MANY scholars of modern Irish history have pondered how the radical thinking that was once most prevalent in Ulster somehow morphed into an exclusionary, conservative ideology that ultimately led to the foundation of the Northern Ireland statelet.
The late 18th century Protestant bourgeoisie of Belfast and surrounding counties were inspired by the French Revolution to unite Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter in an Ireland free from British rule.
However, the 1798 rebellion was quashed and its leaders hanged. Subsequently, Protestant radical ideals were superseded by Orangism and an almost universal affinity to the union.
But Co Down author Claire Mitchell, a former sociologist at Queen’s University Belfast, has sought to rediscover the latent revolutionary spirit that once produced the likes of William Drennan, Henry Munro, Henry Joy McCracken and his sister Mary Ann.
The result is 'The Ghost Limb', a book that draws together history, politics and personal experience to shine a fresh light on what it means to be Protestant. She says the title refers to "that part of you that is cut off" and the "feeling like you have to hide the Irish parts of yourself".
"My family are Protestants who have always identified as Irish and have always supported reunification," says Claire, who as part of the charismatic renewal movement recalls childhood introductions to CND and Amnesty International.
"One of my earliest political memories is my mum showing me how to check the labels in Wellworths so we could boycott goods from apartheid South Africa."
Having more recently borrowed a copy of Bill Wilsdon's book, 'The Sites of the 1798 Rising in Antrim and Down', Claire realised the same landscape she lived in had once provided a backdrop to rebellion.
"I'd never learned about the United Irishmen at school but as I began to discover the people and places of 1798 all around me, it was a light bulb moment," she says.
"I know it's a cliché that Prods don't know their history, and it's not always a fair one, but I had never emotionally connected with United Irish history before and realising that all these Dissenters and Protestants existed in Co Down over 200 years ago, with a confident, anti-sectarian, Irish politics, made direct contact with my gut – their politics made sense of my own politics."
With her introduction to 18th century Protestant radicalism, Claire found her family was "far from unique" and she became a "bit obsessed about finding out if the spirit of the United Irishmen still existed".
"I wondered if there were lots more northern Protestants who held similar values, or shared aspects of my own experience," she says.
"So I roped in friends to visit 1798 sites, and the book grew out of these conversations."
Her research was "fuelled by cups of tea and hiking boots", with much of the endeavour taking place during the lockdowns of 2020-21.
In addition to friends and family, the author spoke at length to east Belfast Gaeilgeoir Linda Ervine, Baptist minister Rev Karen Sethuraman and Séan Napier, one of the public historians behind the Belfast 1798 walking tour.
"A lot of the book is about silencing – the mechanisms of Lundying which are used to shut alternative Protestants up," says Claire.
"This also adds to the feeling of the ghost limb, because it makes you feel like a certain kind of politics is off limits. Everyone in the book has been Lundied in one way or another. Even strong unionists and loyalists are being Lundied today – the Doug Beattie poster with the noose springs to mind."
The book deals variously with the world of history and heritage adventurers, taking 1798 tours and talking to United Irish descendants, the Irish language and Ulster Scots, along with tales of religious dissent, from Presbyterianism to Christian socialism.
Elsewhere we hear from alternative Protestant activists, including civil rights campaigners, feminists, trade unionists and environmentalists.
"Each person I talked to gave me a jigsaw piece, until I was finally able to piece together what this alternative Protestant ecosystem looked like," says Claire.
"It's been liberating and healing for me to realise that we are walking such a well worn path, from the United Irishmen right through to today."
:: The Ghost Limb by Claire Mitchell is published by Beyond the Pale.
