Your task is to research and then write a report on the tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland in the later part of the 20th century. Although the situation between the two groups has improved in the last 10 years, be sure to include why it has improved. Your report should, at a minimum, answer the following questions:
1. What has contributed to the fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland in the last 60 years?
2. What is the IRA, and how does it affect residents in Northern Ireland?
3. What do the British military do in Northern Ireland? Why have they been a precence there, and has that precence make the situation better or worse?
4. What was Bloody Sunday (1972) and how did it affect the situation in Northern Ireland.
Although you are free to do your own research this might be a good place to start: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/troubles/the_troubles_article_01.shtml
Your response needs to be a minimum of 300 words, and should be posted no later than 8:00 am Monday, October 3
In 1921, The Republic of Ireland broke free from the yoke the British, and was recognized as an independent country, separate from British rule. However, the more industrial area of Northern Ireland was kept under British rule. There were several reasons for Britain wanting to maintain control over this portion of the island. For one, the inhabitants were mainly Scottish Protestants, and Britain wanted to ensure these people would be protected. Also, the land of Northern Ireland was mineral rich and was already a large factor in industry and manufacturing. Problems between the existing Irish Catholics and the Protestants grew as the Protestants began to dominate the government and standards of living, discriminating against the Catholics. A period of time known as “The Troubles” ensued, when paramilitary forces of each group fought for the ownership and control of Northern Island. Over time, this conflict has grown deep in the minds and memories of both sides, and stereotypes and cultural differences continue to widen the gap between the two groups. The Catholic Nationalist fighting force is known as the IRA, Irish Republican Army. The IRA was essentially a group of freedom fighters, set up to fight against the oppression of the Protestant Loyalists. The IRA was a paramilitary force made up mainly of volunteers. Members of the IRA were guerilla fighters that were a part of and could disappear into the population when the need arose. The Protestant’s military presence was defined mainly by the British Military, as well as the Ulster Volunteer Force. The British were originally sent by the British government to protect the Catholics from the angry and controlling Protestant population, but it was not long before the Protestant soldiers making up the British forces turned on the Catholics and began to display violence. Bloody Sunday is perhaps the most well known act of violence during this conflict, when British soldiers opened fire on a peaceful equal rights demonstration, inspired by those made by the African-Americans. This tragic event marked the deaths of 26 Northern Ireland civil rights protestors. While the British soldiers acted against the Catholics and gave the IRA more cause for their radical actions, this may have improved the situation in some aspects. When outside nations heard of the actions taken by the British government against the defenseless Catholics, Britain was forced to make an attempt at a peace treaty, and to try and find a solution to the problem. This new stride towards peace has been mainly the driving force between the improvement of the situation the past few years, as peace talks and delegations between the groups, and outside forces putting pressure on the government to form a more equal society have been making great strides forward towards a resolution.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic and Protestant quarrel is the result of tension between the Irish and English. The Irish, in the years following up to 1921, engaged the British in a conflict. Although, the British were quite preoccupied at the time. They were fighting the Germans in WWI and simply could not handle two conflicts. The English decided that it was in their best interest to come to agreement with the Irish. They relinquished control of southern Ireland and thus the Republic of Ireland was born. This revolution was modeled after the French and American revolutions'. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army, but is not affiliated with any government. They can be classified as a terrorist organization, but personally, I do not think they are. The IRA does use tactics similar to other terrorist groups, but they are fighting for political revolution. The IRA affects residents of Northern Ireland in many ways, but usually they affect the citizens of Northern Ireland in a good way. Yes, there have been casualties of their actions, but they are the only force that is actually standing up for the underprivileged Catholics of Northern Ireland. On the other hand, a force that has a negative effect on the people of Northern Ireland is the British military. They were the spark that started the fire on January 30th, 1972. That fateful day is commonly referred to as Bloody Sunday. Yes, the Catholic protestors could have keyed it down a bit, but in the end, it was the British military that opened fire on unarmed civilians. And to add insult to injury, the soldiers who murdered the civilians were never prosecuted. Bloody Sunday caused retaliation from the Catholics of Northern Ireland. This retaliation was orchestrated by the IRA. In the last 10 years, the situation has improved but not by a lot. The IRA agreed to a cease fire a few years back, but a similar organization with the same purpose was formed recently. In my opinion, this situation will not be resolved until England surrenders Northern Ireland to create a unified, peaceful Ireland. -Logan Hensley
ReplyDeleteIn Ireland, there has been a serious conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants. The clash between the two groups started around 1920. In the 1920s, Ireland split in two parts creating the Republic of Ireland to the south and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is governed and still governed today by Britain. This break up has led to decades of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland. Many things have contributed to the fighting between the Catholics and Protestants. The land of Northern Ireland has presented much violence within the country. Northern Ireland is a very desired part of Ireland because of its abundance in resources. Northern Ireland is abundant with many minerals as well as flourishing manufacturing while the south is not. There are also many Protestants that live in the North so British government felt like they needed to protect that land and its people. Northern Ireland was very precious land and many fights broke out to claim the land. In 1960 through the 90’s, violence erupted between the Catholics and the Protestants. Bloody riots broke out in Londonderry and Belfast. Many British troops were brought in to reestablish order, but the fighting intensified as the two sides carried out more acts of violence. The group that fights for the Catholics is called the IRA. The Irish Republican Army is a revolutionary military organization. This paramilitary group set up to fight for a United Ireland. The IRA frightens the Protestants in Northern Ireland because they use terrorist attacks to disagree with the Protestant’s treatment of Catholics. The group that fight for the Protestants are the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The UVF are a loyalist paramilitary group, which was set up to fight the IRA. The British military is also located in Northern Ireland. Their main purpose for being in Northern Ireland is to create peace in the wake of Unionist attacks on Nationalist communities. They are trying to prevent any further attacks. On a particular day in 1972, that was not the case for the British Military. An event called Bloody Sunday would be remembered throughout history. Bloody Sunday was an incident in which 26 civil rights protestors were shot by soldiers from the British Army. The giant march was planned to march one way, but because of army barricades they were redirected. Many people decided to break off from the march and push through the barricades. This broke out into shootings with a conclusion of 26 dead. Bloody Sunday did result in the loss in faith of the British Army who was viewed as a neutral force brought in to keep the peace. In Ireland today, many violent acts have been halting but a new IRA has been active in fighting for Catholics.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic-Protestant tension traces all the way back to the aftermath of the Reformation in Europe. England’s protestant majority originates from when Henry VIII decided to withdraw England from the Catholic church, enabled by The Peace of Augsburg. In the 1700s, English and Scottish protestants began to colonize parts of Northern Ireland, which before was predominantly Catholic. This set apart Northern Ireland from the rest of Ireland. The growing economic differences between the north and south eventually led to the official split of Ireland into Northern and Southern Ireland. The south became a separate state called the Republic, while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom. This split resulted in decades of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland between the Catholics who have decided to remain in Northern Ireland, and the Protestants, who are now the majority in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately for the Catholics living in Northern Ireland, the standard of living for them was drastically lowered because the Anglican Protestants owned most of the land. Thus sprouts the issue of Irish home-rule in the 20th century. Two political groups have formed. The Nationalists/Republicans who are mostly Catholic desire a unified Ireland that is independent from Britain. However, the Unionists/Loyalists, who are mostly Protestant think that Northern Ireland should remain a part of Great Britain. Britain is persistent in fighting for Northern Ireland because of the Protestants living in Northern Ireland who do not want to be ruled under Catholic majority. Furthermore, Britain wants to keep the mineral rights associated with Northern Ireland because of its value in business. Because of their majority, Northern Ireland favored Protestants while the Catholic minority was suppressed and discriminated against. Protestant domination continued to grow both socially and governmentally. The tension between both groups progressed to the point referred to as ‘The Troubles’ where the IRA (Ireland Republican Army) the republican paramilitary group that wished to fight for Northern Ireland, launched attacks on the United Kingdom mainland in retaliation to the widespread bias in Northern Ireland. The UK’s reaction was initially to defend themselves, however, there had been violent bursts of fighting through a protestant paramilitary group, the
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ReplyDeleteUVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) which was set up to fight the IRA. Although the IRA is now committed to peace, the primary riots by the IRA are seen as terrorist acts by Britain. British troops were brought to Northern Ireland to restore order, however, their presence in Northern Ireland had a negative effect as the conflict intensified and Protestant paramilitary groups also began to take aggressive action. The troops’ involvement in these acts had been questionable until 1972, where a tragic incident known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ marked one of the most violent acts from the British military to Catholics. The incident occurred during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association protest; twenty-six participants were shot, and fourteen died. The protesters were unarmed, whereas the British soldiers continued to fire at those who attempted to escape or tend to the wounded.The day, although tragic, had a paradoxical benefit to the IRA. Because of this event a bad light had been cast on the British soldiers and the Irish Republic received more supporters. Several investigations were conducted on what exactly occurred on that day–it turned out that no British soldiers had been injured. The Nationalists also received more attention, including the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights. The UN’s involvement has the potential to smooth out some of the current tension between the two groups. However, it seems as though Bloody Sunday was the climax of the overall conflict between Protestants and Catholics. Tension still exists, but after this event some of the major paramilitary groups from both sides have withdrawn their use of weapons. In the decades following, it is hoped that Bloody Sunday will have an overall positive effect on the Catholic-Protestant conflict.
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Works Cited
"The Northern Irish Conflict: A Chronology." infoplease.com. Pearson
Education, 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2011.
"Northern Ireland: The Troubles." http://www.bbc.co.uk. BBC History,
2 Feb. 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2011.
"Northern Ireland." www.ilhr.org. International for Human Rights,
2001. Web. 1 Oct. 2011.
The fighting in the past has caused many of the conflicts with the Catholics and Protestants in the last 60 years. During the 16th century, the Catholics and Protestants fought over religion and power. One of their major wars was the Thirteen Years’ War. It started in 1618 and ended in 1648. The war was fought in Europe (modern day Europe to be exact). The war was very complex and had many reasons for being fought. They mostly fought about internal politics and power. During 1921, Bloody Sunday occurred. This was a major event and rebellion where the Protestants open fired on the Catholics. Tension has always grown after that event. During and after 1921 the Protestants have always mistreated the Catholics. They do not give them all the rights they deserve. For example, the government restricted voting to ratepayers. The Protestants were favored by this law because they had most of the land. Another bias act was making Protestants have more government councils than the Catholics had. Another reason why tension grew in Northern Ireland was because of land. There were many factories and big manufactures in Northern Ireland which made the Protestants and the Catholics want it. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army. They fought using guerilla tactics. The IRA was mainly made of volunteers. They were on the same side of the Catholics. The IRA was created to protect the Catholics from the Protestants. During 1921 there was a protest called Bloody Sunday. During this time, the Protestant forces open fired on the protesters. The IRA was made to protect the Protestants from open firing.
ReplyDeleteThe British Military makes sure that Catholics don’t try to get power or land. They wanted to keep the Catholics away. There job was also to stop Catholic’s protestors. The British wanted to stay in power and have the upper hand against the Catholics. They have a dislike for Catholics and always had conflicts with them. It eventually led to a disaster called Bloody Sunday. This was a day when the Catholics protested and the British responded by open firing. The British did not handle the situation well because they killed 26 innocent people. They could have just defended there territory instead of attacking the weaponless Catholics.
Bloody Sunday gave Britain a bad impression to people. People frowned upon the Protestants for open firing on innocent people. Britain made a peace treaty to try to lessen the conflicts in Northern Ireland.
