The conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics

Some general information:

In the republic of Ireland, there are mostly Catholics. In Northern Ireland, it is populated with Protestants.
In the last centuries, there were a lot of fights between the Protestants and the Catholics. It wasn't just a fight between two religions, it became more and more a fight to be independent of Great-Britian.


History:

Everything began with the Vikings in the 8th century. They colonized Ireland and changed their traditions and their culture. In the 12th century, Great-Britain conquererd this country. Henry II. became the new king in Great-Britain in the 16th century. He arranged to bring the Catholics out of Ireland and to take away all their things.
Wilhelm III. of Oranien replaced the old king in 1689. As his predecessor did it before, he opressed the Catholics and used them for hard work in factorys.

During the industrial revolution in the 19th century, the Britains began to live in the northern part of Ireland and started to built a lot of factorys there. The irish people had to work in these companys as little workers while the English and the Scots occupied the high positions.
In the south, the Catholics still lived in poverty and didn't have had any rights or any success.

In 1801, the british regime wanted to unite the states. There were a lot of protests, mostly on the catholic side, but the Protestants and the british army killed and silenced them.
45 years later, a big scourge of famine catched Ireland and a lot of people died. Some of them, nearly a third of the population emigrated to the USA.

In 1916, Great-Britian had to help the USA and the other western powers to fight against Germany in World War I. That was a chance for the irish people to fight against Great-Britian of becoming independent. 3 years later, they reached their aim and became a free, independent state. But that wasn't the end of this fight, because a lot of troupes of the british army still rested in this countryside.
A lot of front-lines of the IRA, The "Irish Republican Army", fighted against the british people and the british occupation.

Two years later, in 1921, Ireland was declared to an official, independent state.
Six of nine countys of Ulster were given to Great-Britian and a lot of people lost their belongings, but the Republic of Ireland consists of 26 countys and most of the were given to the Republic of Ireland.
But the fight between them didn't end, because there were still Protestants and Catholics, who didn't accept to give up the other coutryside.
Nearly in the very same year, the regime put a ban of the "IRA".
But the IRA went merely unterground.

Another fight started officially in 1969. It seems like a real civil war and a lot of persons died.
The people, who suffered most of all were those, who live locally in the citys next to Northern Ireland. For example Derry, which is a big town in the north part of Ireland at the border from Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
The "IRA" and the british army fighted a big and terrible battle.

"Bloody Sunday":

One day of this big fight was the most horrible battle and the idea of the people still hasn't been laid to rest till today. It was the 30th of January 1972. This day is also known as the "Bloody Sunday". A lot of people just protested against the political system and the big crisis. 14 people were killed by british soldiers, who came with parachutes to the demonstration place.
The "IRA" intervened in this fight and shoted at some british and irish people from the north part, only for exacting vengeance. This day was the trigger for a long and bad time. No one spared persons from the other side of this country.

(this song is written and sung by U2, an irish rock band)



End of the war:

A common treaty finished the conflict between the two parts of Ireland. They agreed, that Ireland and Northern Ireland become free, independent states. The treaty says also that both of their departments have to work together and last but not least, that they have to disarm their armies. The "IRA" declared in 2005 that they want to find a solution on a democratic way.

Today:

Till today, the British and the Irish regime keep the conditions and talk with each other about the Northern Irish problems and others things. Everything changed and it seems that the war finished officially. The people didn't forget what happened and some of them still have a lot of fear. But I think, Ireland and also Great-Britian learned how to live in a comunity together and they learned to accept the other one. All the victims are the best example for showing, what happened in a war. So I hope, we can learn from the Irish conflict, that we have to speake, to communicate and to listen, if there are troubles. A fight was the most stupid solution in the history of the world and it will be the most stupid solution in the future.


A movie about a young man in Ireland, who lived in this time, while Ireland fighted against Great-Britian:

(I've seen it in my english lesson and I was impressed. I Hope that I can catch your interest.)