What Caused the Troubles - Northern Ireland

To understand the cause of the outbreak of the troubles, we must look at both the long build-up of tension right from the establishment of the Irish state and the key moments/actions which set everything off. The Northern Irish state was created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. This Act sectioned off the part of Ireland that didn’t want to be governed from a Dublin based parliament. This state rightfully should have had four counties, the counties with a majority wanting to stay as a part of Britain. But the shrewd politicians Carson and Craig decided that a state that small would not survive, and so persuaded the Unionist-sympathetic Westminster to include two more states, creating a 6 county entity with its own parliament for home based affairs called Stormont.

 In Northern Ireland there were two opposing communities; catholic nationalists and unionist protestants. Both communities feared one another, with nationalists being forced under the rule of a government who did not represent them in any way shape or form, and unionists constantly under the impression a fluctuation in Catholic population could jeopardise their 66% majority, possibly reunifying Ireland, where overall they were only 25% of the population. This fear was almost immediately justified as upon the creation of the NI state; council elections took place. Nationalists won control of Fermanagh, Tyrone, South Down, south Armagh, Derry city and more. They then transferred the allegiance of these councils to the Dail government in Dublin. As a result of this the attitude towards the nationalist minority went downhill fast. The Unionist government introduced first past the post voting systems and gerrymandered elections. To reassure the protestant population the government introduced an auxiliary force called the ‘Specials’. While the A and C regiments didn’t last the notorious B-Specials endured for the next 50 years, famous for their 100% protestant membership and sectarian violence toward Catholics.

Right from the creation of the Northern Irish state there was a divide in culture. Nationalists saw themselves as Irish and Unionists saw themselves as British. Both felt a need to express their cultural identity. For nationalists this came in a mostly harmless manner. They taught students the Irish language and history, boys schools generally played Hurling or Gaelic rather than rugby or soccer and the GAA remained the nationalist’s foremost expression of Catholic Identity. Unfortunately for nationalists the Unionist show of identity was generally commemorating events that unite them against Catholics, meaning their parades and orders were very anti-Catholic. Their two biggest organisations, The Orange Order and The Apprentice Boys, held annual anti-Catholic parades. These parades were generally left alone and caused no harm, but problems arose when hundreds of people singing anti-Catholic songs paraded through Catholic areas. Many Nationalists resented this as the Protestant parades were allowed to pass through Catholic areas while their own parades were restricted. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of cultural discrimination was the 1954 Flags and Emblems act which made it possible for the police to remove the republican tricolour or papal flag if a unionist objected.

This overall build-up of tension of tension continued steadily throughout the years, but the first time Catholics really began to make demands for change on the governments sectarian outlook was post Coleraine. At a time when the people were already beginning to question the development of the Protestant heartland to the East while the Catholic West was being neglected, the Lockwood Committee decided that Northern Ireland needed a new university. Derry was the obvious choice as it was the second biggest city in Ireland and already had a well esteemed college to build upon. But unfortunately for the city a Protestant area was chosen instead. A two-minute silence was called in Derry and a 2000 strong motorcade led a protest to Stormont. The Coleraine decision turned many Nationalists against the Stormont government. Derry was in a fragile state at this point, but was soon to become a lot worse.

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