Sir, – I was shocked by the tone and content of Niall Meehan's letter (October 24th), responding to Andy Pollak's recent "Rite and Reason" article. It is undoubtedly true that Protestant society in Ireland was, generally speaking, just as illiberal as Catholic society up to the 1960s.
Nevertheless, the ethos of the State was confessional and there is a large literature showing that Protestants felt alienated. There is no point in denying it, unless one is trying desperately to defend the “glorious, pious and immortal memory” of independent Ireland in its first half century. The economic advantages enjoyed by Protestants, while they should not be denied either, did not outweigh the negative social and political framework. Matters could have been worse – there might have been large-scale ethnic cleansing – but that does not alter the fact that pre-1960s Ireland was not a welcoming place for those who did not subscribe to a Catholic and/or Gaelic ethos.
– Yours, etc,
FELIX M LARKIN,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18