“The Troubles” of Northern Ireland began in the late 1960’s and is, by many, believed to have ended with the Belfast Agreement of 1998. However, until today random outbreaks of violence of occurred throughout Northern Ireland. “The Troubles” refers to the period of violence between parts of Northern Ireland’s Catholic and Nationalists and the Protestant loyalists. The Catholics were set on joining the split Ireland as one while the Protestants believed that Northern Ireland should stay as part of Great Britain. This disagreement resulted in discrimination against the Catholic minority in Ireland by the Protestant majority, as well as Northern Irelands status in the UK. The issues between the Protestant and Catholic parts of Ireland were further sparked when the Catholics of Northern Ireland began to realize and compare their living conditions, in schools, jobs, and homes, with those of the Protestants. The Irish Republican Army, or IRA, was the campaign group against the split of Ireland. Their main goal was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdoms rule and bring all of Ireland together as one through force of arms and political persuasion. A armed campaign was formed in Northern Ireland that was responsible for the deaths of about 1,800 people, approximately 1,100 British security forces and 630 civilians. And this was their goal; the IRA believed that if they inflicted enough causalities on the British forces that the British government would be forced to withdraw from the region. After Bloody Sunday the amount of volunteers in the IRA increased substantially and even more attacks were launched, the campaign was even beginning to receive funding from groups in Libya and the United States. The British military was originally deployed to Northern Ireland as an attempt as maintaining peace and was codenamed “Operation Banner”. The operation was formed in order to prevent anymore Loyalist attacks on Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. A British Army document was released in 2007 and stated that the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but however had still made it impossible for them to win through violence. The presence of the British army in Ireland further enraged the people of Ireland. Bloody Sunday was a incident on January 30 1972 in Derry Northern Ireland. On that day 26 unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were killed by soldiers of the British army. In January of 1972 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association or NICRA organized a march in Derry. The British authorities were aware of march made the decision to allow it to happen but to put it to a stop before it reached Guildhall Square. The Commander of land forces in Northern Ireland, Robert Ford, ordered the British Parachute Regiment to travel to Derry and to arrest any rioters during the march witch lead to so much more. Bloody Sunday resulted in a large boost in support from the rest Catholic community, lead to a significant growth in the size of the IRA, and further enraged the people of Northern Ireland.
ReplyDeleteBIBLIOGRAPHY
The Troubles." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
BBC ON THIS DAY | 14 | 1969: British Troops Sent into Northern Ireland." BBC News - Home. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
British Army." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Bloody Sunday 1972 | YourIrish.com." Irish Culture & Customs of Ireland - Irish Traditions & Celtic Culture. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
1. In Northern Ireland, Protestants tend to have a higher standard of living than Catholics. This is mainly because the Protestants have control over Northern Ireland’s social services and businesses. Businesses selectively hire Protestants instead of Catholics, and that fuels the Catholics’ anger. The large economic and social gap between Catholics and Protestants has been the source of brutal violence in Northern Ireland for the past fifty years.
ReplyDelete2. The Irish Republican Army is a group of Irish nationalists and Catholics who strive for a united Ireland. The IRA often uses terror tactics to make their point. The IRA has attacked Irish civilians, government officials, and British troopers. The IRA was active until 1997, when it ordered a cease fire. Since then, the IRA has slowly become more and more irrelevant in Irish life. They have disarmed over the years, but small crimes throughout Ireland supply the IRA with millions of dollars a year. The IRA is not incredibly active right now, but they have they still have the money and influence to cause havoc in Northern Ireland in the near future.
3. The British Military’s job in Northern Ireland was to keep the peace. Initially, the Catholics welcomed the troops because they expected them to be neutral, but the British soon proved that they were not there to be a neutral force. It has been discovered that British intelligence sent out agents that participated in robberies, bombings, and other crimes. The military did not facilitate a peaceful relationship between the Protestants and the Catholics. In the past few years, the British troops have been pulled out slowly as the situation settles in Ireland. The troops will not be fully withdrawn until there is peace.
4. On January 30, 1972, thirteen civilians were killed during protests in Londonderry, Ireland. The protesters were not happy with the British army imprisoning Irishmen who spoke out against the conflict in Northern Ireland. The incident not only escalated the conflict in Ireland, but drew attention from around the world to Ireland. The international community condemned the British army for firing upon the protestors, and the IRA soon retaliated with a bombing that killed twenty people later that year.
"Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland — History.com This Day in History — 1/30/1972." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. The History Channel. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
"Irish Republican Army (IRA)." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
"The End of a Dark Chapter: British Military Leaves Northern Ireland - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International." SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Around ninety years ago, in the year 1921, Ireland split into two halves. The South became its own separate Irish State and the North became a region designated for only Protestant people. In the later years after this separation, followed decades of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland (UK). Britain remained focused on the North as well as the protestant people and eventually decided they should provide protection to the protestant people. Now, this is to give an idea of where all of these “Troubles” started however the largest issues are still to be explained.
ReplyDeleteThe Protestant people have traditionally had a higher standard of living in Northern Ireland than the Catholics and they have controlled businesses, the courts, and the police. They have also had more access to social services. This social and religious division is the major contributor to the violence in North in the 20th century and has played a large part in the fighting between Catholics and Protestant s in Northern Ireland during the last sixty years. Although these factors have been extremely large part of the cause, the IRA also had quite a hand in this dispute.
The IRA is the Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group set up to fight for a united Ireland, and is now committed to peace for Catholic Support. The IRA affected the residents in Northern Ireland very negatively, because of the way they constantly instigated violence. They did this so much that they are now considered the main party responsible for much of the republican violence during the Troubles.
The other parties involved included the British Military among others. The British Military was originally developed to protect Catholics, but soon caused bursts of violence with paramilitary groups. This most definitely made the situation worse, because (as a form of retaliation,) the UVF, Ulster Volunteer Force, was created. The UVF is a loyalist paramilitary group that was created to fight the IRA. Police blamed the UVF for starting the recent trouble in Belfast in their efforts to support the Protestants.
After much violent banter back and forth, there was one final explosion and turning point: Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday was one of the most horrible and unfair displays of violence that took place during this conflict. Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30th in 1976, when a group of British Soldiers open fired on a bunch of peaceful demonstrators. They were mimicking the same actions inspired by African American people. When outside forces received news about the devastating attacks done be the Soldiers, Britain was required to attempt at a new approach and make effort in making peace. This whole event could have so easily been avoided, however, I suppose this was a good “wake up call” for all parties involved. It allowed them to see just how out of control they had gotten over something that started over 6 decades ago.
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ReplyDelete1. The fighting between the Catholics and the Protestant in Northern Ireland is caused by social and religious division between the two. Protestants have a higher standard of living in Northern Ireland because they control the court, police, social service and most of the business, which puts down the Catholics and force a lower standard of living upon them. The Catholics of Northern Ireland are able the see the high living standard of Catholics in Southern Ireland and blame the Protestant for their low living standard.
ReplyDelete2. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army a terrorist organization that waged guerrilla warfare against the British military in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. Now the New Irish Republican Army also is a terrorist organization that is responsible for most of the terrorist attacks on the Protestant residents and British military during the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
3. The British military was sent to Northern Ireland to keep the peace between the Catholics and the Protestants, however because most of the troops grew up in a British house holds they look down upon the Catholics. The Catholics feel that the British military are there to keep the Protestants up and to put them down, which is what the military is doing and that causes more conflict between the Catholic and Protestant.
4. Bloody Sunday was an incident in Derry, Northern Ireland during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in which 13 Catholic civil right protesters were shot and killed while another 13 were wounded by British troops on January 30th 1972. The incident had traumatized many people and caused the IRA to start a series of terrorist bombings on the Catholic residents. The incident had worsened the conflict between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.
“The Troubles” were brought on by the political marginalization of Catholics and the gerrymandering of districts in Northern Ireland to add more Protestant sway to government elections, thus further empowering the two-thirds Protestant majority over the Catholics. The law restricted voting to ratepayers, or those who paid taxes. Catholics, being in worse socioeconomic standing than the Protestants, did not always have the opportunity to vote, since they could not always pay taxes due to their lower incomes. The law also sates that ratepayers with properties in different wards were also allowed extra votes, up to a total of six votes in all. This uneven voting distribution led to an uneven amount of council houses and government investments favoring the Protestants.
ReplyDeleteTerrence O’Neill, who replaced Viscount Brookeborough in 1963, had radical plans for helping Ireland economically. However, his plans required that all of Ireland become the territory of the Republic, which caused fear amongst the unionists. In 1966, this fear eventually culminated in violence. In May and June, riots escalated to murder, as a unionist terrorist group known as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) killed two Catholics, thus beginning the vicious civil war known as “The Troubles.”
A group known as the Irish Republican Army, or the IRA, was a guerrilla faction of Catholics who fought to force Britain’s hand into relinquishing control of Northern Ireland to the republicans. The IRA engaged in battles against the ruling Protestants. The group had a negative effect on both the Catholics and the Protestants, as the British Army performed searches for IRA weapons among Catholic homes and harassed many Catholics under suspicion of being IRA members. Ironically, the actions of the British Army, which was sent to Ireland to maintain peace between the Catholics and the Protestants in 1969, actually pushed many Catholics into joining the IRA after suffering harassment at the hands of the British.
One of the most dramatic and traumatic events during “The Troubles” was Bloody Sunday. On January 30, 1972, Catholics were leading an illegal protest against the unionists. The British Army, standing by to keep order, claimed to have been fired upon several times by snipers before opening fire on the crowd. However, eyewitnesses claim they only heard one shot before the military fired upon the protesters. Two British soldiers were killed, along with 13 Catholic protesters. This event exacerbated the massive hatred for the British amongst Catholic communities.
"Northern Ireland: the Troubles." bbc.co.uk/history BBC History
Feb. 1 2007. Web. Oct. 2. 2011
Cullen, Kevin, "Northern Ireland Offers Hope for Conflict Resolution." npr.org NPR. Aug 5 2007. Web. Oct. 2 2011
Winchester, Simon, "13 killed as paratroops break riot." archive.gaurdian.co.uk The Gaurdian Archive
Jan. 31 1972. Web. Oct. 2 2011
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ReplyDeleteHistorically, in the seventeenth century, the English won “the islands” known as Ireland. They colonized Ireland in two sections. Most of the land in the North was colonized by Protestants, and the majority of the land in the South was Catholic. Over time the South became the Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland was a much larger land mass, and an independent country from any British governing. Due to mineral rich land of the North, and Britain’s feeling that they needed to protect the Protestants from the Catholics, Northern Ireland remained under the government of the UK.
ReplyDelete1) What has contributed to the fighting within the past sixty years is the conflict between what Catholics want for Ireland and themselves verses Protestants. Whether it is through a unified Ireland or ridding of any British governing, Catholics want a better life. Protestants desire everything to stay the same, because they are in comfortable position. In addition they are completely separated by location, religion, social clubs etc. This separation caused, and still does, much tension and violence. It creates stereotypes and conflict. At this point a lot fighting has become somewhat pointless, and is about many old conflicts. There is a lack of understanding between Catholics and Protestants.
2) The IRA stands for Irish Republican Army, it was an Irish republican military organization. It was established Nov. 25th 1913. It is a guerrilla warfare group in support of a unified Ireland. The IRA effects residents of Northern Ireland because the Protestants living there do not want Ireland to be un-fied.
3) From August 1969 to July 2007 the British Army had been in Northern Ireland in force for, Operation Banner. Operation Banner was a mission to end the troubles between Catholics and Protestants. Initially, thirty-five thousand soldiers were sent. Currently, five-thousand remain to continue to keep everything under control. The effects of Operation Banner and the presence of The British Army in Northern Ireland are positive and negative. The operation did successfully create more peace between Catholics and Protestants. In addition, it has slowly given more power to the Ireland Police force, which has also increased with Catholic officers. On the other hand, in the thirty eight years The British Army was there thirty-seven thousand people died. This has had a large mental impact on many residents. Lastly, the presence of the army and of the IRA both in Northern Ireland has caused some tension.
