A Fermanagh journalist who wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian newspaper, arguing that “the days of assuming allegiance by what denomination we were baptised into are gone”, has had her piece used in a Norwegian textbook and exam.
Kylie Noble’s article called ‘Northern Ireland’s politics is fixated on the past – but young people want change’ appeared in the paper in August.
The Ederney woman studied English and Politics at Queen’s University, Belfast, before undertaking a postgrad in journalism at Sheffield University which was funded by a Guardian scheme to get people from unlikely backgrounds into media. She began her writing career in a weekly column in The Impartial Reporter when she was an A Level student at the Collegiate. She was contacted by The Guardian this week to be told her article has been purchased by a Norwegian publishing house for use as source material in the Norwegian education system.
Writing as “a young, leftwing Protestant”, Ms. Noble said she was not surprised by the findings of researchers at the University of Liverpool who concluded that most young Protestants do not vote and they are “far more progressive than the rightwing, ultra-conservative unionists who lead [Northern Ireland].”
She wrote: “Most young people I know do not vote thinking of the border. We vote thinking of what politicians will do to make this contested corner of the Earth fairer, more just and outward-looking.”
Reflecting on her first job in republican west Belfast, where she lived among tri colour flags and ‘Brits Out’ slogns, Ms. Noble wrote: “Twenty years ago, [I] would not have even have entered these areas, let alone worked in them.”
She added: “Many, like me, are torn on the national question. Unionism cannot take our votes for granted, and looks in danger of causing its own demise if it does not adapt.”
Commenting on the development, she said: “The piece was about how many young Protestants in Northern Ireland feel disconnected from unionist parties after research by the University of Liverpool found young Protestants aren’t in majority voting for the DUP or UUP and many weren’t voting at all.”
She continued: “I was arguing that there are pros and cons to the UK union or a United Ireland but we will always have core issues such as poverty no matter the borders or lack of them on the island of Ireland.”
“I was told the Norwegian publisher H. Aschehoug & Co had purchased the article to use as a source in a textbook and exam,” continued Ms. Noble.
She then researched Norwegian school curriculum and found out in secondary that they study international conflicts.
Now working in digital marketing for a charity in London, the freelance writer said: “It’s encouraging to think people are learning about Northern Ireland and we do tend to generalise about Protestants and Catholics. I hope my piece shows more plurality of thinking; that you can’t make assumptions on a person based on their religion or community background, about what they think or how the identify.”