The Problems of Ulster: Land Divided by Fait

The Province of Ulster: A Land Divided by Faith To understand the time of strife and conflict in Northern Ireland commonly referred to as "the Troubles", one might look at the intense sectarianism that split the province of Ulster into two very defined groups that did not blend well together: the Catholic population and the Protestant population. Many factors played a role in the segregation of these communities, such as political standpoint which is closely correlated with religious beliefs. However, a very clear picture can be identified through examining the destructive effects caused by the divide in religion alone. The differing religious standpoints caused much strife, death, and families to be torn apart. An excellent portrayal of the Troubles is put forth by Graham Reid in the play Remembrance, in which a bias is given to neither side of the conflict. Rather, he aims to show the story and viewpoint of each opposing side, and how difficult it is for the two to overcome the divide to be together in the form of a romance between a Protestant widower and a Catholic widow. Before the Troubles can be analyzed, it is best to look at the history of how they began. Being a predominantly Catholic island, Ireland gradually began to see an influx of Protestant settlers. The Plantation of Ulster attracted many of these settlers to the north, and this "meant that the Protestant settlers lived in close proximity to the Catholic Irish who were cleared to the geographical margins but not exterminated" (Darby). This caused a rift already beginning to form between these two groups, as the Catholic population felt they were being invaded, marginalized, and that their land was being stolen from them. Meanwhile, the Protestant settlers began to feel uneasy, and always on edge. This is where the sectarian divide begins, before the start of the period known as the Troubles (Darby). Additionally, at this time Ireland was still under British rule. The Catholic

Cited: Darby, John. "Northern Ireland: The Background to the Peace Process." CAIN Web Service. 2003. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Elliot, Laurence. "Religion and Sectarianism in Ulster: Interpreting the Northern Ireland Troubles". Religion Compass 7.3 (2013): 93-101. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Reid, Graham. Remembrance. New York: Samuel French, 1987. Print.