4) Bloody Sunday was the killing of twenty-six people on June 30th 1972. They were civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland shot by soldiers of the British Army. This relates to current day Northern Ireland because it fuels more tension between the Catholics and Protestants. The Catholics have more reason to dislike the Protestants, because they are sided with the British.
"Northern Ireland." International League of Human Rights. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. .
October, Early. Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. .
"British Army Exits Northern Ireland : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. .
Like so many other conflicts throughout history, "The Troubles" has its basis in religion. The split of the Catholic Church and the ensuing conflict many years before set the stage for the conflict in Northern Ireland. The religious enmity already present between the Protestants and Catholics very effectively set the framework for the violence that eventually was sparked by inequality and instability in Northern Ireland. When Ireland split, Northern Irish Catholics were repressed by the majority Protestant group who for the most part controlled the government. Catholics were denied privileges available to Protestants such as voting power and acceptable housing. Catholics were often discriminated against and harassed. To top it off the majority of Catholic were against the split between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the first place. They would rather Ireland was united and separate from Britain. The Protestants are mainly British or Scottish settler families, and so supported remaining part of Britain. The difference in political and religious views as well the balance of power (or lack thereof) contributed to form a conflict that would not have occurred otherwise. More specifically, fighting began soon after the economy began to decline. Following an effort to restore the economy, Prime Minister Terence O'Neill realized social stability was important for success. He met with the prime minister of the Republic of Ireland and began to reach out to the oppressed community of nationalists in his own country. The effect of this, however, was increased tension and wariness, and it was not long before violence broke out, marking the beginning of the Troubles.
ReplyDeleteThe violence escalated, with many forces on various sides coming into and out of the picture. One major nationalist force was the IRA, or Irish Republican Army. The IRA was the organization that originally fought for Ireland's freedom from the UK in the early 20th century. When violence began in Northern Ireland 40 years later, they advocated a peacefully united country. The official IRA remained mostly dormant throughout the first seven or so years of conflict in Northern Ireland until the split between the relatively peaceful Official IRA and the militant Provisional IRA (PIRA) in 1969. The original IRA had a huge effect on the Irish: it helped create the Republic of Ireland. More recently, it was the PIRA that affected the Irish people. Many civilian deaths were caused by the PIRA. (The IRA recently issued an apology for all those who died as a result of its actions.) On the other hand, many supported the Nationalist cause and saw the IRA as freedom fighters.
In addition to the PIRA, the UVF, and local police, the British military was present in Northern Ireland to protect the Catholic minority. However, deploying young, armed, Protestant men to do this was most likely a bad idea. The soldiers further harassed Catholics and cracked down on riots, further decreasing stability. It was one such fateful crackdown that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. 14 were shot and killed during a riot in a civil rights march when British soldiers attempted to quell the riot. This particular atrocity galvanized many into action. PIRA recruits soared. Riots became more frequent. Much more international attention was focused on the conflict. The region became so unstable that Britain assumed direct rule over Northern Ireland. Bloody Sunday catapulted the entire conflict into a whole other level.
Works Cited
"BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC.co.uk. BBC, 2 Jan. 2007. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Gregory, Katheryn. "Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) (aka, PIRA, "the Provos," Óglaigh Na HÉireann) (UK Separatists)." Cfr.org. Council on Foreign Relations, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
The Fighting between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland had been going on for a long time but the favoring of the Protestants by the British was a huge contributor. The right to vote in elections was only permitted if the voter would pay a fee. This favored the Protestants because they where wealthier and where able to pay this fee, and where allowed up to six votes if they had more than one property. Catholic neighborhoods received less governmental investment and help than the Protestant neighborhoods. Because of the Governmental help, the Protestants had a higher standard of living in North Ireland than the Catholics. The Protestants also had control over businesses, courts, and the police and had access to more social services. The IRA, however, fought back against the Catholics lack of rights. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army. They where a Catholic Paramilitary group fighting for a United Ireland against the UVF. They where known for their many Bombings and Republican violence during the Troubles of Ireland, and this made them responsible for many deaths. The fighting between the two religious groups became so disruptive that the British military was brought in to police the protests and keep them from getting out of hand. They where very aggressive in doing so, using many weapons even when the situation might not have called for them. The British military was the main contributor in the events of Bloody Sunday. The army was called to suppress rioting at a Catholic civil rights march. It was intended to be a peaceful protest but the death of thirteen demonstrators, shot and killed by the military, proved otherwise. As a result of the deaths, many people joined the IRA and more British troops were deployed to the province to try and contain the new violence that they had caused. Because the British military was responsible for the deaths of Bloody Sunday, and the violence of that day, that proves that their presence at the Catholic protests, and in Ireland was not beneficial, or necessary, seeing its detrimental effect on Ireland, after that event.
ReplyDeleteThe fighting between Catholics and Protestants started with the Irish War of Independence, which took place from January 21, 1919 to July 11, 1921. The Belligerents were the Irish Republic (the IRA or Irish Republican Army) and the United Kingdom, after the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 26 of Ireland’s 32 counties became the Irish Republic. The last six counties that remained under the United Kingdom’s ruling because at the time the area was highly industrialized, the rest was farmland. This caused the Irish Republic to have an economic depression. As the industry in Northern Ireland started to slow down, the area started to have less money flow out of it and back to the United Kingdom. This has helped cause the current riots in the streets of Northern Ireland over healthcare. These riots could possibly kick-start another era known as “The Troubles” again. “The Troubles” from 1969 to 1998, it was fought by the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces, the IRA or Irish Republican Army and the Ulster Loyalists. The UK’s Armed Forces were originally sent into Northern Ireland to protect the Catholics because they were a minority in Northern Ireland; however, as “The Troubles” went on they soon defended the Protestants and in some cases attacked the Catholic rioters. The Irish Republican Army or IRA were Catholic rioters in Northern Ireland, they sent many letter bombs across the UK (most exploded in Northern Ireland). They did both peaceful (unarmed) and aggressive (armed) rioting. One occasion where both forces acted violently towards each other was Bloody Sunday (January 30, 1972). There were 13 (mostly from gunshots) deaths and there were 18 injured people (13 from bullet wounds, 2 from vehicle collision and 3 from other injuries. The UK’s Armed Forces opened fire after the IRA rioters started throwing rocks. The 13 IRA member’s deaths won the following of most of the world (including the USA) because all of the people killed were unarmed and most of them were trying to aid other injured rioters. After this event many people sided with the IRA after the world heard about the slaughter, some countries donated arms to the IRA. The IRA obtained Armalite AR-18’s from the USA and over 1,000 AK-47’s were donated by Muammar al-Gaddafi to the IRA after Bloody Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThe internal issues between the Protestants and Catholics unraveled to affect Ireland deeply. Ninety years ago, in 1921, Ireland separated itself from most British control and became known as an independent country. The continuing quarrel between both the Catholics and Protestants derived from the split of the independent country of Ireland itself. Though Ireland may have been an independent country, Ireland split into both northern and southern sides. Northern Ireland became a region populated with Protestant people, and Southern Ireland became a region, known as the Republic, populated with Catholic people. This break-up had an extreme effect on the people, leading to decades of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland, which still remained part of the UK. Northern Ireland was in fact, controlled by British rule. Since most of Northern Ireland was populated with Protestants, Britain wanted to ensure protection for their designated people. Also, Northern Ireland was known for its rich, industrial area. Tension grew between both different religious groups of Catholics and Protestants as Protestants favorably became known for better living conditions. The Protestant people of Northern Ireland had overwhelming control of business, courts, police, and overall, more access to social services. The success of Northern Ireland brought on more of a struggle to fight for its land. Therefore, the Catholics had a lower standard of living bringing upon more internal problems. The IRA also had a play in this whole incident. The IRA is the Irish Republican Army, and it is a paramilitary group set up to fight for a united Ireland, but is now committed to peace. Since there was a division in Ireland, and the IRA was committed to its job of maintaining a united Ireland, this sparked controversy because of the way people in Northern Ireland were treated. Residents of Northern Ireland were confronted with violence because the IRA instigated it all. The IRA ultimately was the reason for most Republican violence during “The Troubles”. The British military was in Northern Ireland to protect the lives of Catholics, but soon they contradicted what their job was sent to do. They created violence and were reported to be involved in bursts of fierce fighting with paramilitary groups. This caused even more tensions between Catholics and Protestants, and this ultimately set the UVF to take a part in this. The UVF is the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group which was set up to fight the IRA. The presence of both groups created even more violence from what there even was, ultimately making the entire situation worse. Bloody Sunday was a horrible incident that sends a chill down someone’s back even when it is said or thought of. This unfortunate day for all of Northern Ireland happened on January 30th, 1972. Protesters, who were indeed Catholic, were fired upon by the British military. Thirteen helpless, armless civilians were shot down, while other Catholics were injured. The British may haven’t gone to the extreme to open fire, and the Protesters were indeed questioning their own rights. This incident had a huge impact on Northern Ireland, and overall, Ireland. This horrible outcome just set off more violence in the epic battle between Protestants and Catholics. The Catholics retaliated by with a bombing that killed twenty people. The issues of this unresolved story that began a many centuries ago, has improved from its major incidents and events. Britain signed a peace treaty, and more work has been put to keep Ireland a country of peace. Social, religious, and government issues between the two groups have been confronted with great intention, and are walking down a safe and equal path.
ReplyDeleteFor many years, the Catholics and the Protestants in Northern Ireland have had many violent fights. One of the main beliefs Catholics and Protestants disagree about is the whether or not Northern Ireland should be a united independent country or if it should stay under the control of Great Britain. The Catholics believe that Ireland should become a united independent country, whereas the Protestants believe that Northern Ireland should stay under the control of Great Britain. Another reason the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland do not get along is because the Protestants often have better living conditions then the Catholics. The Protestants have more control over Northern Irelands social services, school systems, businesses, and court systems then the Catholics do. Because of this, Protestant business owners tend to only hire Protestant employees, leaving little jobs left for Catholics, and ultimately creating a huge economical gap between the Catholics and the Protestants. All of these differences create inequality throughout Northern Ireland, with the Catholics treated as lower then the Protestants, resulting in violence between the Catholics and the Protestants, known as “The Troubles”. The IRA is the Irish Republic Army of Northern Ireland. They are not a government army, and are thought of as more of guerilla fighters. The IRA supports the Catholics, and are fighting for a united independent Ireland. The IRA affects the residence of Northern Ireland in both a good and a bad way. They affect the people of Northern Ireland in a bad way because of their terrorist like tactics, causing many deaths and extreme violence through out Northern Ireland. They affect them in a good way because they played a huge role in the British government gaining recognition of the hardships the Catholics face, and stand up for the Catholic minority. During “The Troubles”, republicans attacked the United Kingdom, so British troops were deployed in and started antagonizing the Catholics. The British military were initially sent to Northern Ireland to initiate peace between the Protestants and the Catholics. The Catholics welcomed the troops because they thought that they would protect them, but they soon learned that it would be the quite opposite. The British troops, made up of Protestant soldiers, started to protect the Protestants and antagonize the Catholics, causing a negative effect on the situation. One of the most famous events during the Northern Ireland Conflict was Bloody Sunday. After arriving in Northern Ireland, during a protest, the British troops took open fire on twenty-six civil rights protesters. Thirteen people were killed, and thirteen were injured. This day is one of the most significant in all the events of the Northern Ireland Conflict because it was initiated by the British troops instead of the protesters. Because of this, the event became very public, causing other countries wanting to get involved, and the recognition of the need of the British government to get involved. This lead to many peace talks and cease-fires, and ultimately an agreement. Although the issue is not completely over, there has been great progress in creating, and keeping the peace between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
ReplyDelete1.The start of this all began in 1921 when there was a revolt of The Republic of Ireland(Southern part) against the British control in Ireland. The Republic of Ireland who is mainly Catholic, gained its independence and started a belief of Ireland being as a whole without rule of Britain. While the South split from Northern Ireland and distanced themselves from British rule, Britain kept its power and rule over Northern Ireland. The British maintained rule because of the vast amount of minerals and a large percentage of Protestants live in the North and being that the Britain is predominantly Protestant, they are going to side with the North. Also, with the common knowledge of the tension between the Protestant and the Catholics, the British wanted to protect their religious “allies”. This break up between the North and the South led to many years of violence and political and religious unrest in the North between the many Catholics and Protestants living there. Also, much of the violence has come from the poor living conditions and hardships of the Catholics in Northern Ireland. Because there are more Protestants in power and in population, this would not allow Catholics the opportunity to strive in the North.
