What the PIRA is going on in Northern Ireland?

The conflict in Northern Ireland, long portrayed as one of the most violent religious conflicts in modern times, has been brewing since the 16th and 17th centuries.

Following the English Reformation, the English government launched several military campaigns and initiated its policy of plantation, under which thousands of English and Scottish Protestant settlers moved into Irish territory. By 1613, the Catholic majority (which comprised 85% of the population) was banned from serving in the Irish parliament and suffered significant deprivation of rights at the hands of the Protestant settlers.

In 1801, the Act of Union made Ireland officially part of the United Kingdom. A new parliament in Ireland was created as part of this, under which Catholics were still forbidden to serve until 1829.

The Home Rule Act of 1914 allowed Ireland to maintain some level of autonomy and self-government while still existing as part of the larger U.K. It was several years after this that any opposition to English rule was truly effective.

The Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) showed the power of a prominent oppositional force, known as the Irish Republican Army (or Old IRA). Using guerrilla tactics against British forces in Ireland, the IRA was able to lay the foundation for the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. This treaty ended British rule in roughly five-sixths of the Irish continent, creating the Irish Free State (now known as the Republic of Ireland). It also gave the Parliament of Northern Ireland (ruling over 6 counties) the chance to join the Irish Free State, but, seeing as it was predominantly Protestant English-descendants, they opted out of this to remain part of the U.K.

The Ireland Act of 1949 asserted that these 6 counties of Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, would remain part of the U.K. until a majority of the population decided otherwise. For some residing in Ulster, this majority vote was an issue; a significant population of Irish Catholics still remained in the region and lacked the necessary numbers to join the Republic of Ireland. This tenuous situation came to head beginning in the 1960’s in a period known as The Troubles.

The Troubles marked a time in which the Nationalists (predominantly Catholic residents desiring freedom from Great Britain) and the Unionists (predominantly Protestant residents who wanted to remain part of the U.K.) launching paramilitary attacks against one another. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA or New IRA) sought expulsion of British rule; the Ulster Volunteer Force, working in conjunction with the British army and police, fought on behalf of the Unionists. Intense levels of violence carried on for roughly 30 years, claiming more than 3,000 lives in the process. Major political parties, including the PIRA’s political wing (the Sinn Féin), were in a deadlock over the future of Northern Ireland.

The Troubles were tentatively brought to an end in 1998 with the signing of the Belfast Agreement (or Good Friday Agreement), which decommissioned the PIRA’s weaponry, called for ceasefires from most paramilitary groups, again called for a majority of the population to vote for secession from the U.K. and called for Great Britain to remove itself from involvement in such a decision. This forced the people in Northern Ireland to cooperate, albeit on a minimalist level, to maintain functional infrastructure. As it stands now, the government of Northern Ireland is comprised of both Unionists and Nationalists, often headed by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of opposing parties.

Despite the Belfast Agreement, there are still small outbreaks of violence between paramilitaries in the region. The conflict itself has evolved from one along religious affiliation to one of political viewpoints and self-determination; it is important to note that currently, prominent members of the Sinn Féin are Protestant, as prominent members of the Democratic Unionist Party are Catholic, despite both groups originating as Catholic and Protestant respectively. The current political system, while considered functional, is ineffective at providing for the desires of at least some part of the population. Without better cooperation between both sides, no satisfaction for either can be obtained.

The purpose of this column is to inform people about global events. While one article is not enough to fully explain a conflict, it is enough to provide the reader with the basics. It is my hope that when you are finished reading, you can readily answer the question, “What the (blank) is going on in (blank?)”