A chara, – Recent letters on “shared islands” (John Wilson Foster, October 27th and Gilbert Carr, October 29th) demonstrate an historical ignorance of British-Irish relations that never ceases to amaze. Perhaps it is due to the fact that many such academic commentators tend to speak only one of the languages of these islands, English.
Prof Ó Cróinín of NUI Galway tells us about the first century of Anglo-Irish relations (7th century): “What was it the English learned from their Irish masters? The answer is simple: reading and writing”. And former British prime minister David Cameron: “The Irish monk Columba inspired the creation of an Irish national treasure in the Book of Kells and a British National treasure in the Book of Lindisfarne”. Scientific cooperation also flourished in the form of the advanced study of mathematics.
But the mutual history runs far deeper again. West Britons here in Ireland (and indeed the English themselves) need to realise that we are part of a broader western European tradition that cannot be defined culturally by imperialistic geographical terminology like “the British Isles”. One of many realities is this: the English were a tribe of illiterate German pagans when they invaded Britain. The Normans were a tribe of French-speaking Vikings when they invaded England successfully in 1066 and tried the same here (and eventually failed) roughly 900 years ago.
Anglo-Irish relations for the majority of the past few hundred years have been dreadful, with only limited moments of inspiration – most only recently, though not too recently! We must go back well over a thousand years to see a sustained period of great and vibrant cultural exchange and co-operation.
Thankfully the sun now sets on the English empire i.e. it is mostly dead - and thankfully on these islands it is beginning to fully disintegrate. A cultural “British Isles” never was and never will be. Great sustained and vibrant co-operation will be possible again when the English (and West Britons) realise that together we’re western Europeans! – Is mise,
BRIAN MANNERS,
BÁC 16.