Patrick�s Day Parade

A Plea for Understanding

Billy Mitchell

I regard Patrick�s Day primarily as a day when Irish Christians give thanks to God for the life and mission of Patrick. To ignore the spiritual component of Patrick�s Day is to dishonour the name, and to diminish the mission, of Patrick.

Having said that, there is no reason why the celebration of a religious festival should not be accompanied by joyful activities. A carnival event seems to me to be an excellent way to allow the people of our city to express themselves in a colourful, creative and joyful manner. After thirty� years of violent conflict Belfast needs more, not less, carnival events. Such events ought to be as inclusive and inoffensive as possible and, where possible, be a medium for healing and reconciliation. That would, I believe, be in keeping with the gospel message preached by Patrick himself all those years ago.

Bitter Controversy

It is unfortunate therefore that the desire by both nationalists and unionists to celebrate Patrick�s Day in Belfast has become a source of bitter controversy. Many unionists regard the event that has taken place on the previous two Patrick's Days as being a celebration of� nationalist cultural identity. Many nationalists, on the other hand, regard unionist opposition to their carnival as being an attempt to suppress their Irish identity.� No doubt there is an element of truth in both accusations, but I would like to believe that the greater number of people on both sides are sincere in their intentions and simply do not understand the motives or the fears of the other community.

The focus of the controversy appears to me to be on the clashing identities of the two main communities rather than on the person, mission and legacy of Patrick. If� Patrick�s Day is to be celebrated in a manner worthy of the life of Patrick surely the focus should be on that life and not on the political differences that divide us today.� A celebratory event that seeks to be inclusive of all citizens of our city, and which seeks to honour the life and mission of Patrick, should emphasise those things that we all have in common.

Integral to the task of resolving conflict is the ability to put ourselves in the place of our opponents and to try to view the issue through their eyes. It is only by seeing a common problem through the eyes of the other person that we can genuinely begin to understand what the problem is. The more we focus on key personalities the less we see of the issue until eventually the issue itself becomes secondary to the task of� demeaning and dismissing our opponents.

Freedom to Celebrate

I have absolutely no problem with any Patrick�s Day carnival which gives freedom to nationalists to celebrate in a manner that gives popular expression to their nationalism. I can understand why so many nationalists would see such an event as providing them with an opportunity to celebrate their political identity and I can understand why the organising committee would be loathe to try and� suppress such a celebration. If I were a nationalist I would probably take the same position as they do.

What I ask for in return is for nationalists to understand why many unionists feel unable to join in an event which they see as giving expression to nationalism. This has nothing to do with racism or with the suppression of Irishness, it is about differences in political identity and constitutional aspirations. As an Irish Unionist I will not allow anyone to diminish my sense of Irishness. At the same time I will not allow anyone to insist that my Irishness must be celebrated in a manner that gives credence to a nationalism which I do not subscribe to. Respect for each others political identity and aspirations does not mean that we are required to celebrate them together. Let us try to understand and to tolerate each other�s position.

Separate Events

While the nature and intent of any� Patrick�s Day event is in doubt it would appear to me that two separate events on the same day, but at different times, should take place. One celebrated from an Irish nationalist perspective and the other celebrated from a non-nationalist perspective. People would be free to choose which event, if any, they wished to participate in and both events should be eligible for equitable levels of funding.

Let us listen to each other with ears that hear and with minds that are open to understanding. Only then will we learn to tolerate our differences and begin to lay the foundations for a celebration of the richness of our diverse cultures.

[This article first appeared in the North Belfast News]