Station 4A – Northern Ireland case study

Also called: The Troubles

Religious groups:

• Protestants in Northern Ireland – aka Ulsters
• Catholics in northern Ireland – aka IRA (Irish Republican Army)

Key events:

• Hunger Strikes – IRA members in prison held hunger strikes, where most of them died from starvation and were allowed to have proper Christian burials by church leaders, who were torn over this incident.
• Clonard Monastery Negotiations – secret negotiations between IRA and the Sinn Fein political party to end The Troubles. Catholic priest Alec Reid assisted in these secret negotiations and was instrumental in their success.
• Witnesses to IRA Decommissioning – one Protestant religious leader and one Catholic religious leader witnessed the destruction of IRA firearms, giving religious leaders an upper hand on the end of the IRA. Their joint statement finally showed a peaceful unity between Catholics and Protestants.

Discussion questions

1) What are the historical origins of the conflict in Northern Ireland?

When Ireland was invaded by the United Kingdom in the 17th and 18th centuries, native Irish farmers were displaced by English and Scottish settlers. These Irish farmers were Catholic and no longer citizens, while these English and Scottish settlers were Protestant and were given citizenship. Discrimination coupled with religious difference caused the independence of the Republic of Ireland from the United Kingdom and continual rebellions occurring in northern Ireland. Since some Catholics were still left over in majority-Protestant northern Ireland, they were a powerless minority that wanted to take back northern Ireland into the hands of the Catholic Republic of Ireland.

2) How did domestic forces drive the conflict and its negotiated resolution?

One protest by Catholics in Ireland resulted in 14 deaths and sparked the IRA to begin. Religious leaders mostly opposed paramilitary groups like the IRA from operating in Northern Ireland. Their actions led to negotiations such as the Clonard Monastery Negotiations and the Good Friday Negotiations and final disbandment of groups. One Protestant religious leader and one Catholic religious leader witnessed the destruction of IRA firearms, giving religious leaders an upper hand on the end of the IRA. Their joint statement finally showed a peaceful unity between Catholics and Protestants.

3) How important were international religious and political forces?

Both secular and religious figures worldwide supported a peaceful resolution to The Troubles. For example, an American senator, George Mitchell, served as the negotiator for the Good Friday negotiations, which were the key negotiations for ending the IRA’s dangerous activity. The Catholic church and American Protestants also showed their support to the end of the paramilitary activity. A visit by Pope John Paul II showed support for ending the unrest but did little to nothing for the IRA.

4) What role did socioeconomic factors play?

The Catholics in Northern Ireland were poor and discriminated upon for many economic aspects like jobs and wages. In contrast, the Protestants were well-off and were selected for economic benefit. This inequality fueled Catholic rage and was a key reason for the formation of the IRA. in addition, the violence usually occurred in working-class neighborhoods of Belfast and other northern Ireland cities, showing how the IRA was connected to the plebeians of northern Irish society.

5) How did religion intersect with these other factors in driving outcomes?

Religion ironically both started and ended The Troubles. Although the Catholics and Protestants were of different denominations and challenged each other socioeconomically in Northern Ireland, eventually both denominations helped in the brokerage of peace by assisting with negotiations and finally ending the unrest.