Sir, – David McWilliams described graphically the mass emigration which afflicted the new Irish state in its first 50 years (“Britain was a saviour for Irish migrants. One of those sons will captain England next week,” June 6th). By 1961, an estimated 45 per cent of all those born in Ireland between 1926 and 1936 had left.
It is interesting to note that Northern Ireland in the same period did not face this problem. The government of Northern Ireland can be rightly criticised for not creating an inclusive society or ensuring full civil rights for all.
At the same time, this government pursued policies which brought benefits for every citizen, unionist and nationalist. In their social policies, unionist ministers, especially John M Andrews, insisted with the London treasury that as part of the UK its people were entitled to parity in social services and equal standards with elsewhere in the UK.
Following the Butler Act in Britain, the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947, gave free secondary education for all, which was not available in the South until the 1960s. The National Health Service, established in 1949, benefited everyone.
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In their economic policies, unlike the southern government, the northern government welcomed new outside industries. For example, in the 1950s Du Pont established a major factory in Derry.
The benefits of these policies can be seen in population figures. From the early 1920s, every decade saw a rise in numbers for Northern Ireland. The population grew from 1,256,561 in 1926 to 1,536,065 in 1971, an increase of 22 per cent. Catholic numbers grew from 420,428 in 1926 to an estimated 559,800 in 1971, a rise of 33 per cent.
Population figures for the South, with its own government policies, were very different. Every decade from the early 1920s saw a fall in population until the 1960s when numbers grew again. Still, by 1971, the population stood at only 2,978,248, compared with 2,971,992 in 1926, a rise of just over 6,000, or 0.2 per cent.
If the South had experienced a rise in population similar to the North, another 600,000 people could have been living in Ireland by 1971. If the southern population had benefited from the same growth in numbers as the northern Catholic population, nearly an extra million people could have resided in the country.
The 1971 British census revealed a total of 952,000 Irish- born people living in Britain.
The failings of Northern Ireland in its first 50 years are well known. Its benefits and successes, due to these effective government policies, deserve attention.
Today, the situation is very different. With new Irish government social and economic policies, the southern population has grown remarkably. Still, viewed over the last 100 years, the rate of population growth in the South has yet to catch up with the North. – Yours, etc,
PROF BRIAN M WALKER,
Belfast.
