Northern Ireland vs England, what happened?

Question

im from the usa and i heard of a lot of violence coming from northern ireland and england, can somebody tell me what really happened? i asked some people at work and they told me it all started with religion, they told me england sent troops as a peace keeping mission but instead they tried to take control over the northern part of ireland to gain more land..

Answer 1

Northern Ireland beat England 1-0

Answer 2

"they told me england sent troops as a peace keeping mission but instead they tried to take control over the northern part of ireland to gain more land.."

Thats a load of rubbish and whoever told you that is an idiot.  they never "tried to take control" of NI, it was already part of the UK, but the Catholics wanted it to be part of the Republic of Ireland.

Plus anything done to Ireland was done by the UK Government not the People.  Saying that the UK deserved the IRA attacks is like saying that America deserved 9/11.  and calling the IRA heroes is like calling Al Quaida heroes for the same reason.

You need to research this issue on the net, its a long complex history and cannot be fully explained in one simple answer.  A lot of the above answers are just full of inaccuracies and have obviously been posted by anti-UK ranters with an agenda to promote.  Do yourself a favour a pick up a history book.

Candy - the IRA killed a 9 month old baby girl by placing a bomb under her father's car and killed several children in the UK in their filthy evil civillian bombing campaigns.  They killed inocent Catholic families and held them hostage.  They murdered a young mother for giving a drink of water to a dying soldier.  they killed a 17 year old girl who they "beleived" (wrongly) had "informed" on them.  How is that "defending you like an army"???  I am ashamed to have Irish blood when I think of the IRA they are and were a total disgrace to Ireland.  The IRA were not an army, they were nothing but COWARDLY murdering terrorist scumbags who are all going to h**l in a handbag.

Answer 3

Ireland would be so much better without the British in it that's all i have to say . Mrs M i'm not going to go down to your level but i will tell you this.

The I.R.A ( A stands for ARMY) They trainned like a army , fought like a army and defended us like a army.

Answer 4

Firstly, I must protest over the habit of calling every soldier present in Northern Ireland 'English'.  They are British soldiers.  They come from all over the UK (INCLUDING Northern Ireland), and every constituent country of Great Britain has had a hand in the regretful incidences of repression and bloodshed which Ireland has suffered in its past.

I will be the first to step forward and accept Britain's many crimes in Ireland, but I will not accept England as the sole mover and shaker of them.  That is blatant falsehood and anti-English sentiment.

Secondly, Ulster has been more culturally connected to Britain in terms of religion.  Throughout the Middle Ages Ulster was the main settling place for the New and Old English and Scots, mostly being Scots (English Pale was around Dublin).  When England and Scotland broke with the Church of Rome their populations in Ireland followed, but the majority of Irish remained Catholic.

Fast forward several centuries, and by the start of the 20th Century Ireland was pushing for independence.  There were a large number of people in Britain fiercely opposed to this for imperial sentiment reasons (or hopes that Ireland's troubles could be addressed from within the UK), or out of sympathy with the majority of the Northern Irish population who were prepared to start a civil war to prevent themselves being ruled by what they perceived to be a vengeful Catholic majority.

With one thing and another, British bigotry, Ulstermen obstructionism, and Irish intangibility, Home Rule was never achieved and it almost blew into civil war, but the First World War pre-empted it.  During the War, in 1916, Irish nationalists attempted a forceful uprising but were crushed, and after the War, the Anglo-Irish War led to the south of the island of Ireland being granted Dominion status.  Northern Ireland remained in the UK.

The Troubles flared up in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to the devolved legislature being dominated by Protestants who discriminated against the majority Catholic population, forcing some Catholics to opt for non-parliamentary means and to push for Northern Ireland's passing to the Republic.

Britain's response was to shut down the devolved assembly in Belfast (quite rightly, as it was corrupt and oppressive to Catholics), but also not to deal with terrorists, which Sinn Fein frankly were.  We could not simply hand over the North to the South, as at the time the Republic was equally loathe to have it, as it was an economically depressed and socially dangerous region.  By handing it over, you'd have satisifed the republicans, but the Unionists would have taken up arms against Dublin instead.

Now, the terrorists have on the whole laid down their arms and accepted devolved constitutional rule under London.  The Assembly is more representative of Ulster's society, and both Catholics and Protestants share power.  They may still desire the North to join the Republic at some point, but that will be through democratic decisionmaking endorsed by a majority of Ulster's population, and Dublin's acceptance.

