September 2 1974
Mr Oliver Napier, leader of the Alliance Party, said in his speech in Belfast on Saturday: “Northern Ireland divided against itself cannot stand. It will inevitably end up like Cyprus – destroyed, re-partitioned and with up to half its population refugees. We are heading for what could be the worst catastrophe since the famine unless we can halt the present polarisation.
“The people are being cynically divided into two power blocs by politicians motivated by personal power. When these two power blocs collide, the destruction of Northern Ireland will be complete.
“The UUUC is trying to unite Protestants by whipped up fears on the pretence that a united Ireland is around the corner. The only effect of this will be the hardening of sectarian attitudes, which will make an agreed solution impossible.
“The SDLP, for all its claims to be non-sectarian, in fact relies virtually exclusively on the Catholic vote.
“There is, of course, no real unity of aspirations or policy, only of tribal loyalties. Some UUUC members are committed to maintaining the union but others are pathologically anti-British and anti-union. Some SDLP members are nationalists but some could not care less if there was now a united Ireland.”
Oliver Napier’s stinging attack on the tribalism and sectarianism of northern political parties would draw a strong rebuke from the SDLP’s Seamus Mallon, who described his words as “vindictive and misleading”.
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Cats Lick Limerick
Kilkenny 3-19 Limerick 1-13
The bland statistics are that Kilkenny captured their 19th title and avoided a third beating in four consecutive finals.
But what mattered most to the almost hysterical Kilkenny fans at the end of this 1974 All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park yesterday was that their county avenged last year’s suspect defeat imposed on them when they were left short-handed through injuries and emigration.
The second half of a fast, if not always spectacular final proved a nightmare for the expectant Limerick gathering in the 60,000-plus crowd for during this 40 minutes, their men in green could only score a mere four points, and nothing at all in the last 20 minutes. It was in total contrast to the situation of 12 months previous.
