|
1. Religion
The divide between Catholics and Protestants goes back a long way to the 16th and 17th centuries. It was then that British rulers first brought the Protestant church and Protestant settlers to Ireland.
The overwhelming majority of Northern Protestants are also Unionists. Nearly all Nationalists in northern Ireland are also Catholics.
By itself the religious difference cannot explain the conflict in Ireland. The divisions in the north of Ireland are caused by the two communities having a different sense of identity.
Some religious differences between Catholics and Protestants
Catholic
The leader of the Catholic Church is the Pope. He represents Christ on Earth.
Services often contain elaborate ritual. Priests have special powers.
Priests must not marry. Monks and nuns do not marry.
Special veneration is given to the Virgin Mary and other saints.
Protestant
The Pope is wrong when he claims to represent Christ. His leadership is rejected.
Services are simpler. Ministers do not have supernatural powers.
Ministers can marry. Marriage is better than a monastic way of life.
Little attention is given to saints. The Bible is given special veneration.
2. Power politics
Nationalism
Nationalists want a united Ireland. There are two traditions of Irish Nationalism. The parliamentary Nationalists, like the SDLP, think the only way to get a united Ireland is by peaceful negotiation. The traditional revolutionary republican, like the IRA, fight against British rule using the bomb and bullet.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin and John Hume of the SDLP met to work out a common approach. Adams agreed to work towards a peaceful approach to politics. He persuaded the IRA to change, and in 1994 and 1997 the IRA declared cease-fires. The 1997 cease-fire was followed by peace talks which were attended by both Sinn Féin and the SDLP. Both Nationalist parties agreed to support the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Unionism
Unionists are determined to stop North and South becoming united. Some, like the politicians of the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party, use parliamentary politics to protect the Union with Britain. Others, including members of the UDA and the UVF, have used violence against Catholics in an attempt to defeat the IRA. The Protestant paramilitaries have carried out campaigns of sectarian murder, during which innocent Catholics have been killed as a warning to the IRA. Occasionally the line between the Parliamentary Unionists and the use of paramilitary force becomes blurred.
3. Economics
The land question
In the 17th century the government started taking land from the native Irish (who were Catholics) and giving it to Scottish and English settlers (who were loyal Protestants).
After the rebellions in 1641 and 1690 more land was confiscated from Catholic landowners and settled in the same way. Finally in 1704 the Irish Parliament (which was controlled by Protestant landowners) passed a law forbidding Catholics to buy any more land. By 1703 over 80% of the land was owned by Protestants.
The Great Famine
Among the most difficult phases for the Irish were periods of starvation, e.g. "The Great Hunger" 1845 to 1849, where the potato crop was destroyed by a disease. During the Great Hunger about one third of Ireland's population starved or emigrated to the USA, Canada and Britain.
4. Social life
Separate schools
Today the two communities are not only divided by religion and politics, they also go to separate schools.
The idea of separate schools has a long history. In 1700 after their victory at the Battle of the Boyne, Protestants passed a series of "Penal Laws" against Catholics. One of these banned Catholic teachers.
For over 100 years the only legal schools were those run by the Protestant churches. Catholics ran illegal "hedge" schools for their children.
Separate housing
In the cities of Belfast and Derry, most Catholics and Protestants live in separate areas. In Derry this goes back to the time of the Protestant Plantations in the early 17th century. Separate areas in Belfast grew up in the early 19th century when the growing shipbuilding and linen industries attracted many Catholic workers.
|