ReplyDelete2.The IRA is the Catholic paramilitary group created to fight the North and the British for a united Ireland. They represented the want for Irish freedom and the Catholic minority against the British. All members of the IRA were just volunteers fighting for what they believe in. They have increased violence in Northern Ireland raising alert amongst the North’s residents.
3.The British military was sent to Ireland to keep peace between the Catholics and the Protestants as a non-biased part of Ireland. Soon after they were in Ireland, the British military, being Protestant, sided with the Protestants in the North and went against the Catholics. All this did was create more tension between the South and the British and the Catholics against the Protestants. Without a sided presence, the British’s involvement would be needed because of the religious conflict, but because they sided with the Protestants, this erupted into an long war.
4.Bloody Sunday was an incident that occurred on January 30, 1972 in Derry, Ireland where thirteen civil rights protesters were shot dead by the British Army. Bloody Sunday not only increased the tension between Protestants and Catholics, but it increased the rage of the IRA against the British and Protestant militaries. It also alerted much of Northern Ireland and its danger. level.
The tensions between Catholics and Protestants have varied for many decades in Ireland. In the last 60 years contributions from bloody Sunday, power shifts, and less availability of work for the Catholics has contributed to the rivalry between the two. In the 1920s Ireland split into two separate parts, either The Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Southern part of Ireland is the republic of Ireland and mainly catholic. The northern side is mainly protestant. The Northern Ireland is governed by Britain, and still is in violent attack of the Catholics who live in the protestant area. This is very much a racial situation. Northern Ireland has the manufacturing and abundant resources, and the Catholics need to be able to support themselves and families by acquiring the materials needed to survive. Since most of the manufacturing is in the Protestant part of Ireland, many outbursts occur. This problem arises because the northern part of Ireland lays off and isolates the Catholics over the protestants in the working industry. Which leads to the limited supply of resources they are allowed to acquire. Which leads to the ongoing battle between the two portions of Ireland. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) is a parliamentary group in which it is set up to fight for a united Ireland, which supports the Catholics. The IRA frightens the Protestants in Northern Ireland. They terrify the Protestants with terrorist attacks to disagree with the treatment from the Protestants to the Catholics in Northern Ireland. The opposite group, who are a loyalist parliamentary group, called the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) fights for the Protestants. The British army also is based in Northern Ireland. Their purpose is to help create peace between the two rivalries and prevent further attacks. On January 31, 1972, better known as bloody Sunday, peace was not available. It was a Sunday in which the Catholics decide to protest for better treatment from the Protestants. They were simply marching from one point to the other when the British army blocked their path. Several civilians decided to try and break through the barricade until they got shot. Then, the British Army kept firing killing hundreds of people. The faith was lost in the British army that day, no longer being trusted by the Republic of Ireland. The event of Bloody Sunday became very public, causing the involvement of other countries, which lead to many peace-talks and eventually and agreement. This issue has not been completely resolved but has advanced the Catholics and Protestants to a more stable peace that has been upheld.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Joaquin
ReplyDeleteIn the last 60 years, there have been major conflicts in Ireland between the Northern Irish and the Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is its own free state, with about ninety percent of the population being Catholic. Northern Ireland, whose population is mostly Protestant, has remained part of the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland is where the conflict between the people of the Republic and Northern Ireland has historically taken place. Northern Ireland contains numerous amounts of minerals and is home to one of Ireland’s biggest trade centers. Unfortunately, many of the Catholics that live in Northern Ireland have been discriminated against, leading to revolt.
Catholics in Northern Ireland had been living in horrible conditions and typically were not land-owners so they could not vote. They also were not getting good jobs due to the fact that Protestants owned the bigger companies and controlled employment. Therefore, Catholics typically did not earn a good income and needed to live in government supplied housing. Catholics in the North lived in poor conditions, in tenements with little to no living space.
Without money, the right to vote, poor living conditions and other discrimination led to taking the streets to protest against the Protestants and Britain. Many of the protest were nonviolent, with people walking with signs protesting in streets. Unfortunately however, there were many violent protesters as well. These violent protestors were lead by group called the IRA, a guerrilla warfare group made out of volunteers, whose leader was Michael Collins. This mostly Catholic group played a large role in the rebellion against the Protestants, patrolling around the streets and causing the Catholics to protest and Protestants to be at un-ease. The IRA sent violence across the streets, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails simply to gain equality with the Protestants. Soon after, the British army descended into Ireland, sent to help the Catholics from the Protestants. The tides quickly turned and members of the British army took to their instincts and started to attack the Catholics and work with the Protestants. The British army caused the battle to be unfair towards the Catholics and caused a larger death toll to the Catholics and the IRA. On a normal Sunday of 1972, people protested across the streets throwing rocks at British army members. The British then started shooting unarmed civil rights protestors, resulting in 22 people being shot and 14 deaths. Two civilians were brutally injured as they were run over by vehicles.
This event proved to be a major turning point for the Irish, causing the IRA and the Catholics to see the British army as a possible enemy. In addition, the violence caused disagreement in Northern Ireland between the major parties who could not agree on whether Northern Ireland should be a part of the United Kingdom or not.
Ninety years ago, Ireland split in two because North Ireland was mostly Protestant, while Ireland was mostly Catholic. Great Britain took North Ireland because Great Britain was Protestant and thought it would be better for the economy of North Ireland. “The Troubles” didn’t start at a specific time; it was an ongoing problem with Ireland and Britain. Nationalists, who are mainly Catholic, thought that North Ireland should stay with Ireland. Loyalists, who are mainly protestant, believe that North Ireland should join Great Britain. For about sixty years Great Britain and Ireland have been fighting over North Ireland. The IRA is the Irish Republican Army who sent a group to fight for United Ireland and was responsible for most of the republican violence. The IRA fought against the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force). The IRA is now dedicated to peace. In the 1960s the Catholic population grew in size and caused a crackdown by the protestant government that resulted in violence. This violence forced the British army to come in and stop it. The IRA fought back and launched terrorist attacks on Great Britain in the 1990s. Great Britain fought back in a peaceful way by stating that the IRA is no longer allowed to enter Great Britain. This calmed things down for a while, but the IRA launched attacks on London a few years later, but Great Britain had more power and forced them to disarm, they did. Britain made the situation worse because, by cracking down on Ireland, the IRA decided to revolt and fire on Great Britain. While this was all happening, North Ireland’s economy was going down the drain. It was a bad idea for Great Britain to get involved because they made the economy in North Ireland worse. Bloody Sunday was a day when fourteen innocent catholic people were killed on the streets of Derry while protesting. This all started after the British government interned many of the IRA members without trial. About ten thousand demonstrators were out on the streets. The British army lost control and open-fired. The IRA came in and fought against them. In the process fourteen people were killed. This situation was not good for North Ireland. It made North Ireland in a difficult situation, having Britain and Ireland fighting over it. It took a little while for North Ireland to recover from this incident and is still healing to this day.
ReplyDeleteCitations:
Hancock, Landon. "Northern Ireland: Troubles Brewing." CAIN. N.p., 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Hastedt, Glenn P. Encyclopedia of American foreign policy Facts on File library of American history. illustrated. Infobase Publishing, 2004, Print.
"Bloody Sunday." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Northern Island was created on the date May 3rd, 1921 when Southern Ireland declared independence from Britain. The Government of Ireland Act imposed by the British on Northern Ireland ruled that Northern Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom. Because of this Northern Ireland had a sense of civil unrest, but not all wanted to be independent from the British. In Northern Ireland there are two groups, the Nationalist and Republican parties. Nationalists were mainly Protestants, which controlled most of the police, bank system and government of the country. They wanted to remain with Great Britain. The Republicans, on the other had, were mainly Catholics and demanded the freedom of Northern Ireland and independence for all. They also hated all Nationalists. As time progressed, each side became more and more uncivil, and eventually Paramilitary groups were set up as a voice and action for both sides. The Republicans created the infamous IRA (Irish Republican Army), which would end up bombing multiple cities around Northern Irish in protest to British control. With the IRA is their political wing, known as Sinn Fein, which would later negotiation in a series of peace talks. Even though this seems like a structured group, they end up causing even more issues in the country. Citizens resent them because of the civil attacks and innocent by standers that are murdered in the process of their protests. They launch mail bombs, trashcan bombs, any sort of way they can send a "message" of independence to Britain. Protestants start fighting back though, which causes the British army to step in and defend the Catholic citizens. Except this defense attempt isn't truly committed to. Most of the army is Protestant, and soon turn on the Catholics as the IRA continues their bombings and attacks. One of the most notable attacks of the British occurred on a Sunday in 1972. Now called "Bloody Sunday", the name truly describes the events of that day. On January 30th, 1972 a group of British soldiers open fired on a group of Catholic peaceful protestors in the city of Derry. There were thirteen immediate casualties and thirteen wounded that day. This event lead to masses even more supporting the IRA, but it also began to open the doors to a series of peace talks. Other countries began to take involvement into the affairs of peace. It would take another few years before cease-fires from the IRA and peace talks truly did lead to a mutual, beneficial agreement.
ReplyDelete-Trevor King, Period 6
The conflict between the unionists and the nationalists in Ireland began decades ago. About 90 years ago Ireland split into two sides, one of which was predominately Catholic and one of which was predominately Protestant. The Protestants believe that Ireland should remain part of Great Britain where as the Catholics believe that Ireland should become independent. This conflict has lead to violent fighting as well as death on both sides. The fact that religion is such a large part of these people’s lives disallows for a compromise, in other words, the people refuse to agree on any terms. The Catholic people feel like they are controlled by the Protestants and they want there independence. Other conflicts around the world also contributed to the conflict such as the independence of America from England. The Catholics also have a parlamilitary group called the IRA (Irish Republican Army) that was earlier set up to fight for a united Ireland but is has recently been committed to peace. The group is responsible for a lot of the violence during the time period known as “the troubles” such as violent outbreaks in Ireland along with outside attacks on the UK mainland. The UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) was set up by the British government to fight the IRA and consists of volunteer soldiers. Both the UVF as well as the IRA are contributing violence. It is greatly controversial about whether the UVF is making the situation in Ireland better. On one side the British government should have forces over in Ireland especially because of there persistence about continuing control over Northern Ireland. On the other hand some say that the UVF is just causing trouble throughout Ireland by provoking the IRA as well as the citizens of Southern Ireland. Bloody Sunday was a day where the true violence of the situation showed. The UVF opened fire when the IRA turned violent killing several people. After this event people began to realize that there was a large and violent conflict in Ireland that needed to be fixed. By 1994 a peace treaty was put into place in order to stop the violence but recently the fighting has started back up. No one knows when this problem will be resolved.
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Works Cited
"BBC News | Northern Ireland | Understanding Northern Ireland." BBC News - Home. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Bloody Sunday (Northern Ireland [1972]) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
Conflict in Northern Ireland
ReplyDeleteFor the last 60 years, conflict has ravaged northern Ireland. Most of Ireland was Catholic, with Protestant influence in the north and in Great Britain, of which Ireland was a part of. 90 years ago, the country of Ireland broke into two countries. The North, (mainly Protestant) remained part of the U.K., while the southern part (mostly Catholic) became the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Catholics are the minority to Protestants, and are treated worse. Catholics are kicked out of their homes by Protestant police, and are not given the same voting rights as Protestants. Protestants have more access to social services, and have had a generally higher standard of living thanks to the Protestant controlled courts, police, and and businesses. As a result, the Catholics raised arms to win their freedom.
