Northern Ireland has for years been a land of conflict between its two major groups the Catholics/Republicans and Protestants/Unionists. The principal factor causing this strain between the two factions is not racism, but another ‘ism’ that is closely related called sectarianism. As described by Liechty and Clegg, “[s]ectarianism…is a system of attitudes, actions, beliefs, and structures at personal, communal, and institutional levels which always involves religion, and typically involves a negative mixing of religion and politics” (102-103). Two examples of sectarianism seen in Northern Ireland are the parades and the religious documents, specifically the Orange Order Parade and the document “One Bread, One Body”. These both display explicit examples of sectarianism even if it was not intended. The major consequence of this ‘ism’ is most people lack to acknowledge its influence around them.
Sectarian consequences are not only verbal and physical confrontations between one group against another group of people, but can included the effects of overlooking another. “One Bread, One Body” is Catholic document about the Eucharist, and appears to have no intentions to be written in a sectarian view. The teaching document is “an example of overlooking…it overlooks the faith commitment and concerns of Protestant partners in Catholic-Protestant interchurch marriages. The message to them is that the Roman Catholic Church does not accept you as who you say you are” (Liechty and Clegg 136). Several excerpts from “One Bread, One Body” exhibit that mixed marriages are not in full communion with each other because of the spouse's different faith. An example from the document is presented when stated that “[w]hen a Christian not in fu...
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...r the fact that the parade roots trace back to a Protestant/loyalist historical event. Most years do go without incidence, but sectarianism can lay down a dangerous foundation for the future.
Sectarianism is the cause of conflict in Northern Ireland, but sectarianism at certain levels can be necessary in keeping peace. Sectarian thought is not good, but can help some conflicts from arising in the current time. Mixing religion and politics has been an issue with nations for most of history; the negative mixing generally leads to the division amongst the nation’s population. As shown in Northern Ireland, religion is a huge part of the culture and is a reason why sectarianism thrives there today. For Northern Ireland’s problems to end would mean an end of conflict over the mix of religion and politics, which is unlikely since religion is a part of the culture.
Religion is one of the many factors that define an individual. So, any threat to a person’s beliefs is a threat to his or hers’ very being. The clash between Muslims and Christians is just one of the many groups with distinct differences and beliefs. Therefore, these differences in religion often influence political rivalries as well. Throughout history, someone observing world affairs may note that religion is a contentious issue; however, political tension emerges from this very issue in recent times. Doing so has labeled politics as the core of many conflicts worldwide. These battles between religions also inhibit agitation by one group against another, for gaining reputable land, wealth, and political power. Thus, politics is the primary
...differences as an ending. Thousands have died regardless of the side they represented. As a reader, this eye witness account in the book brings to life the troubles in Northern Ireland. Walking the streets and living amongst the chaos shows the severity of the situation. This segregation still lives on today in Northern Ireland with no clear end in sight. But one can not expect a four hundred year long feud to end abruptly. Progress has been made in modern time but both sides need full dedication to end the divide. To put aside religion, politics and other blockades in order to truly find what is best for their nation. Just like the old Irish proverb, you've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. Forget what was in the past and by the elders so one can move on to a new united future whether it be united with Great Britain or Ireland.
The Irish Republican Army in its time was considered one the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. They carried out many bombings and terrorist acts to prove how serious they were about becoming independent from the Britain. In the end the IRA’s wish was granted to become independent from Britain but it resulted in the terrorist group being split in two because of different opinions. In this essay, the description of the group, historical and past events of the group and recent activities had been discussed. Although the group is no longer active they had caused serious harm in their past.
When England had a civil war in the 1640s the Irish Catholics took one side. On the other side was the Protest...
...likely that anyone reading this article can image "sensible" violence and most of us simply find the lack of civil behavior to be far beyond anything we can understand. It seemed to me that it would be appropriate to try and shed some light on the so-called "troubles" because the situation in Northern Ireland exceeds several lifetimes and yet appears incomprehensible"
One of the most closely watched and widely debated conflict of our time is the one occurring In Northern Ireland. It has been a hot debate for over a century now, yet the root of the conflict is still unclear. There have been many theories over time, yet none have been able to adequately describe what is really happening on the matter. This conflict is divided by many lines; ethnically between the Irish and the British, and religiously by the Catholics and Protestant denominations.
