Northern Ireland

When Ireland was divided in 1921, the population of the new republic was only 5 per cent Protestant. But in Ulster, the new province of Northern Ireland, 67 per cent of the people were Protestant. For many years it seemed that almost everyone accepted the arrangement, even if some did not like it.

However, many people in Northern Ireland considered that their system of government was unfair. It was a self-governing province, but its government was controlled by the Protestants, who feared the Catholics and kept them out of responsible positions. Many Catholics were even unable to vote.

Suddenly, in 1969, Ulster people, both Catholics and Protestants, began to gather on the streets and demand a fairer system. The police could not keep control, and republicans who wanted to unite Ireland turned this civil rights movement into a nationalist rebellion against British rule.

In order to keep law and order, British soldiers were sent to help the police, but many Catholics saw them as a foreign army with no right to be there.

Violence has continued, with bomb attacks and shootings by republicans, which the British army tried to prevent. In 1972 the Northern Ireland government was removed and replaced with direct rule from London. Since then, Britain has been anxious to find a solution which will please most of the people there, and offer peace to everyone.

In 1985 Britain and Ireland made a formal agreement at Hillsborough that they would exchange views on Northern Ireland regularly. This agreement was bitterly opposed by Protestant political leaders in the province. But their failure to put a stop to the Hillsborough Agreement resulted in a growing challenge from those Protestants who wanted to continue the struggle outside Parliament and possibly in a military form.

The future of Northern Ireland remains uncertain. The Catholic population is increasing slightly faster than the Protestant one, but there are unlikely to be more Catholics than Protestants for a very long time. Meanwhile young people in Northern Ireland cannot remember a time when there was peace in the province.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1011