England and/or Britain ruled Ireland for over 700 years. The Irish were their closest brothers in terms of culture or ethnicity. The British, however, were the most brutal to their Irish brothers; ruling the island with an iron hand. After the Reformation Penal laws were passed against Catholics in Ireland banning all forms of Catholic worship. The British were so brutal to the Irish that in the 19th century they allowed the Potato famine. Over one million Irish perished. The British Empire, at the time the dominant world power, could have easily stopped the famine but chose to let their Irish brothers die instead. This is one of the best examples of man's inhumanity to man. King Henry VIII started this avalanche of hate. If you study his history, it's not hard to figure out that he was probably clinically insane. Killing his closest advisors just because he could, as he did to the brilliant Sir Thomas More; two of his wives and many others. Yet the British followed his insanity as if it was handed down by God. Over 500 years after the crazy Henry VIII, his legacy lives on in Britain. Catholics are still second class citizens. Although the monarchy has been defanged, the sentiment started by Henry continues.
On our trip to Ireland in 2011 we had a terrific bus driver who told us Irish stories and played Irish music on our journey. Some of the stories were so compelling that it brought many of us to tears, especially after hearing the song, such as "The Rose of Tralee." Stories of people not being able to fish or find other sources of food. Stories of priests risking their lives by saying Mass in hiding. You keep asking the question, why? Why were people so cruel to each other as the British to the Irish? The short answer is religion. But why must religion make you hate your brother? This question has no short answer. It is a sad tale of our human condition.
So the question, for me, is why does Northern Ireland choose to stay with its oppressor of old and not join the free Irish state? Again, religion comes to mind. Catholics and Protestants. Both Christians, both follow the same Bible so why the hate? To this day the British still consider their Catholic brothers and sisters as some sort of enemy, or second class citizens. When the British Prime Minister was Tony Blair - one of my favorite politicians of all time; he wanted to convert to Catholicism but had to wait to do it until he left office because you cannot be a Catholic and be the British Prime Minister. Is this insane or what? Up to 1960, if you were Catholic in the United States you were looked upon as not desirable to hold high office.
Today we have the Muslim problem with 9/11 and the war on terrorism. Even inside Islam you have inner struggles and hate among the Sunnis and the Shiites. Why? As someone suggested in the 1990s: Can we just get along?
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