The Troubles - Ancient History
Ken Harper
It's been over half a year since I learned about "The Troubles" from our local guide, Ken Harper - I am still haunted by what I learned. I thought I had the basic everyday sort of understanding about the conflict (I didn't) and I'm no stranger to conflict (I was not expecting glitter, rainbows and unicorns), but I was not aware of just how tenuous the peace process is in Belfast and how raw the wounds remain.
I know this is wordy, but getting a better understanding of "The Troubles" requires lessons in history. Our local guide, Ken drove a cab in Belfast and still drives a cab there. He was straightforward and engaging. He let us know right away that no question was off-limits.
Briefly summarizing the history (as I understand it): Some 400 years ago James I resettled Ireland with English and Scottish loyalists - who were Protestant and loyal to the crown. The Irish were Catholic and did not feel an allegiance to the crown. The loyalists received Irish land; the terms of the Plantation were harsh on the Irish who were forbidden to own or plant or even work on land owned by settlers.
In 1641, the Irish revolted against these practices of the loyalists. At first there were beatings and robbings of the settlers, then houses were burned and settlers expelled, then they were killed. Between 4,000 and 12,000 settlers died from being murdered or from harsh conditions when they were expelled from their homes. In turn, settlers and English troops killed the Irish. As in most wars, atrocities were committed by both sides and numbers of innocent civilians lost their lives.
The revolution was unsuccessful and developed into an ethnic conflict between the native Irish Catholics on one side and the English and Scottish Protestants on the other side. All Irish associated with the rebellion were executed. Thousands were made into indentured laborers. Catholicism was outlawed, priests were killed. England, in further retaliation, passed the Adventurer's Act, where, for a 200 pound investment, the investor would receive 1,000 acres of land taken from the Irish rebels. A civil war in England turned attention briefly away from the Irish.
Attention was directed back on the Irish by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 through 1653. The money raised through the Adventurer's Act needed to be repaid. Ireland needed to be conquered and land confiscated and redistributed. Cromwell was a Puritan and believed Catholics were heretics - to him this was his religious crusade. Cromwell was responsible for many atrocities. Captured soldiers were not taken as prisoners of war, they were murdered. Townspeople were murdered and their towns burnt to the ground. The war resulted in famine and the death toll was increased by an outbreak of bubonic plague. Before Cromwell, 80% of landowners were Catholic. By 1655, not one Catholic west of the river Shannon owned land.
Then, in 1688-89, the Irish took up the cause of Catholic King James II who had fled to France. He raised French and Irish troops hoping to reclaim his throne. English nobility who were concerned with James' Catholic and pro French views, convinced his son-in-law, William III or William of Orange to take on their crusade. The battle of all battles was the Battle of the Boyne in which William's 36,000 troops humiliatingly defeated James' 25,000 troops in July of 1690. The Irish surrendered on July 12, 1690.
The English adopted the Penal Laws. Catholics were unable to vote, hold public office, serve in the army, practice their religion, marry Protestants, own firearms, become lawyers or judges, obtain a foreign education, enter Protestant lands, adopt an orphan, own a horse worth more than five pounds, teach school, and for a period of time were unable to even live in a town.
In 1788, another attempt at an independent Irish nation was made and failed. Over 30,000 people lost their lives.
For more information, feel free to view the link on the Famine and Kilmainham Gaol (failed attempts to gain self rule).
I know this is wordy, but getting a better understanding of "The Troubles" requires lessons in history. Our local guide, Ken drove a cab in Belfast and still drives a cab there. He was straightforward and engaging. He let us know right away that no question was off-limits.
Briefly summarizing the history (as I understand it): Some 400 years ago James I resettled Ireland with English and Scottish loyalists - who were Protestant and loyal to the crown. The Irish were Catholic and did not feel an allegiance to the crown. The loyalists received Irish land; the terms of the Plantation were harsh on the Irish who were forbidden to own or plant or even work on land owned by settlers.
In 1641, the Irish revolted against these practices of the loyalists. At first there were beatings and robbings of the settlers, then houses were burned and settlers expelled, then they were killed. Between 4,000 and 12,000 settlers died from being murdered or from harsh conditions when they were expelled from their homes. In turn, settlers and English troops killed the Irish. As in most wars, atrocities were committed by both sides and numbers of innocent civilians lost their lives.
The revolution was unsuccessful and developed into an ethnic conflict between the native Irish Catholics on one side and the English and Scottish Protestants on the other side. All Irish associated with the rebellion were executed. Thousands were made into indentured laborers. Catholicism was outlawed, priests were killed. England, in further retaliation, passed the Adventurer's Act, where, for a 200 pound investment, the investor would receive 1,000 acres of land taken from the Irish rebels. A civil war in England turned attention briefly away from the Irish.
