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Religion At the root of Ulster's protest lay a sense of immediate danger, immediate danger to the traditional freedom of conscience enjoyed by Protestants and central to their way of life and thinking. That was the gap in Ireland: the unbridgeable gap between Dublin and Belfast; the unbridgeable gap between a narrow inward looking nationalism and the outward looking British democratic and religious tradition. Ulster Day was a day for reflection and prayer. There was nothing of vacuous outward show; every gesture and proceeding sprang from the deepest convictions of a sturdily independent people who desired peace, who longed only for the right to live their lives after their own fashion. All over Ulster some 500 religious services were held on the morning of Ulster Day, bringing together representatives of all the Protestant denominations. Many of the services thundered forth what was already almost Ulster's national anthem, "O God Our Help in Ages Past," amid a rich mixture of emotions: faith in God; faith in the justice of their cause; faith in their shared experiences as a people; faith in one another. Commentators found everywhere an atmosphere charged with religious devotion. The London Daily Telegraph observed: "The more strictly political objects of the Covenant derive all their strength and stabilityfrom this religious character." The Belfast News Letter noted that "religion lies at the veryfoundation of the lives ofthepeople." Of Ulster Day itself the same newspaper declared: "This was no occasion for demonstration, butfor dedication to a high purpose." The religious dimension was reinforced by the sturdy display of support for the people's actions on the part of the Protestant Churches. Charles Frederick D'Arcy, then Bishop of Down and Conner and Dromore and later Archbishop of Armagh, summed up the position of Christians in the crisis when he declared that "we hold that no power, not even the British Parliament, has the right to deprive us of our heritage of British citizenship."
Before the signing of the Covenant started in Belfast, a religious service was held in the Ulster Hall with representatives of the Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist and Congregational Churches all participating. This and all the other services throughout Ulster reminded everyone present of the solemnity of their individual commitment in signing the Covenant.
There were 2,500 marshals appointed to keep order at or near the City Hall on Ulster Day. The marshals had an onerous but all important task in ensuring that the signing was effected with maximum efficiency. This photograph (above) shows the marshals just before the start of a special religious service in a yard of the City Hall. Having dedicated their efforts to God, they marched out to commence their day's work.
All over Ulster religious services were held on Ulster Day before the signing of the Covenant commenced. A standard service sheet was produced for such gatherings, though the choice of hymns and lessons was a matter for local people. Many of the hymns and lessons contained words of particular importance to a people under threat. There was an overwhelming sense of dependence on God's protection. Hence the lines: "O Lord, stretch forlh Thy mighty hand, And guard and bless our Fatherland."
The specially written prayer (above) for the Ulster Day services was properly humble in tone. Amid the growing crisis, faced by civil war, the upholders of Ulster's rights asked that God might help them as He had helped their forefathers, might bring them peace and assist them to "Restrain ail angrypassions." For the great players in the political drama -- the leaders of Church and State, and the leaders of the Unionist cause -- there was an appeal that God might help them achieve "the spirit of wisdom and understanding."
The moving spectacle of Ulstermen uniting together in one mind and with one purpose before their God inspired the production of many poems, songs and hymns. This example, published in 1913, identified Ulster's struggle for survival with the struggle of the ancient sraelites. There is a covenant between God and His people, but it is a covenant which requires that the favoured people keep faith with God: 'And of the cup our fathers drank, Give us the strength to drink."
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