Diplomacy does not happen overnight, and the true tale of hardship and bickering over Northern Ireland is proof of that. Ireland and England failed to agree on who held the power of Northern Ireland for over 30 years until the Good Friday Agreement, a form of diplomacy between the countries, took place. Before that time, many soldiers and innocent citizens of Northern Ireland lost their lives. Religious fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant residents. Political figures from countries like Wales and the United States came together to help put an end to the bitter relations of the European countries (Delaney). After many years of hard feelings and failed attempts at bringing peace to Ireland and England, the countries came together to try to work things out. Slowly, Northern Ireland created its own identity, and the troubles started to fade away.
The troubles refer to the age-old disputes over the control of Northern Ireland. Even though the arguments lasted for several centuries, things did not turn extremely violent until the 1960’s (Delaney). Many terrorists entered Northern Ireland during that time. Terrorists who entered the country were said to be okay, and there was nothing wrong with them. Letting the terrorists slip by without stopping them had very deadly consequences. Thousands of people died because of the terrorists invading Northern Ireland. Very few tried to stop the terrorists from coming into Northern Ireland (Graham). Those who did attempt to stop the terrorists were unsuccessful (De Breadun).
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...
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...oodshed, Northern Ireland finally received some relief. The Good Friday Agreement brought the diplomacy needed to the country. Northern Ireland is to this day still home to many religious disputes but nothing as severe as the disputes from several decades ago. Residents are now free to be considered citizens of either or both countries, and the countries are able to work together without any deadly and unnecessary controversy. Hundreds of innocent people are spared their lives every year because the preventable religious and governmental fights have dwindled. Ireland may not have the most control over Northern Ireland, and religious disputes still arise, but the country has come a long way from the way things were. Things may never be perfect for the country of Northern Ireland, but there is no doubt that diplomacy was a great decision for the country as a whole.
First off, it is important to understand the political and social whereabouts of Northern Ireland from 1898 to gage the changes that have been made in policy. Before 1921, the North and South of Ireland were under British rule. When the government of Ireland Act 1920 partitioned the island of Ireland into two separate states, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, the North of Ireland remained under British rule while...
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 ...
The tense relationship between Ireland and England lasted for many years. There were constant attempts from the English government to exercise control over its neighbors, which were, at the same time, answered with several insurrections.
The Success of the British Government in Trying to Deal with the Irish Troubles in the Years Since 1972
The relationship between Ireland and England played a major role in the causes of the Great Famine. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801 due to the Act of Union (Edwards & Williams 19). Under this act, Ireland was placed under "the jurisdiction of the richest and most industrially advanced empire in the world" (Kinealy 33). From this act, Ireland's parliament was abolished and became controlled by England through political leadership established throughout the Irish state. A...
The Easter Uprising is one event that can be attributed to Ireland starting down the path of independence and self-government. The efforts and deaths of those involved seemed to show the defeat of the rebellion, but the ensuing support for the revolution that followed showed that the uprising was an overwhelming success. Today those men and women who gave their lives in the Easter Uprising as well as all the other efforts and rebellions that led to the formation of the Irish Free State are regarded to as national heroes.
The Good Friday Agreement and Its Help of Progression in Northern Ireland On 10th April 1998 the Good Friday agreement was signed. It was only
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.
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.
Northern Ireland & Peace Process The origins of the Northern Ireland peace process can be traced back to the agreement generally known as the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which was signed in 1985 between the British and Irish governments. According to this agreement, the United Kingdom accepted the condition that the constitutional status of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom will not be changed without the approval of the majority of Irish citizens. It also recognized the fact that the Irish government will be awarded an active role in the issues and decision-makings related to Northern Ireland. However, it should be noted that the most important influence of this accord was observed in the form of the development of a stable and institutionalized mutual support between the two governments. This aspect is considered to be the most helpful factor in the achievement of a long-lasting settlement in Northern Ireland. One of the most important positive outcomes of this agreement was that it allowed the British as well as Irish administrations to at least develop some progressive and growth oriented policies for the Northern Irish region and its people. This is an important aspect that was ignored by both the governments for a considerable period of time. One of the issues of major focus between both the governments, during the peace process, has been that a mutual understanding should be reached between the two governments so that some level of political and constitutional developments should be made in the region and some political stability should be brought. This will not only help to reach to a peaceful solution to the issue but will discourage the violent elements of Northern Ireland to prolong further. In the coming years, the go...
Northern Ireland, whom were mostly Protestant, remained part of the UK after controversially being partitioned from the largely Catholic Irish Free State. (Julian) Violence did not end for the south of Ireland. British troops stayed in garrisons until spring of 1922 and the final 6,000 soldiers did not leave until December of that year. There were numbers of killings of serving and former RIC personal, some killing civilians, by the IRA- 13 Protestant civilians around Dunmanway in Cork. The last bit of violence was in Northern Ireland. The IRA fought against Northern Ireland and British forces and most were imprisoned. (John)
Overall, even though it took 35 years to achieve, the British have persisted in bringing peace to the region, in the face of extreme political ideas, and terrorist groups dead set on their goals. In places they made mistakes, moving too quickly in the case of Sunningdale, and misjudging public opinion with the Anglo-Irish agreement, but they learned from these mistakes, and through their gradual withdrawal of control, they have ensured the security and stability of Northern Ireland. And whilst Ireland will always be turbulent, given the amount of violence it has seen, and the huge difference in cultural backgrounds, Britain has been extremely successful in the long run and has brought about a peaceful and safe Ireland for the future.
- How did the Protestant maintain almost a century of peace in Ireland during the Protestant Ascendancy?
The War of Independence (WOI) was fought between the years 1918 and 1921 and ‘was mainly limited to Dublin and the province of Munster, and the IRA victories were few and far between’ . Ireland had forgotten about its aspirations for Home Rule and was now looking for a more drastic form of Independence. The war had its origins in the formation of unilaterally created independent Irish parliament, called Dáil Éireann, formed by the majority of MPs elected in Irish constituencies in the Irish (UK) general election, 1918. This parliament, known as the First Dáil, and its ministry, called the Aireacht declared Irish independence. The Dáil knew that ‘England’s difficulty (was) Ireland’s opportunity’ and ceized the day. After the failed rebelion of 1916 public sympathies slowly but surely swung to the millitant IRA (and Sinn Fein). By 1921 the WOI was a cause of British anxiety and embarressment and something had to be done. Once the Ulster province had been calmed by the Government of Ireland Act in 1920, the Lloyd George turned to its Nationalist neighbour. A Sinn Fein delegation, including Michael Collins and Arthur Grifith was sent to Westminster to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty. It is important to note that President DeValera was not present. It is very possible that he knew there would have to be some comprimise made and he didn’t want to make it. After heated discusions and debates the delegation w...
White, Robert W; White, Terry Falkenberg. “Repression and the Liberal State: The Case of Northern Ireland, 1969-1972”. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Jun.,