The Contested Identities Of Ulster Protestants

The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants This page intentionally left blank The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants Edited by Thomas Paul Burgess Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Ireland and Gareth Mulvenna Visiting Research Fellow, School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, Queen’s University Belfast, UK Selection and editorial matter © Thomas Paul Burgess and Gareth Mulvenna 2015 Remaining chapters © Respective authors 2015 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-45393-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-49779-9 ISBN 978-1-137-45394-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137453945 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The contested identities of Ulster Protestants / edited by Thomas Paul Burgess and Gareth Mulvenna. pages cm Summary: “‘Flags’, ‘Emblems’ and ‘The Past’; three seemingly insurmountable challenges which continue to hinder the peace process in Northern Ireland. For many, the responsibility for the impasse that scuppered the Haass talks and brought violent protests to the streets of Belfast appears to rest with the perceived intransigence of the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities to embrace change. That this community is itself riven with internal rancour and discord should come as no surprise. Issues of social class, denominational alignment, political aspiration and national identity have historically divided what outsiders have often mistakenly viewed as a collective cultural, religious and socio-political entity. This study explores the statement by Henry McDonald that this is ‘...the least fashionable community in Western Europe’. A diverse group of contributors including prominent politicians, academics, journalists and artists investigate the reasons informing public perceptions attaching to the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities in Ulster”—Provided by publisher. 1. Protestants—Political activity—Ulster (Northern Ireland and Ireland) 2. Protestants— Ulster (Northern Ireland and Ireland)—Attitudes. 3. Unionism (Irish politics) 4. Peace-building—Northern Ireland. 5. Peace-building—Ireland. 6. National characteristics, Irish. 7. Ulster (Northern Ireland and Ireland)—Politi