The Paradox of Ireland's Civil Rights Revolution

The Paradox of Ireland's Civil Rights Revolution

By Trav Paine

July 25, 2008   

Recently I attended a Global Volunteer experience with my colleague, Dick Gayle, at a "peace and reconciliation centre" located in Northern Ireland.  I was exposed to an organized program of active world-class reconciliation and global diplomacy, and realized for the first time how strangely similar the "civil rights" movement in Northern Ireland had mirrored America's civil rights movement.  Both civil rights movements began in the 1960s and continue today.  Other than there being no black/white differences among the Northern Irish, however, the most significant difference in our respective civil rights history is that unlike America, Northern Ireland has never achieved true reforms, improved conditions and "peace among the people."    

A Northern Ireland treaty was finally signed in 2007 which ended more than 40 years of fierce disputes, surrounded by terrorism and bloodshed resulting in more than 3700 deaths.  Northern Ireland now seeks to mend and heal a strongly-segregated population in which Catholics and Protestants have heretofore fostered nearly 400 years of hatred.  Northern Ireland's sad recent history demonstrates that peace cannot be achieved without reconciliation, forgiveness and trust.    

Northern Ireland's civil rights revolution was spawned and encouraged by the civil rights movement which began in the 1960s in the United States.  The minority Catholics in Northern Ireland began to demand their civil rights from the majority Protestants who controlled government politics and benefits.  The equal right to opportunities (in employment, housing and government representation) was challenged, and years of horrible fighting, terrorism and fear resulted.   

America’s Civil Rights Revolution 

I have long worried about the lack of trust that generally exists between whites and blacks in America today, but I realize now that we are truly blessed with a generally peaceful spirit of cooperation and reconciliation that simply does not exist in other parts of the world.  The civil rights movement in our South, and particularly the distrust that resulted from so many years of wrongs by both whites and blacks, continues to be a challenge to our society.  Nevertheless, we should be very thankful for the forward progress we have made.  Likewise, I respect, more than ever before, the wisdom and bravery of Martin Luther King, Jr. in providing leadership to African-Americans of the 1960s, who might otherwise have found their leadership from groups such as the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, the Weathermen or the Brown Berets.  Our country was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that premise is stronger today than ever before in my lifetime.  Equality, however, does not always equate to peacefulness.     

Oppression in Ireland 

Although America has more that 40 million people of Irish decent, today Northern Ireland only has about 2 million and the Republic of Ireland has approximately 6 million citizens.  The indigenous Irish are obstinate and recalcitrant. My exposure to the Irish working-class revealed a social culture rooted in Ireland's peasantry heritage and in years of oppression, not entirely unlike the social culture of most blacks in America today.   

The issues which cause the continuing conflict in Northern Ireland are very complex and require a deep historical study to grasp any understanding of the dynamics which are the cause.  I do not profess a scholarly understanding of the history and issues of the Northern Irish conflict, but I do have some strong impressions from my volunteer experience.  Basically, the Irish people hate the English Crown and its oppression which has always been a threat to the freedom of Irish people.  For many years Northern Ireland’s Catholics have suffered widespread discrimination under the Protestant Unionist government which was loyal to the Crown.  In the simplest terms, the Northern Irish Catholics sought reform in voting rights, housing discrimination, local government representation, an end to the gerrymandering of district boundaries (which limited Catholic voting power), and the disbandment of the special force of Protestant Police reserves, perceived to be sectarian.   

Two Countries 

It is difficult to get a picture of the problem without a short description of the current geo-political status of Ireland. Today there are actually 2 countries on the island of Ireland, as follows: 

IRELAND - the large southern part of the island which reached its independence from the British Crown around 1922 and is now known as the Republic of Ireland.  It is about 85% Catholic, very opposed to control from England, and was actually neutral in World War II like Switzerland.  It has enjoyed an economic boom during the last 15 years and is now the home to many former U.S. firms due to its corporate-friendly tax structure (e.g. Google is headquartered in Ireland).  It is a member of the European Union and its currency is the Euro.  Being independent and economically resourceful, Ireland has not suffered the same turmoil as Northern Ireland in recent years.   

