James had rule over Ireland, so he turned thousands of Catholic people off their land in Ulster to make way for the new Protestant farmers from England to settle in Catholic Communities. This caused a rebellion within groups of Catholics who felt that it was unjustified why they had their land had been taken off of them too make way for there conflicting Protestants.
The tension between the two Christian groups had ignited, and conflict rapidly increased due to the introduction of the Protestant settlers in Ireland. The origin of the conflict was mainly from the Reformation of the Church of England and the Ulster Plantations.
Part C
In 1641, the Catholic Rebellion began a wide spread massacre on Protestant people in Ulster and all around Ireland, to battle against the English rule over Ireland. Many Protestants were murdered in the process as Catholic reign lasted for 7 years.
Catholics had burned and killed Protestants in first days of the Plantations, but this was on a huge scale and was the turning point, which ignited the start of the conflict for the rule over Ireland that lasted centuries.
Oliver Cromwell restored control for England in 1649 by brutally murdering between 2000 and 3000 Protestant people. This provides selective history to the account as through propaganda, it was said that over 154,000 Protestants were massacred in Ulster, even though on record there wasn’t probably a population that big in Ulster. Protestant communities in Northern Ireland in present day use the 1641 massacre to justify that Catholic people cannot be trusted, but forget their own massacre upon the Catholics in 1649. There are mixed views between Catholics and Protestants about both the massacres but they still provide history to fuel the conflict in the present day feud.
William of Orange came from Holland to Ireland and defeated James II at the Battle of Boyne in July 1690.
James had been kicked off of the throne in England and came over to Ireland t regain control. While William was making his way over to Ireland, he had enough time to bring all his soldiers over to combat James army. This was because James took siege of Londonderry and was unaware that William was coming. William was James’ sister’s husband and took the throne in England after James defeat. James ended his conquest of Ireland in 1691 with the Treaty of Limerick. This treaty had flaws in it though. The selective history is that even though it seemed that William treated the Catholics badly by taking away their land and rights to education and employment, but the Protestants actually got him t change it. They said that William had offered the enemy Catholics generous terms with ruling Ireland. Also the matter of that William wasn’t even interested in Ireland. The defeat of James II to him was just another advantage over his rival King Louis XIV of France in his European conflict.
It depends at which context you look at it with. The known history, of William of Orange’s victory over James II of England, at the Battle of Boyne to free the Protestants. Or you can look at the selective history, where it states that William offered the Catholics more options with their rights, and also that William’s victory in Ireland was part of a bigger conflict in Europe and he didn’t care about Ireland. The Protestants, when asked about William of Orange, would talk about the known history about him, but still hid the selective truth.
Wolfe Tone fought the battle to diminish the Penal Laws in Ireland and reforming the Irish Government in Dublin to break away from the British rule.
Tone was seen as a radical reformer and was forced out of Ireland. In the 1798 rebellion, Tone gained support from the French and sailed for Ireland. When he got there though, the rebellion had collapsed and so Tone ended up in prison and was t be executed. He killed himself before the sentence was carried out.
Wolfe Tone was a born Protestant and his actually aim was to bring unity between Protestants and Catholics. This selective history is very similar to King William at the Battle of Boyne as there were false pretences about what Tone and William wanted out of Ireland.
The 1801 Act of Union was to make the whole of Ireland united with Britain. The Irish Parliament in Dublin was t be abolished, and Ireland was to be represented in the British Government by Protestant MPs. This outraged the Catholics into protests of discrimination and inequality. The Anglican Church (Protestant) was to be the main church representing Ireland. The Act of 1801 was highly unpopular with mostly all the Catholics, as they had restrictions in politics and religion from the country their origin came from.
The trade between Ireland and Britain was free, as stated in the Act of Union. But between 1846 and 1852, the Potato Famine contaminated Ireland. The British Government did not aid Ireland’s call for food and so it resulted in nearly one eighth of the population dying of starvation, and about two million people immigrated to places like America. The Great Famine caused reason for the people of Ireland, mostly Catholics, to promote hatred against the British. This was another reason for argument between the Catholics and the Protestants as from the Unionist link to Britain.
The tension was raised during the 17th and 18th Centuries because of the rising conflicts between the two groups. The battle between Catholics and Protestants with William of Orange and the conflict between Protestants and Catholics with Wolfe Tone.
