Northern Ireland -- Flashcards
Define the Troubles
Describes the cycle of violence from 1960s-1990s whose main feature was terrorist conflict between the nationalists and unionists. Mainstream groups condemned violence but it was carried out by extremist groups
What was the Easter Rising?
1916 when Republican supporters attacked British troops
When was the Anglo-Irish war?
1919-1921
What was the Anglo-Irish war also known as?
the Irish war of independence
What did the 1921 treaty lead to?
A partition between independent southern Ireland and six countries in Ulster which became Northern Ireland
Who was Stormont dominated by?
It was a belfast parliament and socio-economic system was dominated by protestants
What was the religious divide in Ireland?
As a whole was predominantly Catholic but the majority in Northern Ireland was Protestant
What had the protestants done by the 1960s and what did the Catholics believe?
They had monopolised the best housing, schools and jobs.
Catholics believed there was political corruption as Protestant councillors and officials were operating a system of favouritism and patronage to ensure only protestants held influential positions and that the constituency boundaries had deliberately been adjusted to prevent Catholics from being elected
What accusations were there agains the Royal Ulster Constabulary?
They were biased against the Catholics
Who were the Royal Ulster Constabulary?
The Northern Irish police force
What was the Northern Ireland Situation 1951-64?
It was not a threat to the conservative governments
When did Northern Ireland become more of an issue?
When the civil rights movement began in 1964
Why did the Civil rights movement 1964 begin?
As Cathoolics began to challenge the situation in Northern Ireland
Who were the IRA?
Irish Republic Army
Why was there increased tensions in 1964?
Unionists feared the IRA as they were a new violent campaign
What did the Unionists do in retalliation of the setting up of the IRA?
They set up parliamentary organisations to defemd the union of Great Britian and Northern Ireland
When was NICRA founded?
1967
What does NICRA stand for?
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
What was NICRA?
An organisation founded mostly by students which condemned the political corruption and called for a fair distribution of resources across the whole population
What happened in October 1968?
Civil rights marches held by Catholic nationalists to protest against discrimination. They were attacked by Protestant loyalists and Catholics failed to protect them - viewed as the start of the troubles
When was the battle of bogside?
1969
What was the battle of bogside?
- Loyalist Apprentice boys did their annual march in derry and were attacked by Catholic nationalists
- RUC tried to storm the bogside but were held back by two days of rioting
- RUC officers were seen on TV beating Catholics
- This led to mass rioting across the country
When was the battle of bogside?
1969
What was bogside?
A Catholic area in Derry
Who emerged as the leader of anti-Catholic unionism after the battle of bogside?
Reverend Ian Paisley
When did the first deaths occur due to the troubles?
Summer 1969
What did Callaghan’s foreign secretary do in August 1969?
Sent the British army to Northern Ireland
What happened when British troops were sent to Northern Ireland in August 1969?
- initially welcomed by the Catholics as bogside was encircled by protectuve barbed wire
- IRA which had been dormant reorganised and decided to lead the struggle
- Targeted British troops as a representative of a hated Imperialist government as believed it was the root of all the problems
What did Heath do in 1971?
Supported Brian Faulkner in his policies of night-time curfews and internment
Who was Brian Faulkner?
Ulster Unionist party leader
What was internment?
The arresting of suspected trouble makers and holding them without trial
What was believed internment would lead to?
Reduced tensions as the violent men would be removed from the community
What were the consequences of internment?
- 1971-75: 95% of those interned were Catholic
- claimed to be ‘among the best recruiting tools the IRA ever had’
- increased tension
- increased Catholic belief in their persecution
- Strained British government relations with Irish government
- Destroyed cross party understanding on Northern Ireland as many Labour MPs opposed it and called for withdrawal of British troops
When was Bloody Sunday?
30th January 1972
What was Bloody Sunday?
NICRA organised a prohibited march which ended with British soldiers firing live ammunition
How many people were shot during bloody sunday?
- 26 unarmed were shot
- 13 died
When was the British Embassy in Dublin burnt down?
1972
Why was the British Embassy in Dublin burnt down?
- burned down after Bloody Sunday
- was the bloodiest year of the troubles
What were the consequences of 1972?
- 1382 explosions
- 10628 shooting incidents
- 480 people were killed
What happened in March 1972?
Heath suspended Stormont parliament and bought in direct rule from Westminister. Willie Whitelaw was appointed Secretary of State and Heath nw tried to negotiate with all the main political parties to find a solution
What investigated Bloody sunday?
The widgery report
When was the Widgery Report?
May 1972
What did the Widgery report conclude?
‘the shots that had been fired at the soldiers before they started the firing that led to casualties’
What did Republicans see the Widgery report as?
An attempt to whitewash what had happened and condone the British Army’s actions
When was the Sunningdale Agreement?
1973
Who was the Sunningdale Agreement between?
