Growing up in the 50’s,anywhere in the world ,was a vastly different experience to growing up today. Ireland in the 50’s was still a very traditional country, slowly integrating itself into a world emerging from the rigors of World War II.
Religion as always played a major role in its culture and in the 50’s it was usually the sole deciding factor as to where a child lived, went to school and what friends were permitted.

In the North of Ireland, from the industrial heart of Belfast throughout the smallest communities, people were born, raised and remained in conclaves or ghettoes built totally on religious beliefs and practices. The boundaries of these ghettoes were so emotionally inbred into the psyche, that the physical borders were known almost instinctively.

It was possible to step from on ghetto into another simply by turning a street corner. The accepted rule of thumb was : “we stay in our area, they stay in theirs.”

The results of this social and cultural practice have been devastating on Ireland for centuries. Isolationism, whether self inflicted or government imposed, always breeds fear, resentment and mistrust. So it was in Ulster in the 50’s. At university level, it was not uncommon for freshmen to meet for the first time in their lives, fellow students “from the other side”. Young men and women , who, at eighteen years of age had never before spoken personally with someone of the opposite faith.

Some of us were more fortunate in that via sports or music or drama we had opportunity to “mix” and to discover that the vast majority of people are very much alike in their hopes and aspirations. Yet the culture at the time frowned openly on such interaction. Few Catholic boys in school ever played soccer, since it was an “English” game and ought therefore to be abhorred; Protestant sportsmen never enjoyed the thrill of having a "hurley" (a hurling stick ---something akin to a hockey stick) in their hands.

Sadly in the church, which should have been the one place where understanding and grace were exemplified, sectarianism and illogical bigotry ran rampant. No “good” Catholic would have been heard to enjoy the strains of “Amazing Grace” or “Great is Thy Faithfulness”; and no self - respecting Protestant would have dared listen to the touching words of the old Catholic hymn “ Sweet heart of Jesus”.

Thankfully today, more and more, the Irish are learning that it is quite possible to hold fast to one’s faith and beliefs , even passionately and unreservedly, and yet allow others to do the same without the need for hatred and violence to be the only recourse for maintaining the freedom of thought we all long for.

The rest of the world would be well advised to learn from Ireland’s errors, that while diversity of culture and religion can enhance society, isolationism and lack of grace to those who may disagree, is always a breeding ground for the type of civil unrest that has damaged Ireland’s culture and its people for far too long.