What are the factors that caused the Northern Ireland conflict
WHAT CAUSED THE CONFLICT IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Divided loyalties was once cause of conflict in Northern Ireland. Most Catholics in Northern Ireland see themselves as Irish and would like their country to be reunited with Ireland. They resented the past history of English conquest where Catholics were either treated harshly or massacred. However, most Protestants are loyal to Britain and want to continue to be part of the United Kingdom. Many of them do not want a union with the Republic of Ireland, a Catholic country. They fear a Catholic government may not be tolerant of their Protestant beliefs. Surveys in 1991, 1993 and 2004 have shown that majority of the Protestants want to remain part of the United Kingdom while majority of the Catholics want to reunify with the rest of Ireland. The Protestants were insensitive to the Catholics’ feelings in many instances such as the celebration of the Battle of Boyne. Their sense of loyalty to different countries meant that there is no common identity and so they are intolerant of each other. Tension was further compounded when British Army was brutal towards the Catholics and when the IRA resorted to violent means to champion the Catholics cause. So, there was further increased tension which manifests itself into conflict.
The unequal allocation of housing was another cause of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the the provision of public housing is by the city councils, which consisted largely of protestants, the allocation of housing is biased against the Catholics. Very often, Catholic families in need of housing had to wait a long time to get a house. In some towns, more housed were given to the Protestants than the Catholics. The Catholics were frustrated as the shortage of houses meant that they had to wait many years before they were given their own houses. In one case, a house had been allocated to a single Protestant woman rather than a Catholic family with children. Another example is Dugannon in 1968, where
Divided loyalties was once cause of conflict in Northern Ireland. Most Catholics in Northern Ireland see themselves as Irish and would like their country to be reunited with Ireland. They resented the past history of English conquest where Catholics were either treated harshly or massacred. However, most Protestants are loyal to Britain and want to continue to be part of the United Kingdom. Many of them do not want a union with the Republic of Ireland, a Catholic country. They fear a Catholic government may not be tolerant of their Protestant beliefs. Surveys in 1991, 1993 and 2004 have shown that majority of the Protestants want to remain part of the United Kingdom while majority of the Catholics want to reunify with the rest of Ireland. The Protestants were insensitive to the Catholics’ feelings in many instances such as the celebration of the Battle of Boyne. Their sense of loyalty to different countries meant that there is no common identity and so they are intolerant of each other. Tension was further compounded when British Army was brutal towards the Catholics and when the IRA resorted to violent means to champion the Catholics cause. So, there was further increased tension which manifests itself into conflict.
The unequal allocation of housing was another cause of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the the provision of public housing is by the city councils, which consisted largely of protestants, the allocation of housing is biased against the Catholics. Very often, Catholic families in need of housing had to wait a long time to get a house. In some towns, more housed were given to the Protestants than the Catholics. The Catholics were frustrated as the shortage of houses meant that they had to wait many years before they were given their own houses. In one case, a house had been allocated to a single Protestant woman rather than a Catholic family with children. Another example is Dugannon in 1968, where