Catholics In Northern Ireland example essay topic

The essay is about the reasons why the government decided to send in the British troops to Northern Ireland on the 14th August 1969, we look here at the origins and the history of the conflict. The most obvious reasons we think of are that riots started to break out and the Northern Ireland police lost control, this was because from the beginning, Catholics in Northern Ireland were a disadvantaged minority in matters of employment, housing, education, cultural and political participation. In 1968 a civil rights movement emerged to protest against this discrimination, often provoking violent reactions within the Protestant community. The Catholics were greatly influenced by Dr Martin Luther King, and the American Civil Rights Movements which were going on at about the same time.

Protestants also had fears, they would have to share there economy with the rest of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church would interfere in the running of the country. Also they maybe threatened with violence by the IRA to become a part of the republic of Ireland. If we delve deeper we come to the partition in 1920, Protestants remained part of the UK and the Roman Catholics who wanted independence. In Northern Ireland 66% of the population were Protestant and 34% were Roman Catholics. This partition had its roots in the 17th-century Ulster Plantation, which introduced Protestant settlers from England and Scotland into an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, establishing a Protestant control over the settlers and the native population in politics and society. The long term causes of the problems between the Catholics and Protestant of Northern Ireland are rooted in the histories of England and Ireland.

Since the 12th century and the invasion of Henry II in Ireland. Where English settlers were given land that belonged to the conquered Irish. These settles had more power and privileges then the native Irish. From this time until the act of union in 1800 England and Ireland were frequently at war with one another.

Further confiscations of land took place by James 1st in 1601 and then by Oliver Cromwell in 1640's, making the Irish very angry and anti British. The religious side to conflict started in 1534 when Henry V broke away from the Pope and set up a new church of England, but the Irish wished to remain Roman Catholics and did not want to be forced to swear loyalty to Henry. He also passed laws were by every person should use the English tongue and language. Furthermore houses should be kept according to English order condition and manner.

In 1534 he announced that he was also king of Ireland, undoubtedly causing additional bad feeling towards the English. Still today people march to celebrate The Orange Order, which came about after James II was thrown out of England in 1690's and fled to Ireland where he rose an army to attack the Protestants in Londonderry, but the new king William of Orange defeated James at the Battle of the Boyne. The Orange Order marches are a constant reminder of the division between the Roman Catholics and the British. Another reason to cause problems in Northern Ireland was the Act of Union, this meant that Irelands parliament was closed and England had control over Irelands law, which were passed in Westminster in London. For example there were certain restrictions on the jobs that Roman Catholic could do under English rule.

The great famine of 1846 was to cause even more bitterness, after England failed to organize sufficient help to the starving. The Irish had had enough after this period of time two movements emerged one wanted Ireland to become a republic completely separate from Britain and the other was formed seeking Northern Ireland being a part of Britain. The Irish had independence from the UK, they had there own political party and terrorist group and were willing to take there lives for it. The British government did, after the war give some independence, but not enough and civil war broke out, ending with a partition. From my research of the history of Ireland, there seem to be many reasons for the British troops to be sent in to Northern Ireland in 1969, with the immediate causes being riots, where by there was no control over, but as we have found the trouble had started well before this time, with the plantations of Protestants, The Battle of the Boyne and the start of this conflict since 12th century with Henry II invading Ireland. The hatred between the two neighboring countries was built up over the centuries into the conflict of the present day.