peacemakingamongprotestantsandcatholicsinnorthern.docVIP

Peacemaking among protestants and catholics in northern ireland I was born into a very poor Unionist family and was the last of three children. Growing up on a housing estate in Protestant West Belfast I wasn’t aware of the struggle my parents faced to provide the basics for the children. My Dad worked so hard for very little financial reward; his main interest outside of work was the Protestant Orange Order. My Mother also worked day and night in a hotel but for little reward. We were staunchly Unionist. From a very early age I became a member of the Junior Section of the Orange Order, gradually progressing to the senior post of Worshipful Master. I know that both my parents would later say what so many people in life say with hindsight: “if only we could turn the clock back, how different things would have been.” Both my parents were lapsed Christians, although they made sure the children went to church every week. I found this experience an ordeal and hated Sundays with passion. Church was boring and meaningless to me in my young life and the Christian message I heard in Church only reinforced the anti-Catholic message I was receiving from the Unionist society around me. I left school in 1969 at the age of 15 with no academic qualifications. That summer the violence came to the streets of Northern Ireland and at this young age I felt the sectarian feelings rise in me. Within a few years the violence escalated. I became involved with the Ulster Volunteer Force, which is one of the main Loyalist paramilitary organizations. In July 1975 I was arrested by the security forces and sentenced the following year to life imprisonment. As I settled into the routine of imprisonment, very slowly I started to question my beliefs and values. For the first time in my life I actually read the Bible. As I read about the life of Jesus I came to a conclusion that grows stronger with each passing day – that Jesus preached a message of non-violence and that those who follow Him