The IRA( Irish Republican Army) is a guerrilla fighting style group of protestants living in Northern Ireland, fighting for their freedom. Over the years of fighting, Over 1,800 lives have been ended by these notorious bombers. The IRA has not limited their attacks to Northern Ireland, or the large, industrious city of Belfast, the British mainland has been host to some attacks. A famous martyr for the IRA’s cause is Bobby Sands. In Bobby’s 20’s he went on a hunger strike in the 1980’s. He starved himself to death because of his strong belief in his cause.
As a counter-measure to the violence of the IRA, the British government sent troops to British controlled Northern Ireland. Although the British government was better supplied and should have crushed the rebellion, the hearts of the IRA members were much stronger and filled with a need for their cause, and the paid British soldiers often turned from fights. The military’s precence has had a terrible effect. Not only has it only caused more violence and deaths between the IRA and British military, but their presence also brought about a terrible event known as Bloody Sunday.
January 20th,1972. Ireland’s “Bloody Sunday.” During an civil rights movement in Derry, Ireland, 20 unarmed Catholic protestors were shot and 13 were killed by Protestant British soldiers. The act was reported as “unjustified and unjustifiable.” Although a severe blow the the Catholics living in Northern Ireland, it only boosted the growth of the IRA (irish republican army). As the protesters, armed only with rocks spit, and perhaps homemade bombs, ran from the british police, and many were shot in the back as they ran. As this was such a dramatic event, the British Government had to try to make amends. They released Jerry Adams, a member of the IRA, who had been imprisoned earlier.
Works Cited
"Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Stevens, Robert. "Northern Ireland: Eyewitness Accounts of 1972 "Bloody Sunday" Massacre Indict British Army." World Socialist Web Site. World Socialist Web Site. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
"Irish Republican Army (IRA)." Federation of American Scientists. Federation of American Scientists. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Lavery, Brian. "I.R.A. Apologizes for Civilian Deaths in Its 30-Year Campaign - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. The New York Times. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Leonard, Bobby C., and Christopher Webber. ""Troubles In Northern Ireland"" Bobby's History Notes (2011). Print.
The two groups fighting in this conflict are the protestants and the Catholics, and the British government. The main problem between these two groups of people is that England held rule over long brutal period of time. It began when England began to establish plantations in Ireland and began to assert themselves as the dominant class. When they (colonized) Ireland they treated them poorly and unfairly. Differences broke out between the Catholics and the Protestants and the Catholics because of their totally different social classes. Protestantism continues to be the flagship of alot of the Irish and English community. Where as the Catholics represent the religion of the less fortunate and poor. The Irish Republic Army or the IRA is a revolutionary military organization that is built from Irish Volunteers. This group was established in November 25th 1913. The Irish Republic Army represents the Catholics in Northern Ireland and feel like they are treated with disrespect because they do not have the same opportunities as the Catholics especially economically. First off the army is made up of volunteers and most of the volunteers are citizens of Northern Ireland. Also it effects the residents in two ways, because there are two different social classes there are two different views on the matter. First the Catholics will say that they are helpful and they turn to the for help against the violent British government. Second the Protestants would say that they are a terrorist group destroying the Northern Irish community. one of the main events that made major turning point for Northern Ireland was bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday sometimes called the Bogside Massacre was an event on January 30th 1972 which lead to thirteen deaths. The event started with (Peace full) protests until the British Army came in and tried to cool down the Protests. The Peace full protest turned into Protestant British soldiers and angry IRA volunteers fighting with Guerrilla warfare. Many IRA members fought with home made bombs and rocks. They threw these at the military and in defense they shot, hit and chased these freedom fighter till the meet cleared. Overall the British military occupies Norther Ireland and oversees some aspects in government. The British did a good job of protecting Northern Ireland until Bloody Sunday. The British made the situation rather stable until they fired upon their own ob Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday made the world think differently about the British government in general. Many different Catholic supporters world wide now support the IRA and their movement, so in a way Bloody Sunday was a poor move by the British government and and their military.
ReplyDeleteWork Cited:
"What Was the Conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland." The Q&A Wiki. Wikipedia, 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 1 Oct. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Irish Republican Army." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 3 Oct. 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
1. In the past Protestants has been considered to hold a higher standard of social class. When England first came to Ireland to start plantations they automatically considered themselves to be the highest class. England went about making themselves the highest class very arrogantly and unpleasantly and the whole idea of colonialism is wrong. Hostility and tension began to rise between the Catholics and Protestants because of how socially different the two classes are, not because of religion itself. Today, Protestantism represents England in Northern Ireland. Catholicism represents the rebels, the poor, and the socialists who had intent of a free Ireland.
ReplyDelete2. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) was a paramilitary group whose goal was freeing Ireland from British Rule. The affect on citizens of Northern Ireland has been a good one. The British government who were supposed to protect the citizens of Northern Ireland turned on them during Bloody Sunday and now the people of Northern Ireland turn to the IRA for help when they are in trouble.
3. The job of the British Military in Northern Ireland was to protect people from harm if Protestants were to pose an attack. The British did a good job protecting them until January 30, 1972 when the British turned on the people of Northern Ireland and killed thirteen people. After the incident the British government held two investigations. One of the investigations successfully cleared the British Soldiers' names. The second investigation proved that the shots and killings were "unjustified and unjustifiable."
4. Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30th, 1972 during the march of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. In this incident twenty-six people were killed, thirteen were men and seven of them were teenagers. Soon after the incident the British Government held an investigation and this particular investigation cleared the names of the soldiers and the blame from the British officers. The Widgery Tribunal wrote that the shootings and killings were “bordered on the reckless.” Later, in 1998 there was a reinvestigation of the incident and on June 15, 2010 they found that all the people who were shot were unarmed and that the killings were “unjustified” and “unjustifiable.” Later the British Prime Minister made a formal apology on behalf of the British prime minister.
WORKS CITED:
"What Was the Conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland." The Q&A Wiki. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Irish Republican Army." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Impact Of Conflict In Northern Ireland." Upload & Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
“The Troubles” is basically the conflict in Ireland between the Protestants and the Catholics. This conflict started to show up when the Catholics started to speak up about an unfairness they were feeling in their treatment and governmental influence. However, this stems from when the unfairness in the government and society actually began, which has most likely been in existance since there were Protestants and Catholics together in Ireland. Because of the larger raw number of Protestants in Northern Ireland, an economic and governmental advantage of the Protestants over the Catholics, and the strong support from Britain for Northern Ireland, the Catholics living in Ireland felt and still feel opressed. They are the minority, and like minorites in almost every other government and society, their voices and thoughts are not heard and understood, or counted into the system as a whole. So, this makes the Catholics feel like they need to do something more drastic in order to make themselves heard. This is the beginning of "The Troubles”.
ReplyDeleteThe IRA, or Irish Republican Army, is a Catholic paramilitary group that is fighting for a unified Ireland, however is now more of a peacekeeper. They have, in the past, been a major threat to citizens of Northern Ireland, because of previous terrorist-like attacks that they have committed against the north. However, now they are more settled down, however are still pushing for a unified Ireland.
The British military have mainly been in Northern Ireland to protect the Protestants from any rebellions or attacks from the Catholics, especially during times of rioting and increased violence. They generally act like a stern police force, only trying to protect the Protestants. However, there have been a few times when they lost control and ended up being more of an offensive force, as with the case of Bloody Sunday.
Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30th 1972 in Derry. What happened that day was at first a peaceful protest, which slowly ramped up throughout the day. Towards the peaks of the emotion and violence, a total of 26 unarmed protestors and civilians were shot and 13 killed by the British Army. This event made the Catholics even more wary and untrusting of Britain, as well as that it was the violent peak of the conflict; a turnstone that has become the face of the conflict as a whole.
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Sources:
"The Troubles - an Interactive History | Special Reports | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. British Broadcasting Channel. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. .
History, Bbc. "BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. British Broadcasting Channel, 1 Feb. 2007. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. .
"The Troubles." The Troubles. Wikipedia. Web. 02 Oct. 2011. .
Hoyt, Timothy D. Adapting to a Changing Environment. Jeffrey Norwitz. PDF.
The Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland have been fighting for many years. This fighting began in 1921 when Northern Ireland opted out of the idea of an Independent Irish State. Southern Ireland wanted to become independent from The United Kingdom but the Parliment of Northern Ireland did not want this. From then on Ireland split into two separate nations. The Republic of Ireland governing itself while Northern Ireland was governed by the UK. Northern Ireland was predominately Protestant which is one reason why it wanted to stay loyal to Britain.(The British government was Protestant) However the Catholics which composed of about 33% of the population were not happy with this decision because they did not want to be ruled by Protestants. The Catholics felt they were discriminated against as well. The government of Northern Ireland passed an act called the Civil Authorities Act that allowed government official to take any "necessary" action to preserve order among the unhappy Catholics who hoped to become a free nation. This lead to a great deal of violence throughout the country. The Catholics created their own armed forces called The Irish Republican Army (IRA) which was comprised of volunteers. The IRA solely supported the Catholics of Northern Ireland. The IRA affected those of Northern Ireland because they engaged in a great deal of violence in the efforts to protect the catholic people. They played a great role in the Irish War of Independence. One reason the IRA were considered to be so dangerous was because they would appear in crowd not dressed i uniform so it was very difficult to identify them. The British Army was a force in Northern Ireland. The original purpose for the British Army to be in Northern Ireland was to keep peace among the Catholics and Protestants. However they did not do this. They Army favored the Protestants over the Catholics because they were from a Protestant country. In the end the British Army created many problems within Ireland because they did not do their job which was to keep the peace. A terrible event occurred on January 30th of 1972 known as Bloody Sunday. 13 innocent Catholic civilians were killed by the British Army during a civil rights protest and 13 others were injured. This event caused the tension to rise even more between Protestants and Catholics due to the great anger Catholics felt towards the British Army. After Bloody Sunday the IRA became even more violent in Northern Ireland.
ReplyDelete“The Troubles” in Northern Ireland began in 1969, but tension had been rising long before then. Essentially, this turmoil was based on civil rights. The Catholic citizens of Northern Ireland felt as though they were being treated unfairly, and their intentions were to gain liberties that their fellow Catholics of the Republic of Ireland had. The Protestants of Northern Ireland held nearly all political power: the right to vote was limited to ratepayers, and only Protestants paid rates. Furthermore, ratepayers could be given up to six votes per person. Catholic neighborhoods received far less government funding than Protestant neighborhoods, Catholics were harassed by the police, and Catholics were excluded from public service appointments. The Catholics revolted through the IRA, or Irish Republican Army. The IRA fought for a united Ireland using peaceful tactics, but eventually the PIRA, or Provisional Irish Republican Army began the use of guerrilla warfare tactics. The PIRA was the main paramilitary group supported by the Catholics. PIRA soldiers believed they were “freedom fighters,” fighting for Catholic civil rights in Northern Ireland at any cost. The IRA caused violence across Northern Ireland and hundreds of citizens were killed in the conflict. In response to the IRA’s protests, Britain sent in troops. The British Army was caught between the IRA and DUP (Democratic Unionist Party). Unfortunately, their presence only led to further enrollment in paramilitary troops and worsened the conflict. The British Army struggled to police Northern Ireland and hence became increasingly forceful in their tactics. On January 30, 1972, violence peaked. The British Army opened fire on a group of unarmed protesters in Derry. 26 citizens, a mix of protesters and bystanders, were shot, 13 of whom were killed immediately. An additional 2 protesters were injured as they were run down by British Army vehicles and fourteenth man died four months later due to injury sustained on that day. The day was know as “Bloody Sunday.” Following this horrible event, even more troops joined the IRA and more British troops were deployed, further amplifying the issue. The British would not leave Northern Ireland until 2007, and effects of the conflict are still prevalent today.