Also tension between the Catholics and Britain increased during this period. The Act of Union where inequality towards Catholics was visible, and the Potato Famine where pleads for help from Ireland were ignored by the British Government. This was also an excuse for the Catholics to continue protesting against the Protestants in the north of Ireland from their union with Britain.
Part D
1914 was a time of crisis because of the conflict on the subject of Home Rule.
In 1912, the British Government reached an agreement to give Ireland Home Rule in 1914.
The Nationalists would gain back the whole of Ireland and freedom from Britain. This proposal caused anger within the Unionists groups as they want to keep their link with Britain. This sparked a huge amount of conflict which reflects on the tension today.
The Unionists formed the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and started to import weapons from abroad and made sure that everyone could see through events like the Larne Gun Running of 1914.
The Nationalists replied to the threat from the Unionists and formed the Irish Volunteers Force (IV).
Both organisations fought politically as well as physically with strong leaders on either side fighting their causes and resulted them both turning into political parties.
This was the point where the first groups formed in Ireland to inflict physical violence against each other. These groups lead on to form such paramilitary organisations like the IRA and the UDF which still exist today in Northern Ireland.
The British army still remained in Ireland to enforce Home Rule and try and control the conflict, which they did unsuccessfully. The British Government stated that they had postponed Home Rule, as the First World War was more important than the situation in Ireland. This fuelled the conflict severely, as the Nationalist people of Ireland were told that they had been granted with Home Rule. Even after the many years of war, the agreement was not carried through.
The Easter Rising took place in Dublin in 1916. A paramilitary group called the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) stormed the Dublin main Post Office the Easter Monday. The Protest failed and the result of their campaigning didn’t really affect the conflict but the consequences afterwards caused a revelation.
The British decided to execute the leaders involved with the Easter Rising, which resulted in an outrage with the Nationalists. They formed one of the most influential Catholic Political parties in the whole of Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein gained a huge amount of support as Britain became more unpopular. They campaigns were more radical and aggressive for a political party. They were the most successful parties in the British Government, as they gained 73 seats out of the 105 allocated by the British for Irish parties. Sinn Fein has been strongly linked with the IRA ever since there amalgamation of the IRB and the IV in 1919.The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a massive threat to the Unionists, as they had union with Sinn Fein resulting in there lack of political power within the Unionists over Ireland.
The Anglo-Irish War broke out in 1919. The IRA promoted guerrilla warfare against Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) consisting with a two year conflict where thousands of soldiers died as well as the British Black and Tans army who tried to intervene. The war was the final straw for Britain and drastic action needed to be taken to prevent more death.
The Partition of Ireland was drawn up in 1922 where Ireland was divided into two parts. The British Government still had total control over Ireland so they turned the area in and around Ulster into a part of the UK and the Protestant Unionists had total control over the NI Government that was established.
The Partition of Ireland sparked the conflict to engross into Northern Ireland and the Nationalists were angered into the way they were treated by the Unionists. This escalated into the conflict which exists in Northern Ireland today. The tensions were increased greatly from 1922 onwards, and the Partition of Ireland is hugely significant for a factor before the events of 1972.
Part E
After the Partition of Ireland in 1922, Problems developed with tension between Nationalists and Protestants. The IRA were at the head of violent protests in Northern Ireland t campaign against the forming of NI. The Nationalists and Unionists segregated themselves for everything. Catholic and Protestant areas were set up for workplaces, pubs and leisure activities so there was no conflict of enemies. 60% of Protestants lived in Northern Ireland, meaning that 40% of Catholic people were also based there after the Partition. This was a large amount of Nationalists which provide more conflict between the two groups. Inequality was visible in the way Proportional Representation was used during elections in NI. It gave the Catholic political minority of NI representation. This angered the Unionists, as they wanted the Catholics to have no power in Northern Ireland.
This discrimination and inequality towards both groups of Christians did not fade away through the calm period between the 50s and 60s. It still exists today because every time one of the paramilitary attacks the opposite group, all peace attempts fail and the lack of trust increases hugely. Not only within the NI Government but within the communities as well. In the 1950’s and 60’s, there was an approach at calm and peace between the Nationalists and Unionists. There was the co-operation between the Catholics and Protestants, as they had t united in order t defeat the Nazis. This effect carried on after the war between the two groups. The welfare state was introduced in Britain and Northern Ireland in 1945 consisted of more benefits for children, industrial, housing and employment for both Catholics and Protestants.
