The Impact of Bloody Sunday on Northern Ireland Essay

In August 1998 the IRA claimed responsibility for a car bomb which killed 28 and injured 220 in the Northern Irish Town of Omagh. The bombing was the worst terrorist activity in nearly three decades for Ireland. While claiming responsibility for the blast an IRA representative anonymously told an Irish newspaper “Despite media reports, it was not our intention at any time to kill any civilians. It was a commercial target, part of the ongoing war against the Brits. We offer our apologies to the civilians,”

In the first place, my maternal grandfather instilled a pride and understanding of my Irish roots. Specifically, he brought me over to Belfast to learn and experience the culture. At the time, the hostility between the Protestants and Catholics was evident. Additionally, I saw people living under the threats of terrorism and bombing, propaganda graffiti, and a city under a police state. Similarly, I witnessed families torn apart because a mother was one

Sunday 30th of January 1972 was the day all of Ireland ran red with blood, the day of the ‘Bogside Massacre’! ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ by U2 is written about the events of the ‘Bogside Massacre’ or ‘Bloody Sunday’ as it is more commonly known.

Throughout Belfast Diary, Conroy works through dense and complex information regarding the various police forces, paramilitaries, and British military groups that reside in the North with the Catholics and Protestants. While reading Conroy’s pages long analysis of the variety of groups, it becomes clear that these groups within Northern Ireland cannot be deemed “good” or “bad”. Labeling a group with such complexities would be falling into the trap of being an ill-equipped outsider. Rather, Conroy implies that one needs to develop an understanding that each group serves a purpose for the community that it’s serving. Conroy explains that each group benefits the community they’re serving almost equally as much as it is disadvantaged by the group. In other words, Conroy explains that the relationship is give and take, it’s not something that is understood at

Events and Impact of Irish Potato Famine. The Irish farming population have been left counting the cost of the potato famine which has crippled their harvest and left many starving to death. The British government must shoulder the blame after an ineffective, slow and lacklustre effort to support the farmers and improve conditions.

The majority of my research was finding scholarly articles and books that pertained to my research questions and disciplines. Throughout all of the information and sources that I gathered, I selected five articles and one book. The book “Beyond Violence: Conflict Resolution Process” by Mari Fizduff was by far the most inspiring source in my collection of evidence. (Citation) It gave keen insight into the sources of the conflict but most importantly, it presented strategies and solutions to end the violence. With my foundation evidence set in my book, my other evidence allowed me to find more specific patterns of the sources of conflict from a sociological and theological stance. “For God, Ulster or Ireland: Religious Identity and Security in Northern Ireland” by John Bell provided examples of the religious affiliations and how each conserved its own identity. The article focused on the Catholic and Protestant communities and how each contributed to the conflicts. (Citation) My additional evidence provided great background information about certain aspects and patterns that significantly benefited my main research focus.

The Unionists also used crooked politics to ensure Protestant control. One way of doing this was by gerrymandering the political district lines. For example, one ward was ninety percent Catholic while the rest of the Catholics were scattered about in Protestant wards (Golway 280). By dividing the districts this way it made the Catholic votes virtually meaningless. Then, the Protestant controlled government passed the Civil Authorities Act. This Act granted the government the right to search homes without a warrant, impose curfews, and randomly arrest citizens even if no real crime had been committed. The Catholics were the ones who were primarily oppressed by these laws. Other laws limited the education of Catholics, restricted them from holding office, and they were also discriminated against on the job. Protestants filled many of the positions leaving the Catholics jobless (Golway 280). This policy of discrimination helped inflate the already high poverty rate in Ire that they could feed their family, they also had to worry about curfews and being arrested for no apparent reason. This is not right. The government should not be allowed to pass laws that would help single out a certain minority. This is an example of how propaganda can be used in politics.

Beyond that, the goal of the Irish Volunteers was to “Secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland.” In fact, this goal was similar, if not the same, only worded differently to the Irish Republican Army. Beyond that, they were also established to enforce the imminent Home Rule Devolution. Act. Now, these Volunteers were formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteer in 1913. The Ulster Volunteers were founded by Protestant Unionists in the north. Indeed, their goal was to stop the enactment of the Home Rule Devolution. Act. Incidentally, the Ulster Volunteers were mainly against the Irish Volunteers because they consisted of Catholics that wanted to be independent from British rule. Meanwhile, the Ulster Volunteers wanted to stay under British rule (Irish Volunteers).