Britain did a lot of things wrong, but at the same time, Britain was completely right not to bow to the demands of terrorists.  Now, the situation has calmed to the point where Ulster can rebuild and after time decide its destiny - and whether it chooses to go Irish or remain British is up to them.

Answer 5

Ancient history. You're a bit late, it's over.

Answer 6

When England tried to take all of Ireland the young King of Ireland, 16 at the time, gave them 6 out of 32 counties. The British took the most profitable 6, the northern counties. ( Where the ship building was, remember the Titanic). The British then settled those counties with their people. The Irish language was forbidden and work for an Irishman (catholic) came after all the work was given to a Brit (protestant).  This of course started down a course where it was then known as a religious war.  But really one group identified as English and the other Irish.  When it got out of hand, the British army was sent to keep the peace, the Irish were happy and actually brought them tea etc.  However, the protestants were outraged and the army sided with them.  So the Catholics, having no where else to turn, had to fight with what they had. There own army, the IRA.  Which was illegal, but the UVF was allowed to do what they wanted, and did.  So the British, unable to capture IRA men, rounded up all men, and imprisoned them, without trial or jury for years.  Leaving woman and children to fend for themselves.  Poverty grew.

Now, take any human, beat them down over and over and over and eventually they will bite back. People remembered the famine and how the British would NOT give the food to the people. (They have since apologized and told the truth of what they did during those years).  The British government was brought up on cruelty charges and charged over 5 million dollars at the time.  The IRA got more aggressive.  They were blamed for many things they did not do.  Like killing children etc. Once the Brits got the radio frequency of the bombs, the Brits would blow them up, knowing full well the IRA had already called the bomb in and would take the blame.

Yes things have gotten better.  But no the British government was a cruel ruler.  Look at all the other countries they took over.

My grandfather worked on the Titanic and said it was bound to sink because of the cruelty of the workers when they found out a catholic was working there. Some were burned right into the molting steal of the ship.

That is a short summary of what happened.

*Extra:  The word Terrorist comes from the British.  They called the Boston Tea party that.  Almost all terrorist organizations come from people who have been beaten down to nothing and it is their only way to fight back. When some go extreme its wrong.  But I see nothing wrong with any people joining forces to stop cruelty and that is just what the British GOVERNMENT was to the people of Ireland.  They starved them in the famine and let the Protestants kill the Catholics with no punishment at all.  It is not the English people, it is the government.  look at history, the British have a cruel one.  So do others. But the question was about Ireland and England.  

When a people have to go to extremes to survive its sad, but remember why terrorist are called that.  The IRA was blamed for many things they did not do.

Answer 7

Candy - IRA stands for I Ran Away.  They were cowards and no better than the Taliban are now, hiding behind women and children, I speak from bitter experience.

As for BM, born in  Belfast, raised in America, college professor  (says it all).  People like you make me sick, viewing things from afar and through rose coloured specs, you ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself "the IRA was blamed for many things it did not do" is perhaps the biggest load of bollox I have heard in a long time - tell that to the 3000 dead.  And just to rain a little more on your parade, who was responsible for the Omagh bombing, Santa Clause?

Answer 8

Divide and rule. Ireland was England's earliest and most long running example.

Answer 9

Candy what a load of rubbish!! The IRA was a terrorist organisation not an army and killed MANY innocent people on both sides. Are the people who caused 9/11 an army?

The main of Northern Ireland wanted to stay with the crown and British, the Catholics wanted to be Irish, hence internal fighting began with the loss of too many lives. The British government did nothing to help and the mainland was not interested.  After the violence became too much the British army were sent in. There are too many sides and too many rights and wrongs with what happened in Northern Ireland with no-one blameless.

Thankfully the Good Friday peace agreement was signed but there are still issues today. Northern Ireland is a beautiful country with a lot of history.

Stop blaming the English, it is not the English people it’s our d**n governments, and if I was in American I would look at your past history for violence, we all have crosses to bear.

BM - You silly person, the IRA did kill children (the Warrington bomb!!). I remember them straping a bomb to a catholic holding his family hostage and making him drive into a barracks killing himself and others, or do you choose to forgot! What about the Manchester bomb, the nail bomb in hyde park. I blame the UK Government for many things but never class the IRA as heros!

BM - I WAS BORN IN BELFAST TOO AND I'M CATHOLIC. You have no idea. People like you gave money to terrorists, obviously you support the 9/11 terrorists too then, you are a disgrace. What about the armagh bombing, Irish killing Irish!