The Troubles In Northern Ireland

In August 12th 1969 an Apprentice Boys Parade was forced through a Catholic area in Derry City called the Bogside by the states police force,  Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

The march led to major riots in the city for over two days which is referred to as the Battle of the Bogside. The RUC had fired over 1000 canisters of CS gas into the Bogside, a densely populated housing estate which was the start of 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland.

With major trouble breaking out all over Northern Ireland the Prime Minister for the UK, Harold Wilson, decided the RUC needed assistance in maintaining control in Northern Ireland as the province was fast spiralling into a Civil War.

British Troops in Northern Ireland

It was decided that British Troops would be drafted into Northern Ireland to act as support from the already exhausted armed police force, the RUC. Harold Wilson demanded the Unionist Government of Stormont to disarm the ruthless police force of the B-Specials and to restructure the RUC to help establish better community relations.

With the arrival of British Troops into Northern Ireland, who were greeted with cups of tea from Catholics, there was a sign of relief from most Catholics who had felt protected against the RUC and Protestant Loyalist mobs. The welcome of the British Army was very short lived when Catholics were soon to find out the primary reason for the British Army was to provide backup for the RUC, an armed police force that Catholics could never trust in an already religious divided state.

At this stage the IRA still remained officially un-active after the leadership of the IRA thought a United Ireland may arrive sooner if done through peaceful dialogue allowing the Civil Rights organisations to voice their concerns but these organisations didn’t have much of a chance as they were despised by the Unionist Government and seen as a front for the IRA by the British Government.

Provisional IRA Is Established

Ranks within the IRA started to disagree with one each other with some believing peaceful methods would bring a united Ireland with others accusing their leadership of “going soft” on the issue of the British in Ireland. In 1970 the ranks of the IRA had split and the Provisional IRA was established starting a massive bombing campaign across Northern Ireland in attempt to bring the Ulster economy to its knees and to force the British Government to withdraw.

The Unionist Government of Northern Ireland knew the IRA recruitment was increasing and that British control in Northern Ireland was at a major threat from a war with the IRA. It was decided by Unionists that the British Army impose a curfew on the Catholic area of the Falls Road in West Belfast on July 1970 with an aim of flushing out the IRA from the Catholic area. The raids on Catholic homes from the British Army came across as being violent with only a small number of IRA arms being found. Many people were enraged with the breach of their Civil Rights which led to bigger support for the IRA and a huge recruitment drive from them which only prolonged the Northern Ireland troubles.

The introduction to Internment in Northern Ireland

In 1971 Internment was introduced in Northern Ireland to assist in capturing the leaders of the IRA who were known to the British Army and the RUC. Over a six month period over 2,000 Catholics had been arrested with no rights to a trial in a court of law with approximately 200 Protestant Loyalists being arrested also.

Although the excuse given for Internment was to cease terrorist activity many Catholics believed it was just another method being used by the Unionist Government to push Catholics out of Northern Ireland. The failure of Internment only caused another large recruitment drive for the IRA with people believing they had no other choice but to fight the British for their right to live as Irish people in Ireland.

Bloody Sunday 1972

Catholics started again to protest for Civil Rights and to abolish Internment but one major Civil Rights March ended up with the British Parachute Regiment shooting dead 14 unarmed Civilians in January of 1972 in Derry. This dark day in Derry City is known as Bloody Sunday and was possibly the IRA’s biggest recruitment drive ever on one single day after the horrible event, major failure for the British.

By March 1972 the Unionist Government of Stormont was stripped from its power and Northern Ireland would now be directly ruled by parliament in London who abolished Internment and recognized that all people of Northern Ireland had a right to fair trial which was happily welcomed by all Catholics.

This was seen by the Protestant Unionists and Loyalists as a betrayal of Ulster and so the Protestant terrorist group, Ulster Defense Association (UDA), was formed. The UDA was set-up to protect the Protestant community who now feared that a British withdrawal from Northern Ireland would occur and a united Ireland was in the horizon. With the Northern Ireland troubles lasting over 30 years its most possible their fear grew stronger each year.