In my case, probably the main concern was the personal safety aspect of a mixed marriage, and how it would be viewed in the community. People were shot in mixed marriages.
Was there a greater threat from the Protestant side or from the Catholic side?
I myself felt that it was probably safer to live in a Catholic area than a Protestant area if you were in a mixed marriage.
As a Protestant, and you're a member of the Presbyterian tradition, what did you feel you had to give up when you married Phil?
I didn't feel I had to give up anything. I never felt that I had to give up anything.
But in terms of, say, for example compromising on your religious rituals and traditions?
Well, apparently, Phil reminded me recently that before we were married, I had agreed that we would bring up the children Roman Catholic. I can't remember saying that myself but I don't deny it. But after we were married and our first child was baptised a Roman Catholic, I came to think that maybe it would be a nice compromise if the next child was baptised a Protestant - and it didn't present any problems.
Our first child, Helen, was baptised into the Roman Catholic faith; our second child, Mary-Jane, was baptised into the Protestant faith; and then our third child, Ronnie, was born into the Protestant faith.
Do the two children who are baptised into the Protestant faith tradition, do they 'feel' Protestant? Do they experience the world from a Protestant perspective?
I don't think so. I don't think any of them feel, experience the world from a religious perspective although they know what they are, they know where they were baptised. We were talking recently and I told them that if ever they wanted to change, if they didn't fancy being a Protestant, or didn't fancy being a Catholic, you know, just change, whenever it suits you because it's not important to us.
You clearly took a risk getting married into a Catholic faith tradition. What is it in the psyche of people who belong to Protestant or Catholic faith traditions who don't like people marrying outside their own faith tradition?
I think it's fear and ignorance. It's not something they're used to and it must be something to do with the numbers thing as well - if the numbers drop, the cause might drop as well. It's certainly nothing to do with individualism or choice - those things would be denied.