In connection to the other discussion about " Has the religion any influence on what Cal and his "friends" do?" I would also like you to ask a question :
Do you think that there is a difference in the behaviour of the members of the confessions in the Northern Ireland conflict? Or do you believe that Cal could also be a Protestant and would act the same way?
It's something I'm asking myself the whole time while thinking about the novel and it would be interesting for me to see what you think about it.

I don’t think that it significantly matters which confession a person in Northern Ireland belongs to. At the bottom line the whole behaviour of the people in the novel is pretty unreligious and arbitrary. “Rain kept the Protestants at home”. By looking at this quotation on page 15, ll. 34f it becomes obvious how cynical the situation in Northern Ireland really is. It has nothing to do with real beliefs – otherwise people, in this case the Protestants - wouldn’t stop the “aggro”, as it is called in the text, and stay home just because it rains. However, there once were real differences between the people of these two confessions in the early days but throughout this long lasting conflict the war subsequently made them equal because it estranged them from their roots.

It’s a normal sociological process that poverty, territorial conflicts, starvation, etc. between two groups lead to stronger emphasis of other differences that can be used to divide the groups – and often one of these differences is the religion.

Basically there are many similarities to typical conflicts in Africa. Starvation, poverty and territorial conflicts build the perfect matrix for making a bogeyman. Frequently another religious group respectively another religion itself is particularly suitable for being a bogeyman. This is why most of the groups and tribes with different religions in Africa lived together in peace for hundreds of years. Then there has been the age of colonization in which the existing structures of the colonized land and society were usually destroyed. After the colonizers left, these destroyed structures (induced by ruthless exploitation) caused extreme poverty, starvation, land conflicts, etc – and suddenly tribes and groups that once had lived peacefully together were in war with each other because of their religion. But as the analysis of the historical development reveals, the religious differences are only a pretext for wars and conflicts which in fact have other reasons.

Referring to Northern Ireland it’s also possible to make out more substantial reasons for the hatred between the two groups of Catholics and Protestants. The Protestants (mainly Scottish and British people) colonized the country. For the most part they were wealthy industrialists whereas the catholic group largely consisted of the poor rural population. In addition to these meaningful differences there also was land grab, especially in the so-called “Plantation of Ulster” from 1602 to 1660, which still coins the structures of Northern Ireland – the highly developed, industrial northeast is mainly populated by the Protestants, the agrarian west is dominated by Catholics.

Concerning “Cal” and the current situation it seems like the people literally have forgotten what they were fighting for. There were, as explained above, real differences between these groups which made them exploit their confessions as a distinctive feature. But throughout the historical development the real reasons got lost and the conflict about the confession, that once had been a pretext, turned into an end in itself. On page 59, ll12f Dunlop seems to faintly realize the original roots of “The Troubles” as he remembers: “For too long the Catholics of Ulster have been the hewers of wood and the drawers of water.”

To finally connect these thoughts with the person of Cal it may be useful to consider the scene on page 31f. Cal is in the Church and simply enjoys feeling Marcella’s “firm haunch” (with the back of his hand). The essence of this scene is: Cal has no regrets about thinking and acting in a sexual way despite him being in a church, a house of god. This and his general behaviour of desiring Marcella and finally even sleeping with her without being married reveals how indifferent he is to the rules of the church.

So all in all it can be stated that there are many well-founded reasons to assume that the confession itself doesn’t really matter. The main motive of both groups is irrational hatred (and not any religious beliefs) which creates a vicious circle that affects both parties the same.

Agree with what you said about Cal and his behavior. But how can you say, that they have forgotten what they were fighting for when it is said by Crilly and Skeffington over and over again? They are the IRA, they want to "get the Brits out of Ireland" by the use of violence and whatnot.
I am aware that the IRA are different from the Catholic confession, but it is clearly associated with it, just like the Protestant confession is clearly associated with loyalist side. The confessions are politicized and serve as a hood for the two ideologies who are contradicting each other. That's the whole deal with the confessions and parties, the topic has been beaten to death by now, so let's finally bury it.

Zitat von Texas Lennard E. im Beitrag #3

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But how can you say, that they have forgotten what they were fighting for when it is said by Crilly and Skeffington over and over again? They are the IRA, they want to "get the Brits out of Ireland" by the use of violence and whatnot.

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I can't edit the text anymore, so: it's of course *way of living + *there are interesting clues..