- Heath and Whitelaw
- SDLP
- Alliance
- UUP patries
- Dublin government
What were the main proposals of the Sunningdale agreement?
- a power-sharing executive of nationalist and unionists guaranteeing representation for both sides
- A Northern Ireland assembly elected under proportional representation
- A council of Ireland that would get some input from Republic of Ireland
What were the consequences of the Sunningdale Agreement?
- violence continued with frequent IRA attacks on the police and Army
- On both sides extremists saw the agreement as a sell-out
- UUP voted to pull out of the agreement in January in 1974
- In February 1974 general election the parties opposing Sunningdale only put up one candidate between them in each constituency ensuring solid anti-sunningdale vote - pro-sunningdale votes split between parties therefore 11/12 constituencies therefore elected an anti-sunningdale MP
When were the protest against Sunningdale in NI?
May 1974
When did power-sharing collapse?
28th may
What did the collapse of power sharing cause?
Wilson was forced to impose direct rule
How long were the protests in NI against Sunningdale?
15 days
When was the Northern Ireland Act?
1974
What was the Northern Ireland act?
Created a constitutional convention - a way of re-introducing the power sharing principle
What was the consequence of the collapse of power sharing?
Wilson was forced to impose direct rule
When was the Prevention of Terrorism act?
Late 1974
What was the Prevention of Terrorism act passed in response to?
Guildford and Birmingham pub bombings
What did the Prevention of Terrorism Act do?
Gave the police and authorities extended powers of search and arrest
When were the first constitutional convention elections?
July 1975
What was the turnout of the first constitutional convention elections?
66%
What did the turnout of the first constitutional convention elections suggest?
People were willing to follow a peaceful path
When was the first constitutional convention dissolved and who by?
The British government in 1976
what happened with the prisoners from schemes such as internment in 1976?
The prisoners had their ‘special category status’ removed meaning they were treated like ordinary criminals not political prisoners
What did the removal of ‘special category status’ lead to?
- Blanket protests
- Dirty protests
What were the Blanket protests?
Where prisoners refused to wear their prison uniform
What were the dirty protests?
When prisoners refused to leave their cells and smeared excrement up the walls
How many prisoners were taking part in the protests by 1979?
250 prisoners which led to the growing calls to return their political prisoner status
When did the dirty protests begin?
1978
When was Airey Neave killed?
March 1979 - 2 months before Thatcher became PM
Who was Airey Neave?
Conservative spokesman on Northern ireland
How was Airey Neave killed?
The IRA planted a car bomb in the house of commons car park
When was Earl Mountbatten killed?
August 1979
Who was Earl Mountbatten?
King Charles’ uncle
Who else was killed along with Earl Mountbatten?
Earl Mountbatten’s daughter, grandaughter and 2 friends
How was Earl Mountbatten killed?
The IRA smuggled a bomb onto his holiday yacht
What happened at the same time of the death of Earl Mountbatten?
2 remote-controlled bombs were detonated at Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland killin 18 british soldiers
Why was the regiment at Warrenpoint targeted?
Because they were involved in Bloody Sunday
What was Thatcher’s approach to Northern Ireland?
- tough - she had strong unionist sympathies and was not prepared to give into terrorism
- she believed in negotiation and co-operation when possible
When did the hunger strikes begin?
1981
Who was Bobby Sanders?
A member of the Provisional IRA and convicted bomber who led the hunger strikes
Why did the hunger strikes begin?
In continuation in the hope to have special category status restored
Describe Bobby Sanders involvement in the hunger strikes
- Led the protest
- died after 66 days
- was elected an MP whilst in prison
What were the consequences of the hunger strikes?
- Thatcher claimed that the strikes were a defeat for the IRA - did not achieve the reclaiming of ‘special category status’
- Thatcher became a hate figure whilst Sands was a hero when it came to the Republicans
- Electoral success of Sands and increased votes for Sinn Fein helped republicans see that political action was important
When was Thatcher targeted by the IRA?
October 1984
Where was Thatcher targeted by the IRA?
At the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the conservative party conference
What were the consequences of Thatcher being targeted by the IRA?
- 5 people were killed by Thatcher was not harmed
- the conference continued and Thatcher gave a speech that night insisting that democracy would not bow to terrorism
When was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed?
1985
When was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed?
1985
Who was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed by?
Thatcher and Garret Fitzgerald, the Irish premier
Where was the Anglo-Irish Agreement signed?
Hillsborough
What were the 3 main provisions of the Anglo-Irish Agreement?
- Republic recognised Northern Ireland as being constitutionally part of the UK
- British government gave assurances that it supported full civil rights for all Northern Ireland citizens
- The 2 governments committed themselves to close co-operation on cross-border security matters
What were the consequences of the Anglo-Irish Agreement?
