FOR many Protestants living in Northern Ireland their traditional perception of the Republic of Ireland was of a place of bogys. The Catholic Church was thought to totally dominate the society, and that church's teaching was in turn supported by and reflected in the Constitution.

Traditional nationalist ideology, with its pursuit of a united Ireland and its hostility and insensitivity to unionist convictions, dominated most political thinking. The number of Protestants living in the Republic fell and many churches had to be closed.

The economy was seen to be miserable, many of the people very poor and it was thought that this would never change.

The people were thought to be happily priest-ridden, given to having large families and thought to lack the work ethic of, for example, Northern Presbyterians. Given these widespread perceptions, which were not entirely without substance, Presbyterians in the North thought they could come to only one conclusion, which was that they should keep apart from and be protected from that society; meanwhile doing whatever they could to act as supporters and protectors of the Presbyterian minority trapped in such an alien culture in the Republic.

Practically everyone who now lives in the South describes it as a place which is undergoing very significant and extraordinarily rapid change. The Republic has, since 1973, grasped the hand of Europe and has prospered economically as a result.

Agricultural incomes have improved enormously through the Common Agricultural Policy, changing the attitude of the rural citizens. Having benefited enormously from the input of capital from the European Union and inspired by a vision of being a part of a wider European society, rural people have become more independent and modern.

There has been substantial modification of traditional nationalist thinking about a united Ireland to be imposed against the will of the majority in the North. Many people speak about a "post-nationalist Ireland".

Additionally, business and companies, their trade organisations and distribution networks, as well as more and more members of their staff, are giving effect to a realisation of the economic facts that Northern Ireland and the Republic are linked together economically. These people are also experiencing the common needs and habits of the entire population of both parts of Ireland.

Sporting and professional organisations have, of course, been doing this for a longer time in a consistent but non-political manner. On the macro level the national infrastructure has benefited from European money. This is evident in the improved road system and modern trains to all the main cities. Much of this is already in place and more change is planned for the immediate future.

The Republic has benefited enormously from outside investment. The imaginative taxation legislation has helped to attract this investment which has provided employment opportunities for the well-educated and largely young population. This has stemmed emigration and encouraged many well-qualified citizens to return. The investment which the Government made in second- and third-level education has produced a well-educated workforce.

THE society nevertheless aces acute problems of extensive social deprivation, and in some places a pervasive drug culture.

The consequence of Ireland's enthusiastic involvement in the EU has meant some loss of national independence but also a considerable diminution of the feeling and consequences of insularity.

The vision of a pluralist society and the need to be open in State and social affairs have required constitutional changes which have been made, albeit reluctantly by the old establishment in some instances. Laws, from labour issues to divorce, have been enacted.

The consequence of this is both cultural and religious change, a growth in economic prosperity and a widespread feeling of confidence about the future.

Not all the changes have been driven by economics or the outside influences of Europe or North America. As self-confidence has developed, change has been generated from within the society. This process presents challenges to all the churches.

These changes invite serious discussion about the value systems which will inform this emerging society. As the authority and influence of institutional churches diminish, and society becomes more secular, from where are the values to come and upon what foundations are they to be based?

The Catholic Church which Presbyterians encounter today is different from the past. Most of our members have experienced a real generosity of spirit from that church. By and large our leaders are respected and befriended as colleagues and our members are affirmed for their distinctive witness.

The Catholic Church has seen its world shaken by legislative and social attitude changes. In addition, the hidden past of many of the church's institutions has been revealed in child abuse, inappropriate teaching habits and the treatment of orphans.

CHURCHES other than the Catholic Church also have problems and have suffered from the changes but not in the same way or with the same negative effects on numbers. There is in the Republic a greater openness to change and a willingness to look at options than has ever obtained in the past. This means that there are increasing opportunities for Presbyterian witness and open loving interaction with people and churches outside the Presbyterian Church.

The whole church, and the Presbyterian Church in particular, needs to recognise the extent of the changes that are taking place and the reality which lies behind them.

As a church operating in the whole island, the Presbyterian Church can probably say that its ministry has always been, not unnaturally, a ministry focused where the greatest number of Presbyterians live. As a result, many people in the North and the Republic have tended to see the Presbyterian Church as being a church with an almost exclusive Northern Ireland and unionist orientation. Perhaps indeed it has from time to time been captive to such thinking.

It is time to recognise and welcome many of the changes which are taking place in the Republic and see the opportunities for the greater good of the whole population of this island. It does not assist the Presbyterian Church's mission to be seen as some kind of ally of thinking which does not recognise and welcome many of the changes taking place in Ireland.

The experience of Presbyterians in the South is that we owe it to ourselves to show trust in our Catholic neighbours, not naively but a reasoned trust, and additionally to build relationships within and between people and communities in both parts of this island: This is the only basis for real security and lasting peace.

Surely there is a vocation for the Presbyterian Church to address itself to the opportunities which exist in a changing Ireland and not to be overcome by feelings of anxiety and fear which would cause it to become reactive, insular and conservative?