Being an outsider to the Irish troubles, and coming from a peaceful catholic country where the rare protestants are kindly treated as felow christians I simply don't understand the lunacy involved. (I can however categorically state that the pope had nothing to do with it, what a curious idea some have about these things ...
).
Anyway, and sorry to dissapoint anyone that thinks we catholics want to take land from the protestants
I suspect of another, and more simple explanation about the root cause of it all, that being the usual lust that mankind suffers for POWER, great or small. With religion being - as usual - the convenient scapegoat.
We (Portugal) had, since 1100 to about 1800, many many wars, big and small, against Spain. I suppose nobody could use the religious argument, with us being both overwhelmingly "catholic" countries and all.
But if Spain was a protestant country, I bet many of those same wars would still exist, and religion would be blamed for them. It's just so ... convenient.
Another side note: I had the pleasure of meeting, back in 2014 and while in Ireland, Robbie and a few other PaddyMogs, a group of fantastic persons, with upbringings I think from both christian churches (Catholic and Protestant). Curious as I am about the "Irish issue" - very difficult to understand elsewhere - I asked a few questions, and the answers I got were very enlightening about how divided, from birth, both communities were in the past.
To end: Old wounds are hard to overcome, and sometimes you need to wait for all the actors of troubled times to die, so the people remaining are not scarred. In another generation, after the Tebbits, the Paisleys, the McGuinesses and the Adams, and all their minions in both sides have also passed away ... maybe then deaths stop being celebrated, and revengeful declarations - including wishes for eternal Hell - stop being hailed or even understood.
I'll drink to that, in Ireland and with Robbie if I ever return.
