Written by Gina Hanna
A Brief History of Religion in Ireland:
Along an ideological line, the Irish are divided into two groups. The Ulster unionists are protestant and loyal to the British crown, while the majority is Catholic and nationalist who wish to remain free from British rule.
English rulers have maintained a presence in Ireland since the 12th century. Catholics were defeated in the Nine Years War between Catholic lords and the British crown. This defeat led many Catholics to flee Ireland and migrate to other European countries in what is now known as the Flight of the Earls. To expand the power of British rule, thousands of Protestant settlers from England and Scotland came to reside in Ireland, an endeavor known as the plantation of Ulster. Although this displacement didn’t succeed in completely expelling the Catholics, it significantly changed the cultural landscape.
In 1920, the British government established the Government of Ireland Act as an attempt to appease both unionists and separatists. Under the act, the antagonistic regions were to be divided by a partition and each side to be accorded their own home-rule parliament. The unionists accepted the proposition and gained jurisdiction over six counties. The nationalist south rejected the act, wanting full independence from British rule. To that end, the Irish Republican Army was engaging in guerrilla conflict against the crown.
The struggle over independence ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 which established a sovereign Irish Free State for the twenty-six counties populated by a majority of Catholics. The caveat of this official division is that it created a unionist minority in the Catholic south and a Catholic minority in the unionist north. Catholics in the North were discriminated against by the Unionist government and denied access to employment and education. Violent warfare took place in Northern Ireland in what is now known as The Troubles. For 25 years, the IRA fought against British rule in Northern Ireland. From 1969 to 1994, 3500 people died in this battle centralized in the border area.
Resolution:
Two factors contributed to the end of the troubles and the border: The European Single Market in 1993 which ended customs control among members of the EU and the Good Friday Agreement which established a shared executive and assembly. The Agreement sought to redefine the British and Irish identities as coexisting instead of opposed. Now economy, tourism, and even sports teams are cross-border.
The Impact of Brexit:
The prospect of Brexit may prove to further divide the two regions—since it would require the reimposition of a border—and expand the traces of division that are still manifest in segregated Ireland. These divisions are most palpable in the housing market and education. Only 7 percent of students attend integrated schools, with most of them attending schools corresponding to their religious background perpetuating the lack of exposure. There are some reservations about a rekindling of recent tensions in areas where Catholics and Protestants live close together. In 2011— prior to Brexit— a series of protests led to the death of a police officer by a car bomb, and the shooting of three individuals.
Works Cited
A history of Ireland for Outsiders: From Henry VIII to the Troubles.
The Irish Times Two Tribes: A divided Northern Ireland. The Irish Times
Northern Ireland’s Violent History explained. BBC Newsbeat
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