Sir, Tommy Murtagh (July 20th) steps into Conor Cruise O'Brien's shoes, once more to prove thereby the weakness of their case.
To argue that Sinn Fein is "back in the fold" of mainstream nationalism when it is still forbidden to meet Government Ministers, or to attend the inter party talks, is at best loose thinking and at worst the sort of paranoia that unionism farms to sustain itself. Similarly, to claim that the Orange Lodges were only reacting against Republican violence including the Enniskillen bombing that occurred after they had marched along Garvaghy Road is to ignore the fact that the march last year took place during the IRA ceasefire. More than six months of ceasefire followed, in which the Orange leaders refused to negotiate on their right to insult their Catholic fellow countrymen.
Sadly, Garvaghy Road was caused by one thing the ideological refusal of Orangeism to accept mere parity of esteem with Catholics, a refusal that it has passed on to the major unionist parties.
Messrs Murtagh and O'Brien would do well to consider whether in seeking a non sectarian unionism (and rejecting Alliance's credentials in this matter) they are not hunting chimerae. Yours, etc., Clanawley Road, Dublin 5.