have been killed.
There also have been 7,000
explosions and 27,000 shooting
incidents.
Where will it all end? After sev–
era! visits to this beautiful island,
talking to people from both the
North and South, I can only con–
elude that the Irish problem is
impossible for man to solve-so
long as humans defy that great
spiritual law, "You shall !ove you r
neighbor as yourself."
An lsland Divlded
Ireland is an island divided in many
ways. Not only is it divided by a
border between 26 counties in the
South and six counties in the
North, it is also divided between
Ulster Scots and Irish natives,
Protestants and Catholics, Unionist
and Nationalist parties.
The southern lrish are mostly
descendants of the original Goidel–
ic natives who have been Roman
Catholic since the coming of Pat–
rick in A.D. 432. The majority in
the North are descendants of
English and Scottish settlers, most-
22
ly staunch Presbyterians. They are
the Ulster Scots or Scots-Irish, as
the Americans call them.
Ireland is also divided by person–
al opinions. Every Irishman has bis
own interpretation of current and
past events, the cause and solution
of Irish problems.
In Galway, one man expressed to
me the view of his Catholic father
in these words: 'The English have
always ruled Ireland with a strong
hand, denying us our rights and
trying to take our religion away.
They sent over the army to murder
and kili. They took our land away
and gave it to landlords who were
Protestant settlers from England.
"If
the Irish couldn't pay their
rent, they starved to death . The
Protestant majority in the North
did not give fair play to the Catho–
lic minority. This created the civil
r ights' movements. Thi s then
developed and moved into violence
and murder."
View of Ulster Scots
Ulstermen also gave me their view–
point. They have had a "siege men–
tality" since the 17th century. Jt is
a fear of being besieged by Catho–
lics out to destroy their civil and
religious liberty won by the Protes–
tant Reformation.
Since 1830 they have felt com–
pelled to discriminate against Catho–
Iics to safeguard Protestant freedom.
They have a fear of being absorbed
into Roman Catholicism by being
outbred by Catholics who would
take over their jobs. And especially a
fear of a repetition of the 1641 mas–
sacres, which they also remind them–
selves of every July 12th.
Many Ulster-Scot Protestants
detest the very idea of coming
under the política! rule of Dublin.
They simply refuse to become part
of what they regard as an authori–
tarian Catholic state. To them that
means being under the religious
control of the Vat ican. Under such
a Catholic government, it would no
longer be easy for them to divorce
or practice bi r th control.
There would be three million
Catholics to only one million Prot–
estan ts if Ireland were ever to be
reunited as 32 counties. Instead of
being a powerful major ity, Ulster
Protestants would then be in the
minority--outvoted and dominated
by Catholic politics. That's why
they res ist any forced reunion of
the two lrish territories.
How lrlsh Strlfe Began
Protestants and Catholics in Ire–
land distrust each other today
because of what happened in the
past. "The Irish have long memo–
ríes," one man told me. To really
understand why there is strife in
Ulster today, we must understand
Irish history.
Ireland has a complex history
that involves cultural, racial, eco–
nomic, political, temperamental
and social differences. These differ–
ences go back 800 years into the
history of the island.
lt's a history filled with conflict
between the native Irish and the
The
PLAIN TRUTH