Sir: A little over six months ago I urged metropolitan
commentators to give North- ern Ireland's Protestants the same benefit of the doubt as these commentators gener- ally accord to the Catholics. This provoked an instant response from a lady of Republi- can persuasion.
The handwriting was educated, the gram- mar impeccable, the ink a reassuring blue but the message was vitriolic: 'God gave Ire- land — North, South, East and West — to the Catholics. Most Protestants are descen- dants of Dutch and German mercenaries brought over by William of Orange. .. With the help of God and the IRA, Ireland will become a Catholic nation once again.'
At the time, I supposed that only the tini- est minority of Irish Catholics shared such sentiments. O'Callaghan's revelations sug- gest that this minority is not so tiny after all.
Monson
House of Lords, SW1
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