Sir, Once again, Kevin Myers is annoyed that public houses, by law, remain closed on Good Friday (April 9th). He says: "The Catholic Church has virtually lost all control over our private lives, yet still the institutions of the State publicly defer to it".
For the second time in two years, I must remind Kevin that neither Dail Eireann not the Catholic Church created the public holiday on Good Friday. In fact, the days that commemorate the birth and death of Jesus Christ (Christmas Day and Good Friday) are, by English Common Law, public holidays.
Early in the 19th century, when Ireland was ruled by Westminster, the Bank of England was closed on about 42 saints' days and anniversaries. In 1830 such bank holidays were reduced to 18, and in 1834 reduced to four when Christmas Day and Good Friday were confirmed as Common Law holidays. The English Parliament passed the Bank Holidays Act on May 25th, 1871 in order to regulate holidays, and Christmas Day and Good Friday were again confirmed as Common Law holidays.
It is not only in Britain and Ireland that Good Friday is publicly commemorated. Other European countries which have a public holiday on Good Friday include Sweden (95 per cent Lutheran), Denmark (94 per cent Lutheran), Finland (91 per cent Lutheran), Norway (Lutheran), Germany (50 per cent Protestant), Switzerland (48 per cent Catholic, 44 per cent Protestant), Greece (97 per cent Eastern Orthodox), Netherlands (38 per cent Catholic, 33 per cent Protestant), Spain (Catholic), and Portugal (Catholic).
Finally, I might refer to the 1991 Irish Census of Population, which found that 91 per cent of the population were Catholics (3,228,327). When we add 82,840 members of the Church of Ireland, 13,199 members of Presbyterian churches and 5,037 Methodists, we have a mighty substantial body of Christian opinion. Surely this deserves some public recognition in our country? - Yours, etc.,
Bantry Road,
Dublin 9.