Opinion

Northern Ireland conflict was more than a law and order issue

Trevor Ringland (March 20) once again reveals a narrow and one-sided understanding of the conflict here. It is the typical unionist version – which makes the false distinction between lawful and unlawful violence. That approach justifies state violence and the actions of the state forces and their allies in attacking the civil rights and those identified by the state as subversives.

As far as republicans were concerned the state itself was unlawful since its formation in 1920 and acted in a totally unlawful manner against one section of the community. Furthermore, for republicans and nationalists the occupation of Ireland by the British was unlawful from the start. Those, like Trevor, who think it was a law and order issue do not understand.

When Trevor refers only to what happened since 1968 he leaves out the historical context in which the recent conflict took place. It is not enough to dwell solely on the 30 years of conflict from 1968 to the Good Friday Agreement 1998 – if one wants to get a more honest understanding of the conflict. If one wants to understand the deeply held emotions of republicans after the atrocities by British soldiers in Ballymurphy in 1971 and in Derry in 1972, and other murderous acts by British soldiers and police, one must go further back into our history to the creation of the six county state in 1920 and then the 50 years of one-party unionist rule. One must also refer to the long history of persecution, colonialism, destruction and murder inflicted on the Irish people by the neighbouring government. In order to understand why Irish republicans returned to violence in 1969 one must look at the longer history and the bigger story of the persecution of a people. This is not an effort to justify the violence but it is an attempt to understand the past which I believe is necessary if we are ever to make progress towards resolving the issue of a deeply divided society.


It is necessary if we are to provide an honest basis for any future agreement and reconciliation that will enable us to live together on this island and work for the common good.

Fr JOE McVEIGH


Lisbellaw, Co Fermanagh

Lack of sympathy shown to family of late cardinal

I thought it remiss of The Irish News (March 20) to headline the article about the late Cardinal O’Brien as, ‘disgraced cardinal’. We really should have a care for his family. We do not know the exact nature of his offending as a seminarian and, erroneously, one is often accused of lack of sympathy for victims if one tries to put these matters into some kind of perspective. Recently, Church readings emphasised forgiveness; yet ‘fire storms’ of indignation are raised when priests carry out their spiritual and pastoral duties to certain penitents and, indeed, to certain deceased. Only a tiny minority of clergy offended; but up and down the country in the British Isles and in several charities, thousands of boys and girls are (historically and currently)  raped and abused; some have even been murdered.


None of the offenders in charities, to date, as far as I am aware, has lost his/her job.


By contrast, clergymen accused of not acting quickly enough (but who actually sent  offenders for psychiatric counselling) have been hounded to ‘stand down’,  though they never harmed a child in their lives. A vicious double standard is at work. Roman Polanski, for example, drugged a girl of 13, and by fleeing to France, escaped US  justice. Nevertheless, several actors and actresses have since worked with him ‘because he is a wonderful film director’ and his crimes are ‘historic’.


No sexual crime is cited in the media without relentless reference to the Catholic Church. I sometimes wonder how our clergy carry on at all, amid the welter of insults and often managing at least two parishes. I have never heard them complain but I have heard (though not from them) of their quiet visits in the early hours of the morning, to sick and dying  patients, even in distant hospitals.

ISABALLA CORR


Greyabbey, Co Down

Abuse not confined to Holy Orders

Reading Tom Collins’s recollections of the physical abuse meted out by some priests at St Colman’s College (March 20) is an all too familiar tale for people of a certain age. However, it should be pointed out that this form of abuse was not confined to members of the Holy Orders.

My own recollections of the brutality of certain lay teachers in the 1970s is still vivid and, with hindsight, many of the scenes witnessed in primary schools in that era bordered on sheer brutality.

We lived in a culture where certain teachers took sadistic pride in their prowess with the strap and, unfortunately, it was those pupils considered ‘less able’ who were on the receiving end of a disproportionate level of punishment.

I recall one teacher whose teaching of the metric system was limited to the use of the metre stick as a cane, while humiliating slaps to the faces of bewildered children were seen as laughing matters.

Thankfully, we live in an age where teachers are more accountable. However, it is sad to think that there are some retired teachers whose most notable achievement in the classroom was bullying and brutalising their pupils.

BARRY FLYNN


Dunmurry, Co Antrim

Nationalists still second-class citizens 

I believe that the proposed changes by the boundaries commission amount to gerrymandering and they have been influenced by the objections from the DUP. Ian Paisley’s response to the original proposals was “we will see about that”. Now the Boundaries Commission accepted almost in its entirety the proposals of the DUP as opposed to the proposals that they had originally put forward.

These new proposals are designed to ensure that unionists will gain a majority of seats in the six counties which does not reflect the makeup of the electorate. 

I strongly object to the changes going ahead and will be considering legal action if this gerrymandering by the state is allowed to take place.

We have just come out of more than 40 years of conflict which was caused discrimination and if this is allowed to return to the extent that the Boundaries Commission are proposing then nationalists will have no other option but to  demonstrate that they will not stand for being treated as second-class citizens in the land of our birth.

RAYMOND McMAHON


Clogher, Co Tyrone

Pope should come north

I can’t understand why our holy father cannot visit the north of Ireland when he is coming to Dublin. After all he is head of the Catholic Church and the north of Ireland Catholics are just as anxious to see Pope Francis as those in the south, maybe more so. I want our bishops and priests to stand up to the hierarchy of the south and get our holy father to come to the north to see his flock here. 

NORAH QUINN


Belfast BT10