Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground

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Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters View image in fullscreen A Union flag is held aloft in Sandy Row, Belfast, during Twelfth of July celebrations in 2017. At present, it would seem, unionists are fighting mainly with themselves, the DUP’s leadership debacle a symptom of a deeper existential crisis within unionism caused by a conjunction of forces, some predictable, some unforeseen, which have rendered Northern Ireland’s future as part of the United Kingdom increasingly uncertain. Chief among them is the implementation of the post-Brexit trade protocol, which Boris Johnson assured the DUP would only happen “over my dead body”.

Similarly, we hear the views of the LGBT community within Northern Protestantism and learn how these people reconcile their sexuality with a political ideology that has more often than not been fiercely intolerant of them. This is a fantastic piece of writing, part sociological study, I was totally immersed in the views and opinions of those the author interviewed. Although the interviews are from roughly 2018-2021, McKay's book captures the complex reactions people are having to the shifting grounds of Northern Ireland both in terms of domestic and international situations. I would be particularly interested in how liberal unionists react to this book, and the many contradictions in unionism/loyalism that it brings to light.There were a couple of protestant owned businesses but they were mostly concentrated at one end of the small town we were from. It follows the same format, of using extensive interviews to weave together an evocative impression of the tensions and hopes that lie below the surface of the still-dominant (at least in some respects) community in Northern Ireland.

Susan McKay first visited this topic twenty years ago, when the north was still basking in the glow of the early days of the ceasefires. Based on almost 100 brand-new interviews, and told with McKay's trademark passion and conviction, this is essential reading. Whether or not the views shown in the book are representative, I don't know but it is certainly thought provoking.But as many Ulster Protestants will denounce this book as an indictment of their people,I found myself warming to many of the people in the book and found their perspective refreshing. And of course it soon removed from me the notion that Protestants in the North of Ireland were one large, groupthinking monolithic block. The rest of the interviews,snatches of conversation with people at Drumcree and historical analysis and context provided by McKay only serve to confirm the accounts of the former. It is a potentially transformative narrative for anyone who takes the time to read it and reflect on the many experiences, commentaries and stories of the contributors.

Feminism in particular is striving for change and you can only feel optimistic with so many driven women featuring strongly, looking to make the shift to issues that need to be tackled.

Had I read a book like this as a teenager, I imagine it would have shocked me enough to change my adolescent views on whether it's possible to reconcile left wing ideas with any kind of formalised unionism. McKay's authorial voice is sparse for most of the book, allowing her interviewees to reveal themselves for better or worse through their own words. The sense of grief, betrayal and loss is palpable alongside the optimism and hope of a new generation.