Irish Religious Troubles

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31177, 29 September 1966, Page 2

Irish Religious Troubles

Reconciliation of the Roman Catholic and Protestant elements in Northern Ireland is the sincere wish of all moderates, said Mrs Dorothy Lucas, of Christchurch, who returned to Belfast recently to visit her, parents.

The Prime Minister (Captain Terrance O’Neill) had done his best to bring this about, said Mrs Lucas. But the followers of the Rev. lan Paisley had militantly opposed

such a solution. Although he calls himself a Free Presbyterian, Mr Paisley had no affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, said Mrs Lucas. “His course is an extremist one which opposes moderate elements in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant groups.”

Once he was a small-time preacher in a gospel hall who bought himself a set of degrees from America and ordained himself in his own church. But he had immense power over his followers. “He has been compared to Hitler and Mussolini for the hypnotic sway he wields,” said Mrs Lucas.

“He has aroused the population to such an extent that |he is no longer able to control them. Riots are not uncommon and there have even been murders of Roman ! Catholics by Paisleyites,” said Mrs Lucas.

Mr Paisley was at present serving a prison sentence for contempt of court and the Government was hoping his followers would not pursue their extremist tactics when he was released in a few weeks’ time, said Mrs Lucas. Current religious troubles had been stirred up by extremists and hot heads but

they had to be taken seriously, said Mrs Lucas. Commercial travellers were advised it would be quite safe to carry on business in Northern Ireland but tourists did not stay if they could avoid it, said Mrs Lucas.

Tremendous publicity was given to an unfortunate incident during Queen Elizabeth H’s recent tour of Northern Ireland when a bottle was hurled at the Royal car.

Because the incident coincided with the “Paisley" riots it was assumed to be the work of a religious fanatic. “But the woman who threw the bottle was an anti-Royal-ist who had come over from England.

‘The adverse publicity following this incident did not help the country at all. Northern Ireland was called a ‘sick, sick society’ by an English Sunday newspaper, but this is a gross exaggeration,” said Mrs Lucas.

‘The majority of the population want a moderate course.”

Religious segregation, even in housing and education, had always been practised in Northern Ireland, said Mrs Lucas. There were some fringe areas but there were also tome areas where no Roman Catholic would live and other areas where no Protestant would live. Roman Catholic children would never attend state schools and even the training colleges were segregated. Roman Catholics did not accept any Government aid and because of the enormous increase in the Roman Catholic population their schools had become overcrowded. Schools were forced to work on a shift basis, and some children went to school in the morning while others attended only in the afternoon, said Mrs Lucas. Returning to Belfast after an absence of five years, Mrs' Lucas found the religious segregation “ridiculous.” On July 12, she watched 50,000 Orangemen march

through the streets and she was horrified when she heard that many of them had travelled from Canada and America just to show their traditional antagonism to Roman Catholics. In New Zealand Mrs Lucas has made Roman Catholic friends for the first time in her life and she has taught in State schools where Romafi Catholic and Protestant children sit side by side. Northern Ireland had made tremendous progress in the last five years—new housing developments and vast industrial complexes were emerging all over the country, said Mrs Lucas.