More than a century ago, Ireland broke apart. To the south, were the Catholics who wanted to become independent and on the north (or north-east), were the Protestants who wanted to stay with the United Kingdom. But the blighted unease of the Southerners with the inhabitants to the north-east of the little island date back to centuries. Perhaps, one could blame the British, for failing to grant the will of the people, as they’ve always done in colonies around the world. The British being British after all.
The Easter Rising in 1916 spelled doom for the largely Protestant British rulers who had been fighting a costly World War I. It was the second major rebellion by the Irish republicans who sought an independent Ireland. Granted their wishes, did the British, but by carving out a free state for the Catholics in the South, which was hardly a solution to their concerns. The Irish War of Independence, fought in 1919 by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. During that year, a border was drawn, rending Ireland into two portions, ensuring that the Protestant dominant regions remained at the North and the rest at the South. This explains the unusually jagged border of Ireland that forever changed the politics of the UK.
In the process, one community suffered, the disgruntled minority Catholics in the north. To defend themselves, the Catholics took the aid of the old Irish Republican Army (IRA) and waged an armed struggle against the British. Fast-forward, three decades later, the ‘Troubles’ began, notorious for the vile heroics of the Irish Republican Army, deaths, and much suffering. 3500 deaths, 400 of which came during the 90s. And the latter, when security and intelligence services had been at flying at a reasonably advanced state. But at the end of it all, with much wresting and persuasion, a remarkable agreement was struck — the Belfast (or the Good Friday) agreement in 1998. It is an archetypal deal, with concessions and powers apportioned to each side considerably. Governance of the region was marked by a power-sharing agreement. Consensus of both, unionists and nationalists are required for key bills to pass. A referendum is to be conducted if a majority of the region’s inhabitants wishes independence and union with the Republic of Ireland. No room for the majority Protestants faff about, and thump the rest under their feet and at the same time enough safeguards assuring the Catholic minority.
For three decades the Troubles had wreaked havoc in their lives. Neither cause – that of the IRA nor the Unionists seemed justifiable. In quiet relief, with the forging of an impossible agreement, the people of Ireland safely retreated indoors paying homage to their old ways of life. They realised the value of community.
Those brutish 30 years have become a foregone past. The present generation breathes a renewed sense of morality. Violence is not in their books; nor can they comprehend the gravity of the wounds of their forebears. With songs of the IRA sung in pure elation in bars and pubs, the nationalists can keep their fingers crossed. The tide might turn in their favour. The clamour for a united Ireland has been growing. With the whole of Northern Ireland having voted to remain in the EU, while the UK steadfastly opposed, a merger with the the republic lying southwards seems just a matter of time.
The Unsaturated Reader 