Orange and Green
Transcript: Connor Ritchey Protestants and Catholics in Ireland Problem For centuries, the land of Northern Ireland has been in a conflict of social class between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist. Though the conflict was said to have ended at the Belfast agreement of 1998, violence has still been occurring between the two factions. How it Began When the English took control of Northern Ireland, three of the four provinces were colonized by Scottish and English Protestants. Ulster, a province of Ireland, is a Catholic area which set it apart from the other Protestant regions. This set in motion a 300 year and counting conflict between the two factions. History 1690- Battle of Boyne- William the Orange(Protestant) defeats James the 2nd(Catholic) and took over Ireland. 1703- Protestants own 90% of land and English Nobles taxed Catholic peasants. 1695- 1728- The Penal Laws- series of laws passed against Catholics. 1801- Act of Union- abolished Irish parliament and united Ireland and Great Britain. 1800s- Unrest in Ireland due to the current arrangement...things escalate. 1900s- Ireland has constant feuds with England leading up to them cutting ties with the English. The IRA(Provisional Irish Republican Army ) began in 1969 and they wished to rid Northern Ireland of United Kingdom. The Potato Famine The time period of the Potato famine was between 1846 through 1852. This blight killed 1.5 million people and reduced population between 20% and 25%. The Untied Kingdom was to blame as they took most of the other crops and sold them for prophet. The Untied kingdom was so scared to give them money for food because they thought that Ireland would use it to rise up in rebellion. -This event led to even more tension with in the United kingdom. The 1900s During this time period, the words Protestant and Catholic were being used as covers to show who's side you were on. If you are a Protestant, you want to be part of the United Kingdoms, and if you are a Catholic, you want home rule in Ireland. This political feud led to civil violence and death from both the British army, and the Irish citizens. The death count due to the incident is currently at 3,524 deaths in all. But no event is more noticeable than Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday This was a incident that happened on January 30, 1972. Twenty six unarmed protesters that were for home rule of Ireland were shot by British guards when they came toward a barricade they were positioned on. Fourteen men, seven of them being teenagers, died in the incident. This incident eventually led to the Belfast Agreement which freed many political prisoners, gave Northern Ireland their basic human rights, and reduced the security in the area. But after wards, the IRA became a terrorist organization and refused to stop their hatred for the United Kingdom. The IRA Even after the Belfast agreement in 1998, the IRA continued to cause trouble by refusing to disarm them selves. This brought the whole peace process from Belfast to a screeching halt. Britain eventually suspended Home Rule of Ireland because of this and caused the Catholics and Protestants fall into a stalemate. In the years to come Catholics, Protestants and the IRA used violence on one another. In 2007 the IRA campaign was said to have stopped, but they have not disarmed themselves. I believe that violence will continue unless action is taken on the IRA because the IRA continues to cause a chain reaction on Northern Ireland. Solution The solution to issues in Ireland has two possibilities that come to mind, both of them toward the IRA. The first is to remind the IRA of what their first goal was to do and that they have achieved it. After that, continue to go on a patient road toward peace. The other option would be to wage war with them. Both are long roads, but both can be used. My opinion In Ireland, and with all religious conflicts around the world, your religious views should not be used as a cover for your politics. Religion is about loving God and praising him, not using him to discriminate against others. Be a person Catholic or Protestant they both love God and simply worship in different ways. Class question What do you do when someone has different religious views than you? Bible verse John 22: 34-35 "A new commandment I give you Love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." work cited http://www.infoplease.com/spot/northireland.html http://www.historyonthenet.com/chronology/timelinenorthIreland.html
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