Unionist tradition `ignorance' noted

A survey carried out for Cooperation Ireland has found "considerable ignorance" of the Northern Irish Protestant tradition among those resident in the Republic.

However, almost half of those surveyed in the Republic said they would like to learn more about their Northern counterparts.

The survey also revealed what it said was "Protestant ambivalence" about the state of intercommunal relations in Northern Ireland.

Co-operation Ireland, whose joint patrons are the President, Mrs McAleese, and Queen Elizabeth, commissioned the survey which was carried out on population samples of 1,000 people in the North and a similar number in the Republic.

The survey found:

Just 27 per cent of people in the Republic claimed a good or excellent knowledge of Protestant or unionist traditions in the North;

Some 48 per cent of respondents in the Republic were interested or very interested in learning more about Protestant and unionist traditions in the North;

Just 19 per cent of Protestants in Northern Ireland felt they had a good or excellent understanding of the traditions and culture of the Republic;

Within Northern Ireland more Catholics than Protestants believe that respect between the two communities has increased.

The survey found a weaker sense of personal responsibility for building peace among those in the Republic. Just 29 per cent said they felt "very responsible", while the figure for the North was 46 per cent.

Commenting on the survey the chief executive of Co-operation Ireland, Mr Tony Kennedy, said much work remained to be done to involve ordinary people in the peace process.