Sir, – In his address to Seanad Éireann the grand secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, Drew Nelson, referred to “the demonisation of the Orange Order by the republican movement”, (Dáil Report, July 4th). Sadly, he gave no hint of awareness that in both Catholic and impartial eyes through the sectarian speeches of its leaders and equally bigoted and provocative conduct of its members, especially during the marching season, his organisation, has, all down the years, effectively demonised itself.
But that is no justification for the burning of Orange halls; or for the obstruction of Orange parades by members of the republican movement; which Mr Nelson also complained of. Indeed, all such conduct infringes the spirit of the 1916 Proclamation which express a resolve that “all the children of the nation” be cherished equally.
Perhaps had he known of that and been willing to quote a “disloyal” document, Mr Nelson could have used that resolve to support his call for the cancellation of the funding cuts for Protestant schools because of the detrimental effect they will have on small Protestant communities scattered across the Republic. The imposition of cutbacks also on small Catholic schools is irrelevant; equal sharing of cutbacks does not imply equal cherishing.
Some, perhaps a sizeable majority of the members of those small Protestant communities, especially those in the Border areas, may well see themselves as being less “Irish” than their Catholic neighbours. In other words, they must be given the opportunity to realise that they are being cherished, unequivocally, despite any “sins” of their colonist, planter or settled ancestors.
That should happen were the Government to cancel the funding cuts, where they relate to Protestant schools, in direct response to the 1916 Proclamation. – Yours, etc,