Sir, - Bravo to Geraldine Watts for speaking out on behalf of one of Ireland's minorities (September 1st). I too saw the article on the modern Ireland section of the history syllabus for the Leaving Certificate (The Irish Times, 24 August) and wondered, if Irish identity is still inextricably linked to the GAA and "the Church", where exactly that leaves this Irish person.
As an Irish Presbyterian, I have no aspiration whatsoever to be British, nor has any Irish Presbyterian of my acquaintance. And I also belong to the Church - to the Reformed tradition - whose history, I can only hope, will be fairly told to Leaving Certificate students, together with the stories of other minority Irish traditions, past and present.
Ms Watts wonders when we Irish Protestants will cease to be treated as foreigners in our own land. Perhaps integrating our story into all the stories of modern Ireland would be a start?
Those of us who work in Irish universities are striving to encourage "respect for the diversity of values, beliefs and traditions in Irish society", as the Universities Bill enjoins us to do. Perhaps similar legislation would stimulate our secondary schools to foster a like respect for the diversity of Irish cultures and histories through their curricula? - Yours, etc.,
Prof Ruth Whelan, Department of French, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co Kildare.