IRA and Just War theory From 1969 until 1997, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) was engaged in warfare against both British forces in Northern Ireland and the Irish who remained loyal to them. Known for their extremist tactics and labeled as terrorists, the IRA used shootouts, bombings and assassinations in Northern Ireland and in Britain as a means to resist the British occupation of Ireland. While inflicting violence, the IRA killed both soldiers actively in battle, but they also killed many civilians. Although the IRA took great strides to decrease civilian casualties, the extent to which it actually cared was questionable. This paper will focus on specific IRA attacks and whether they uphold the Just War principles.

The Irish Republican Army was the first to fight the British in the 19th century (Irish War of Independence). However, for many centuries the Irish when though many hardship such as has foreign domination. By the 20th century the British and Ireland struggle with divisions. There were people who wanted to remain in Britain while others wanted their independence (Ireland and Republican). Soon after there was a solution. In the 1850s, the Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was formed. However, in 1921 the IRA was founded. They had gain so many training and weapon that they were label as a terrorist organization. They would carry out bombing as well as assassinations to oppose the rule of Britain. Sinn Féin along with the British government later signed

The troubles emerged as the result of several years of the escalating incidents between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The troubles have been protracted and costly in every sense of the world. From the first civil rights marches in 1968 till the signing of The Good Friday Agreement in 1998, 3,500 people died and over 35,000 were injured in Northern Ireland as the direct result of the aggressive violence , rebellion, bombings, murders, and terror tactics. The Catholic and Protestant troubles and conflicts had a significantly impact on Ireland. This serious issue had impacted the lives of individuals and families that took place or witness the gruesome events that the troubles had causes, the political change and reform of

In the second way, the other players who involved themselves as political players in the Bloody Sunday conflict were; The Irish republican army who not only opposed the sectarianism in the northern Ireland but also fought against the discrimination. In addition to that, the British troop’s

The older IRA members wanted to use non-violent civil disobedience, while the younger “provisional” members became armed and militant. But this reaction was not un-provoked. Curfews on nationalists were enforced with gunfire, torture was used in interrogations, and internment without trial was used on detainees, many of whom were not involved in the conflict but went on to become Republicans as a result of their experience. The British army shot 26 unarmed civil rights demonstrators killing 14, on what was to be called “Bloody Sunday”, January 30, 1972. This event increased the status of and recruitment into the IRA. This event also made clear which side the British supported. The provisional IRA responded by killing up to 100 soldiers and carried out approximately 1300 bombings on mostly commercial targets. Even the Official IRA killed dozens of soldiers and began a bombing campaign of their own. Again, loyalist para-militaries responded with assassinations that included torture and forced displacement of Catholics AND protestants from mixed neighborhoods. After many shootings and bombings against both sides the 1970s saw the bloodiest part of the Troubles. The official IRA called a permanent ceasefire in 1972. While the Provisional IRA continued to wage violence in the hope of British withdraw from Northern Ireland, their war could not be sustained indefinitely. So they developed a new tactic of the protracted ‘long war’ insurgency, which was less intense but could continue

The majority of people participating in the march diverted through the Bogside and towards an area known as the Free Derry Corner. A place where British soldiers knew that they were not allowed. A small number of youths split from the main body of the march to attempt to go through the barricades of the British Army. The youths were cursing and throwing stones at the British Soldiers. The soldiers at the barricades responded with rubber bullets, tear gas, and a water cannon. Witnesses said that the riot was not intense due to the small number of

In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, January 30th 1972 was known as Bloody Sunday. Several demonstrators were out protesting against the British policy of internment of suspected Irish nationalists. This was a policy made by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In result of the protesting 13 of the demonstrators were shot and killed and 17 more were severely wounded by British authorities. These people were shot trying to leave the scene and not by fighting back and by trying to help others who had gotten wounded. Two others were ran down by a army vehicle.