ReplyDeleteSOURCES
BBC History. "The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. 01 Feb. 2007. Web. 03 Oct. 2011.
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"Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 03 Oct. 2011.
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"Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World
History. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
In 1921, the predominantly Catholic people of the island of Ireland gained independence from the rule of the British Empire (predominantly Protestant). The only catch was that Britain held on to Northern Ireland, the northern tip of the island that had some of their important trade locations and big cities such as Derry and Belfast. This tip of the island was actually dominated slightly by the protestant British that colonized it. Only 35.3% of the population was the predominantly Catholic people of Ireland (as stated by the 1961 Northern Ireland Census). This percent grew to 43.76% by 2001, but the Protestant, British settlers remain the majority even today. Tension between the two populations grew as the Catholics were repressed in various ways. The drawing of electoral boundaries that kept unionist (the Protestant political candidates) winning elections, weighted voting for those who owned more property (almost always the Protestants), the resulting allocation of council houses to Protestants above Catholics, and general segregations in schools and other aspects of society kept the Catholic people from reaching equality. All of these factors led to Protestants controlling the business, courts, and police and having more access to social services along with significantly higher standards of living. The Catholics in the area refused to put up with the unfairness, and revolted against the unjust ruling in a series of violent events known as “The Troubles” that occurred from about 1960 to 1990. At this point two basic political groups emerged: the mainly Catholic Nationalists (also known as Republicanists) who believed Northern Ireland should join a united, independent Ireland and the mainly Protestant Loyalists (also known as Unionists) who thought Northern Ireland should stay a part of Great Britain. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a paramilitary force set up to fight for a united Ireland, and it was responsible for a good amount of the Republican violence at that time. For the other side was the UFV, or Ulster Violence Force, a paramilitary group that the Unionists set up to fight the IRA. Violence began to erupt in 1966, when two Catholics and one Protestant were murdered by the UVF. The government quickly shut down the UVF, but the violence ensued inevitably. Bombings in mail and public places began to occur, and initially peaceful civil rights marches became increasingly violent. British troops were deployed in Northern Ireland first to protect the people, but their heavy handed techniques of quelling riots only seemed to create more uproar from the people of the island and the rest of the world. A perfect example is Bloody Sunday. This was a riot that occurred on January 30th, 1972, when the army deployed the Parachute Regiment to suppress the rioting in the city of Derry. Immoderate violence was inflicted on the crowd in the form of tear gas, rubber bullets, and eventually shooting into the crowd. 14 people were killed. Bloody Sunday caused resistance to escalate tremendously. More IRA bombs were detonated, prisoners of war went on hunger strike, and the Queen’s cousin was killed in a vacation boat off the coast, to name a few examples. Finally in 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was put into action, and the violence began to settle; however, issues in Northern Ireland remain today.
ReplyDeleteMelaugh, Martin, and Fionnuala Mckenna. "Background Information on Northern Ireland Society - Population and Vital Statistics." CAIN Web Service. International Conflict Research Institute, 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. .
"Northern Ireland: The Troubles." BBC. The BBC, 1 Feb. 2007. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. .
"Demography and Politics of Northern Ireland." Wikipedia. N.p., 1 Feb. 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. .
By Madi Spiegel,
ReplyDeleteThe Republic of Ireland broke away from the British and became their own country in 1921. The bulk of industrial advancements in the whole of Ireland is centered in Northern Ireland. Britain wanted custody over the whole of Ireland for many different reasons. Since most of the population was Protestant, and Northern Ireland was infested with industrial and manufacturing factories. When the country was created, there were both Catholics and Protestants in the population. Protestants began to run the government in Northern Ireland, and took away the Catholics power. As the Catholics began to feel like more of a minority, they began fighting the Protestants for equal or even more opportunities. Over a stretch of time, both sides started to create grudges that they will have to this day. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a group of freedom fighters that tried top fight back against the Protestants, and was the Catholic Nationalist fighting force. At first, they were set on creating a unified Ireland, but now is committed to peace making. Since the Catholics had a support group, the Protestants needed one as well. The UVF- Ulster Volunteer Force were loyalist paramilitary group which was set up to fight the IRA. The British military was also located in Northern Ireland. Their purpose was to create peace when the Unionists attacked the Nationalist population, but in 1972, that was not the case. Bloody Sunday was an event that where 26 civil rights protestors were shot by British Soldiers. A giant march was planned to go a certain way, but the army was conveniently in the way of the protesters and forced them to go a different way. People decided to go into the barricades to push their way through, and a shooting broke out, which resulted in the death of 26 individuals. Bloody Sunday resulted in a loss of faith in the British Army, which was viewed as a neutral force that brought peace. In Ireland now, the attacks of violence have calmed down. Hopefully Bloody Sunday has taught both sides a lesson and will have a positive effect of the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants.
"Northern Ireland: the Troubles." bbc.co.uk/history BBC History
Feb. 1 2007. Web. Oct. 01. 2011
"The Northern Irish Conflict: A Chronology." infoplease.com. Pearson
Education, 2007. Web. 02 Oct. 2011.
Bloody Sunday (1972)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Oct. 2011.
Since 1920 there has been a conflict between Catholics and Protestants in North Ireland. This all began when the Catholics were fighting for control of Ireland, when they finally succeed in the 1920’s England gave back a huge portion of the land back to the Irish, except for a chunk in the Nothern part of Ireland. Northern Ireland has a high amount of resources that the British wanted to keep because they were using it already and the loss of the resources in Northern Ireland would take a hit on their economy. Plus there was a large population of Protestants living in Northern Ireland that England wanted to make sure they would be safe. Problems arose between Protestants and Catholics when Protestants began to take over the government in Northern Ireland and started to disfavor the Catholic community. The conflict only got worse from here when tensions grew between both sides; stereotypes and differences in religion only spread these two groups apart. The IRA or the Irish Republican Army was a guerilla force designed to repel the Protestant Loyalists, it affected residents living in Northern Ireland because the IRA would set bombs at key targets In Northern Ireland and residents were often caught in the cross fire and surrounded by violence, adding to that these acts of violence only added to the tension between Catholics and Protestants. The British military force were sent in to protect the Catholics from the angry Protestant population, but soon after the British military force arrived they turned on the Catholics only making the situation worse and increasing the violence. An example of this is Bloody Sunday where the Catholics began a peaceful protest that the British attempted to stop, but soon after they opened fire and 26 protestors died, some of them shot in the back as they were running away from the British military force. After this event this it only enraged the IRA and the conflict took another step higher and the violence grew on.
ReplyDeleteThe tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland have been going on for 90 years but really started to heat up in the last 60. There are many factors that have gone into the huge controversy of Northern Ireland and something most people would point to is religion. Although this may seem like the root cause of this it isn’t. Although they have different religions it’s not a battle of beliefs such as the Palestinians and Israelites fighting over a territory but rather a scenario more like America pre-revolution. The main thing here is that one group has control over the other and is treating them unfairly. This can happen in a number of ways, one of which is economically. The Northern Ireland Protestants owned much of the industrial factories and businesses in Northern Ireland and while this meant Catholics couldn’t be successful business owners it also meant not as many openings for them at those factories and businesses. This was a result in Protestants giving other Protestants jobs to look out for their own people, however this made Catholics a very poor people and meant there was no way out from the cycle of poverty they were in. One of the main reasons for the widespread popularity of this issue was the military side of it. The IRA was a guerrilla military group that was made to oppose the Protestants in a violent manner. The IRA were somewhat of terrorists to the protestants and left normal civilian residents scared that they could be a casualty in the next IRA bombing. However on the other side is the British military who may have helped on the surface but really just made thr problem worse underneath. They were treating a symptom but not the sickness itself and they did not handle the situation well. Although there were rocks being thrown and people wanted to protest the military had to remain calm and not act irrationally. A bad example of this was bloody Sunday in 1972 where 14 Catholics were killed and many more were injured by the British military in a large protest in the largely Catholic town of Derry. This made the media turn to the Catholics side considering many were shot in the back as they were trying to run away. Finally in the late 90’s both groups ordered a cease fire and the Northern Ireland controversy has died down since then.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland#Partition_of_Ireland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/troubles/the_troubles_article_01.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles
this is keith my google account temporarily didnt work so i used my AIM so thats why its not normal
ReplyDeleteOn 3 May 1921 the country of Ireland split away from England, and divided into two pieces. This split spurred a country into a future that will be full of violence, riots, and bloodshed. The island of Ireland was split into two countries. The republic of Ireland was the new country that had broken away from their current owner the British, while Northern Ireland was kept by England. England being mostly a Protestant country kept Northern Ireland which is mostly Protestant. Except a group is being restrained and not aloud fair rights in this land and this is the Christians, for their rights “had been politically marginalized” (http://tinyurl.com/63fo5b).
ReplyDeleteThe Ira is a group whose goal “aims was the defence of the Catholic minority” (http://tinyurl.com/63fo5b). The Ira originally took on attacks against Northern Ireland yet right around 1962, they had “abandoned its last campaign of violence” (http://tinyurl.com/63fo5b). They did this because of the amount of resistant they were getting from the British military was making it to difficult to continue. Now there was a group of people that didn’t like this change so they broke of from the Ira and formed the PIra or the Provisional Ira. This group was the one that responded violently and attacked Brittan.
The appearance of military in Ireland has created an interesting effect. The military appearance in Ireland was put there to control the out breaks in Northern Ireland. Though at first it seems like a good idea, we can see that the police don’t control instead they get scared and react in deadly unnecessary manner. We can see this when once “the army deployed the Parachute Regiment to suppress rioting at a civil rights march in Derry. Thirteen demonstrators were shot and killed by troops, with another dying later of wounds,” (http://tinyurl.com/63fo5b).
This leads us to one of the most devastating days in this fights history, which is January 30th 1972. When during a riot the troops fired and as said before they had killed thirteen on sight, and later 1 more died from wounds. This brought up roar and instantly both sides were increased in numbers. The Ira “had new recruits swelled the ranks,” and the British responded with “more British troops were deployed to the province to try and contain the ever-rising tide of violence,” (http://tinyurl.com/63fo5b). Bloody Sunday let the war expanded and created more drive for the rest of the war.
More recent peace talks have started to decline the amount of violence as leaders of each group discuses how to make things equal. However it seems that it will take a while to finish up this conflict.
