One of the most divided and terrorist ridden countries in the twentieth century has been Ireland. Their problems has spread from Northern Ireland to Britain, with all parties involved suffering terrible losses. Throughout history, Britain's involvement in Ireland has lead to uprisings and protests that have ultimately ended in violence. The Easter Rising of 1916 by Sinn Fein during Ireland's war for independence led to the partitioning of Ireland in 1922. Northern Ireland, historically known as Ulster, was turned over to the Protestant Loyalists of the Crown and Ireland, with the remaining four counties, was granted independence. This decision would appear to have led to peace. However, this was not the case. The Catholic minority in Northern Ireland soon faced discrimination and prejudice. With a ratio of almost two to one of Protestants to Catholics in Northern Ireland, the minority stood no chance (Lee 2). Although not official discrimination, it soon became institutionalized and commonplace. What appeared to be the creation of a new state soon led to the paramilitary war of three countries of the British Isles.
The Irish/British relationship during the 60's and 70's are directly related to the separation of Ireland in 1922. Ireland was constantly faced with helping its Catholic brethren in the North, while England was busy maintaining law and order in its new province. In England's effort to keep its strong hold on Northern Ireland, it forced Irish public opinion against itself. This public opinion was pushed further by the propaganda of both the Irish Republican Army (both Official and Provisional) and the Sinn Fein. Instead of entering Northern Ireland to return order and protect the Catholic minority, England turned on them and became the enemy with the Protestants. Further problems were created for England in as more and more Northern Irish wanted England out. Mirror IRA paramilitary groups were formed by the Protestants who battled both the IRA and the British. The British Isles became the war zone for these three groups and still today the problems have not been solved.
To assist the new Northern Ireland government in its rule, the Northern Ireland Special Powers Act was passed in 1922 (Some Mother's Son Web Page). This act gave the government broad powers to maintain order. This Act allowed the formation of the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) which served as the police force. The RUC was involved in the enforcing of the general discrimination of Catholics from 1922 on. During the 1950's the RUC and the IRA were involved in a war which spread from Dublin to Belfast. Countless numbers of assassinations took place over the decade culminating in what became known as the border campaign. This intense fighting between lead to a division in the IRA which threatened to break it up. However, the leader of this breakaway group recognized this danger and resigned to a peaceful life (Coogan 246). Towards the end of the 50's and early 60's the IRA was involved in many senseless assassinations which turned the North, South and British government on them. This change of events lead to a rethinking of IRA doctrine. In February of 1962 it was determined that the IRA be shutdown. "'The Leadership of the Resistance Movement has ordered the termination of "the Campaign of Resistance to British Occupation"all arms and other materials have been dumped and all full-time active service volunteers have been withdrawn.'" Basically the IRA decided that it was focusing on the wrong targets and should no longer continue. This seemed to be the death of the IRA, but as the coming decade would prove, it was merely a rest.
In the mid 60's the minority Catholics in Northern Ireland finally grew sick of their discrimination and, in the spirit of the American Civil Rights movement, began to protest. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association was formed in support of this. The Association was a diverse mixture of Catholics, socialists, republicans, and a radical group from Queen's University (McCaffrey 162). They staged marches and protests and were a basically peaceful group. The problem came in the Special Powers Act. With this Act, the Northern Ireland government was allowed to ban any and all protests as it saw fit. This gave the Association no freedom and forced them to march illegally. When this occurred, the RUC was called to break them up. Coupled with the intense abuse the Catholics were receiving from the Protestant majority, the Catholics stood little to no chance of being heard. In fact the Protestants were so outraged at the Catholic demonstrations that they began to physically beat the protesters while the RUC looked on (and in some cases participated). In some cases the RUC would beat the protesters after the Protestant mobs had their fun and then arrest them (SomeWeb Page). The three years that followed these initial protests are the defining years in the deterioration of Irish/British relations.
The abuse by both the RUC and the Protestants led to the resurrection of the IRA. At this time, the IRA split into two factions (McCaffrey 162). They became the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA (known as the Provos). The Provos were founded on the traditional role of the IRA, that is a terrorist group with the unification of Ireland as their ends. The Officials also had the same ends in mind, with a socialist government, but were more of a political entity then an "army." The IRA's resurgence was initially unspectacular because their armory was almost empty leaving them ill prepared to help the Catholics in the North. Their request for arms from Dublin was denied due to their lack of funds and also to avoid bringing discredit to the civil rights protests the North (Coogan 250). However, as the problems in the North increased, Dublin decided to get involved and set up field hospitals on the border to help those injured by the RUC. In the North, the situation became desperate for the Catholics. In Derry, the Catholics were holed up in the ghettos, doing all they could to stave off the Protestant mob's and RUC's advances. They were generally successful with a few deaths resulting on both sides. However, the noticeable missing piece here was the IRA. Normally known as the "protectors" of the Catholics in the North, they were nowhere to be found, save a few veterans who had saved arms for this very occasion. "The most damning comment on how ineffective the IRA was during this time was the graffito 'IRA--I Ran Away' that appeared in Catholic neighborhoods all over Northern Ireland" (SomeWeb Page).
