July 12 not the day for an all-Island holiday — but 'Reconciliation Sunday' should be considered

When Green TD Patrick Costello called for the Irish Government to make July 12 a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, he did not anticipate the furore it would cause

Former Fine Gael MEP and former leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, John Cushnahan

When Green TD Patrick Costello called for the Irish Government to make July 12 a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland (as it is in Northern Ireland), he did not anticipate the furore that it would cause.

I believe that Mr Costello is a decent person, and naively thought that his idea would be a gesture of reconciliation towards the unionist tradition.

However, despite his noble intentions, in choosing July 12 as the date for an all-island public holiday, he couldn’t have chosen a more inappropriate vehicle for promoting mutual understanding and reconciliation.

In the calendar of Northern Ireland’s troubled history, celebrations around July 12 have always aroused sectarian passions, resulting in attacks in certain areas on members of the Catholic community that border loyalist trouble spots.

As a consequence, and in order to avoid these, there has always been an annual mass exodus of many Catholics out of Northern Ireland until the celebrations end.

I should also stress that, in my experience, the overwhelming majority of the Protestant community were not involved in any such attacks on their Catholic neighbours in sensitive areas — if anything their actions would be to reassure their Catholic neighbours that they would protect them.

Burning bonfires 

The lighting of massive bonfires on the night of July 11 throughout loyalist areas in Northern Ireland is at the centre of the celebrations for July 12, commemorating the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, which ensured a Protestant ascendancy in Ireland.

People watch the burning of the loyalist Corcrain bonfire in Portadown, Co Armagh, to usher in the Eleventh night ahead of the Twelfth commemorations. Picture: PA

In my younger days, it was an effigy of the Pope that was burnt at the top of the bonfire.

I always found this ironic as my understanding of European history and politics was that King William and the Papacy had been allies in their battles with Louis XIV (the sun king of France) in the 1690s.

Even more surprisingly, some Italian academics in 2008 claimed that they had found papers that Pope Innocent XI actually bankrolled King Billy in 1688. (I leave the final conclusions on that to the academics).

In more recent times, the effigies that are burnt on the bonfires are election posters of nationalist politicians of all hues and Alliance politicians.

An effigy of Sinn Féin's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill on the Eastvale Avenue bonfire in Dungannon, on July 11, 2023. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA 

I think a few of mine also met a similar fate in the 1987 Westminster general election which was dominated by the loyalist campaign against the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

In recent weeks, posters of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar have adorned some bonfires.

Other items burnt on the bonfires in recent times are placards with the capital letters KAT. These letters stand for “Kill All Taigs”.

Having explained in detail why July 12 would not be a suitable date for an all-Ireland public holiday, I do not want to ignore the merit of Mr Costello’s idea of a possible “Day of Reconciliation” to be celebrated throughout the island of Ireland.

My alternative suggestion would be that one Sunday annually in the same month of each year should be designated as “Reconciliation Sunday”.

The main objective of this would be to provide closure and healing for those families who lost family members during the conflict.

In all, 3,532 people died as a consequence of the Northern Ireland Troubles (half of these were civilians). Some of the deaths occurred in the Republic of Ireland. Republican terrorist organisations were responsible for 60% of all murders, and loyalists were responsible for 30%.

The pain of those who lost family members during the conflict has still not ceased.

Sinn Féin regularly holds events glorifying the actions of IRA volunteers, including many who were the perpetrators of some of the most sectarian atrocities.

Loyalists do likewise, and both paint murals of their murdering comrades to mark out their territory boundaries. The British government proposals on legacy which have been universally rejected have added further hurt.

'Reconciliation Day'

All these actions increase the pain and suffering of those families, preventing closure and reconciliation.

I think it would be an excellent idea for the main churches throughout the island of Ireland to draw up proposals for holding a Reconciliation Service in all of their places of worship.

The service could be simply one service on that day.

I would also suggest that there is an agreed prayer for reconciliation, and an end to the pain that the families continue to experience read out at the service, followed by a minute’s silence.

This could, where appropriate, be followed by a ringing of church bells.

I don’t for one minute think that this would be a magic formula.

However, I do believe that it would be a demonstration that we do recognise the suffering they still experience, and we care about them.

• John Cushnahan is a former Fine Gael MEP and leader of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland.