The Irish counties on Monaghan and Cavan are border countries, skirting the northern counties of Armagh and Fermanagh. They are rural communities, centred around some market towns and in great need of initiatives for their economy and infrastructure.Compared with the rest of the Irish republic, they have a sizeable number of Protestants but they are still overwhelmed numerically by the local Roman Catholic community. From time to time, these Protestant communities suffer sectarian attacks upon their church and school property.
Over the Christmas period, a Presbyterian Church and a Protestant school in Co Monaghan were vandalised. Specific anti Protestant slogans were daubed on the blackboard of the school by a group identifying itself as the “Oram Mafia”.
Recent years witnessed the Free Presbyterian Church near Drum incurring tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage in a fire which led to the church practically being rebuilt. A Baptist Church in Co. Cavan was also attacked. The latter despite efforts to disassociate from the identity of Protestant. Another Protestant meeting hall – again under the auspices of the Free Presbyterian Church – again in Co Cavan has suffered windows being broken.
Bible and hymn books targeted
Although there is no doubt as to the sectarian nature of these attacks, it can be very hard to prove such in the eyes of the law. All kinds of hard-to-actually-produce-legal requirements stand in the way. After these attacks Dr Paisley, in his office as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church, met the Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Aherne to see what could be done. However, the sectarian nature of the attacks could not be legally proved and the commercial insurance companies were left to foot the bill. Yet in the case of the Free Presbyterian attack, it occurred the very weekend when Orangemen were due to world down the Garvaghy Road I Portadown – an event now daubed “Drumcree Sunday” – the pulpit Bible and hymn books were specifically targeted for destruction. It is hard to conclude that motives other than sectarianism are to blame. It has not been unknown in some cases for money in missionary boxes to be left untouched while what we may term symbols of Protestantism are singled out.
“Community relations would not suffer”
After the recent attacks on the Presbyterian properties, the news media seemed more anxious to assert that “community relations would not suffer” as a consequence than anything else. Obviously the last thing anyone wants is sectarian tension in the community, but the persistent harassment of the minority Protestant population is often left to play second fiddle to the overall good. When the BBC news team eventually turned up after the fire at the Free Presbyterian Church, they sought to play down the sectarian nature of the incident. However another incident they cited – a fire at a nearby Roman Catholic School – had taken place several years earlier and only betrayed their own bias to the matter.
Colin Maxwell
