Contentious Facts About The Northern Irish Troubles
"When I told the people of Northern Ireland that I was an atheist, a woman in the audience stood up and said, 'Yes, but is it the God of the Catholics or the God of the Protestants in whom you don't believe?'"—Quentin Crisp
The latter half of the 20th century was not kind to Northern Ireland. It played host to a far-reaching conflict between those determined to keep it in the UK (Unionists), and those who wanted Northern Ireland to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland (Nationalists/Republicans). Their fight tore the country apart, blighting thousands of lives. Atrocities were committed on both sides of the conflict, and amazingly it hasn’t even been that long since the Troubles are said to have ended. It can be very difficult to look at this troublesome period objectively, and even more difficult to summarize everything that happened, but for our part, here are 45 facts about this all too recent conflict.
45. To the Ballot Box
One political party which gained great prominence during the Troubles was Sinn Féin, which is today a hugely influential party in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They underwent a lot of evolution during the Troubles, including a schism which split the party into two groups. While Sinn Féin was often associated with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (the second IRA) during the Troubles, they also made an important transition away from radicalism into politics. Since then, they have continued as a left-wing party with a major presence in Northern Irish politics.
44. Once Upon a Time…
In the 17th century, Scottish and English planters began settling in the Irish province of Ulster (this was later called the Plantation of Ulster). Because they were outsiders who weren’t Catholic, they clashed with the native Irish, who saw them as invading outsiders (the history of outsiders invading Ireland is a long one). Conflicts arose across the centuries following the Plantation, often resulting in Irish defeats. Persecution of Catholics was also rampant in this time period, even after the Catholic emancipation of 1829. This historical mistreatment of Catholics would be a major factor leading to the Troubles.
43. An Agreement Which Nobody Agrees On
From 1912-1922, a new insurgency began throughout Ireland as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) launched new attacks against the occupying British forces. To make a long and very complicated story short, the conflict led to Government of Ireland Act in 1920. The island of Ireland was partitioned into two different countries: The Republic of Ireland (with a chiefly Irish Catholic population), and Northern Ireland (with a population that was very divided between protestants who were largely loyal to the UK and Catholic Irish nationalists who wanted a united, independent Ireland). Ireland became independent while Northern Ireland stayed in the UK, albeit with its own government. Safe to say that this partition opened up a whole new can of worms amongst those who thought it was a good deal and those who kept on fighting anyway. In Northern Ireland, within 50 years this would eventually culminate in the Troubles.
42. It Wasn’t All Black or White, Fellas…
While there was a clear divide between nationalists and unionists, some groups drifted somewhere in the middle. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (known as NICRA) started a civil rights campaign to achieve goals of equality in the country. While they were accused of being a front for the nationalists to unite Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (some nationalists had helped found the movement), NICRA’s methods were ultimately non-violent, and their goals focused simply on improving civil rights within Northern Ireland for Catholics.
