Second conversion of Dr. George Dallas.

The second conversion of Dr George Dallas by Dr Roddy Evans Belfast, 1999

This important and insightful little book appears at the moment when negotiations on the future of Northern Ireland have reached a point where there are real grounds for hope. It is packed with conviction and analysis which will be of interest to anyone trying to get to grips with the root causes of the conflict on both a political and personal level.

Written as a posthumous biography by Roddy Evans, a Southern Irish Anglican and close friend, it tells the story of George Dallas, a Northern Presbyterian. The introduction by Father Gerry Reynolds, a Northern Catholic, highlights the collaborative approach to the book. This would have pleased Dallas as his deep love for his own community led him to dedicate 20 years to learning to understand, and thus improve, the relationships between all communities on the island. The latter half of the book is made up of his writings on these issues.

Dallas's perception of reconciliation is not sentimental and his gutsy interpretation of the issues pulls no punches. His views are radically expressed in a way which may enflame those who consider themselves to be British in the Northern Irish community, but Dallas was a visionary, and a prophet is seldom accepted in his own country.

This book eloquently expresses the effect of the past 200 years on the mindset of Protestants and Catholics on both sides of the border. Dallas believed that the situation in Northern Ireland needed the creative cooperation, understanding and repentance of the English who had planted Protestant settlers there and perpetuated the unjust society which resulted. He claimed that this had had a profound effect on the psyches of both the oppressed Catholics and those Protestants used to maintain the system. This factor has largely been ignored in the constant focus on the IRA, and blame of it for the political chaos and violence.

Dallas believed that the power of ideology fused with the Holy Spirit would be the driving force of radical change in human motivation. This for him meant an acceptance by all peoples of Northern Ireland of their place in an Irish nation which would embrace all our different communities and backgrounds and free us from entrenched attitudes and suspicions. Many Protestants would find this incredibly difficult, as years of polarization have brought a fear of Catholicism, which is seen as intrinsically linked with Irish national identity.

The key, Dallas felt, lay with the Northern Presbyterians. Punished for uniting with the Catholics in an attempt for independence in 1798, they adopted a British identity and from then on looked to Britain for the security of their religion and culture. The intransigence that we have seen over the years is partly due to the insecurity and alienation of a people who felt neither accepted as Irish nor British, and at the same time nurtured the feeling of being a special people favoured by God, unwilling to give up their political supremacy.

Dialogue will be inadequate if it is only between political moderates. Through his writings and the remarkable friendships he developed with others of different traditions, Dallas managed in his quiet but honest way to open people's hearts to those whom they had perceived until then as `them'.

As John Austin Baker, then Anglican Bishop of Salisbury, wrote to George's wife, Ruth, on his death, `He helped us all to see our own situation in a new light and challenged us to find the courage to acknowledge our common humanity.' Dallas also provides a worthy contribution to the current debate in a radically new political forum of devolved government, which will go a long way to establishing a lasting peace into the new Millennium.

The book is available from Mr and Mrs DH Hume, 11 Fort Rd, Helen's Bay, Co Down, BT19 1LD, Northern Ireland. Price [pounds sterling] 4.00 (including UK postage). Cheques payable to The Oxford Group Belfast.