NORTHERN IRELAND – this small 6-county part of the island is located at the northern end of the island known as the Ulster area (with a Scottish ancestry planted by the English many years ago), and unlike Ireland to the south, it is still a part of the United Kingdom and remains under control of the British Crown.  It is dependent upon the United Kingdom for its support, and its currency is the Pound Sterling.  In the 1960s this area suffered the start of a civil rights movement similar to the black/white civil rights movement we experienced in the U.S., but this revolution wasn't racially-based.  Historically, the small Protestant majority was English-protected and was always given favoritism with jobs, housing, government representation, and benefits.  The large Catholic minority was nearly 45% or more of the population, and was always discriminated against.  Protestants had their own towns, schools and got the best jobs, benefits, housing, food and opportunities.   

Northern Ireland’s Civil Rights Revolution  

Eventually this large minority of Catholics started demanding equal rights, which the British government ignored.  So the Catholics commenced a paramilitary offensive against the English government control. To defend their privileges, the Protestants then set up their own paramilitary groups and chaotic war-like turmoil plagued the people for more than 3 decades.  The goal of the Catholics was to forcefully eject the British in order to unify Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic to the south.  Opposition to this idea came from the Protestants who remained tenaciously loyal to the United Kingdom, and who pursued the Unionist cause through violence with its own Protestant terrorist organizations. 

The “Troubles” 

Because of this extended conflict (known as "The Troubles"), Northern Ireland has suffered economically while Ireland has thrived and become economically powerful.  This is truly remarkable considering that as recently as the 1950s Ireland was one of Europe's poorest countries.  The horrible stories of this era remind you of the tales of the KKK after the Civil War, and of atrocities which have occurred in Palestine, Beirut and Bagdad.  During this horrible time there were bombings, beatings, murders, sabotage of Protestant political leaders or firms which supported the English effort (like computer firms, manufacturing firms, aerospace firms, etc), and destruction of English landmarks.   

The 2007 Treaty 

Typically, after the Catholics did their damage the Protestants would then retaliate, and things got really bad - dangerous and deadly for many years with many deaths of innocent people. More than 3700 were killed and tens of thousands wounded and maimed before the final treaty was executed in 2007 (known as the "Good Friday Agreement" to the Irish and the "Belfast Agreement" to the British - they can't even agree on the name of the treaty).   

Volunteer Service at Corrymeela Centre 

My recent Global Volunteer experience was at the Corrymeela Community Centre, located in Ballycastle at the northern tip of the island.  The Corrymeela Center was established more than 30 years ago as a safe place to negotiate and work out these differences.  Upon arrival, I soon realized that the place was certainly more significant than I originally imagined when I agreed to the volunteer stint.  When it originally opened in the 1960s, Corrymeela was visited by Prince Charles, and since that time its visitors have included the Dali Lama, Sister Teresa and many other world peace-makers.  Go to www.corrymeela.org <http://www.corrymeela.org/> for more info about the Corrymeela Centre.  During this dark time in Northern Ireland's history, religious differences sometimes caused the Church to be more of a problem than a solution, and places like Corrymeela have helped introduce the idea of "restorative justice" to leadership groups through teaching faith, reconciliation and reality.   

Catholic Nationalists vs. Protestant Unionists  

In spite of the good works being done by the peace-makers, however, there remains a great divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.  This is not necessarily because of religious beliefs, but because the “oppressed” Irish are predominately Catholics and the “privileged” British are predominately Protestants.  Generally, the Irish people hate the English and everything about the British Crown.  Much has changed since the Republic of Ireland gained its independence from England more than 75 years ago.  Strangely, today England seems to hold on to Northern Ireland not because it wants to, but because of the pressure it receives from the pro-English Protestant majority residing there.  Northern Ireland remains a burden on the English government, and most jobs in Northern Ireland are now government-based rather than the result of free-enterprise that exists in Ireland.     

Although Americans have supported the Northern Ireland conflict with generous financial support of the IRA, most Catholics in America lack an understanding of the differences between key issues and terms that define and distinguish the all-Irish interests and all-British interests.  All Ireland inhabitants, however, seem to have a clear understanding of these issues because they have personally experienced the many years of conflict and suffering.   

Who is right, the Catholic Nationalists or the Protestant Unionists?   

