1. Countries Divided Today you will learn about:
Introduction to Northern Ireland
Causes of conflict in Northern Ireland
Consequences of conflict in Northern Ireland

2. People of Northern Ireland
In 1993
1 million Protestants, mostly of Scottish and English origin
Catholics, mostly descendents of local Irish inhabitants of the island

3. Government in Northern Ireland
Since 1972
ruled by the British parliament in London
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland chosen by the British Prime Minister
finance,commerce,health and education controlled by N Ireland government
Foreign affairs and defence matters were in British hands

4. Causes for the Conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics
Divided Loyalties
The Education System
Employment
Housing
Voting Rights

5. 1. Divided Loyalties
The Protestant and the Catholics are intolerant of one another.
Give their allegiance to different countries.
Protestants want to continue to be part of United Kingdom
Fear union with Republic of Ireland
Fear Catholics would not be tolerant of the Protestant beliefs

6. What about the Catholics?
Catholics want N Ireland reunited with the Republic of Ireland
Remember persecution suffered by the Catholics during England’s conquest of Ireland
Distrust the Protestants
eg. still celebrate the Battle of Boyne as a mark of Protestant dominance

7. 2. The Education System
Education system in N Ireland deepened the rift between the Catholics and the Protestants
Schools in N Ireland can be divided into 3 categories:
The Protestant Schools
The Catholic Schools
Mixed Schools ?

8. In the Protestant Schools
Students are taught British History, play British sport and are loyal to Britain
In the Catholic Schools
Students learn Irish History, play Irish sports and taught Irish language and culture.
See Britain as a foreign country
In Mixed Schools
Subjects cater to both the Catholics and Protestants
Schools run by private individuals
Unpopular

9. Results of the Educational System:
Generations of children grow to be distrustful of each other
Hostility between them increases.

10. 3. Employment Competition for jobs
Catholics felt there is no equal opportunity for them in
getting the jobs
Number of Catholics engineers and civil servants was not
proportionate to their numbers in the country
Fewer Catholics in senior positions in the public or private
sectors

11. 4. Housing
The provision of housing by city council- caused great concern to the Irish
The Councils made up of largely of Protestants
Catholics were delayed in getting their houses
They became frustrated as the shortage of houses meant they have to wait for many years to own a house
Catholics felt the provision of housing was unfair to them

12. 5. Voting
The right to vote was a problem to the Catholics prior to 1968
Each household was given to 2 votes while companies had more votes depending on their sizes
Many companies owned by Protestants- so they ended up with more votes
many voting districts were often drawn up to include large proportion of Protestants
Catholics were unhappy ?

13. Since 1968, changes have been made
due to the changes voting rights ceased to be a problem in Northern Ireland
everyone is entitled to one vote
must be a British subject
must be above 18 years old
has to be born in Northern Ireland or
must have lived in the United Kingdom for 7 years
voting districts have also been redrawn to ensure fairness

14. Peaceful Protest Marches vs Violence
Civil Rights movements started in 1960s :
demanded equal rights
protested against unfair treatment of the Catholics
made peaceful demands for basic rights such as
housing, jobs, education and voting
Civil Rights Movement in 1968 was a beginning of the period called the ‘Troubles’ ?

15. How did the Protestants react to these marches?
Protestants reacted with hostility and violence
Saw the movement as an attempt to weaken the government

16. In 1969,
the British Army was sent to Northern Ireland to help keep peace
Catholics welcomed their protectors
Catholics soon lost faith in the British Army when the army started to search their homes and made arrests

17. In 1972,
A peaceful civil rights march was shot at by the British soldiers
13 civilians were shot dead and many more were wounded
This incident is called the ‘Bloody Sunday’ incident
It marked the beginning of violent conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants

18. Violence The Catholics suffered at two fronts : 1. The Protestant Mob
Catholic homes were petrol-bombed by Protestant mobs forcing families to flee
Their homes were looted
Catholic businesses and pubs were burnt and destroyed

19. 2. Security Forces: The Police and British Army
The police did not help to ease the tense situation
The British Army attacked Catholic homes and damaged their property.

20. Involvement of Irish Republican Army (IRA)
IRA was an illegal organisation formed by the Northern Irish Catholics
Its mission was to use violence to rid Northern Ireland of the British Army and the representatives of the British government
Within 2 decades of the conflict, many people were killed
IRA was said to be responsible for 2/3 of the deaths and even the killing of innocent Protestants

21. Effects of Protestants–Catholic Conflict
The conflict resulted in :
Many deaths involving innocent victims
Increasing number of people growing up with intense prejudice towards each other
Adverse development in the economy:
 Decrease in investment
 Decline in tourism trade

22. Conclusion Throughout 1980s and 1990s attempts were made
to resolve the conflict but attempts failed
Peace accord was discussed in the 1990s but failed
New agreement reached in 1998( Good Friday Agreement)
Peace is uncertain as there is still tension

23. Mural photographs ‘Building new citizenship' - learning from change in Derry