- viewed now as a significant advancement towards a peace agreement
- at the time reactions were violent
- loyalists and unionists were furious with that Irish Government had a say in Northern Ireland and led to 200,000 people attended protest rally in Belfast
- Ulster Resistance was set-up leading to a series of atrocities on both sides
- Republicans rejected the agreement because it confirmed Northern Ireland’s continuation as part of the UK - pledged to continue the ‘armed struggle’
Who was Ulster Resistance?
A unionist parliamentary organisation
When was Ulster Resistance set-up?
1986
What happened in November 1987?
IRA bomb exploded at a Rememberance Day Service in Enniskilled, killing 11 people and maiming 60
When was the Central Community Relations Unit established?
1987
What was the Central Community Relations Unit?
To foster greater understanding and contact between Catholics and Protestants
When was ‘Death on the Rock’?
March 1988
Where was ‘Death on the Rock’?
Gibraltar
What was ‘Death on the Rock’?
The SAS shot and killed 3 IRA members before they had time to detonate a car bomb that was meant to harm british troops
What happened at the funerals of the victims from ‘Death on the Rock’?
- 5000 attendees were fired on
- By Michael Stone - loyalist gunman
- 3 died and 50 died
What happened 3 days after the funerals of the victims from ‘Death on the Rock’?
2 off-duty British soldiers were dragged from their car and killed after they drove into an area where an IRA paraed was being held
What did Thatcher do in October 1988?
- Imposed a broadcasting ban on the IRA
- aimed to deny them the ‘oxygen of publicity’
- blanked out voices of IRA terrorists but faces could still be seen
- pointless as could still get their message across
When was the Fair Employment Act?
1989
What did the Fair Employment Act do?
Required employers who had more than 25 workers on their books not to discriminate when allocating jobs and promotions
What did the IRA bomb in July 1989?
The London Stock Exchange
What did the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council do in 1990?
Extended support and resources granted to the community relations unit
What happened in Major’s time in prime minister when it came to the troubles?
The attacks were more violent
What happened in february 1991?
Three mortar shells were fired at 10 downing street by the IRA
What happened in January 1992?
There was an IRA landmine attack on protestant civillians working at a British Army base at Teebane crossroads
What happened in february 1992?
The ulster defence association (a loyalist group) retaliated to the landmine attack on protestants by shooting 5 Catholics in a betting shop
What happened at the Baltic Exchange, London April 1992?
There was a bombing that killed 3 people
When was the Warrington bomb?
March 1993
What was the Warrington bomb?
The IRA planted a bomb that killed 2 children and injured 50 people
What happened with the Bishopsgate lorry bomb?
- April 1993
- In city of London
- 1 killed and 40 injured
- a billion pounds worth of damage
- was detonated by the provisional IRA
What did the government begin to receive from 1993?
Secret messages hinting that Sinn Fein was ready to discuss a peace agreement
What were the key features of the downing street declaration?
- British government announced its sole concern was to listen to the democratically expressed wishes of the people in Northern Ireland
- Accepted that if the people wanted to bring about a united Ireland then they could
- Reynolds said that the Irish Republic accepted the right of the majoirty in Northern Ireland to decide its future and if a democratic settlement could be agreed then the South would drop its claim to Northern Ireland
When was the Downing Street Declaration?
1993
When did the IRA declare a ceasefire?
August 1994
What happened in october 1994?
Loyalist parliamentary groups announced their own ceasefire having been assured by Major that the British Government had no intention of forcing the North to reunite with the South
Why was the ceasefire fragile?
Neither side trusted the other to stick to it
Why was it difficult to reach a final political agreement after the ceasefires?
There was a lack of trust from both sides
What happened in the end with the political agreement after the ceasefire?
The IRA got impatient and returned to violence:
February 1996 - London Docklands bombings killed 2 people and injured more than 100
June 1996 - Manchester city centre bomb led to 212 injured but 0 injured
What principles were set out by Senator George Mitchell?
- total disamament of all paramilitary organisations and their renunciation of force
- agreement by all parties to accept as binding any agreement reached in an all-party negotiation
What did peace need to be seen as by both sides?
A politically profitable as violence
What were the key elements of the Good Friday Agreement?
- Both Uk and Irish Republic would give up their claim to Northern Ireland and let the Northern Irish people decide on who they wanted to be part of
- a devolved assembly with a power-sharing executive would be set up
- links between Ireland and Northern ireland and Britian and Ireland would be strengthened
- parties would use influence to ensure the decommissioning of arms
- independent commission to oversee reform of policing
- Early release of prisoners where parliamentary organisation were committed to peace
When was the Good Friday referendum?
22nd May 1998
What was the result of the Good Friday referendum?
- Northern Ireland - 71% of people voted for the agreement
- Ireland - 94% people voted yes
When was the Omagh bombing?
August 1998
What was the Omagh bombing?
- 30 dead, 200 injured
- deadliest single incident of the troubles
- Carried out by the real/continuity IRA
Who were the real/continuity IRA?
A splinter group of the provisional iRA who opposed the ceasefire and the good friday agreement
