The Troubles

The Troubles 

The Troubles, otherwise known as the war in Nothern Ireland was a conflict between the Republicans and the Loyalists. The republicans were the Irish Catholic minority that thought that they should have independence from the country of Great Britain. The loyalists were the Unionists or Protestants majority that wanted the Northern Part of Ireland to remain in control of the British Crown. Both sides were eventually known for more radical groups that grew from the conflict like the IRA and The Ulster Defense Force. 

For today's class, you will be looking at primary sources from Northern Ireland during the times of the War In Northern Ireland. Your jobs are to determine who is more responsible for the start of the conflict. The Catholic minority or the Protestant majority. 

Rember that everything in this lesson is prior to the start of the conflict. We are evaluating the start of The Troubles

Terrance O' Niel 1968

Ulster Stands at a crossroads. I believe you know me well enough to by now appreciate that I am not a man given to extravagant language.  As we face this situation I would be failing in my duty to you as your Prime Minister if I did not put the issues calmly and clearly before you all. These issues are far too serious to be determined begins closed doors or left to noisy minorities. 

In Londonderry and other places recently a minority of agitators determined to subvert lawful authority played a part in setting light to highly flammable material.

I have a word too for all those others who see in change a to our position with the  United Kingdom. I say to them unionism  armed with justice will be stronger than unionists armed with strength. 

The defense of Ulster's Constitution has been the motivation of my entire political life. I have no other end in mind the maintenance of Northern Ireland, in growing harmony and prosperity, as an integral part of the United Kingdom. In Ulster's defense, I have had to use some methods which may be novel and to move out of some old established positions on to the new ground. The means have changed as they always just because the times have also changed about us. 

For nearly six years as Prime Minister- are those of Carson Craigavon and J.M. Andrews and Lord Brookeborough; of all that noble company of men who declared " For the sake of all people of Ulster, the Union must be preserved." 

Speech to the Parliament Terrance Oniel 1965

"We are satisfied that all these Unionist controlled councils have used and use their power to make appointments in a way which benefited Protestants. In the figures available for October 1968 only thirty per cent of Londonderry Corporations administrative, clerical and technical employees were Catholics. Out of the ten best-paid posts only one was held by a Catholic. In Dungannon Urban District none of the Council’s administrative, clerical and technical employees was a Catholic. In County Fermanagh no senior council posts (and relatively few others) were held by Catholics: this was rationalised by reference to ‘proven loyalty’ as a necessary test for local authority appointments. In that County, among about seventy-five drivers of school buses, at most seven were Catholics. This would appear to be a very clear case of sectarian and political discrimination. Armagh Urban District employed very few Catholics in its salaried posts, but did not appear to discriminate at lower levels. Omagh Urban District showed no clearcut pattern of discrimination, though we have seen what would appear to be undoubted evidence of employment discrimination by Tyrone County Council.
It is fair to note that Newry Urban District, which is controlled by non-Unionists, employed very few Protestants. But two wrongs do not make a right; Protestants who are in the minority in the Newry area, by contrast to the other areas we have specified, do not have a serious unemployment problem, and in Newry, there are relatively few Protestants, whereas in the other towns Catholics make up a substantial part of the population. It is also right to note that in recent years both Londonderry and Newry have introduced a competitive examination system in local authority appointments."
Cameron Report, Paragraph 138, 1969
Northern Ireland. Parliament. (1969) Disturbances in Northern Ireland [Cameron Report], (Cmd. 532), (September 1969). Belfast: HMSO.

. 'It was a non-sectarian procession consisting of people of all religions 'and of none and seemingly every shade of opinion in Ireland was represented, with the exception of the Unionist Party. ' (We strongly suggest you consult the photographs were taken to press representatives "., Who was present which will illustrate the nature of the people on the march). In general, although the judgment of numbers is never easy, we would. say there were around three thousand people present and, in the main, they Were elderly and middle-aged people. There was no particular prominence of students or young people.

The marchers approached the police and whey were about a yard from the police ranks and obviously slowing up, the police opened up a passage into which were pulled, M.r Devlin and Mr. Fitt.     Mr. Fitt was struck twice with a  baton and Mr. Devlin was struck twice as well. Then they were taken away, Mr. Fitt to have three stitches inserted in a head wound. The mood of the crowd was shocked at the violence.

At 4:37 the police charged the crowd and used their batons indiscriminately, later than two water cannon vehicles appeared and began to hose by standards. We saw young children who were soaking wet and obviously shocked and hysterical, who had been hosed with the cannon. We saw very little evidence pf creation from any member of the crowd, although there was a bit of scuffling. 

There were many people who told us of incidents of a child washed away out of there mother's arms by police hoses. We did not see this ourselves and cannot corroborate these allegations. We did, however, see children two were pressed up against walls by the force of the water and we saw young children and girls above the age of 13 helping even smaller children two were in a shocked hysterical state.

Three Eye Witnesses Report on the March on Londonderry