The rebirth of the IRA was due to the Catholics need in Northern Ireland for a savior, and a group to direct their beliefs. A new partner in the Northern conflict joined in 1969, the British. At first hesistant to get involved, and wanting its puppet government to handle the North on its own, the English finally decided to act. This decision is the most vital choice made in this entire conflict because it soon lead to what the relations are today. That is, the British army that was sent there was at first there to protect the Catholics from the Protestants and the RUC. But soon they became the aggressors also, at the IRA's needling of them. The British began to impose harsh measures to curb IRA involvement in the North. They imposed strict curfews and random searches of Catholic homes in hope of finding weapons. This lead to resentment by the Catholic citizens and almost total loyalty to the IRA. In his book The I. R. A., Tim Pat Coogan presents four reasons why the British could never get rid of the IRA in Northern Ireland:
1. High birth rate in Catholic ghettos
2. The supply of money and guns from America
3. The support generated for the I. R. A. by events
4. British policy
(Coogan 260)
The events described were those of the civil rights movement, the curfews, internment, and Bloody Sunday. Internment was the British policy to jail and convict suspected IRA members without a trial. This may generally not have received much attention because they were supposedly arresting known terrorists, but no Protestants were arrested at all and many innocent Catholics were jailed with no IRA connections whatsoever. With the existence of the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force), which was a Protestant mirror of the IRA, most Catholics saw internment as further discrimination. This was important because no longer was it just the Protestant government that was blamed, it was Britain too. Again it was war between the IRA and Britain, with the Dublin government taking an active role in supporting the IRA.
What became known as Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30, 1972. In Londonderry a massive civil rights march was taking place by the Northern Catholics. This march was taking place to protest the policy of internment. Catholics were growing sick of their homes being raided and the random arrests happening everyday. British army paratroopers were sent in. On sight they began to fire live rounds indiscriminately into the crowd. This happened at approximately 3:55pm. Thirteen were shot dead. All were unarmed, the majority were college students (All facts found on Bloody Sunday Web Page). This single event brought this conflict to the world stage. Country-wide outrage soon followed culminating in the burning down of the British embassy in Dublin (Coogan 261). Two months later a report was released by the British government which exonerated any troops from any illegal actions saying that they were justified in their actions. More public outrage followed. The gap between Ireland and Britain grew, with the IRA being on the forefront of Irish sentiment.
The English instituted Direct Rule in Northern Ireland in 1972, finally deciding that the government couldn't handle itself and that Westminster needed to rule the North. Bombing by the Provos continued and so did the arrests. On July 21, 1972 twenty bombs were exploded simultaneously in Belfast killing five civilians and injuring many others. This was done to show the British that nothing could stop the IRA's terrorism (SomeWeb Page). Britain instituted a new court system composed of trial with one judge alone to try any and all terrorist suspects. Conviction rate topped over ninety percent.
In the late 1970's a protest by the IRA prisoners brought British atrocities to the world stage once again. Conditions in the prisons were terrible, prisoners had only a blanket for clothes and a pot for a toilet. The wardens would allegedly knock the pots over on purpose. In protest the prisoners began to empty their pots out of the windows. The British guards shoveled the mess back into the cells. To one up them, the prisoners spread their feces on the walls, making terrible conditions worse. Maggots soon began to form which forced disinfecting of the cells. But the disinfectant was so harsh that the prisoners eyes and skin would burn. World exposure happened in 1978 when the cardinal of the Irish Catholic Church visited and observed these disgusting cells. He issued a public statement calling for England to improve conditions. In another mistake, Britain said that the prisoners made the conditions what they were and no action would be taken (SomeWeb Page). This only added to the negative public opinion on Britain.
The final question is why is England still there? The answer they have given is that the general population of Northern Ireland, that is the Protestants, want them there. They have an obligation. Northern Ireland was promised that England would protect them and they are holding to this promise with fervor. Their fear is that if "one part of the U. K. broke off, others could too" (Coogan 269). Britain seems to be scared of losing their "empire."
The 60's and 70's were marred by intense violence that pitted Irish against Irish. From the early battles of the IRA and the RUC to the bombings of the IRA on the British, the British Isles have been ravished. Britain decided to take a military stance on a political problem. The IRA fought back with bombs and kidnappings. The civilians are caught in the middle. This has been Ireland's and Britain's story for the past thirty years. The late 60's and early 70's began this stance. Relations between the two grew progressively worse as the 70's wore on. Britain's Direct Rule in Northern Ireland put the Irish on the defensive because their sovereignty was being threatened. Coupled with this was the harsh treatment that the Catholic citizens of Northern Ireland experienced which received much sympathy from Ireland due to its Catholic majority. This is where the IRA had its greatest role. Seen then as the protector of Catholics in Northern Ireland, they were able to reassert themselves and gain support for their anti-British sentiments. Although openly criticized, the IRA bombings were a needed relief to get the Irish point across. The seed planted back then has only grown worse today and even the shortest cease-fire is seen as a blessing by most.
Bibliography
Bell, J. Bowyer. The Secret Army. The John Day Company: New
York, 1970.
Boulton, David. UVF 1966-1973. Torc Books: Dublin, 1973.
Coogan, Tim Pat. The IRA, A History. Roberts Rinehart
Publishers: USA, 1994.
14 Facts about Bloody Sunday. Online. Internet.
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http://www.irlnet.com/sinnfein/index.html
Lee, J. J. Ireland 1912-1985. Cambridge University Press:
Cambridge, 1989.
McCarffrey, Lawrence J. The Irish Question. The University
Press of Kentucky: 1995.
The History Leading up to the Hunger Strikes. 1996. Online. Internet. Available http://www.somemothersson.com