Were there any happenings in between Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants?

Question

I really need to know about it. Were there conflicts between I.C. and I.P.? If so, please explain. Can you add some peace talks between them too please? I didn't think it wise to separate this into two questions since you need to know the conflict before the peace talk. Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

The first answer is a little simplistic when it suggests that the Protestants created Northern Ireland for themselves and the Catholics the Republic. To give a full history of the troubles means going back of 400 years. There have been conflicts between the two sides on and off really since the English settled Scots Protestants in the north. In the 19th century there was a move for Irish Home Rule - i.e the whole of the island would become independant of great Britain. That was nearly the case on two occasions, once towards the end of the 19th century which was scuppered when one of the leading Irish politicians was a little unwise in the sexual sheenigans he got up to, which offended the highly moral Victorians, and then again just before WWI which intervened before the matter could be concluded. After the war the proposals went ahead again, but the Protestants in the north objected as they did not want to be part of a catholic run country. There were military and para-military organisations on both sides - e.g the Irish Republican Army for the Catholics and Ulster Defence Force for the Protestants. The island had to be partitioned between The Irish Free State, later Eire, later the Irish Republic, the larger, southern, catholic part, and 'Ulster' or Northern Ireland which remained part of the UK. Unfortunately, a large catholic minority was left in his creation against their will - it had originally been agreed that only 4 counties would form NI, but for various complicated reasons 6 were eventually included, the 2 extra ones having most of the Catholic population who really wanted to be with the south, and who were treated in many ways as second class citizens by the Protestant majority who had a degree of self rule for many years, until the British Government had to take direct control.. This lead to continual fighting between the two sides, to a greater or lesser degree. Most recently, things came to a head in the late 1960s/early 1970s and there was much bloodshed on both sides and, indeed, on the British mainland. There was no peace talks 'between them' as both sides refused to acknowledge the other. It was left to British politicians and those from the Republic- assisted by some people fromm the USA and Canada to try and sort the mess out. A measure of peace was arranged by the 'Good Friday Agreement' of April 1998 which envisaged 'power sharing' There have been many false starts with this, but at last it does seem that things may settle down with Sinn Fein, the Catholic political party having finally agreed just two weeks ago to acknowledge the police.

This is a quick scamper through a very very complicated situation. You need to search the net, and read any books you can find on the subject to get a fuller picture.

Answer 2

Northern Ireland, that is where the conflict happened/happens.

Ireland was originally a single country, but it had a grim past of bloody conflicts between the Catholics and Protestant, whereby the Catholics made up a majority. to somehow "isolate" themselves, the majority of Protestants created a separate nation at the north, called Northern Ireland. the large remainder (Catholic majority) called their nation Republic of Ireland.

The conflict actually occurs in Northern Ireland where majority are Protestants and minority are Catholics. the Protestants believe that it is their land, so that they should receive all the rights and privileges, and not give it to the Catholics. the Catholics disagreed. that is primarily what the conflict is about.

out of the many issues, a few issues were very apparent. the Protestant children were given education in government schools, where it is partially funded. the Catholic children where not allowed there, so they had to go to private schools, which were more expensive. other issues include, the Protestants given more priority in housing and voting.

but these issues were decades back, the conflict might have ceased to a lesser level now. at least i hope so.

Hope this helps, Peace.