Sir,—I found it odd that you did not ask a historian to review The Catholics of Ulster by Marianne Elliott who is not only a noted historian but one of History Ireland’s patrons.
Others better qualified or at least possessing ‘the nobility of the Gaelic mind’ (to use just one of Mons. Murray’s unhistorical phrases) will, no doubt take issue with some of his opinions on the text. My purpose in writing is to refute utterly his ludicrous assertion that the teaching of Irish history was banned in the schools of Northern Ireland until direct rule. I can assure Mons. Murray that in the 1950s and 1960s, along with countless others of every faith and none, I learnt, taught and was examined in Irish history in a series of grammar schools and institutions of further and higher education.
Since Mons. Murray was, presumably, living in Northern Ireland at that time, one can only speculate on how he came to be so misinformed. I simply cannot understand how you, as editors, did not bother to correct such a glaring error.
Yours etc.,
DEIRDRE BROWN
Holywood
County Down
Editors’ reply
Who better than an Ulster Catholic to review a book entitled The Catholics of Ulster, more over one who has a doctorate in Celtic Studies, is editor of one of Ireland’s most reputable local history journals, Seanchas Ard Mhacha, and who, as a human rights campaigner, has had hands-on experience of the more recent history of Northern Ireland? At the same time both the reviewer and editors acknowledge that Deirdre Brown is correct in pointing out that the teaching of Irish history was not banned (or ‘forbidden’ to use Mons. Murray’s word) in the schools of Northern Ireland until direct rule. But neither was it encouraged: Irish history only featured as a sub-set of British history, which in turn was only half the curriculum (European history was the other half). Consequently, little or no Irish history was taught in the vast majority of state (in effect, Protestant) schools. Fortunately, there were exceptions as Ms Brown’s own experience testifies.