Also there was the 1947 education reform, where school dinners were free and it allowed children from poor backgrounds to go to school. Catholic and Protestant schools were still segregated though.
The IRA became more unpopular during this time from there methods of campaigning. The poverty in the Republic of Ireland had risen, and the IRA had given up their protesting in the ROI and moved into Northern Ireland to campaign.
All round co-operation was promoted in the 1960’s between the Catholics and Protestants in Church, community and leisure activities.
The tension had died down due to the effects of the war and the disappearance of the IRA violence, resulting in peace between the two communities and they also started to mix together as one community in Northern Ireland.
Peace was disrupted by the Nationalist protests and the results of Bloody Sunday caused more violence again between the two rivals. Protest appeared again when the ruling of Northern Ireland was questioned by Nationalists, as the employment and housing benefits dropped to a bare minimum for them but not Unionists.
The Interment was introduced in 1971 to hold convicted terrorists in Northern Ireland. It was then stepped up in 72, where any person suspected as a terrorist was imprisoned without trial. The Nationalists were angered by most of the convicts being Catholic.
Bloody Sunday involved British soldiers shooting dead 13 Nationalist protesters on the 30th 1972. This caused problems with the British, Protestants in Ulster as they were in a dilemma of the Nationalists thinking 13 unarmed people had been murdered. This resulted in a lot of changes in Northern Island to suit the Nationalists.
The tensions in Northern Ireland decreased for a small period of time which was more or less from the co-operation in the war. The Partition of Ireland encouraged the Nationalist protests, through the power of ruling NI, the Unionists and how they used it to reduce the benefits for Nationalists. This caused more violence and it became even worse after Bloody Sunday from the IRA wanting to get their revenge and put their point across with various terror attacks on Britain and Northern Ireland.
Part F
I am going to explain the issues of present day and the battle for peace in Northern Ireland.
Paramilitary groups have consisted from both Nationalist and Unionist sides and terror attacks against each other enrage on. Events like Bloody Sunday and the Brighton Conference bombing in 1984 reflect the violence that hasn’t be diminished for over 300 years. The IRA was dominant in there campaign and attacks on the Protestant communities and anyone who support them. The British has tried to decommission all the weapons of the paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland but still there are more under property of terrorist organisations, especially the IRA.
Many attempts at peace have been made at peace within Northern Ireland, especially by the British representing the Irish Government. The Northern Irish Government tried to introduce the Parliament with Nationalist and Unionist MPs to try and form a union. This escalated into arguments between the rivals every time Parliament met and they didn’t discuss the issues at hand. The idea was then scrapped and the Government was re-established under full Unionist control.
In 1985, the Anglo Irish Agreement was signed by the British and Irish Government. This was a joint committee of the two Parliaments, where they discussed the future of Northern Ireland and the Nationalist problem. It resulted in the Irish Government giving up the policy that the divided parts of Ireland would be original reunited under Unionist control.
Paramilitary groups like the IRA have restricted peace for the last 40 years. They still perceive to use violence to campaign against the Unionist in Northern Ireland. Also an agreement cannot be reached between Nationalists and Unionists political as the selective history from both parties bring up more reasons to argue and result in an increase in distrust.
To achieve peace between the Nationalists and Unionists, a new treaty would need to be settled where both sides are to abolish all their paramilitary organisations. Also, equal rights for Nationalist and Unionists in both NI and ROI. I do not think this will be successful at once, but over time a united nation of Ireland might be formed.
Conclusion
In this essay I will be explain how far the tensions between the Catholic Nationalists and the Protestant Unionists in Northern Ireland are due to the events of Bloody Sunday on the 30th January 1972. Also how the events before 1972 has affected the present day conflict.
