By Peter McGoran for Belfast Live
Susan McKay’s new book Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground, sheds a light on Protestant people in Northern Ireland from a wide range of backgrounds
Susan McKay, author of new book Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground, has said that there is “diversity” in the Protestant community which often goes unrecognised at a political level, as well as by those outside of Northern Ireland.
The author was speaking as she launches her new book, which is out now.
Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground, is the follow up to 2001’s Northern Protestants – An Unsettled People, which is believed to have sold over 10,000 copies.
Both books take a look at Protestant people from all walks of life in Northern Ireland, to build up a varied picture of the community in the present moment.
The book features almost 100 interviews with politicians, former paramilitaries, victims and survivors, business people, religious leaders, community workers, young people, writers, and others.
It also tackles some of the big issues of the moment in Northern Ireland, such as Brexit, paramilitary violence, the border, the legacy of the Troubles, same-sex marriage and abortion, RHI, and the possibility of a United Ireland.
The book has already proven to be a bestseller, with Susan acknowledging that it’s even sold out in some Belfast book shops.
“It’s lovely to hear that, I think it’s really good that there is that degree of interest in this group of people,” she told Belfast Live. “It’s not an obvious bestseller, but I think it shows a real appetite for looking at political things in Northern Ireland in different ways.
“One of the reasons I write about Northern Protestants, in general, is because I think there’s such a diversity in that community and it’s not always recognised. People only tend to think of political unionism – and even then, quite a narrow view of that – whereas there’s a more varied community than people think or that they see when they look at politicians.”
The book has also made bestseller lists in the Republic of Ireland, which Susan says she was pleasantly surprised at.
She said: “I was very surprised because I suppose it’s often believed that people in the Republic of Ireland don’t have an interest in the North. I know from working in the south that it’s often an uphill struggle to get southern media interested in northern stories, but it’s good to see that book-buyers are having more of an interest in the north.”
In general, Susan says she would welcome more people from the south, and from the rest of the UK, taking an interest in the diversity and complexity of what it means to be a Protestant from Northern Ireland.
“I think the British people got a bit of an eye-opener into the DUP when they held the balance of power in Theresa May’s government, and I think it’s fair to say they didn’t get a very flattering view of what unionism represented.
“So it’ll be good if the book sells well in Britain as well, because they’ll see that what they experienced with the DUP doesn’t represent what it’s really like in Northern Ireland, nor even what’s it like in unionism.”
Susan said she chose to write the follow up to Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People now, because of the great changes that were happening on these islands.
“With Northern Protestants – An Unsettled People, I wrote it at the time of the Good Friday Agreement, and it was interesting to see the range of reactions from Protestants.
“This time, with the centenary year, with Brexit looming, and with all sorts of demographic changes happening, it seemed like another historical flashpoint for unionists and Protestants, so it was a good time to go back.”
Susan said that, during her interviews, a large percentage of people wanted to talk about issues relating to poverty, rights, and social justice, which is not always reflective of how Northern Ireland Protestants are characterised by their political classes.
“What I found striking was that it wasn’t difficult at all to find women to speak to me, or non-binary to speak to me – there are lots of LGBTQ in the book, lots of women in the book, lots of people who aren’t part of political parties. (read full article at Belfast Live)