The true causes of unrest are sometimes difficult to determine. Frequently, there are a mixture of political alliances, economic differences, ethnic feuds, religious differences and others: This paper looks at the unrest between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
What do you think of when you hear the name Ireland? Ireland is a relatively small island off the coast of Great Britain with a land area of 32,424 square miles (Delaney 2). There are several things that you may associate with this country such as St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks, beer, and strife. The source of the bitterness behind this conflict began centuries ago, when Britain came over and forced Protestantism on the Irish Catholic inhabitants. For this reason there has always been an animosity between the Protestants and the Irish Catholics. The island is broken up into two distinct regions. The Republic of Ireland consists of twenty-six counties, which make up the southern region. This area is predominantly Roman Catholic. Northern Ireland is made up of the six northern counties, which are under British rule and predominately Protestant. Both sides use propaganda to spread their ideas and gain support. They each have organizations, such as the I.R.A., in the south, and the U.V.F., in the north, which use peaceful methods such as newspapers and murals along with violence to fight for their cause. In Northern Ireland the Protestants used their position in the government to spread anti-Catholic propaganda and persecute the Catholic citizens.
Ireland has a very conflicted history. Just when that history may seem to take a turn for the better, it seems that there is always another event to keep the trend of depression ongoing. The separation of the Protestant and Catholic Church would be the center of these events. However, the two different groups could potentially work together for the betterment of the nation. Through an analysis of why Protestants and Catholics split in the first place, disadvantages that Catholics would face in the coming years and also how these disadvantages were lifted, an argument will be developed in that there is perhaps the chance that they may end up working together in the future for the betterment of Ireland. Although these two groups would fight over the countless decades, they need to join into one entity if they wish to see a better future for Ireland.
The image of Ireland as a nurturing homeland is contrasted with the repression of religion in another series of epiphany. ...
British- Irish relations over the past three hundred years have been troubled. There have been many tensions caused by religion in Northern Ireland and Britain's unfair rule of Northern Ireland. The British are guilty of many of the indignities suffered by the Irish people. They are also guilty of causing all of the religious and territorial conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
The Irish and British governments fought for many years over the ownership of Northern Ireland. Britain had main control over Northern Ireland, and Ireland did not think that was fair. Be...
Religion in James Joyce's Dubliners Religion was an integral part of Ireland during the modernist period, tightly woven into the social fabric of its citizens. The Catholic Church was a longstanding tradition of Ireland. In the modernist spirit of breaking away from forces that inhibited growth, the church stood as one of the principal barriers. This is because the Catholic faith acted as the governing force of its people, as portrayed in James Joyce’s Dubliners. In a period when Ireland was trying to legitimize their political system, religious affiliations further disillusioned the political process. The governing body of a people needs to provide a behavioral framework, through its constitution, and a legal process to make delegations on issues of equity and fairness. When religion dominates the government that is in tact, it subjects its citizens to their religious doctrines. In terms of Catholicism in Ireland, this meant that social progress and cultural revolutions were in terms of what the church would allow. The modernist realized that this is what paralyzed the Irish society of the times. In the stories of Dubliners the legal system is replaced by the institute of religion, and it is the presence and social context of the Catholic Church which prevents the Irish community from advancement. ...
Secularisation is a contentious topic in Sociology. I see that secularisation is a contentious topic as it it covers a huge range of levels of analysis such as the social side, the political side and the Economic side. I will analyse all of these three aspects through my research. Also I will give examples of secularisation in Irish Society.One example will touch on supporting secularisation and the second example will touch on where secularisation is not evident as clearly. These examples will also give insight into why the concept of Secularisation a contentious topic in sociology. Dr Gerhard Falk describes Secularisation in Sociology as
Lanka and Northern Ireland demonstrate. David Lake and Donald Rothchild’s argument that a group’s ‘collective fear of the future’ (41) is often the main cause of ethnic conflict remains the most successful framework through which to evaluate the conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Fear of disappearing as an ethnic group was the main catalyst for Tamil violence, in response to Sinhalese political acts designed to limit Tamil involvement in business, economics and higher education. Laws introduced to attack Tamil culture added to this fear, and a communal fear of ‘dying out’ thus became reason to fight for an independent nation. However, this was not the case in Northern Ireland: the conflict did not arise as a result of Protestants curbing cultural freedoms of Catholics, instead the issue of civil rights was more prominent. The existence of the Republic of Ireland assured Catholics in Northern Ireland that the Irish Catholic culture would not be lost, in contrast to the Tamil (and formerly Sinhalese) fear of cultural extinction. Instead, the conflict was a result of a prolonged period of Catholics suffering civil injustice and economic disadvantage. As Stefan Wolff argues, ethnic conflicts have both underlying and proximate causes, the former including ‘necessary conditions for the outbreak of inter-ethnic violence’ (68) whilst the latter are needed to act as a catalyst and bring conflict to a head. The ethnic conflicts in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland had similar underlying causes brought about from structural, economic and social, and cultural and perceptual factors. Ethnic minorities in both cases suffered polit...