Rose Cottage
Drum
Co. Monaghan
Republic of Ireland
20/3/00
Tel 049 5552660
Dear Sir
A week or so ago I was listening to the early morning news
on BBC Radio Ulster and they did a feature on the decline in the
Protestant population in Donegal. The spokesman who was being
interviewed was asked about the reasons why he felt that such
a decline was taking place and specifically if Protestants were
being discriminated against. He said that Protestants were not
being discriminated against and if anything attempts were being
made to discriminate in their favour. That would also be the experience
here in Monaghan and Cavan as far as grants and schooling are
concerned. However the spokesman went on to say that Protestants,
despite this did not feel at home in the Republic of Ireland.
They still feel that they are outsiders and that has led to the
diminishing population. I have got to say that I agree fully with
that.
In the Stephen Lawrence inquiry into racism in the Metropolitan
Police in London it was found that although there may have been
a racist minority that most of the officers in that police force
would not have been overtly racist. They would not have consciously
discriminated against black people but it was found that there
was, what they called an "institutional racism" in that
people unconsciously discriminated and accepted racial stereotypes
and this led to greater problems than the overt racism.
Could I venture to say that in the Republic of Ireland that there
is "institutional sectarianism" in that while the majority
of people would not want to be in any way discriminatory, they
do take Protestants for granted and never think of their point
of view. One way in which this is most clearly demonstrated is
in hospitals. When patients from my congregation go to hospital
they very often go to hospitals which are bedecked with the trappings
of Roman Catholicism. I remember one lady who needed joint replacement
surgery who did not want to go to a hospital in Dublin where she
would be surrounded by these things. If pupils from my congregation
go to what is supposed to be a mixed school parents have to be
very vigilant that their children are not taken to Mass to remember
some pupil who has died of an illness or for some other reason.
Protestants also are afraid to make their voices heard. Sometimes
in conversation they will say "sure there is no discrimination
in this country." as if they are trying to convince themselves.
The problem is that it is so subtle that it is hard to define.
But what you will find is that there is a kind of an ill at ease
feeling and a constant looking over the shoulder to see what Roman
Catholic neighbours might think. Once again I am putting my head
above the parapet. When I went to see Bertie Ahern I explained
some of these things to him but he just smiled wryly. I do not
expect to win plaudits for raising this issue but I think it needs
to be raised and I am stating what I see as the truth. There is
a self congratulatory spirit in this country but all in the garden
is not rosy and it would be better to face these issues before
attacking Northern Ireland on discrimination there.
Yours Faithfully
Gordon Dane (Rev.)