Dear Editor,
Justine McCarthy has recently shined a spotlight on some of the uncomfortable realities underpinning the Irish mentality (“The era of universally pleasing everyone as Irish is over”, Opinion, 20th September). It would be beneficial for our nation to tackle such issues head-on and unmask the skeletons in its wardrobe by pondering discomforting inquiries. Examples would be: Did the use of force to “free” Ireland genuinely serve the good of its people? Might Ireland have gained from adopting the Reformation? To what extent do the Irish exhibit xenophobia or anti-Semitism? Has the policy of neutrality been a boon? Has there been any utility left in the fixation to distinguish us from our aggressive neighbour, given our numerous shared aspects?
Enquiries of this nature ought to be encompassed in our schooling programme. It is within a mature democracy’s capacity to foster discussions around these subjects.
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I have come across the aggressive behaviour Ms McCarthy alludes to, with the evangelical zeal of the Irish Catholic Church now being viewed by many as the formation of a discreet realm of sorts. Rather than persist to perceive ourselves as the world’s entertainer or ‘great craic’, isn’t it about time to recognise the cracks appearing in this image we’ve built of ourselves as the global joker? Yours faithfully,
PADDY McEVOY,
Cambridgeshire,
England.