But many Catholics plan their vacations so as to be out of Ulster on July 12, while thousands of Ulstermen of both groups have moved south into Free Ireland to take advantage of the economic resurgence of “The Celtic Tiger,” so that almost all those Protestants on the streets in Derry, and in Castle Derg as well, on the “anniversary,” were either marchers in the parades, or police on parade duty. As I crossed the Foyle on the morning of the twelfth, traffic on the Craigavon Bridge was very light, while the Protestant drums were booming on the upper level of the bridge, directly over my head. Far more people will see the Castle Derg parade on this website than saw it in person. In Enniskillen, by mid-afternoon, there was no sign at all of any celebration, although the town was as quiet as you would expect on a holiday.
My own experience on this trip
through Ulster was largely
pleasant and uneventful. When I
arrived in Benburb, looking
forward to exploring the battle
site of “Yellow Ford,” as
well as Benburb Castle, I could
not find a Bed & Breakfast. A
cordial gas (petrol) station
owner suggested I inquire at the
Servite Priory who, he said,
sometimes took in guests. Not
only did they offer me
hospitality, but Benburb Castle
was on their grounds. One of the
brothers was a MacDonnell, and
another was buried in their
cemetery. When, in conversation
with the Prior, I mentioned that
I was Presbyterian, it elicited
no response at all and it was a
pleasant and congenial evening.
Although this was an American
order that originated in
Chicago, clearly they felt no
sectarian tension.
The next day, stopping for directions
to Yellow Ford at a neighborhood
grocery in Blackwatertown, a big cheerful guy,
clearly Protestant, introduced
himself as MacBride. When I
said, “Oh! You’re a MacDonald
then,” he beamed and told me
he was the only man in the
village entitled to wear the
MacDonald tartan. A few miles
further on, I found that
“Emain Macha,” a world class
archeological site that had been
closed by the British
government, citing lack of
funds, during my last visit, had
reopened on a part time basis
under the auspices of the local
government. I take this to be a
testament to progress and self
government. The manager
indicated that tours were
beginning to come back and
generally was positive about
their future prospects.
In Strabane, the local tourist
office, together with a member
of the local Council whom she
called, helped me to locate the
site of Strabane Castle, no
longer extant, but where James
MacDonnell of Dun Naibhig had
died of wounds while a prisoner
of O’Neill in the 16th Century.
Unfortunately, pressed for time,
I was unable to stay longer in
what impressed me as a friendly
community.
The Diamond, Derry City Center
Arriving in Derry on July 10
without reservations, I
sought help from the Tourist
Office. Offered a choice of
accommodations in center
city or the suburbs, I chose
center city. When the
operative called to confirm
my booking, there was some
discussion between them to
assure the landlord that I
was American, but not
whether I was Protestant or
Catholic. As I subsequently
discovered, The Abbey Bed
And Breakfast is not in
center city, but rather in
center Bogside, the Catholic
enclave of Derry. As I am an
ordained Presbyterian
deacon, I had some qualms
about this but, as it turned
out, without cause. Seamus
Kennedy, my host, was
courteous, friendly and
quite helpful. Still, the
tension of operating a B & B
in Derry was apparent and
unavoidable. It continued
only until Seamus was
satisfied that I was not a
threat.
That night, I had my best meal in
Ireland, enjoying a first
class rib eye steak at
FitzRoy’s, as good as any I
had experienced in Dallas or
Kansas City. Of course, in
Dallas, I could not have
ordered a Guinness to go
with it, and Lone Star Beer,
for some reason, doesn’t go
down as well.
But, this was also where I had my most serious incident in Ulster. I had parked on Artillery Street, a one way street, only one block long, just inside the wall. After dinner, I found out why parking spaces were so readily available there. As I departed, I had to turn left at the end of the block through the New Gate onto Hawkin Street.
Immediately in front of me were the bonfire preparations scheduled to be lit the following night. A young boy who looked to be about thirteen years old was holding a piece of lumber, about to place it on the pile. When he saw my car, he turned and acted as if he was going to throw the lumber through my windshield. I believe he might have done it if I had acted fearful and hadn’t given him a disapproving look. Discussing the incident later with Seamus Kennedy, he concluded that the boy may have threatened me because the license plate on my rental car was from Cork, a predominantly Catholic area in southern Ireland.
