Madam, - In his column of February 11th, Martin Mansergh made the pertinent point that when it comes to discussing 1916 and the origins of the Republic, many contributors seem incapable of treating the subject calmly. It is difficult to get agreement on basic facts, let alone the complexities of policy and interpretations of history.
A classic example of this is shown by John Joyce, in his letter of the same day, which contained the extraordinary statement that in 1916 "Ireland was one of the most democratic states in the world". By contrast, Senator Mansergh wrote that "Ireland was not a democracy pre-1914", as the 1800 Act of Union effectively precluded any possibility that Ireland could ever achieve what the Proclamation called for - the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of the country and specifically "the unfettered control" of its destiny.
It is perhaps of some significance that each of these contributors referred to their family connections with the national struggle, with John Joyce bemoaning the murder of a cousin of his grandmother by a nationalist, while the Senator quoted from his father's book The Irish Question - 1840 to 1921, which contained the seminal principle that: "the Proclamation of the Republic did not subsume the rule of a Catholic majority over a Protestant minority".
The Proclamation and the Rising were, as Senator Mansergh stated, a reinstatement of the centuries-old "claim to full nationhood", which, as is stated in the text of the Proclamation, has been arrested in every generation by the Irish people.
The concept of a totally free Ireland is not as John Joyce seems to think, the property or prerogative of the IRA or any of its offshoots. It is a precious legacy, which will inevitably be pursued until it is achieved, and as is now realised, will not be by force of arms, but by the same procedures and principles by which the Scottish and Welsh people secured their parliaments. While the process by which Irish unity can and should be achieved would be both complex and costly, ultimately this is the only way the centuries-old problem can be rectified.
Only the authorities at Westminster have both the power and the means to create the circumstances to settle this age-old problem. They must pay the price - and ultimately, however long it takes, no doubt they will. - Yours, etc,
DESMOND BRANIGAN, Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4.