History Commons^™

Religion And Conflict: The Case Of Northern Ireland, Padraig O'Malley

Padraig O'Malley

Now that the peace process, however fragile and tenuous, has stayed the course, despite some serious obstacles and setbacks, and talks between the British government and Sinn Fein are taking place, it is a time to reflect on the nature of the divisions that have scarred our lives and psyches. One of the most under-researched and least understood aspects of the conflict is the role religious differences play - or do not play. 1 While it is a common practice to label the two communities as "Catholics" and "Protestants," and to keep the tally-roll of the dead according to religious …

A Pre-Negotiation Guide To The Conflict In Northern Ireland, Padraig O'Malley

Padraig O'Malley

On September 1, 1994, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) declared a ceasefire. The declaration was potentially one of the most significant developments in Irish history since Ireland was partitioned in 1920. It represented, or at the time it seemed to represent, an acknowledgement by the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein, that Ireland cannot be united by physical force, that the armed struggle of the last twenty five years to drive the British out of Northern Ireland has not worked, that the strategy of "the Long War," based on the premise that if the IRA persisted in its campaign …

Northern Ireland Peace Talks: Endgames, Padraig O'Malley

Padraig O'Malley

With days to go before the Northern Ireland peace talks come to a formal close, things are, to use the immortal words ofFluther in Sean O'Casey's play, The Plough and Stars, "in a state of chasis." Months of interminable bickering, the unwillingness of some parties to directly talk with others, a process in which it often appears that the key players spend more time trying to get one another thrown out of the process than with trying to bring those who are outside in, the insidious slide to more volatile sectarianism as armed extremists on both sides take random but …

"There Were Streets": Urban Renewal And The Early Troubles In London/Derry, Northern Ireland, Margo Shea

Margo Shea

Troubled Images: Posters And Images Of The Northern Ireland Conflict From The Linen Hall Library, Belfast, Allan Leonard

Allan Leonard

Troubled Images is the first major publication of the posters of the Northern Ireland conflict. The 124-page book contains 140 illustrations (115 in full colour) and detailed accounts of 70 posters of a travelling international exhibition.

The book includes an overview essay, ‘Visualising the Troubles’, written by Belinda Loftus, an expert on graphic imagery and author of Mirror: Orange and Green.

Informative commentaries to the featured exhibition posters are written by John Gray, Librarian of the Linen Hall Library, Belfast.

Edited by a diverse team of four, and scrutinised by a large project team, the entire spectrum of the Northern …

The Alliance Party Of Northern Ireland And Power Sharing In A Divided Society, Allan Leonard

Allan Leonard

The government of Northern Ireland from 1920 to 1972 represented a one-party government, or more appropriately, a segmental majority of unionism; Nationalist parties were perpetually unable to, as well as restricted from, achieving control of government. Political processes since then have been to compel Unionists to share power with others. There is more than one way to apply power sharing, with consociational (Lijphart 1977) or integrative (Horowitz 1985; 1991) elements. The result can be a more or less integrated society (Sisk 1996).

My thesis is that with the achievement of the 1998 Agreement, Alliance’s pursuit of a Northern Ireland-integrative power …

Unionism And The Political Party Structure Of Northern Ireland, Allan Leonard

Allan Leonard

This undergraduate independent study examined Unionist political reaction to developments of British Government policy towards Northern Ireland. Namely, Nationalist representatives achieved redress with the British Government, both directly and vis-a-vis the Irish Government, which should have compelled Unionists to pursue a more accommodationalist policy. Regardless, there was a paradoxical drive by integrationists in Northern Ireland for direct electoral candidacy by the Conservative Party in the regional constituency. This paper makes a defence in favour of this campaign, as a means of improving the accountability of British Government policy affecting those in its jurisdiction.