FEATUDEcS
Feb. 2,1979, page 7
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WRITE THE
EDITOR
Jim Pat Coogan, editor of the
Irish Press and a wry commentator
on Irish life, once said that “the
conflict in Northern Ireland may
get all the headlines, but the main
war is the war of the sexes.” In
Coogan’s observation may not be
all that exaggerated, for women in
the Irish Republic are Joining forces
in their fight for equality. However,
Irish women’s lib has been ham
pered by a number of things, in
cluding the nation’s falling eco
nomy, the control of the Catholic
church, male ego; and deeply em
bedded mores of a rigid society.
For one thing, there’s a 9.5 per
cent unemployment rate in the
Irish Republic - the highest in the
European Common/Market. Since
jobs are unavailable, working mar
ried women have had to abandon
their careers and return to hearth
and home. Also, since a great part
of Ireland is still rural, a woman’s
domestic responsibilities are greater
thus more women are forced to
stay at home in these areas. How
ever, for many women domestic
life is very profitable, for they can
rent out their homes as ”bed and
breakfast” establishments.
Indeed, the attitude that a wo
men’s place is in the home is deeply
embedded in Irish society. Certain
ly the Catholic church has done
its part to see that this age-old no
tion is upheld. The Roman Catho
lic church in the Irish Republic has
traditionally maintained its influ
ence over women in putting down
the women’s liberation cause. None
the less, according to one Irishman
of Dublin: ”There is a definate libe
ralization process within the church
that in some ways is more radical
than the politicians.”
Senator Mary Robinson, a long
time agitator for equality of Irish
women, has a different view on the
plight of the women’s liberation in
Ireland. Mrs. Robinson, a lawyer
and professor of constitutional and
criminal law at Dublin’s Trinity
College, believes that there has been
a drastic change in social mores in
recent years, but the law has not
yet caught up with it.
Unquestionably, the laws for
Irish women are rather conservative
when compared to other European
countries which are more liberal.
For example, the sale of contracep
tives is illegal under the Republic
Constitution although the High
Court ruled 5 years ago that they
may be imported by individuals for
personal use. Abortion is illegal un
der the Constitution as well and is
bitterly opposed by the Church,
but thousands of Irish women go
to England every year to termi
nate unwanted pregnancies.
In truth, notable signs of the
broadening roles of women in Irish
society are beginning to take hold.
There is an increase in the number
of Irish women who are deciding
against marriage and children in
order to pursue a career. A greater
number of Ireland’s women are
going to the universities, working
in prominent jobs, and becoming
involved in political matters. Also,
blue jeans, pants, and other here
tofore ’’masculine and forbidden”
clothing are beginning to become a
part of an Irish woman’s wardrobe.
More and more of the Republic of
Ireland’s 1.5 million women are
starting to ^ake loose from the ri
gid dominance of the Catholic
church, as well as from that of the
prideful male ego. Although the
Irisli women’s lib has made great
strides, it still has a long way to go.
They: “When did the War of
1812 end?”
I: “Nineteen-fifteen. They took
long lunch hours,”
They: “Who discovered Ame
rica?”
I: “Rand-McNaUy,”
They: “Why were they called
‘The Gay Nineties’,?”
1: “Anita Bryant wasn’t around”
They: “Why were they called
The Roaring Twenties’?”
1: “Someone kept pulling the
MGM lion’s taU,”
And if you think that’s bad, you
should see some of my exams. I’m
surprised that Dr. Bill O’Rights is
still talking to me after he asked me
once “Who led the charge up San
Juan Hill ?” and I came back with
‘The Muppets, the Sweathogs, and
the Brass section of the Lawrence
Welk Band,”
He: “Which famous comedy
team made the movie Duck Soup?”
I: “Huey, Louis, Dewey and
Donald Duck,”
He: “Who said ‘I never met a
man I didn’t like’?”
1: ‘The same cannibal who said
‘Show me a man with a lot of meat
on his bones and I’ll sliow you din
ner for six’, “‘
To say the least, my answers
haven’t exactly tickled his fancy.
He called me into his office one
afternoon last week for a confer
ence. .
‘This has got to be one of the
worst papers I’ve seen in twenty-
five years of teaching,” he said. I
considered pleading temporary in
sanity, but knew that such things
worked only with Psychology
“When was the last time that you
answered a question seriously?”
“January 23,1963,”
“And just how do you expect to
get a degree in this subject with
such responses?”
1 must admit that 1 was stuck
for an answer until someone in a
nearby office turned on a radio.
You should’ve seen Dr. O’Rights’
expression when 1 got up on his
desk and tap danced my way
through a recitation of the Declara
tion of Independence. How was he
expecting me to get my degree?
With my good looks?
I hate it when people hit me
with a line like “You’re a History
major. You ought to know this,
or “You’re the historian. What hap
pened in (year)?”
Why is it that whenever you’re
in a group and a question about
History comes up that a History
major is an instant know-every-
thing? People think we can just
rattle on for hours and hours about
any subject with just the mention
of some totally unimportant event.
Why, there’s even a vicious rumor
making the rounds at school these
days that every morning. History
majors (and profs, too!) rise, face
Northeast, and salute Boston. How
outlandish can you get? We never
salute Boston. Philadelphia, maybe
but never Boston.
, What is it that provokes people
to ask such dumb questions of us?
For example:
They: “Why didn’t the South
win the Civil War?”
I: “The North’s S.W.A.T. team
was bigger.”