Attention was directed back on the Irish by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 through 1653. The money raised through the Adventurer's Act needed to be repaid. Ireland needed to be conquered and land confiscated and redistributed. Cromwell was a Puritan and believed Catholics were heretics - to him this was his religious crusade. Cromwell was responsible for many atrocities. Captured soldiers were not taken as prisoners of war, they were murdered. Townspeople were murdered and their towns burnt to the ground. The war resulted in famine and the death toll was increased by an outbreak of bubonic plague. Before Cromwell, 80% of landowners were Catholic. By 1655, not one Catholic west of the river Shannon owned land.
Then, in 1688-89, the Irish took up the cause of Catholic King James II who had fled to France. He raised French and Irish troops hoping to reclaim his throne. English nobility who were concerned with James' Catholic and pro French views, convinced his son-in-law, William III or William of Orange to take on their crusade. The battle of all battles was the Battle of the Boyne in which William's 36,000 troops humiliatingly defeated James' 25,000 troops in July of 1690. The Irish surrendered on July 12, 1690.
The English adopted the Penal Laws. Catholics were unable to vote, hold public office, serve in the army, practice their religion, marry Protestants, own firearms, become lawyers or judges, obtain a foreign education, enter Protestant lands, adopt an orphan, own a horse worth more than five pounds, teach school, and for a period of time were unable to even live in a town.
In 1788, another attempt at an independent Irish nation was made and failed. Over 30,000 people lost their lives.
For more information, feel free to view the link on the Famine and Kilmainham Gaol (failed attempts to gain self rule).
The Troubles - A Slide Show
We start first in Falls Road - Catholic Neighborhood
Next we enter Shankill Road - Protestant Neighborhood
(Please accept my apologies on my photos - they were taken inside a moving bus)
The Troubles - Modern History
Candy bars for Belfast Tourists, featuring: Titanic, Shankill Road, Falls Road and City Hall.
In the beginning of the 20th century, on one side, the Sinn Fein party (lobbying for independence), Irish Volunteers (militant Catholics), and the Irish Citizens Army were on the rise. On the other side, Irish Protestants and pro-British forces established the Ulster Volunteers composed of Orangemen and Unionists (to remain part of Britain). In 1916, when the British were occupied with World War I, Irish Volunteers and members of the Irish Citizens Army staged the Easter Uprising on April 24, 1916. They marched on the General Post Office in Dublin and raised an Irish flag and declared that Ireland was an independent republic.
The British responded and, within a week, 300 were dead; many more were arrested and taken to Kilmainham Gaol. The 16 ringleaders were summarily executed at the Gaol. These executions, without trial, became the rallying point for the Irish. The war of independence began in 1918 and over the next two years, at least a thousand people were killed by way of street fighting, in the jails, by terrorist bombs and so on. The Black and Tans (a group who fought in WWI - identified by the color of their uniforms) inflicted terrible abuse on the Irish. In 1920, Ireland was divided into the Irish Free State (26 counties consisting of the Catholic majority) and Northern Ireland (6 counties with a majority of Protestants and Unionists) which would remain as part of the United Kingdom.
This division led to the Irish Civil War. The IRA was staunchly opposed to British rule in any part of Ireland. The members of the Irish Free State supported the compromise. More street fighting ensued. Michael Collins, the leader of the Irish Free State, prevailed and the IRA went underground and pursued its objective in the North.
The North, inspired, in part, by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, in 1967 mobilized the Irish Civil Rights Movement and marches, along with protests to gain the right to vote, better housing, etc., began.
From the 1970s through the 1990s, the North was engaged in guerrilla warfare, with bombings, fires, riots, marches, hunger strikes, and the killings of innocent civilians on both sides. Numerous agreements to cease fire were made and then broken again. Over 3,500 were killed. In 1998 (with help from then President Clinton) the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was reached - if you are in favor of Irish rule, you call it the Good Friday Agreement, if you are a unionist, you call it the Belfast Agreement.
Neighborhoods are segregated. Public schools are segregated! Religion is taught in public schools (furthering sectarianism). There are gates that are locked that separate the Irish from Unionist neighborhoods. There are "peace walls" consisting of corrugated metal, chain link fencing, barbed and razor wire to maintain the segregation.
Factor into this the Ancient History detailed above. For over 200 years, Orangemen commemorated the 1641 Rebellion. They commemorate the Battle of the Boyne. These commemorations take place with huge bonfires and "parades" or "marches" through towns celebrating the Battle of the Boyne and the defeat of the Irish. They march through predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhoods whose citizens can only think that these marchers are taunting them, are prejudiced and so on.
