The Troubles
(Irish: Na Triobloidi) was an
ethno-nationalist
period of conflict in
Northern Ireland
that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. Also known internationally as the
Northern Ireland conflict
, it is sometimes described as an "
irregular war
" or "
low-level war
". The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the
Good Friday Agreement
of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times the violence spilled over into parts of the
Republic of Ireland
,
England
, and
mainland Europe
.
The conflict was primarily political and
nationalistic
, fuelled by historical events. It also had an
ethnic
or
sectarian
dimension, but despite the use of the terms
Protestant
and
Catholic
to refer to the two sides, it was not a
religious conflict
. A key issue was the
constitutional status of Northern Ireland
.
Unionists
, who were mostly
Ulster Protestants
, wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the
United Kingdom
.
Irish nationalists
, who were mostly
Irish Catholics
, wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a
united Ireland
.
Quotes
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- I was stopped by a
soldier
, he said 'You are a swine'. He hit me with his rifle and he kicked me in the groin, I begged and I pleaded, sure me manners were polite. But all the time I'm thinking of my little Armalite... A brave RUC man came marching up into our street, six hundred
British soldiers
he had lined up at his feet. 'Come out, ye cowardly Fenians, come out and fight'. But he cried, 'I'm only joking', when he heard the Armalite.
- We share a deep concern for
peace
and
justice
in Northern Ireland and condemn all violence and terrorism in that strife-torn land. We support the process of peace and reconciliation established by the Anglo-Irish Agreement, and we encourage new investment and economic reconstruction in Northern Ireland on the basis of strict equality of opportunity and non-discrimination in employment.
- We urge peace and justice for Northern Ireland. We welcome the newly begun process of constitutional dialogue that holds so much promise. We encourage investment and reconstruction to create opportunity for all.
- It would seem that dead hunger strikers, who have extinguished their own lives, are of more use to
PIRA
than living members. Such is their calculated cynicism. This
Government
is not prepared to legitimise their cause by word or by deed. And we should be clear what that cause is. It is a
dictatorship
by force and by fear in
Northern Ireland
, and in the
Republic
. These men deny
democracy
everywhere; they seek power for themselves. Some people argue that the Government could make the problem go away. We can of course maintain and improve an already humane prison regime. But there is no point in pretending that this is what the PIRA want. They have remained inflexible and intransigent in the face of all that we have done because what they want is special treatment, treatment different from that received by other prisoners. They want their violence justified. It isn't, and it will not be.
- Go on home British soldiers, go on home. Have you got no fucking homes of your own? For 800 years we've fought you without fear and we will fight you for 800 more. We'll fight them British soldiers for the cause. We'll never bow to soldiers because throughout our history we were born to be free. So get out British bastards leave us be.
External links
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