The past is a different country
Dear Editor, L.P. Hartley wrote “The past is another country. They do things differently there.” When we look at the past through the eyes of the present we end up taking the high moral ground from societies abandonment of unmarried pregnant women to mother and baby homes to the tough lives of women tied to the kitchen sink rearing large families
Then if past generations were to judge the present, they would equally take the High Moral Ground. They would be shocked at societies’ lack of care for the elderly, the lack of urgency of Governments in insuring that for young couples wanting to start a family finding a home, and the abandonment of the practice of religion in favour of pursuit other lifestyle choices.
Each generation judges past generation from the comforts and morals of the present. But the past is a different country indeed. Up to the 1970, Ireland was a rural society with the majority of the population living in towns and villages where the good name of the family was sacrosanct. Rural societies were built on respectability without this a family had no standing in the community.
But ‘Respectability’ means little to the modern man or woman, having 3rd level qualifications, the big job and living in the right is everything. Care of the very vulnerable young and the elderly though costly, is left to those on the lowest rate of pay.
We live in a generation where money talks and talks loudest for those who have it. So, have we created a better society? Time will tell and the future generations will be judge?
Yours etc,
Nuala Nolan
Bowling Green, Galway
Confession is a sacrament of repentance and conversion
Dear Editor, in her letter of June 26, Mary O’Mahony was “fascinated” by my response (May 15) to her initial letter of April 24. I’m a bit fascinated too because any fair reading of my response should see that it wasn’t really about Confession. Rather my concern was a related but different subject: her promotion of the risky presumption that Salvation is practically universal, regardless of belief in Jesus and commitment to the Gospel. A far better and safer presumption is that we will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).
But given that Ms O’Mahony has brought up Confession again, I’d like to comment on her statement that it is “the absolute cleansing of the soul”. Yes, I say, but we must be on guard against Confession as a ritualistic shortcut to ‘Cheap Grace’ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, well worth looking up).
Gospel and Catechism teaching (#1450-60) make clear that Confession is essentially a sacrament of repentance and conversion leading to reconciliation. As such it requires sincere sorrow for sin, naming of sin, purpose of amendment and restitution.
It’s worth mentioning the not uncommon misuse of general absolution and non-confession of sin. Canon Law is clear: even when qualifying emergencies exist (like on a sinking ship) such absolution is only valid when there is an intention to confess serious sin later, when possible (CCL #960-62).
Yours etc,
A.P. Breen
Bronx, NY, USA
Is NI a nation or is it part of a nation?
Dear Editor, we are an already united nation that was interrupted in 1921, when the UK established a virtual state in our island. We were, all of us, both NI and Éire, in a state of unity in the EU, when, in 2016 the Uk decided to split us up again, by taking us with the UK, when it left the EU.
This was despite the fact that we had voted, as a majority not to be ruled by the UK, when we voted to remain in the EU, in the 2016 NI Remain EU Referendum.
And no– it wasn’t any more complicated than that and I’m not oversimplifying Brexit.
When a ruler fails to secure a majority invite to rule in a nation, it has no right to demand to be allowed to make laws for their nation.
Is NI a nation? Or is it part of a nation? And what nation is it a part of? Is Ulster a province of Scotland, England or Wales? Or is it the latter province of Ireland? Ireland is the sovereign nation on the island of Ireland.
If we see Ulster as the 4th province of Ireland, in its irreducible state, then any attempts to launder it into a part of Britain, fail.
If we try to allocate it a place inside the countries of England, Scotland, or Wales, it doesn’t belong there.
In reality, it is Irish.
But in inky argument, illusion and rhetoric, it can be said to be any other nation’s property, as long as the nation falsely claiming it, has a capacity to make war anew, or to continue to promote a war-like ethos, in Irish soil.
We ask the UK to honour the 2016 NI Referendum result and to allow both NI and Éire to reintegrate peacefully, with no future border poll and no reference whatsoever, to factional NI Unionism and foreign ethos UK, because after all, both of them, lost the veto in 2016.
Yours etc,
Gabrielle and Patrick Stewart
Omagh, Co. Tyrone
The Govt. has no right to interfere with body integrity
Dear Editor, “Organ donation for transplantation is a beautiful act of altruism” indeed as highlighted by Mr Colin White in your 26/06/25 edition. However, such an act should be freely and consciously granted by the individual concerned which can be done through the holding of an organ donor/transplant card or by informing one’s Family.
The Government/State has absolutely NO right to interfere with our ‘bodily integrity’ and this law should be rescinded immediately or failing that citizens should ‘opt out’ and make their own decisions.
The Irish Kidney and other Associations can and should concentrate on the areas above and step up their advertisement campaigns to promote same.
Yours etc,
John Burke
Clontarf, Dublin 3
Mother and baby homes continue to be a source of comments
Dear Editor, it’s interesting that the subject of Ireland’s mother and baby homes continue to be the source of comments. Unfortunately, the level/depth of same, hasn’t improved with time. Thankfully we have the official report of the Government appointed Commission to provide some balance/clarity. And it has certainly thrown up some facts which don’t exactly fit the populist narrative.
For example, it discovered that the vast majority (approx. 75%) of unmarried mothers chose to have and rear their children at home, with no major deleterious consequences. Not exactly evidence of a particularly malignant/misogynistic society. It also revealed that while approx. 9,000 children died in the institutions, in the same period another 171,000 children died elsewhere (mainly attributable to poverty and lack of penicillin). The Commission also stated that the religious run institutions were generally better than the State-run County Homes, where most poor unmarried mothers received care.
Although this wasn’t in the Commissions remit, we also know that Ireland’s treatment of unmarried mothers was more humane than that of most other Anglo-sphere countries, and definitely better than the Scandinavian countries.
Suffice to say that ‘official’ Ireland does not emerge well from this. Ignoring the Commission and indulging in an orgy of moral superiority. The political class, the Fourth Estate and in particular academia. One would have thought that University history departments and individual historians would have put the brakes on some of the more lurid/sensationalist commentary. But no one cried stop.
Yours etc,
Eric Conway
Navan, Co. Meath.