I would have gone back to FitzRoy’s for dinner again the following night if not for the fact that the bonfire was scheduled to be lit a block away. As it was, I went to The Mandarin Palace, on The Foyle Embankment, where I had my second best meal in Ireland. Although large and crowded, with live entertainment, the service was excellent, and the Chinese food was as good as any I had ever experienced.
By way of
analysis, I
found the
people of
Ulster,
Protestant
and
Catholic, to
be
courteous,
friendly and
welcoming to
me, but not
yet
necessarily
to each
other.
Tension,
distrust and
suspicion
still
dominate
relations
between the
two groups,
and this
attitude
extends even
to their
southern
cousins, who
fear that
Ulstermen
will bring
their hate
and conflict
with them,
as they come
south to
participate
in the
economic
opportunities
to be found
there.
I can, and will from time to time,
cite
numerous
examples of
government
helpfulness
and good
will at all
levels and
in both
Ulster and
the
Republic,
but at the
same time, I
have seen
little
evidence of
secular
leadership
toward peace
or
reconciliation
in Northern
Ireland,
while
scandals and
government
corruption
prevail all
over the
country,
north and
south. Sinn
Fein’s
renunciation
of armed
conflict
seems to me
to be merely
resignation
to the
overwhelming
will of the
people for
peace. But
more than
cessation of
hostilities
is needed.
Although
Irish
tradtion
varies from
passionate
rebellion
against
tyranny to
complacent
submission
to their
aristocratic
leaders,
they have
little
experience
of managing
their own
affairs, and
proactive
control by
the will of
the people,
populism if
you will, is
what is
needed. The
Irish
people, and
especially
the people
of Ulster,
must seek
out new
leadership
that
possesses
wisdom,
courage,
integrity
and good
will to all,
if they are
to finally
achieve the
quality of
life that
they
deserve.
They need to
kick the
rascals out,
just as we
in America
need to do!
(Please use your back button to return to the menu of prior editorials)
I don't believe that it matters whether Ulster's leaders learned leadership in the SAS or in the IRA, so long as they have been through the fire. It doesn't matter where they go to church, or who their father was, so long as they love Ulster and all its people with a great passion. It doesn't matter where they went to school, or what academic honors they hold, so long as they know what the people want, and how to get it for them.
One of America's greatest leaders was Andrew Jackson. Descended from Belfast Protestant emigrants, orphaned and scarred during the American Revolution, self taught in a frontier settlement, he led his nation to its greatest victory against the Hanoverian tyrants at New Orleans in 1814 and founded the great Democratic Party ten years later. His blood and soul are still to be found in Ulster, and you could do worse.
Castle
Derg
Parade
Where
the
children
of
Ulster
are
taught
to
hate
The West
Bank Protestant
Enclave,
Derry
Not so different
from the Berlin
Wall
July 12 Parade, Castle Derg, Tyrone
2006 Bonfire Preparations, The West Bank, Derry
One of the most important things to know about
Ireland, one year after the announcement of Sinn
Fein’s disarmament policy, is its effect on the
people and their day to day lives. I therefore
made plans to be there during the “marching
season.” What I found was encouraging, but
serious problems and risks remain.
Ulster Protestants still celebrate
the victory of the English Protestant
aristocrats through their surrogates, The House
of Hanover, over the rightful King of the Scots
and the Irish, James VII, Stuart, while Ulster
Catholics still look upon their own Scottish
kinsmen as foreign oppressors. But, this year,
there were no serious confrontations between the
parties and, for the first time in forty years,
British troops were not called out in Belfast to
help the local constabulary keep order. So,
superficially, the armistice is working.
However, the Protestants of Belfast
and Derry still live behind fences and barbed
wire, fearing attack by their own kinsmen, while
they fly the foreign flags of their oppressors.
Every year, they still parade through nearly
empty streets, flaunting their orange banners,
and building bonfires, goading their cousins to
continue the conflict, while they scheme to keep
British troops in Ulster, in their minds, in
order to protect themselves from Catholic reprisals.
August, 2006 Comment