North Ireland Conflict

The Act of Union in 1800 was a significant factor to the nature of Irish nationalism in 1800. Prior to the Act, the society of the united Irishmen, a republican society who wanted parliamentary reform and Catholic Emancipation, fought, under the leadership of Robert Emmet, with physical force for their complete independence. Because of their military strand they differed from their predecessors the ‘Protestant Patriots’, this is because the society was heavily influenced by revolutionary events in France and New America in the late 18th century. The rebellion, although unsuccessful, with its leader imprisoned, had major consequential effects; which was the passing of the Act of Union in 1800. The Act set the tone for the rest of Irish history; once emancipation failed to materialize directly after the union, the Catholic issue began to dominate both Irish and English politics.

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.

It seems that all, throughout history, Protestants and Catholics are always butting heads. Tensions were particularly high between Ireland and Britain with Ireland being Catholic and Britain Protestant. This religious discrepancy had a real effect on the Irish people, interfering with their Catholic tradition. The Irish people had longed for independence from the British for a long time; but, Britain really managed to agitate the Irish when they sent settlers from Britain and Scotland to settle in Northern Ireland. This agitation eventually grew into the Northern Ireland War, as the Protestants began to take control. If the Protestants had just settled into Northern Ireland and went about their life, there may have never been a war. The root cause of the Northern Ireland War was the suppression and ignorance of the Protestants towards the Catholic people. The Protestants proceeded to destroy the identity of the Catholic people by influencing their culture, and religious ways. The stripping of political and human rights by the Protestants and the economic burden, left on the Catholics fuelled the anger of the Native Irish.

Hughes, Michael. Ireland Divided: The Roots of the Modern Irish Problem. New York: St.Martin’s Press Inc., 1994.

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...

A world of hate supports many conflicts in modern society. Strings of hatred entangle all walks of life. Oftentimes, the most disheartening part of most ongoing hatred is the fact that the people involved do not even know how it began. Since 1170, nothing but hatred, intolerance, and death has surrounding the culture of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a land rich in tradition and pride; the same pride sustains the separation of the Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants wish to stay loyal to Britain and allow Britain to stay in control of Northern Ireland, while the Catholics want to break free from British rule altogether and start their own free Northern Irish state. The thought of British government in Northern Ireland has been a large determinant of the hostility between the two religious groups. The idea of the two denominations in contention has little to do with actual religious disputes. Much of the conflict has taken a political form. This complexity of a religious battle fought along political lines plays a major role in its perpetuation. One can begin to determine the reasoning behind the violence in Northern Ireland by learning about the history of the region and the conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

Throughout all history the motivation and inspiration has always been able to be seen in the Irish people. For one country to give so much dedication for their independence and to keep being overthrown time after time really shows how much one loves their country. This also shows how much Britain does not want to lose their land and shows the stubbornness by both sides of the continent by not just sacrificing a little to try to please both sides. But one thing is for certain throughout all of these conflicts; Ireland will not rest any time soon until they get the freedom they feel they deserve.

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 British occupation of Ireland began in the 1640’s and lasted until 1922. No other occurrence throughout Irish history has had a greater impact on the lives of the citizens of the country. Along with the act of occupation came the emergence of Protestantism, which conflicted with the traditional religion of Ireland, Catholicism. The English occupation of Ireland affected many aspects of Irish history from the potato famine to the War for Independence. However, Irish nationalism came to a boiling point April of 1916, in what is now known as the Easter Uprising. The uprising lasted 6 days and resulted in massive casualties, but furthered the liberation cause for the Irish.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Ireland was facing its own conflict with the British Empire. The Irish were fighting for their economical independence from the United Kingdom. Ireland was not going to be an associated British country anymore but an independent and free republic. Nevertheless, the British started demanding the Irish for more taxes and goods in order to sign an official independence. This caused a general economical crisis in the country that the government did face and that improved with the time. Fortunately, in 1942 Ireland was declared and independent nation. When the McCourts ...