History Coursework: The continuing problems in Northern Ireland

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History Coursework: The continuing problems in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland. A country within a country, torn apart by warfare, allegiance and religion. A country whose problems reach deep into the roots of history. Northern Ireland's problems began as far back as the early 16th century, when English settlers wished to control Ireland. The English settlers were Protestant, but the people of Ireland were devout Catholics. Throughout the 16th and 17th century, there were power struggles between the clan chiefs, effectively dividing the whole country. However, in July 1690, William of Orange, the catholic leader of England, clenched a famous victory over James II, the former protestant king of England in the Battle of the Boyne. Ireland became a wholly Protestant ruled country. While this incident did not cause the modern day problems in Ireland, it certainly laid the foundations for it.

Move forward just over three hundred years, to April 24th 1916, where the citizens of Dublin should have been celebrating a peaceful Easter Monday. However, this Easter Monday would be completely different from anything they had ever experienced before. The Irish nationalists, enraged that the Irish problem was being ignored in favour of World War II, decided