Good Critical Thinking On The “Troubles” In Northern Ireland

Origin or the Conflict in Northern Ireland

The conflict in Northern Ireland can be traced back as early as the 1167, when the English first landed in the region (Elliott & Flackes 2011). Despite the fact the Irish and English interacted, the two communities had certain conspicuous different interests. These differences also became more obvious during Henry VIII regime; he introduced Ireland into Irish politics and broke ties with Rome, subjecting him to conflict with Catholic Europe (Elliott & Flackes 2011). More resistance to English Crown was witnessed in 1534 during Lord Offaly’s regime.

Key Groups in Northern Ireland Conflict

Key groups in the Northern Ireland conflict were Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants. Irish Catholics desired independence from British rule, while Irish Protestants believed that their country could not be ruled by a Catholic majority (Elliott & Flackes 2011).

Two Key Events in the Conflict during the 20th Century

One of the key events that occurred in the conflict of Northern Ireland in the 20th Century was signing a treaty between Britain and Irish Republican Army (IRA) to create an Irish Free State (Grant, 2011). The State was to be created from the 23 counties in the Southern region and 3 counties located in Ulster. The remaining six counties located in Northern Ireland continued being part of United Kingdom. The other key event in the 20th century was the “Troubles”; this involved violence that erupted in Londonderry involving bombings as well as incidences of terrorism by the IRA (Grant, 2011).

How Peace was Eventually Achieved

On the 5th of February 2010, an accord, the Hillsborough Castle Agreement was signed by Brian Cowen and Gordon Brown, the prime ministers of the respective nations (Grant, 2013). This accord indicated that the Britain had to hand-over management as well as control of the 6 counties that remained under its leadership to Northern Ireland (Grant, 2013).

Consideration of the Conflicts as a series of Revolution or Terrorism

Personally, I would consider the conflict as a series of revolution. The conflicts were sparked by the desire to attain independence from the British rule, thus cannot be regarded as acts of terrorism.

References

Elliott, S., & Flackes, W. (2011). Conflict in Northern Ireland: An encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.
Grant, R. (2013). Conflict in Northern Ireland. London: Hodder Wayland.