The History of the Irish Conflict

The History of the Irish Conflict

Works Cited Not Included

One cannot think of Ireland nowadays without having images of violence and thoughts of religious conflict in their head. These images and thoughts are deep-rooted in a history full of social and governmental turmoil. It was this turmoil that led to the partitioning of the country in 1921 (Makar).

Connacht, Leinster and Munster, three of the four provinces of Ireland, became an independent nation ? the Republic of Ireland, under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Ulster, the fourth province, broke away from mainland Ireland creating what we know as Northern Ireland (FAIT, 1998). Now, after Britain has put the future of Northern Ireland in the hands of the Irish, it is faced with the challenge of establishing a new government. The question is, does Northern Ireland know what it is in for? Can hostility within Ireland cease or lessen to allow Northern Ireland to build a government appealing to both supporters and non-supporters of the union?

"Alternative Ulster," an article in the September 19, 1998 issue of The Economist, describes the hard road ahead for Northern Ireland. It describes how the nation's government is fully dependent on the success of peace talks and learning how to survive once eliminated from British Parliament ("Alternative").

In this paper, I discuss the history of conflict in Ireland and the status of relations with Britain ("Alternative"). I contend that while recent peace processes have created a more optimistic outlook towards Irish-Northern Irish relations, the strong history of conflict and the perpetuating hostility will kill any attempts towards compromise, leading Northern Ireland down a path of political chaos.

At the heart of the tensio...

... middle of paper ...

...ed from the British ties that it has relied on for so long. Ulster must be able to function without a mediator for conflict or a counselor for decision-making. This requires the development of a strong backbone from which a government can be supported. These are the things that a government relies on to be strong so that it can make decisions on issues of national concern. If this backbone is not strong, a government will find itself directing more attention towards deciding on how it is going to do things than actually doing them. This is a luxury that Northern Ireland cannot afford. Now that it has traveled, at least partially, down the road of peace, it must work extra hard to prove to its people that this is where it should be headed. Any slight hesitation or inkling that the goal cannot be achieved will cause a reverting back to the chaos that has long ensued.