Source E the second source, which I shall evaluate, is a Catholic priest binding Erin (a lady representing Ireland) in ropes and is from a Protestant viewpoint. It is representing the Protestants opinion that Catholics are trying to restrict Ireland into being one nation full of only Catholics. Again this source doesn’t directly link with the Troubles but can be a reason for why the Troubles broke out.
Source F, a map showing Derry’s population and boundary commissions, the third source I shall evaluate shows the viewpoint of some Catholics not wanting to have anything to do with the British Rule. This is also showing a hint of their arrogance for refusing this rule and a hint of stupidity as the Protestants can now rule were the boundaries are where as if all the Catholics had voted as well they would have had the power.
Source G, is a Protestants image of Catholic attacks on Protestants and the fourth source that I will evaluate. This is showing the Irish as being wild and savages. The text in this image is key and when it says that the naked dying people say:
‘ Now are ye wild Irish as well as we.’
It is showing that the Protestants thought of them as being scum by the fact they are comparing them to naked, dirty, dying people and questioning whether they are better than them signifies their utter disrespect for the Catholics and is literally comparing them to dogs or other animals. From the Protestant point of view this is suggesting any violence, which will be caused, would be started by the Irish Catholics.
The photograph of RUC officers striking a civil rights marcher, which is source H, the fifth source, which I shall evaluate, is the first source to show an example of violence. This shows the ‘discrimination’ of the British government on the unionists and the harassment the British government instruct the authorities to use on them. It has also given the first example of resistance by Catholics against the British government in the form of marches/protests.
Source I is a photograph of crowd violence between Loyalists and civil rights marchers at Burntoilet. This is probably the best source showing an example of why the Troubles started in 1969. The photo itself is blurry and unclear. However, of the information you can gather from the photo you can see it is significant. This is an example of the confrontation put forward by both sides although the civil rights marchers were not there for a conflict. Over the last two sources the mood has changed and is now very unfriendly and violence has kicked in. Without these two sources the other sources previously shown would not even contest whether or not these sources can support a firm conclusion and that is why I feel that these two are very significant and probably the most important. It has finally shown the battles on a larger scale were as the others were little scuffles and could be deemed as just a minor disagreement.
Source J was a video with reference to ‘Bloody Sunday’ the video also showed some points of build up to ‘Bloody Sunday.’ The build up shown was concerning protests and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland O’Neil. Protestants wanted him to resign as he was showing sympathy towards Catholics and the Catholics wanted him to give them fair union. Because of these there were several marches, which generally ended in violence. The provisional I.R.A., a group of Catholics who wanted to gain their rights by force where usually involved and caused the violence. Riot police would usually have to absorb the pressure with riot equipment and a small amount of tear gas. The I.R.A. were now thought of as an army and the British government wanted to send the British Parachute Regiment, a group of highly trained soldiers who specialised in ground fighting and not soaking up pressure, to go out to the next protest and arrest group leaders. The video from this point in my eyes became biased towards the Catholics and showed the story from their point of view. So, although it informed me of the main points of ‘Bloody Sunday’ it didn’t look professional, unbiased and informative. It did however, give a reason for retribution from the Catholics for the people killed and showed that neither side were willing to back down. So overall it was a relevant and helpful source, which showed the level of violence that occurred at what were supposed to be ‘peaceful protests.’
So overall I feel that the sources don’t fully explain why the Troubles broke out in 1969. If I didn’t have the knowledge I did have on the struggle for Ireland these sources would have been unnecessary as there is not enough detailed text to explain why the events were happening although Source J, the video showed reasons and backed them up with examples. I feel image alone is not enough to explain why the troubles broke out in full but gives a small amount of understanding.