History, Bbc. "BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
Since the 1920’s, there has been a large amount of unrest in the Irish community. The turmoil has been fought over whether Protestants, or Catholics are the dominant population. In 1921, Ireland was 97% Catholic. This left very little room for Protestants to bloom and flourish as their own movement. Times have changed though, and today, Ireland is predominantly 60% Protestant. To further fuel the fire burning in their hearts, there were subcategories of people with different beliefs. Nationalists or republicans, who are mainly Catholic, believe the north should join a united, independent ireland, however, Unionists or loyalists, who are more often Protestant, think Northern Ireland should stay as part of Great Britain. This led to more arguments and the Catholics and Protestants’ rage for each other was growing. There were thousands of people on both sides killed, while republican groups also launched attacks on the UK mainland. At another attempt to stabilize things, British troops were deployed at first to protect Catholics, but soon involved in bursts of fierce fighting with paramilitary groups. To really set them off, the Queens cousin was killed in the Republic of Ireland. The Queen, as we all know, is the role model for all of Ireland, and if we see her hurting, grieving, and wanting revenge, then the population will want it too. The IRA is an acronym for the Irish Republican Army. The IRA is responsible for most of the bombing, to the opposing side, and they are held accountable for a vast amount of deaths in the population of Ireland. The IRA introduced the letter bombs, which were a step forward in terms of elimination procedures. The IRA was largely considered a terrorist organization because they took so many innocent lives just to protest for their side and prove a point. The UVF, or the Ulster Volunteer Force was a loyalist paramilitary group that was set up to fight against the IRA and their protests. The British military in Ireland is doing their part in this mess by deploying troops to protect the Catholics. Although the British’s main intent was to solely protect the Catholics, thy did end up as a part of the mess. This soon involved in bursts of fierce fighting with paramilitary groups. In some ways it is controlling the amount of rioting going on, but it isn’t helping too greatly, and it was not smart to involve themselves in such a mess, because now the are indebted to people, and cannot pull out of this “war”. The Bloody Sunday massacre of 1972 was when 26 un-named protesters were shot by soldiers of the British army. A report on the subject found that all of the victims that were shot were unarmed, and that the killings were unjustified. David Cameron (British Prime Minister), made a formal apology on behalf of the United Kingdom. Bloody Sunday made the situation in Ireland much more tense and there were more riots and protests as a response to the killings on the awful, Bloody Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThe split of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland took place in the 1920’s. Southern Ireland that contained 90% of the Catholics in Ireland became known as The Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland contained both Catholics and Protestants and it is controlled by Great Britain. Social and Religious divisions were the factors that contributed the most to the conflict in Ireland. The Protestants in Northern Ireland had a higher standard of living than the Catholics because they were supported by Great Britain and they were in control of the businesses, the court, the police, and they had more access to social services.
ReplyDelete2. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army. The IRA was the main support group of Southern Ireland that fought for a United Ireland. As the tension grew between Northern and Southern Ireland, the IRA launched attacks in order to terrorize the citizens. Their crimes included assassinations, bombings, kidnaps, and robberies. In the 1997, IRA declared as cease fire and their crimes have lessened since then.
3. The presences of the British army in Ireland were sent to keep control in Northern Ireland and create peace among the Catholics and Protestants. The presence of the British army kept control and peace in Northern Ireland, but they also were the cause of the deaths of a multitude of citizens. Their presence in Ireland gave more power to the Protestants, causing more trouble for the Catholics that still lived there.
4. Bloody Sunday took place in 1972 in the town of Derry. A march took place that was lead by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association that protested against the discrimination of the Catholics in Ireland. British soldiers opened fire and killed 13 people and injured another 13 citizens. The massacre created more tension in the already strained relationship between the Catholics and the Protestants.
Chossudovsky, Michel. "War Crimes: From Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland to Croatia, Kosovo and Iraq ." www.globalresearch.ca. 23 Sept. 2011. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Pike , John. "Irish Republican Army (IRA)." Intelligence Resource Program. 21 July 2005. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
"Quick guide: Conflict in Northern Ireland." BBC News. 26 June 2006. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
After centuries of British rule, the state of southern Ireland gained its independence in 1921. From then on, the land mass was divided between northern and southern Ireland. Despite the territories of Northern Ireland being smaller, they were also the most industrial and mineral-rich districts in all of Ireland. Because the British government controlled Northern Ireland, there was a protestant majority and the government was controlled by Protestants, who passed laws that further increased the gap in standard of living between Protestants and Catholics. Such laws did not allow many Catholics to vote, and kept Northern Catholics in a constant state of poverty. In the mid 1960’s, a man named Terence O’Neill was elected as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. O’Neill was showing support for Catholics in his country and began a campaign to raise their economic standing and provide them resources. Extremists in the Unionist party grew weary of O’Neill’s actions and formed the UVF, or the Ulster Volunteer Force to oppose these reforms and to respond to an increasing amount of Nationalist protests.
ReplyDeleteAs the UVF began to use heavy-handed, sometimes lethal tactics against Catholics, the IRA, or the Irish Republican Army, began to incite violence in Northern Ireland as well. As a result, violence between both sides escalated as their associative Paramilitary groups fought. The IRA is reputed to be responsible for a majority of the violence during the troubles, particularly bombings and riots, including attacks on the British Mainland itself. As a response, the British Military intervenes and is stationed in Northern Ireland to maintain order. However, they did quite the opposite. Instead, British presence only served to intensify nationalist efforts to liberate Northern Ireland. The British troops themselves also contributed to the violence. Young, newly trained soldiers—predominantly Protestant—often harassed and abused Catholics, siding with fellow Protestants and not the Catholics they were asked to protect.
One such instance occurred on January 30th 1972, when Protesters in – were fired upon by British troops. After the first shot, the protesters scrambled to disperse. Many were shot in the back as they fled, and others were killed as they attempted to help the wounded, some even waving white handkerchiefs to signify their peaceful intentions. All in all, 13 people were shot dead by the British forces, and this event came to be known as Bloody Sunday, significant because this action was committed not by Paramilitary forces, but by what was supposed to be a peacekeeping security force. As a result of this, Catholics who had previously thought of the British Troops as moderators between them and the protestant mobs now saw them as the enemy, and this only further entrenched the IRA and raised tensions on both sides.
1.) For the last 60 years, the Catholics and the Protestants in Northern Ireland have been fighting and there have been countless protests and deaths because of this never- ending dispute. The Protestants of Northern Ireland tent to have substantially better lives than the Catholics. This is because of many reasons, one being that the Protestants have full control over the businesses and social services of Northern Ireland. Since the Protestants control the businesses, the owners only hire Protestant workers; therefore there in as ongoing cycle that leads to less employment for the Catholic people. There is a huge gap in social and economic status between the Catholics and the Protestants (the Protestants at the top and the Catholics beneath them), which has led to the violent outbreaks and the Catholics protests to be treated and respected as equals.
ReplyDelete2.) The IRA stands for the Irish Republic Army. The IRA is a parliamentary group led to represent the Catholics and promote civil rights; they also strive to unite Ireland and spread equality amongst Catholics and Protestants because they feel that the Catholics are not given the same rights as the Protestant citizens. The IRA uses terrorist tactics in order to fight the UVF, which stands for the Ulster Volunteer Force. The UVF was set up specifically to fight the IRA and is a loyalist group that represents the Protestants. The IRA has a huge effect on Northern Ireland because they are essentially the largest and most organized group that is fighting for Catholics freedom. Even though the Protestant population significantly outweighs that of the Catholics, the Catholics are still citizens and deserve to be treated as such. It is true that there have been several arguments, protests, and deaths that have been a result of the IRA, but someone has to stand up for what they believe in, and I believe that the IRA greatly benefits Northern Ireland because the voices of the oppressed Catholics are finally being heard through the powerful forces of the IRA. Over the years the IRA has toned down their violence a bit, since they are now committed to peace, but they have still been leading non-violent and potentially violent protests.
3.) and 4.) The original role that the British government was supposed to play in the situation with Northern Ireland was to keep the peace. The British government and military forces were supposed to remain neutral and un-bias while in Northern Ireland trying to restore peace to the nation. The British armies soon enough “favored” the Protestant groups, and were violent and suspicious of people being members of the IRA. One particular day in history that will be remembered forever was the day January 30th of 1972, a Sunday; Bloody Sunday. On what is now referred to as “Bloody Sunday”, thirteen civilians were killed, and several others were wounded by British troops on January 30th during a protest in Londonderry, Ireland. The British army was unhappy with the civilians protesting against the Protestant dominance in Northern Ireland, so they decided to open fire on innocent, unarmed citizens. Although this day was a tragic event for those thirteen men and women that were killed, this indirectly benefitted the IRA and has helped bring global awareness to the issues in Northern Ireland. The British army was now put in a bad position, where as the IRA gained sympathy and support from the rest of the world watching. But since the IRA’s wounds had not healed, and they were unable to just “forgive and forget” after years and years of ongoing conflict, they soon got revenge upon the British later that year. This climactic even of Bloody Sunday has, I think, worsened the conflict in Ireland because it has led to numerous violent events and attacks.
Hailey Hofer:
ReplyDeleteSince around 1920, there has been a rising conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics in Ireland. It all started when Ireland was split into two parts, creating The Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Today, Northern Ireland is still governed by the United Kindom. The split has led to great trouble, including an estimated amount of 3,525 deaths since 1969, a great amount of rebellion, and unease. There have been a numerous amount of things that have contributed to the fighting between the Catholics and Protestants in the last 60 years. Overall, the conflict that truly started it all is the difference of opinions between The Nationalists, the Catholic people of the Republic of Ireland, and the Unionists, the Protestant people of Northern Ireland. The Nationalists, believed that Northern Ireland should join a united, independent Ireland, while the Unionists thought that Northern Ireland should stay a part of the UK. The biggest issue of the Catholics, is that the Protestant people living in Northern Ireland higher standard of living, and also controlled business, courts, the police, and had more access to more social services. Northern Ireland, in an attempt to keep it under UK control, has shown much violence toward the Catholic people. The North also has an abundance in resources, such as minerals, as well as has booming manufacturing, while the South is left with very little. It seemed that when British Soldiers were brought in, instead of order being established, and the violence lessening, it intensified greatly over time. The British Government’s view was that they were a “neutral” force in the conflict, but the Republicans saw them as the opposite. In my opinion, I believe that both forces showed a tremendous amount of violence, and the amounts can’t be measured up to each other, because they’re both too great in size. Both sides had help in these violent attacks and riots as well. The IRA, or the Irish Republican Army, is a paramilitary group set up to fight for a United Ireland. They are also very much responsible for most Republican violence during “The Troubles”, perhaps helping the Republicans even launch attacks on the United Kingdom Mainland. The IRA affected the Unionists in a quite negative way, leading the British Army to accuse and harass Catholics under the suspicion of being associated with the IRA. The UVF, or the Ulster Volunteer Force, is a unionist paramilitary group which was set up to fight the IRA.
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ReplyDeleteThe island of Ireland has had troubles over the past fifty years due to the segregation of religion. Ireland is an island to the west of Great Britain that is the third largest island in Europe and the twentieth largest island in the world. Yet, this island isn’t completely separate from the Great Britain due to a division of land that caused Northern Island, a small portion of the island, to become a separate area with a governmental system separate from that of the rest of Ireland. That portion of Northern Ireland became under control of the British because of the industrialized power and resources found in the area. The main religion across Ireland is dominantly Catholic, but, due to influence from other portions of the world, Northern Ireland contains an large amount of Protestants that is not proportional with the rest of Ireland. This factor of religion has also lead to the Protestants being the stronger and more powerful group in Northern Ireland. Catholics were abused and mistreated in Northern Ireland and the governmental system was causing them to continually be mistreated and abused. This is the split that started “the Troubles.”
ReplyDeleteThe IRA, or Irish Republican Army, was a brute force that used violent tactics to attempt to bring what they believed to be justice to the Catholics. The IRA was believed to be a terrorists organization by the British. The tactics used by the Ira were ones that affected most of Northern Ireland because of the scale of there movements and the violence that surged from them. It lead to deaths and injuries across Northern Ireland along with a severe fear factor that had to exist.
The presence of British military has created more conflict in the situation and, in my opinion, made the situation much worse for their own needs and interests. The British military was originally sent to Northern Ireland to control the riots and protests, but was perceive as a threat and, in some situations, used violent actions to attempt to control the population. Great Britain’s interest in Northern Ireland lies mainly in their desire to control a strong manufacturing and resourceful area. They strongly profited by having control of this region and therefore had a personal interest to send military to the area to disband the protests and bring freedom back around. But this was not always a successful venture for the British military.
This is shown most evidently through Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday was a massacre that occurred in Northern Ireland between protesters and British military units that were located there to attempt to keep peace. Throughout the protests, it is claimed that the British military felt they were threatened by the protesters and this perceived threat caused them to use violent force on the protesters. This force lead to several casualties and was a representation of the position held by Great Britain. This escalated the conflict by a significant amount.
