Swamped by riverdance

Spectator, The, Dec 13, 1997 by Hannan, Daniel

Until now, the Unionist identity has been fiercely British. Aspects of Ulster Protestant culture that were unique to the Province were seen as nothing more than instances of regional variety. But that could be beginning to change. As the British state is seen to appease Republicanism, Unionism is falling back on its own resources. The emerging Protestant identity defines itself as much by its differences from England as from Ireland. Thus, there has been a sudden interest in cultural links with the Scotch-Irish of North America, whose music and dialect come straight from Ulster. The ties are surprisingly close: the Appalachian hillbillies, for example, are so named because they used to march every year on 12 July. Now, through the Internet, new connections are being made with the Ulster diaspora.

All this, of course, is at a very early stage, but it is a perfectly logical reaction to British policy. There is a limit to how long you can go on proclaiming your loyalty to a state that seems determined to get rid of you. Instead of creating a civic, non-sectarian settlement, the British government could end up tribalising the majority population. Now that really would be a quaer gunk.