North Ireland Conflict

Political Unrest in Ireland

There has been a continuing conflict in Ireland that has been going on for decades, and affects the world to this day. It is essentially a political and religious struggle between several groups. The British have played a key role in the situation since the early 1900's, and even more distant into the past.

Origins of the Conflict

The conflict in Ireland has its roots as far back as the 1500's. Ireland has historically been recognized as a Catholic country. However, when King Henry VIII was ruling in Britain, Ireland was brought under British control. At the time, Britain was predominantly a Protestant country. Tension between the Catholic majority and Protestant minority began to arise in the two faiths. Throughout the years the British and Protestants began to tighten their grip and control in Ireland. In 1534 Henry VIII had the Ireland parliament declare himself as King of Ireland. The native Irish viewed the British as a major threat to their customs. There have been multiple uprisings and rebellions by the Irish people against the British. A British and Spanish alliance was able to put to rest all of the major uprisings.

The English began to settle areas of Ireland with Protestants, beginning in the early 1600's. The northern regions of Ireland became one of the more heavily immigrated areas. The all-island Kingdom of Ireland (1541-1801) was incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801 under the terms of the Act of Union, under which the kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain merged under a central parliament, government and monarchy based in London. In the early 20th century Unionists, led by Sir Edward Carson, opposed

the introduction of Home Rule in Ireland. Unionists were in a minority on the island of Ireland as a whole, but formed a majority in the northern province of Ulster (en.wikipedia.org/Northern_Ireland).

Involved Groups and Peoples

The two major groups involved are the Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants have their roots back to the British who migrated to the region when King Henry VIII was in power. The Protestants are predominantly Unionists. Unionists are "people in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales who were historically in favor of uniting their nations into a United Kingdom, or who in modern times with their nation to remain a part of the United Kingdom (www.wikipedia.com). The Protestants are the majority inhabitants of Northern Ireland today. The Catholics are predominantly known as Nationalists, and are descendants of the Irish population predating the settlement of the English and Scottish. There are various paramilitary groups which have sprung up in Ireland throughout the twentieth century, and even earlier. The group which has become recognized as a major player in the politics of Ireland is the Irish Republican Army. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) pushes for a unified Irish state, with no ties to the United Kingdom and the British. There are several groups who claim to be descendants of the original IRA. The IRA first formed in 1916 as the army of the Irish Republic. It was descended from Irish volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army.

The Conflict in the 20th Century

There have been many situations and conflicts which have arisen in the twentieth century in Ireland. On Easter Monday 1916, Irish rebels took over several key Dublin buildings including the General Post Office, sparking a brief outbreak of violence throughout Dublin. The English quickly crushed the rebellion but unfortunately caused many civilian casualties in the process (Earthy Family). Between the years 1916 and 1921 Irish nationalists waged a combined political and military campaign against British occupation. The biggest change in Ireland, with the biggest impact on today's world, occurred in 1921. This was a time when World War I had just ended. Ireland was partitioned by the British under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act of 1920. Six of the counties in Northern Ireland, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, were split from Ireland and became Northern Ireland, while the rest of Ireland became the Republic of Ireland. The south remained predominantly Catholic while the new Northern Ireland had a Protestant majority. The south had cut all ties with Britain, wishing to remain an independent country. The new Northern Ireland continued to be a part of the United Kingdom. "It is this political division, compounding centuries of religious animosity, that lies at the heart of the Northern Ireland conflict." (Paul Sussman, CNN.com). There has been ongoing