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The only way to beat the British Monarch is to refuse its existence and believe that the Irish Republic is real and alive. Now, if I die, who will take my place? These powerful words were said by an Irish martyr, Michael Collins, whos unyielding determination as a Nationalist and a Catholic served as inspiration to continue in the struggle that the province of Northern Ireland is still engaged in today. But, from where did this all originate, what steps have been taken towards peace and why is Northern Ireland so reluctant to be ruled by England?
The history of the troubles that haunt Northern Ireland are not due to any one particular incident but rather a series of incidents beginning back when the island of Ireland was conquered by the Anglo-Normans troops in the late 12 th century. English rulers then tried to colonize the island by any means possible, making enemies out of the Irish. Throughout history England has ruled Ireland. A drastic change took place in 1921, when the country was divided.
Northern Ireland remained part of the UK, while the remainder of the country became the Republic of Ireland. The English progressed into Ulster Country with hopes of colonizing it. However, a clash of cultures erupted due to the animosity that Ireland, as a whole wanted to be the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Republic Army fought in hopes of driving the Protestant British out of Catholic Ireland and they only secured 26 out of 32 counties.
The desire to drive the British out inspired rebellion on the behalf of the Irish Catholics. They were the domination of Ireland, and now being discriminated against on their own land. They were punished and taxed due to their behavior. They wanted to keep their culture; sacred, their religion; majority and their home, home. From a political standpoint this is a conflict of the Unionists and the Nationalists. The Unionists (Protestant) who believe in maintaining Northern Irelands political union with Great Britain. (Path to Peace) While the Nationalists (Catholic) were exiles from the Irish nation; in their exclusion they clung to their religion as a mark of cultural identity; politically; they dealt with the Northern Ireland State by ignoring it. (4 Holland) In 1968, a civil rights movement in Londonderry which bore striking resemblance to the civil rights act in the US targeting discrimination against Blacks.
As Blacks were treated as second-rate citizens in the US, Catholics were finding similar discriminations in Northern Ireland. The campaign for social justice wrote to the members of Parliament in the House of Commons regarding the current issues. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Captain Terence O'Neill reforms in electoral law and public housing. What started off as a fundamental desire for equality transformed into marches, protests and uncontrollable riots broke out in the streets of Derry. As a result of the rebellion, the parliament found it within their best interest to set up troops in Northern Ireland to maintain order. A hasty witch-hunt erupted in 1971, known as internment.
Brian Faulkner (Prime Minister) decided to activate the Special Powers Act and impose this internment, targeting activist. The British were given permission where they had probable cause that someone was an activist, they would be arrested and accused without conviction. The British took in hundreds of people. The result of the internment was more violence breaking out.
A massive campaign grew in opposition to the internment. On Sunday 30 th January 1972, in defiance of a government ban, a large anti-internment march began in Creggan. This is known all-to-familiarly to Irishmen as Bloody Sunday British paratroopers shot dead 14 unarmed men, who were later falsely accused of being armed as the justification of their death. These men were marching in a peaceful assembly. The causalities of this event directed new law enforcement. Stormont, as the Northern Irish government and parliament were known, was suspended and direct rule from London was introduced by the British Prime Minister, Ted Heath.
Later, The period of the military cease-fires did result in a number of changes in policing. For example, some RUC patrols in nationalist areas which were usually accompanied by military escorts, now patrolled alone. (Rose 56) In 1984 the Sunningdale Agreement was produced by the British describing the new approach to how Northern Ireland would be governed. They had decided that the Nationalists and the Unionists would share power. Faulkner agreed to the compromising circumstances, despite his strict Unionist beliefs. Many, left the Unionist to develop their own branch of the Unionist group known as: the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Group due to fear of the separation of the union. Around this time started a series of strikes; a number of hunger strikes, the dirty and no-wash protest, then the blanket protest were all caused due to the lack of severity that the Northern Irish prisons took from the Republican prisoners seeking political recognition like that they have possesses since 1976.
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed to iron-out the issues that the Republicans as well as other groups had. Taoiseach, the Irish Prime Minister, Garret FitzGerald and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on 15 November 1985 at Hillsborough, the former residence of the Governor General of Northern Ireland. The Agreement consists of thirteen articles dealing with the status of Northern Ireland the political, security and legal matters, cross-border co-operation relations. The Agreement recognized that Northern Ireland's constitutional status within the United Kingdom could not change without the consent of the majority of its citizens and gave the Irish government a consultative role in the affairs of Northern Ireland. (Holland 186) In the mid-nineties, the Good Friday Agreement was born bringing order to such concerns such as: constitutional issues, British and Irish intergovernmental issues, rights and equality, security, policy making and prisoners. This agreement was between the governments of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom to settle the differences and create peace. This conflict of the Unionists and the Nationalists has haunted Northern Ireland for quite some time.
Is it possible that the fighting will end and that peace will prevail? Its an age-old conflict of Landlords (England) and tenants (N. Ireland) and the problems that come when ownership, government and a clash of culture. The path to peace is only long as compromise falls short.
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