Good and evil seem to be equally prevalent on both sides of the conflict.  For many years I have read news articles about the Northern Ireland conflict, without clearly understanding the parties, the leaders, and the issues.  The typical news article might describe in detail a sensational event, like a bombing, a riot, a murder, or even a political speech, but it was always difficult to understand which party was right and which party was wrong.  Who were the good guys and who were the bad guys?  Unfortunately, it is not that simple, but at least now I know some of the key terms associated with this conflict which need to be understood.       

Terms which reflect Irish interests: 

The Nationalists are the predominantly Catholic community of people living in Northern Ireland. The IRA is the Irish Republican Army, the original paramilitary group which started out defending the Nationalist community and eventually became terrorists when it evolved into the Provisional IRA, a radical spin-off of the original IRA.  Sinn Fein is the political wing of the Provisional IRA, and then there is the Real IRA, which is a dissident extremist splinter group off the Provisional IRA, and the Continuity IRA, which is another extremist spin-off of the Provisional IRA.  In addition, the INLA is the Irish National Liberation Army, another paramilitary army fighting for socialist goals, the IRSP is the Irish Republican Socialist Party, which is the political wing of INLA, and finally the SDLP is the Social Democratic and Labor Party, which is the moderate political party of the Nationalists.  OK - Nationalists usually are Catholic, and some Nationalists may be mixed up with the IRA, Sinn Fein, SDLP, and sometimes the whole bunch of Catholics may be referred to as Republicans. 

Terms which reflect British interests: 

The Loyalists are the predominately Protestant community of people living in Northern Ireland who consider themselves British and want to be loyal to the United Kingdom.  Unionists are members of the Ulster Unionist Party, which is the political party of moderate Protestants, while the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) is the political party of the more extreme majority of Protestants.  In addition, the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) is a radical paramilitary army of the Loyalist Protestants, the PUP (Progressive Unionist Party) is the political party of the UVF, the UDA (Ulster Defense Association) is a paramilitary loyalist army association, the UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters) is a paramilitary loyalist army association, the Red Hand Brigade is another small paramilitary loyalist army association, and finally there is the Orangemen (members of the Orange Order, which is a men's association of Protestant loyalists).  OK - Loyalists that are moderate are called Unionists, and the DUP is the hard-line political party. 

Thus, today in news about Northern Ireland we typically see the “Catholic vs. Protestant” distinction in the mention of the People, the Organizations, and the Political Parties: 

Nationalists (Republicans) vs. Loyalists (or Unionists)

The IRA vs. the UDA

Sinn Fein vs. the DUP

Got it?    

The Atrocities 

The following is just a few examples of their respective handiwork: 

May 1966 - a 77 year-old Protestant widow was fatally burned in an IRA gas-bomb attack. 

June 1966 - Unionists shoot dead 2 Catholic men. 

October 1967 - 77 Catholics injured in a Police attack on a Catholic civil rights march in Londonderry.   

January 1972 - English paratroopers kill 14 unarmed Catholic demonstrators in Londonderry. 

July 1972 - 22 IRA bombs kill 11 Loyalists in Belfast's Bloody Friday. 

December 1972 - IRA bombs kill 2 in Dublin while the government debates anti-terrorist measures. 

February 1978 - IRA fire-bombing of a hotel.  

March 1979 - Conservative Protestant spokesman killed by IRA. 

October 1984 - IRA bomb kills 5 Protestants in Brighton at a Conservative party conference. 

April 1987 - IRA bomb kills Northern Ireland's second most senior judge and his wife.  

August 1988 - IRA bus bomb kills 8 British soldiers. 

October 1993 - Bomb explodes prematurely killing 9 Protestants and the IRA bomber.    

Finally, in a chilling reminder that Northern Ireland has not yet found peace, in June 2008 the INLA re-asserted its threatening presence and sent a public message to Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister: "We have not gone away."  The message was sent simultaneously with the INLA's huge paramilitary presence at the funeral of a Catholic republican who was regarded as a hero from his murder of a despised Loyalist in 1997.  At the funeral many men were dressed in combat uniforms, black berets and wearing dark sunglasses, walking into the church behind the coffin.  Earlier in the month the Deputy First Minister had issued calls for dissident republican terror groups to disband, citing that it was time for all terror groups to "pack up and go away."  

I guess the most significant thing I learned while at Corrymeela Centre was that “The future does not have to be a slave to the past.”