"Get all the Protestants Out"

Colm Toibin listens to two supporters of the FitzGerald Amendment.

Professor Kevin O'Driscoll has narrow eyes. At the annual general meeting of Bray SPUC he narrowed them even further as he looked at the thirty-odd people bunched in a back room of the Strand Hotel. A baby began to gurgle as Professor O'Driscoll started talking of the "whole western world going down like a pack of cards." Professor O'Driscoll is stationed in Holles Street, he has second-hand experience of abortion "in five continents".

Professor O'Driscoll is full of the importance of his own gravity.

"So safe is childbirth in Ireland in 1982 that it is more dangerous to be a father than a mother," said Professor O'Driscoll. "Women who decide they're going to have abortions are going to have them anyway. The real villain of the piece is the doctor," continued Professor O 'Driscoll.

He thought that Fred O'Donovan had made "two highly perceptive statements" on the matter. One, that the matter was most important. Two, that we were talking about death on demand. Fred O'Donovan can sleep easy in his bed because Professor Kevin O'Driscoll in his slow, skinny, deliberate way thinks Fred is OK. Doctors had better watch out, however. Particularly doctors who have "the ear of the media". Professor O'Driscoll looked ominous and narrowed his eyes once more. "I have a fair idea what institution most of them come from," he said. He didn't name that institution. "What is life?" asked Professor O'Driscoll. "Life is the ability to reproduce" answered he.

The name of Doctor Solomon came up. He was against the referendum, someone said. "I know something about Jews. Some Jews are nonreligious Jews," someone in the audience said. It wasn't long before Professor O'Driscoll was talking about Protestants.

"The non-Catholic churches feel that more should be left to the individual conscience," remarked Professor 0 'Driscoll. "Carried to extremes, this leads to anarchy," he told the audience. A vote of thanks was offered to Professor O'Driscoll. It is possible that there are no Protestant members in SPUC Bray.

SPUC Bray had an AGM and all its works and pomps to conduct. Over the past year they had met Ciaran Murphy, ex-TD. They had felt a lack of enthusiasm among priests to read out notices about SPUC from the pulpits. They were disappointed by the coverage in the Bray People. The last problem had been more or less sorted out. And they had been asked if they would read SPUC notices from the pulpit themselves, "but no one felt capable of going up to the pulpit." They had also visited the post-primary schools in the area. They had lobbied at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis and were well-received. They had raised money through a disco, a flag day and sponsorship in the Marathon. They even had £578 left over from the year. But the Chairwoman wanted to resign.

"A pity now that we're in sight of the winning-post," said one. "Real door. to-door canvassing will start on March 1," it was announced.

Mina Bean Ui Chribin, who supports the FitzGerald Amendment, positioned herself towards the back of the Mansion House Round Room. Her son sat beside her and her disciples, all teenagers, took up space in the two rows in front of Mina Bean Ui Chribin. They were there in support of Garret FitzGerald and his Amendment. They were there to shout down the speakers and to break up a meeting of the movement which opposes the FitzGerald Amendment.

Mary Robinson was speaking. She was talking about a pluralist state.

"Oh you'd love that, wouldn't you," roared Bean Ui Chribin. She continued to address Mary Robinson in a loud voice: "What would you know about morals anyway? You've the morals of a tom-cat."

A speaker from Britain stood up.

"The Brits always kill the Irish anyway. It's nothing new to them," roared the supporter of the Amendment.

Eamonn McCann had mentioned babies.

"Plenty of babies. Bundles of babies," shrieked Mina Bean Ui Chribin. "Abortion is as Irish as the green little shamrock," said Eamonn McCann. A speaker attacked the Catholic church. "Boo him for attacking the Catholic church," exhorted Bean Ui Chribin.

There was a message for Anne Daly.

"That's the tramp who presents Women Today," said Mina Bean Vi Chribin.

The crowd around this woman were getting annoyed.

"Do you want the meeting to stop?" someone asked her. A few minutes later Bean Ui Chribin, who supports the Amendment, was still roaring: "She asked us if we wanted the meeting to stop, the answer is yes."

"Did you ever learn any manners?" she was asked. "Do you think she has any manners and she killing babies?" replied Bean Ui Chribin pointing to a speaker.

Then she roared: "Pregnancy never ensues from rape." The young girls who had come to disrupt the meeting with her laughed.

Then it was the turn of the Rev Gillyland, who represents the Methodist Church.

"You want to ensure that Protestants have their say in Ireland. They've had their say here long enough," screamed Mina Bean Ui Chribin, who supports The Amendment. "Who cares about Protestants anyway?" she asked. "The wording should read 'Get all the Protestants out'," she continued. "Don't be attacking the Catholic church, he's no right to attack the Catholic church," she added.

This is only the beginning of the campaign. And Professor O'DriscolI and Bean Ui Chribin are merely two examples of its activity over one week. Real door-to-door canvassing will start on March 1. The referendum will be held before the end of March. Like Pat O'Connor and Danny Morrison before him, the ambidextrous Garret FitzGerald has something in each hand for the Irish people.

A Crusade in one hand. An Amendment in the other. Tone and Davis in one hand. Mina Chribin in the other.