Northern Ireland Flashcards
When was Northern Ireland formed?
1921, after the partition of Ireland as a result of the civil war
What religion were the Northern Irish people, mostly?
Protestant
What religion were the Irish people, mostly?
Catholic
Which people wanted a united Ireland
The republicans/ nationalists
Which people wanted Northern Ireland to be independent from Ireland?
The unionists/ loyalists
How many protestants were there in Northern Ireland, compared to Catholic?
-1,000,000 Protestants
-500,000 Catholics
Discrimination against the Catholics in Northern Ireland
-The Protestants monopolised the best housing, jobs and schools
-Protestants dominated the local government in Northern Ireland
-Protestants dominated the police force in Northern Ireland
The Battle of the Bogside
-1969
-A Unionist march through Londonderry was attacked by Catholic nationalists
-There was significant violence between the sides
-The Royal Ulster Constabulary found themselves in clashes with the Catholic rioters
-James Callaghan eventually sent the British army to quell the violence in Londonderry
Nationalist organisations
-The IRA
-The INLA
Unionist organisations
-The UVF
-The UDA
Internment in Northern Ireland
-Internment meant that political prisoners could be held without trial
-Heath had supported internment in 1971
-Internment was a disaster
-95% of those interned between 1971-1975, were Catholic
Bloody Sunday in 1972
-NICRA organised a march against internment
-Attempts to control the march led to British soldiers firing live ammunition
-26 unarmed civilians were shot, with 13 being killed
-Support for the IRA grew as a result
How many explosions were there in Northern Ireland in 1972?
1382
How many shooting incidents were there in Northern Ireland in 1972?
10,628
How many trouble-related deaths were there in Northern Ireland in 1972?
480
The Widgery Report of 1972
-A report by Lord Widgery
-It said that the rioters had fired shots at the British Army first, on Bloody Sunday
-It increased the hostility and worsened relations between the British government and Northern Ireland
The Sunningdale Agreement of 1973
-A complex plan for a power-sharing government
-The agreement offered the Catholics a share in government for the first time since 1921, which frightened many Protestants
-Both sides denounced The Sunningdale Agreement as a sell-out
-11/12 constituencies voted for candidates who were opposed to The Sunningdale Agreement, in 1974
-The agreement was abandoned in 1974
The removal of the ‘special category status’ for political prisoners in Northern Ireland
-1976
-Met by ‘blanket protests’
-Protests turned to ‘dirty protests’ in 1978
-By 1979, over 250 prisoners were taking part in the dirty protests
Evidence of violence in Northern Ireland during the 1970’s
-1974: Loyalist car bombs kill 26 in Dublin and 7 in Monaghan
-1974: Birmingham pub bomb kills 19. IRA suspected
-1975: 12 people killed in Northern Ireland in a series of UVF attacks
-1979: Airey Neave, the Conservative spokesman on Northern Ireland killed by an IRA car bomb in House of Commons car park
-1979: Lord Mountbatten was killed by a bomb whilst holidaying on his yacht in Ireland
The death of Bobby Sands
-Hunger strikes began in response to the removal of the ‘special category status’ for political prisoners in Northern Ireland, in 1980
-9 hunger strikers died alongside Bobby Sands, until the strike was eventually called off in 1981
-Before his death, Sands had ran in the by-election as the anti-H-block candidate
-Bobby Sands became a martyr, and a hero for the republicans
Rolling Devolution in Northern Ireland, in 1982
-Margaret Thatcher re-established the Northern Ireland assembly in 1982
-This was boycotted by the nationalist parties
-The idea was a failure, and was abandoned in 1986
The Brighton Bombing
-An IRA attack on the Grand Hotel in Brighton, in 1984
-An attack on the government and Thatcher
-5 people were killed, and 30 were injured by the bombing
-Norman Tebbit’s wife was amongst the injured, and she was permanently disabled for life as a result of the bombing
-Thatcher gave a speech the next morning, in which she showed her tenacity, which helped to improve her popularity
The Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985
-The republicans would have to recognise Northern Ireland as a part of the UK
-The British government gave full support for the civil rights of those in Northern Ireland
-The agreement was bitterly condemned by both sides
-However, it did improve co-operation between the British and Irish governments in the long run
Evidence of violence in Northern Ireland during the 1980’s
-1986: The Remembrance Day Bombing saw the deaths of 11 people, and the injury of 60 more, after the IRA detonated a car bomb at a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, in Northern Ireland
-1988: In Gibraltar, the SAS shot and killed 3 IRA members before they had time to detonate a car bomb, intending to kill British soldiers. This became known as ‘The Death on the Rock’
-1988: 3 were killed and 50 injured by a loyalist gunman, at the funeral of the 3 men killed in Gibraltar
-1988: 2 off-duty British soldiers were dragged from their car and killed, after accidentally entering an area which was holding an IRA parade
Evidence of violence in Northern Ireland during the 1990’s
-Motor bombs were fired at 10 Downing Street in 1990
-Bombs left in a bin in Warrington in 1993 left 2 dead and 50 injured
-A bomb in London caused over £1 billion worth of damage, one death and 40 injuries, in 1993
-In 1992, 8 Protestants were killed whilst working at a British army base
The Downing Street Declaration of 1993
-Helped them to agree on a common approach to peace
-It convinced the IRA that the Britain was not committed to the indefinite control of Northern Ireland
-Both the IRA and the loyalist groups called a ceasefire in 1994
What effect did John Major have on the troubles in Northern Ireland?
Major greatly helped the peace movement, and although his tenure still saw violence, he can be largely accredited for the success of Tony Blair’s ‘Good Friday Agreement’ of 1998
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998
-Led by Blair
-The early release of prisoners convicted of terrorism proved highly controversial
-Agreed peace in Northern Ireland
Evidence of continued violence in Northern Ireland, following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998
-The Omagh bombing in 1998. This, however, was condemned by Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein
-Overall, the violence had mostly ceased after the Good Friday Agreement
