. Sir James Galway Picture by David Fitzgerald.
CLAIRE WILLIAMSON.Belfast Telegraph. June 5, 2015

World-renowned flautist Sir James Galway has launched a remarkable broadside on the late former First Minister Ian Paisley asking if he was “indirectly responsible for killing” by planting “thoughts of violence” in people’s minds during the Troubles.


Belfast-born Sir James was speaking on the BBC Stephen Nolan show on Friday morning when he was questioned about how to resolve the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The 75-year-old said the problems stemmed from segregated education and that there may not have been so many problems if schools in Northern Ireland had been mixed.



When asked if there would be less conflict if people were less religious – Sir James launched a broadside on former First Minister Ian Paisley.

He said: “Let’s talk about Ian Paisley,  he was a religious leader how many people do you think he was responsible for killing indirectly? By planting the thoughts of violence and no surrender in the heads of people who had no more sense.”

When asked if he thought Mr Paisley was responsible he said: “I’m sure he was because he wasn’t exactly preaching let’s all live together was he?”


When challenged with the steps Lord Bannside took at the end of his political career by sitting down with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness he said “maybe he didn’t have a choice.”

“I never admired Paisley ever, because I think he was on paper a man of God but in reality I don’t think he was. I mean how could you justify setting one side against another?”

He added: “It’s not for me to judge.”

Sir James also said that growing up in Northern Ireland he was “brainwashed by Presbyterians”.

He said: “I would like Ireland to be Ireland. People ask me where do you come from and I say Ireland.

“And they say ‘are you Irish?’ And I say ‘yes I’m Irish’.

“No (I don’t consider myself to be Northern Irish). I am Irish.

“(The difference) is very complicated. They say, ‘well how do you become a Sir?’ I say, ‘because I come from the British occupied part of Ireland’.

“Then when I grew up we grew up as Protestants and we were brainwashed to the Protestant ethic, and to their way of thinking. For example we knew all the sights of London, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and all that but we didn’t know Stormont.”

When asked by whom he was brainwashed he replied: “Well, by the Presbyterians who made the school systems separate. If they had all been together in the first place we may not have so many problems.”