ReplyDeleteIn the last ten years, the conflicts have improved because of the work made by the people of the region. Many different peace organization have been established to help create ties betweens victims and fighters for both years. These organizations have had a significant effect in creating relations and forming peace. This is the reason why the troubles have lessened.
"BBC News - Ireland Country Profile." BBC News - Home. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
History, Bbc. "BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"Irish Republican Army (IRA)." Federation of American Scientists. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
"The Troubles - an Interactive History | Special Reports | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/flash/0,6189,3
Northern Ireland
ReplyDeleteThe history of Ireland dates back centuries, but only 90 years ago, the landmass was split in two. The larger southern part became the Republic of Ireland, and the small upper section became Northern Ireland, staying part of Britain. For the past 60 years, Northern Ireland has been the source of religious and cultural tension and violence between the predominately Scottish Protestant population, known as Unionists, and the slightly smaller Catholic citizens, aka Nationalists. A grimy era known as “The Troubles”, spanning from the late 60’s to the late 90’s, refers to the time period when the conflict was at its height. Thousands of people from both sides were killed, mainly because of actions took by the IRA and the UVF. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) is a nationalist, fringe military group that formed in 1913 to fight for the unification of Ireland. The IRA is notorious for having used guerilla warfare tactics, bordering on terrorist, and was responsible for a fair bit of republican hostility during The Troubles. Created to combat the IRA, the UVF, or Ulster Volunteer Force, is another paramilitary group—this time Loyalist—that was also the cause for much of the aggression between sides. The IRA has created some problems for residents of Northern Ireland, especially Catholics, because their actions during the conflict have caused hatred and distain for all Catholics. This deeply rooted hatred continues to show itself even now, but was even more noticeable decades ago. Discrimination against Catholics presented itself in many ways, ranging from less job opportunities, less access to social services, as well as being hugely underrepresented in town government. Also at this time, the British military was sent to occupy Northern Ireland, similar to how to British army was stationed in the colonies during the Revolutionary War. They harassed Catholics around towns where they were stationed, searched houses of suspected IRA members, and imposed a curfew.
These actions drove tensions higher and higher, and provoked the Catholics even more. The UVF was also causing trouble, bombing places in the Republic of Ireland (as the IRA was bombing places on the UK mainland) and on January 30, 1972 the British army shot at 26 Catholic civil-rights protesters in the town Derry in N.I. On that day a “peaceful” march to protest internment was carried out by many Nationalists. Antagonized by the Catholics verbal and physical taunts, the British army fired in the crowd killing 13 men. Also known as the Bogside Massacre, the incident strengthened the position of the IRA and weakened the British support. Although this attack seems to show the Protestants as the clear villains, only a few months later the IRA carries out what is known as Bloody Friday, a lesser known, but perhaps more damaging attack. 22 bombs planted by the IRA exploded within only 80 minutes of each other, injuring 130 people and killing 2 British soldiers as well as 7 civilians. Both of these killings enraged the opposing side, fueling the violence and hatred for the other, a hatred that is still present today in Northern Ireland. Although the Troubles are said to have officially ended in the later part of the 20th century, 1998 ,with the Good Friday Agreement, sporadic violence is still common in parts of N.I., and the actions taken by the IRA, the British military, and the UVF only served to progressively worsen the state of the small country and affect the lives of Catholics and Protestants residing in Ireland.
ReplyDeleteSources
History, Bbc. "BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. 01 Feb. 2007. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. .
War and Peace in Ireland. Youtube / War and Peace in Ireland. 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2011. .
Matthew Peterschmidt
ReplyDeleteNinety years ago Ireland declared independence from England however it was only slightly successful. The southern part of Ireland became the Republic of Ireland while the northern part of Ireland became North Ireland. This split up has led to decades of conflict between the Republic of Ireland and North Ireland plus England. The Republic of Ireland has remained mostly Catholic while North Ireland is sixty percent Protestant and 40 percent Catholic. The main problem is that the Catholics in North Ireland believe that they are being oppressed because of their religion by the protestants. There are two sides to this conflict, one being the Nationalist or the Republicans who are mainly Catholics, believe that the north should join a united independent Ireland. The Unionists or the Loyalists who are mostly protestant, believe that North Ireland should stay part of England. In the 1960’s through the 1990’s both sides fought each other for what they believed in. Many people were killed in this time and the Republicans even attacked people on the United Kingdom mainland. Soon British troops were deployed into North Ireland to protect the Catholics. After a short while the troops switched sides and began to fight agains the Catholics instead of protecting them. I believe that the presence of the British Military has made the situation worse because they have only provoked more attacks from the catholics. One of the main Republican groups is the IRA which stands for the Irish Republican Army which was set up to fight for a united Ireland but now is committed to keep the peace. The IRA led many attacks in Northern Ireland which made the living conditions in Northern Ireland very hostile. Bloody Sunday was a massacre that occurred on January 30, 1972. Catholic protesters where marching while some teenagers began to throw stones at British soldiers. Then the soldiers retaliated and killed 14 unarmed people. Most of the people who were shot, were shot in the back while running away from the soldiers. After that incident England allowed negotiations to take place and so far they have made a ceasefire. Since Bloody Sunday violence has dropped and the situation has improved, however past hatred is still scarred in peoples hearts. There is hope that one day this conflict will be solved, but I believe to do so, people will need to forgive and solve this conflict without violence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1972)#Events_of_the_day
history notes 9/29/11
1: ninety years ago Ireland declared indepence from england. the southern portion became the republic of ireland,which covered most of the island. The Northern portion became north ireland. One of the factors that contribute to the fighting was that the northern irelanders wanted more land. Ireland was unevenly distributed and the catholicshad more land. This in turn set the protestants off because they wanted more land even though there were fewer of them.
ReplyDelete2: The Irish republican Army was a revolutionary military orginization. they were responsible for many deaths of northern irelanders through car bombs. they placed car bombs and then took credit for them. They also used other Guerrilla tactics.
3: The british military went into northern ireland to settle the war that was going on in a nonviolent way. Instead, they went in with guns and killed many people. they ended the conflict through violence.
4:bloody sunday started out as a demonstration of power by the catholics. It turned into a riot so the british military came in to stop it. They were supposed to peacefully resolve the riots. Instead they went in with guns and killed many and wounded even more. This orced the catholics to turn on the british military. bloody sunday is one of the darker days in the history of Nrthern Ireland.
In 1921 Ireland split into two separate states, the south became a separate Irish state known as the republic of Ireland. The driving force for “the Troubles” is the opposing opinions of the Protestants and Catholics. The Protestants believe that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom while the Catholics believe it should be part Ireland. The Protestants tend to be wealthier than Catholics because Northern Ireland has a thriving economy mainly from manufacturing. This is in fact the reason why Britain kept Northern Ireland. The Protestants have controlled business, the courts, and the police. They also have access to more social services than the Catholics. The Catholics feel that they are treated poorly and are not presented with opportunities the Protestants of Northern Ireland receive.
ReplyDeleteThis issue has led to the creation of the Irish Republican Army, a terrorist group founded in 1969. There are actually two separate IRA’s, the original fought the British from 1919 to 1921 in the Irish War of Independence. They relatively recent IRA or PIRA, Provisional Irish Republican Army, have launched many attacks towards the Protestants of Northern Ireland. Their motivation comes from their want for a unified Ireland. The IRA has assassinated and set of car bombs and led many other attacks against the British and Irish Loyalists. I think the IRA’s actions are somewhat justified. Although they have committed multiple terrorist attacks against Loyalists and the British they are the only organization that takes action for the oppressed Catholics of Ireland.
(cont.)
ReplyDeleteThe British military has been not helped the situation in Northern Ireland at all. Instead of ending the violence they have created even more, causing nationalists to become even more irate. “Operation banner” was first deployed in 1969 in response to the Battle of the Bogside. The Catholics welcomed the British military at first, believing they were neutral. They soon discovered this to be false. Many soldiers were involved in previous murders, bombings and even weapon smuggling proving them to be corrupt. This bias force caused even more radical Nationalists to flee to the IRA, essentially blowing up the issue even further. The deployment of British troops in Ireland was just adding to the noise.
Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30 1972. It began with a civil rights march in Derry, Ireland 5,000 to 20,000 people participated. At 3:45 the marchers were confronted with a barricade. While most of the crowd chose a different route, some stayed and continued towards the British army’s barricade. The group began throwing stones at British forces who responded with tear gas. The soldiers then began to move down the street in armored cars while protesters ran. The soldiers then proceeded to get out of the cars and fire on protesters, the army claims they only shot at potential threats but many claim otherwise. John Duddly, a 17-year-old boy, was the first to be shot and killed, with a single bullet to the chest. He was running away from a soldier, clearly not a threat. This killing of many innocent protesters instilled even more fury into the hearts of nationalists and the IRA. This led to many significant attacks from the IRA, Bloody Friday being the most notable, claiming nine lives. Bloody Sunday was just another supposed attempt to keep the peace that resulted in magnifying the situation in Ireland, making it much worse.
Works Cited
Allen, Paddy, and Paul Scruton. " Bloody Sunday: interactive map ." Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | US Network front | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
BBC History. "BBC - History - The Troubles, 1963 to 1985." BBC - Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
"BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Quick guide: Conflict in Northern Ireland." BBC News - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
"BBC ON THIS DAY | 14 | 1969: British troops sent into Northern Ireland." BBC News - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Oliver, Mark. " Operation Banner, 1969-2007 ." Latest US and world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | US Network front | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Sotscheck , Ralf Sotscheck . "The End of a Dark Chapter: British Military Leaves Northern Ireland - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International." SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Zalman, Amy. "IRA (Irish Republican Army)-Guide to the IRA (Irish Republican Army." About.com- Terrorism Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2011. .
Mark said... In the year 1921, the country or Ireland split in two. The south became known as the Republic of Ireland while the north as Northern Ireland. There is much tension between the two states. This is due to the fact that in Northern Ireland, there is much religious persecution of the Catholics from the Protestants. Before the break-up, England had control of Ireland. After pressing for revolution, the Irish finally were free from England’s control except for one issue. Due to the dense amounts of minerals in Northern Ireland, the English decided to keep Northern Ireland and give the Irish the southern region. The other reason that the English decide to stay in Northern Ireland was because of the large Protestant population needed protect from the Catholics. This is the real issue. Currently, 55 percent of the population in Northern Ireland is protestant while 45 percent of the population is Catholic. In Northern Ireland there is much religious tension between Catholics and Protestants. This is due to the interventions from England. Being predominately Protestant, and having control of Northern Ireland, the English government and the Northern Ireland government completely favor the Protestants. This is a complete comparison of the racial tension in the United Sates between “whites” and “blacks”. Catholic men and women are not given the same opportunities occupationally, academically, and socially. Due to this persecution of the Catholics, the entire country of Ireland has been on the brink of a civil war for the past 60 to 90 years.
ReplyDeleteEach side of this issue wants separate things. The protestant loyalists think that Northern Ireland should stay a pert of Britain while the catholic nationalists want Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland and become independent. Heading each group are two political and militaristic groups. For the Protestants in the north, the political group is this Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). This group is supported by Protestants and is connected to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). These two groups head the protests supporting English presence in Ireland. For the Catholics, the political group is known as Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein is the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland. Of all the paramilitary groups from both sides, the group that has done the most damage and has the largest influence is the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Because the IRA is a paramilitary organization, it has been known to be very violent with Northern Ireland Protestants. In order to gain support as well as attempt to persuade the government to succeed from English control, there have been many bombings and shootings from the IRA directed to Protestants. One of the most famous deaths was a personal family member of the Queen. This sparked retaliations, as the loyalists were thirsty for revenge. On both sides thousands of men and women fighting for what they believed in were brutally murdered. This shows the severity of this issue and the importance of a resolution.