Northern Ireland Protestants Vs. Catholics Conflict in Multi-Ethnic Societies

Background During the 1100s, Ireland was a united country Subsequently it was conquered by England in the 1200s The Irish Catholics who stayed behind were given the less fertile land English landlords brought in Protestant Scottish and English settlers into the northern parts of Ireland and pushed out the local Catholic farmers

Background Northern Ireland became predominantly Protestant King James II (Catholic) came to the throne and tried to defeat the Protestants He failed and was defeated by King William of Orange in the Battle of Boyne in 1690

Background Penal Laws were implemented against the Catholics by the Protestants to ensure that they had complete control of Ireland No Catholic can buy land No Catholic shall be allowed to vote No Catholic can join the army No Catholic may receive higher education

Background In 1800, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom (England) In the late 1800s, local Irish Catholics sought limited self-government known as Home Rule Hostilities continued and were so bad that Britain lost control of the southern part of Ireland

Background In 1921, Ireland was divided into 2 separate parts, based on majority religion Northern Ireland (which was predominantly Protestant) Southern Ireland (Irish Free State) Had their own parliament but consulted the English monarchy regarding foreign affairs

Background The Catholics in the North were treated very unfairly by the government In 1949, the Irish Free State cut ties with Britain and became the Republic of Ireland

Background Before 1972 Since 1972 Northern Ireland had its own parliament in Stormont Since 1972 Northern Ireland has been ruled directly by the British parliament in London Northern Ireland is in charge of commerce, health and education Ministers are predominantly protestant

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Catholics and Protestants see themselves as 2 different groups Lack of common identity prevents understanding and co-operation between the 2 groups. (This shows that Lack of Common Identity is the UNDERLYING CAUSE) Religious differences cause tension BUT ARE NOT a cause of conflict

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Divided Loyalties Unequal Allocation of Housing Unequal Employment Opportunities Lack of Voting Rights Lack of Opportunities for Social Interaction

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Divided Loyalties Most Protestants see themselves as British and do not want a union with the Republic of Ireland as they fear a Catholic government would not tolerate them and their beliefs

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Divided Loyalties Catholics see themselves as Irish and want to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland Catholics are also resentful of the history of English conquest where Catholics were killed or ill-treated

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Divided Loyalties Loyalty to different countries makes the Catholics and Protestants intolerant of each other

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Unequal Allocation of Housing Provision of housing by city councils Public houses are partly subsidized Housing councils are predominantly Protestant Large Catholic families have to wait for a long time to get houses Catholics are frustrated by the long wait

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Unequal Employment Opportunities Competition for jobs Difficult for Catholics to get jobs in the civil service Unequal employment opportunities for the Catholics despite having similar academic qualifications The Catholics felt resentful and frustrated because they had no chance of having a bright future and supporting their families

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Voting Rights Before 1969, voting rights were a problem because: Only those who owned houses and businesses were entitled to vote in the elections Each household was given 2 votes while business owners were given more votes based on the number of staff they had

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Voting Rights Before 1969, voting rights were a problem because: As the Protestants were richer and had bigger businesses, the Catholics lost out Voting districts were also drawn up to include more Protestants

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Voting Rights Since 1969, the system is fairer: Everyone has a vote: if he or she is a British citizen Was born in Northern Ireland Lived in the UK for 7 years Voting districts were re-drawn to ensure fairness

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Opportunities for Social Interaction Fully funded public schools for Protestants only and partially-funded private schools for Catholics only Integrated schools set up by private individuals only attract about 5% of the total school-going population of Northern Ireland

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Opportunities for Social Interaction Protestant children are taught British history and play British sports like rugby, hockey and cricket They are loyal to the British and sing the British national anthem Nothing about the Catholics or the history of Northern Ireland is taught from a neutral perspective

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Opportunities for Social Interaction Catholic children are taught Irish history and play Irish sports like hurling and are taught the Irish language and culture They are loyal to the Republic of Ireland and see Britain as a foreign country Nothing about the Protestants or the history of Northern Ireland is taught from a neutral perspective

CONSEQUENCES How did the Catholics make their demands? Effects of the Protestant-Catholic Conflict Conclusion

From peaceful protest Marches to Violence Mid-1960s – Civil Rights Movement emerged Demanded equal rights and to protest against unfair treatment of Catholics Made peaceful demands for basic rights such as housing, jobs, education and voting

From peaceful protest Marches to Violence CRM met with hostility and violence from some Protestants Including the police force who thought it was an attempt to weaken the government The CRM in 1968 marked the beginning of a period known as The Troubles in Northern Ireland

From peaceful protest Marches to Violence As the situation worsened, government called for more help Aug 1969, British Army units were sent to N.I. To help keep order At first, Catholics welcomed them – thought they would be protected As army began searching their homes and arresting suspects, they soon lost faith in the British Army

From peaceful protest Marches to Violence 1972 : a peaceful civil rights march was shot at by British troops 13 civilians were shot dead; many wounded Bloody Sunday – turning point in Catholic-Protestant ties

Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday

An Era of Violence Ensues After 1972 : More violence Catholic homes petrol-bombed by Protestants Families forced to flee; looting by mobs Catholic businesses and pubs burnt and bombed Often witnessed by local police force passively British Army raided Catholic homes, using force and damaging property

Irish Republican Army Feeling more desperate, the Catholics turned to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for help IRA : An illegal organisation formed largely of Northern Irish Catholics Aim is to use violence to drive out the British Army and the representatives of the British government Between 1969 and 1993, more than 3,000 people were killed in the conflict IRA responsible for 2/3 of the deaths Sometimes killed innocent Protestants too

IRA Terror

IRA

Effects of the Conflict The conflict has not been resolved Often it is the innocent who are caught in the middle of the violence Many of the 1,750 who died between 1969 and 1977 were not directly involved Many grow up with prejudices against each other Affected economic development Investments have decreased drastically Violence has frightened away tourists

Aftermath Throughout 1970s and 1980s, Sinn Fein (IRA political arm) and British govt. reps have met but failed to come to an agreement Late 1990s – British govt., Irish govt., S.F. and N.I. Community leaders actively discussed the N.I. peace accord But this was rejected by a splinter group of the IRA – responded with a series of bomb attacks in Belfast An agreement was reached in 1998. Peace is still uncertain as tension still exists

Causes of Conflict in Northern Ireland Lack of Opportunities for Social Interaction Catholics and Protestants live in separate residential areas Opportunities for social interaction are reduced

Homework “The Irish conflict is mainly caused by a lack of social interaction”. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [12m] Remember to give social interaction as the GF and 2OFs Weigh your lack of social interaction factor against the MAIN CAUSE of the conflict Is it more important? Less important?