And, I just plain do not "get" this and I do not "get" the culture of marching on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. It would be horribly divisive if we Americans were to celebrate Sherman's March to the Sea each year by marching through the South -- and what purpose would it serve? While freedom of speech is an important principle, what free speech is being served? I know I've oversimplified things, but why not stop something that incites such horrible feelings when peace is still so tenuous?
We were there on July 6th just as preparations were made to light bonfires and march to celebrate the Battle of the Boyne. On the 12th there was some rioting and at least 12 people were arrested. As we were there, there was much uproar in the United States about Lennox, a pit bull terrier in Belfast, who was scheduled to be executed just because he was a pit bull terrier mix - which had been designated as inherently dangerous. Victoria Stillwell, star of the TV show "It's me or the Dog", found sanctuary for the dog in the United States. There was to be no reprieve for Lennox; he was executed. I tried to explain to my friends: "How can you expect to eliminate prejudice for certain breeds of animals when people are still so overtly discriminated against?"
I included the picture of the candy bars for the Shankill and Falls City neighborhoods in this section hoping that the entrepreneurship will lead to greater tourism, greater demand to erase the hatred that is still palpable, better solutions and a real, lasting peace in the North.
The British responded and, within a week, 300 were dead; many more were arrested and taken to Kilmainham Gaol. The 16 ringleaders were summarily executed at the Gaol. These executions, without trial, became the rallying point for the Irish. The war of independence began in 1918 and over the next two years, at least a thousand people were killed by way of street fighting, in the jails, by terrorist bombs and so on. The Black and Tans (a group who fought in WWI - identified by the color of their uniforms) inflicted terrible abuse on the Irish. In 1920, Ireland was divided into the Irish Free State (26 counties consisting of the Catholic majority) and Northern Ireland (6 counties with a majority of Protestants and Unionists) which would remain as part of the United Kingdom.
This division led to the Irish Civil War. The IRA was staunchly opposed to British rule in any part of Ireland. The members of the Irish Free State supported the compromise. More street fighting ensued. Michael Collins, the leader of the Irish Free State, prevailed and the IRA went underground and pursued its objective in the North.
The North, inspired, in part, by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, in 1967 mobilized the Irish Civil Rights Movement and marches, along with protests to gain the right to vote, better housing, etc., began.
From the 1970s through the 1990s, the North was engaged in guerrilla warfare, with bombings, fires, riots, marches, hunger strikes, and the killings of innocent civilians on both sides. Numerous agreements to cease fire were made and then broken again. Over 3,500 were killed. In 1998 (with help from then President Clinton) the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was reached - if you are in favor of Irish rule, you call it the Good Friday Agreement, if you are a unionist, you call it the Belfast Agreement.
Neighborhoods are segregated. Public schools are segregated! Religion is taught in public schools (furthering sectarianism). There are gates that are locked that separate the Irish from Unionist neighborhoods. There are "peace walls" consisting of corrugated metal, chain link fencing, barbed and razor wire to maintain the segregation.
Factor into this the Ancient History detailed above. For over 200 years, Orangemen commemorated the 1641 Rebellion. They commemorate the Battle of the Boyne. These commemorations take place with huge bonfires and "parades" or "marches" through towns celebrating the Battle of the Boyne and the defeat of the Irish. They march through predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhoods whose citizens can only think that these marchers are taunting them, are prejudiced and so on.
And, I just plain do not "get" this and I do not "get" the culture of marching on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. It would be horribly divisive if we Americans were to celebrate Sherman's March to the Sea each year by marching through the South -- and what purpose would it serve? While freedom of speech is an important principle, what free speech is being served? I know I've oversimplified things, but why not stop something that incites such horrible feelings when peace is still so tenuous?
We were there on July 6th just as preparations were made to light bonfires and march to celebrate the Battle of the Boyne. On the 12th there was some rioting and at least 12 people were arrested. As we were there, there was much uproar in the United States about Lennox, a pit bull terrier in Belfast, who was scheduled to be executed just because he was a pit bull terrier mix - which had been designated as inherently dangerous. Victoria Stillwell, star of the TV show "It's me or the Dog", found sanctuary for the dog in the United States. There was to be no reprieve for Lennox; he was executed. I tried to explain to my friends: "How can you expect to eliminate prejudice for certain breeds of animals when people are still so overtly discriminated against?"
I included the picture of the candy bars for the Shankill and Falls City neighborhoods in this section hoping that the entrepreneurship will lead to greater tourism, greater demand to erase the hatred that is still palpable, better solutions and a real, lasting peace in the North.