Transcript Northern Ireland - Huntingdon College

Northern Ireland
1169-2005
Great Britain and Ireland
Roots of the Conflict- religion,
ethnicity and colonialism
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Normans in Ireland- 1169
Plantation of Ulster- 16th century
Act of Settlement 1653
Accession of James II 1685
William of Orange ascends to British
throne
King William of Orange
Roots of the Conflict c’ntd
• Penal Laws introduced from 1695 onwards
• 1782- Irish Parliament received legislative
independence
• Development of Peep O’ Day Boys,
Defenders, Orange Order
• 1798- United Irishmen Rebellion
• 1800- Act of Union
• 1829- Catholic Emancipation
Independence of Ireland
• Struggle for land reforms – 1870s & 1880s
• Irish Parliamentary Party – 1882
• Home Rule – 1st attempt – 1885
2nd attempt – 1893
3rd attempt - 1914
Partition
• World War One – 1914
• Government of Ireland Act – 1920
• Irish War of Independence – 1919-1921
Irish Free State and Northern
Ireland
Northern Ireland Parliament Stormont
1921-1963
• The new NI Parliament- unstable at first,
financial and political difficulties as well as
inexperienced government ministers
• Catholics took little part in new NI stateelectoral discrimination, grievances in
housing, policing and employment.
“A Protestant state for a Protestant people”
Reasons for unrest
• 1963- arrival of Terence O’Neill as Prime
Minister. Introduction of reforms. Attracted
opposition from within his party as well as
from Ian Paisley
• Catholics encouraged by success of Civil
Rights movement in America
• Formation of NICRA
• By the late 60s the peaceful protests had
begun to take on a more violent nature
Initial Reaction of British
Government to Violence in
Northern Ireland
• 1969- British troops sent to Northern
Ireland
• 1970- Curfews, house searches
• 1971- Internment
• 1972- Bloody Sunday
• Following this Direct Rule from
Westminster was re-instated
Responses to Terrorism
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Power-sharing, Sunningdale – 1973-74
Rolling Devolution – 1982-84
Anglo Irish Agreement – 1985
Downing Street Declaration - 1993
Aftermath from Anglo-Irish
Agreement
Looking forward
• Good Friday Agreement – 1998
Good Friday Agreement
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Human Rights and Equality
Early release of terrorist prisoners
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons
Reforms of criminal justice and policing.
Good Friday Agreement, con’t
• Three strands,
• 1. Creation of Northern Ireland Assembly
• 2. North-South Relationships
• 3. East-West Relationships
Prospects for a Functioning Local
Democracy
• Many issues still need to be resolved,
such as policing, decommissioning and
prisoner releases
• Remaining hostility between political
parties
• Northern Bank robbery- suspected IRA
involvement having knock-on effect for
Sinn Fein- withdrawal of funding
Prospects for a Functioning Local
Democracy
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Hopes for the future
Inclusive government
Economic development
Development in inter-community cultural
awareness eg. through integrated schools,
cross community initiatives such as BEI
• Equal opportunity programs