Segregation

In the US, we think of discrimination and segregation in terms of skin color, but it is not that way in Northern Ireland. Segregation is strictly about religion. When we drove into small towns, Frank would point out the many flags being flown, primarily the Union Jack and the flag of Northern Ireland. Neighborhoods that fly the flags were protestant; those with no flags were Catholic. It is still very uncomfortable for a Catholic to live in a Protestant neighborhood or vice-versa. Any other religion has great difficulty. Frank told of one Muslim family who asked where they should live. They were told, "Are you Muslim Protestant or Muslim Catholic?" Also, the schools are still segregated. A Catholic going to a public school in a Protestant neighborhood would have difficulty, and hence, probably would attend a private school. Therefore, schools are either Protestant or Catholic. Frank told us about living in an area close to Catholics, and he would sneak down to the Catholic store to buy his favorite potato chips - Catholic Potato Chips. He said he had to be careful or he would be beaten up if he were caught by the Catholic children. And even though they lived fairly close, the children never mixed . . . We spoke with a man while we were riding to Killarney, and his Catholic guide told them that five years ago he could not see this changing, but since the pandemic, things may be getting better. Northern Ireland opened up sooner than Ireland did, and many from Ireland moved north. Children have been mixing more, and even Frank's son married a Catholic, something he thought impossible years before. So maybe change will happen . . . we can only hope!