Why Do The Irish Hate The British People?

The Northern Ireland Conflict, also known as The Troubles, was a type of conflict that lasted 3 decades from 1968 to 1998. The issue was an ethnopolitical confrontation provoked by the dispute between the national Republic Organizations' left wing, Catholics, and the British power.

The main party against the United Kingdom was the Irish Republican Army(IRA). Its opponent will be the protestant, Orange Order, and the right-wing organization that acts by its side.

It was reported that around 3,600 casualties and more than 30,000 more were heavily injured in this 3-decade conflict. This was before both the United Kindom and Ireland reach a peaceful settlement in 1998.

Here we would like to share with you some of the reasons why the Irish despise the English.

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Background

Ireland is the second biggest island among British Island after England. Ireland has split into two parts mainly Northern Ireland which has a close relation to the UK and the Irish Free State which the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland was segregated into two since 90 years ago during the war under British rule. The southern parts are now known as the Republic of Ireland and the war has sparked an old dispute as well as havoc in Northern Ireland which is still part of the UK.

Northern Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland are the countries that officially formed the UK. Despite Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland sharing similar histories with each other, both these countries are rather different.

For instance, the speed limit in the Republic of Ireland is shown in km/h whereas, for Northern Ireland, it is shown in miles/h. The difference between the two countries is far from just speed limit alone with both of them having different cultures and economies. geography and governance too.

It is estimated that 1.8 million people live in Northern Ireland in which most of which reside in the city center of the country. The biggest city of Northern Ireland will be Belfast and the capital city of the country.

Northern Ireland comprised an area of 5,460 square miles. The biggest lake in the country spans around 151 square miles situated in Northern Ireland. This lake is also recognized as the biggest lake of the British Islands.

In terms of its religion, the people of Northern Ireland can freely practice their own religion. However, Christianity remains the biggest religion of the nation. The denomination of the biggest Christians will be the Protestants which constitute more than 41.5% of the whole population claiming themselves as Protestant.

Northern Ireland uses Pound Sterling as their official currency. The service industry remains the main economic driver of Northern Ireland comprising around 70% of the country's gross domestic product(GDP).

Ever since Northern Ireland was not recognized as a sovereign state, it does not have its own international ties but instead is part of the United Kingdom. This country does not have any global representative such as the United Nations.

Conflict History

Ireland has relied on Britain ever since the Middle Ages. The seizure of land massively occurred in the 16th century while they were moved by the outsiders, the English. In the following years, the number of English people coming to Ireland kept on increasing.

The groundwork of land developed by the British has caused outrage among the locals. This has always resulted in disputes between the British and the people of Northern Ireland. At the same time, the locals felt that they have been expelled from their own country.

In the early years of the 19th century, Ireland officially became a part of the British government. In the middle of the 19th century, the disturbance of the landowners occurred again.

Land seizures and the failure of crops have caused the people of the country to starve.

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Activation of IRA

From the start, the Ireland Republic Army(IRA) was subordinate to the left-wing nationalist party, Sinn Fein. In the same occurrence, they also perform their own military actions as it stands. IRA made a more active approach in the 1920s.

After a long break, the IRA's activities and the number of conflicts increased again in Northern Ireland in 1954. Everything started from various attacks launched by members of the IRA to the British military.

The most remembered course of action during the time will be the attack on Arborfield Barrack in England. In 1962, conflicts between Northern Ireland and England moved to another level when IRA decided to change their battle tactics.

From combat and singular action, they have decided to shift to one of the biggest attacks ever. At the same time, the Protestant organization merged with the military in an attempt to fend off the Catholics in Ireland.

In 1967, one new organization emerge in the conflict between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They organized the idea of abolishing discrimination towards Catholics in homes and workplaces as well as showing their support in canceling the huge number of voters.

This resulted in the Protestants reacting accordingly by destroying the areas of the Catholics. The existence of this new body has become one pinpoint that contributes to the worsening of the conflicts between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Bloody Sunday Incident

On 30th January 1972, 13 unarmed protestors fighting for their civil rights were shot and killed by the paratroopers of the British army in one event known as Bloody Sunday. The protestors comprised all Northern Catholics marched as they show their stance in objecting to the British policy and arresting the people suspected of being Ireland nationalists. 

The British authority ordered the parade to be banned and sent soldiers to confront the protestors if it was still ongoing. The soldiers fired random shots at the protestors and killed 13 of them while injuring 17 people.

This killing has caught the world's attention toward the crisis that is happening in Northern Ireland and protests have occurred widely across Ireland. In Dublin, the capital city of Republic Ireland, the locals showed their anger by lighting up the British ambassador building on 2 February.

Things got out of hand in Northern Ireland in 1969 when the British sent their army to prevent any nationalist activities by the IRA and to dismiss the religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics.

In April 1972, the British government has issued a report that freed the British army from any illegal activities that occurred during the Londonderry protest. The aggression of the Republic of Ireland becomes tenser and the British react by increasing the military presence in Northern Ireland while removing any self-government rule in the country.

On 21 July 1972, IRA detonated 20 bombs simultaneously in Belfast causing few civilian casualties and killing the British army. Britain started a new court system that consists of trials without a jury for suspects of aggression and a rate of conviction of more than 90 percent.

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Good Friday Agreement

IRA officially announced a ceasefire on September 2005 and finally fulfilled the historic Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The ceasefire was to end the bloodshed for political gain that occurred for decades in the region.

In a nutshell, the effects of the conflicts can still be seen to this day causing emotional distress in the lives of the people of the two countries. The recent tension that happened on April 2021 in Northern Ireland has huge implications for the future of the United Kingdom

and post-Brexit relations with the EU.

The aggressions that have erupted in the streets of Belfast and other cities in Northern Ireland have many causes. But the outrage about the trading policies after Brexit that took effect on February 2022 was the main factor.

Source:

• APHD

Also read: History of Czechoslovakia and Its Split