The conflict in Northern Ireland is an ongoing battle between Nationalists (Catholics) of ROI and the Unionists (Protestants) of NI. It originated centuries ago when the Nationalists had total control over Ireland, until Henry VIII claimed himself as the King of Ireland and took power over the country. Then, a few monarchs later, James I, threw hundreds off Catholics off their land and established the Protestant Plantations in Ulster (NI). This started a massive conflict between the two groups, which resulted in thousands of deaths, the division of the country and the forming of such paramilitary terrorist organisations like the IRA.
There were significant factors within Irish history and the last 40 years, which contributed greatly towards the conflict in Northern Ireland and were turning points that made it worse or better.
The Protestant Plantations in the 17th Century enraged the Catholics and caused them to form a rebellion against the Protestants of Ulster. The Catholics burned down farms and killed many people in what was called the Protestant massacre. Oliver Cromwell took an army to Ireland and fought against the Catholics. He also murdered hundreds of Catholic men, women and children, which was called the Catholic massacre. This escalated into Catholics and Protestants fighting in violent acts of protesting which resulted in the start of the increasing tension between Nationalists and Protestants.
The Battle of Boyne in1690 was also a factor of conflict where the tensions arose. William of Orange defeated James II of England as he tried to conquer Ireland when he was forced out of England. William was remembered significantly by the forming of the Orange Order, which campaigned in Protestant areas and encouraged violence between the two groups.
In 1914, the Partition of Ireland was agreed between the Unionists and the British. It was the decision to divide the country, which was still under British rule, into two parts. The Nationalists gain full control over the south of Ireland, but the Nationalists had total control over the north and are around Ulster. This ignited the conflict to reach boiling point for the Nationalists in Northern Ireland, as the North of Ireland was now in total power of the Unionists, the Nationalists formed paramilitary organisations and political parties like Sinn Fein to combat the Unionist to claim back what is right theirs. This resulted in massive protests and campaigns, which quite frequently turned to violence. Since the Partition of Ireland, the conflict increased rapidly with the ever continuing battles between the two communities of distrust and hatred. It is of the most significant historical event before Bloody Sunday in 1972 because it raised the tension between the two groups and was a massive turning point.
The Bloody Sunday event happened on 30th January 1972. Nationalists were protesting about their rights about the ruling of Ulster when the British army intervened. They shot 13 Nationalist protesters, which has caused controversy that still is being carried on in present day NI and Britain. It led to the Catholics turning their hatred on to Britain as well as Northern Ireland. This resulted in changes in NI with the diminish of Irish Government and the rule of Northern Ireland was taken away from the Unionists, so all the issues of Northern Ireland had to go through the British Government. This gave Sinn Fein increasing support with the way decisions were made in Northern Ireland and what can be also included for the Nationalists. The IRA also got a lot of support from the Nationalist communities, which increased the terrorist activity in and around Northern Ireland and also in Britain, e.g. the Harrods Bomb. The British involvement in Bloody Sunday was a bigger revelation than the execution of the leaders from the Easter Rising. Investigations and enquiries have been continuing about the deaths of whether the soldiers fired upon unarmed Nationalists or whether the Nationalists were armed and shot at the soldiers, the case has never been solved.
The tension increased after the events of Bloody Sunday because the Nationalists had an upper hand on Britain and Northern Ireland for unjustified murders. But the Nationalists also increased the conflict by the terrorist attacks on Ulster and NI.
I conclude that the tension in Northern Ireland has been significantly affected by the historical events which have significance in some way to the events of 1972.
The Protestant Plantations promoted the first violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants, which was what the Catholics were doing while protesting against rule in Ulster.
The Battle of Boyne also relates to angry Catholic protests as the Orange Order’s, formed by the William of Orange’s success at the battle against James II, campaigns encouraged violence within the Protestant communities increasing hostility.
The Partition of Ireland was a very significant factor in the Bloody Sunday event. The division of the country and rule of NI being handed over to Ulster caused more conflict and violence from the Nationalist opposition. The Bloody Sunday protest was to campaign against the ruling of Ulster over NI, which is linked to the Partition of Ireland.
In my opinion, it is a contrast of both historical and recent history that increase the tension in Northern Ireland. The events from the past all link into Bloody Sunday in 1972, which then add a great deal more to the conflict, which has been visible in the past few decades.
My opinion remains the same about peace as in my introduction. It will take many years for there to be peace and prosperity across the whole of Ireland as a whole country again.
