Sir, - I relished every last word of David McConaghie's festschrift for Orangeism (November 19th). The man writes as Moses must have spoken, straight from the heart. One could smell the smoking brimstone and see Popes lepping about in Hell and John Marsden must surely have been clutching his phylacteries in fright, I don't think anybody would take exception to the idea of Orangemen viewing Protestants as "God's favoured people." All sects do this kind of thing, though a fair few Protestants might cringe at the gratuitous honour. I do think, however, that many might demur at the idea of Protestants having been given "the bible in our mother tongue". I have yet to meet a non academic Protestant who can read, let alone speak, Aramaic or ancient Hebrew or ancient Greek or, indeed, who would recognise a Targum or Septuagint if they fell over it. If mother tongue refers to the dialect of the 1611 Authorised Version then perhaps David McConaghie's attitude and that of the Independent Orange Order which campaigns for ending the official link between the Orange Order and the UUP might be considered just a teeny bit biased.
I suggest he start singing the newly popular "Faith of Our Fathers" in his mother tongue or at the very least reread Genesis II. - Yours, etc.,
41 South Hill,
Dartry,
Dublin 6.