20 Years: The Troubles

The Troubles officially lasted from 1968 to 1998. It was fought between two sides: 1.) The Protestants (ie. the British Government in London, the British Government in Northern Ireland, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the various Ulster Loyalist Paramilitary groups) and 2.) The Catholics (ie. the IRA and the various Irish Republican Paramilitary groups.) What started as a peaceful civil disobedience protest by the Northern Irish Catholics wanting equal rights, brought 38 years of British Military Deployment.

At first the Northern Irish Catholics saw the British Military as a neutral force to keep the peace between the Northern Irish Protestants and the Northern Irish Catholics, but on January 30, 1972  - Bloody Sunday - that all changed when the British Military (the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment) massacred 14 unarmed Catholics (6 of whom were 17 years old) and the British Government covered it up until 2010 when they finally admitted their guilt. From that day (in 1972) all sides used violence on the other.

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 officially ended The Troubles and finally made Northern Irish Catholics equal citizens to Northern Irish Protestants as well as other British citizens (ie. the Scots, the Welsh, the English.) In those 30 years: 748 British soldiers, 301 RUC, 162 Ulster Loyalists, 368 Irish Republicans, 11 Republic of Ireland Gardai, 1,935 civilians (Catholic and Protestants) died and 47,500 were wounded.

What has happened in the 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement? The British Military left Northern Ireland in 2007, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) became the Police Service of Northern Ireland (the PSNI) in 2001 and the major paramilitary groups on both sides stopped their violent campaign. The Peace Walls still separate the Protestants and the Catholics, but are now open during the day. Different neighborhoods are still painted with colors to designate which side they are on (Red, White and Blue for the Protestants and Green, White and Orange for the Catholics) and you can get in trouble if you are on the “wrong” side.

The main issue is still violence from dissident Loyalist groups and dissident Republican groups. Since The Troubles ended in 1998: 2 British soldiers, 1 RUC, 2 PSNI, 2 Republic of Ireland Gardai, 27 Dissident Loyalists, 13 Irish Dissident Republicans, 97 civilians (Catholic and Protestant) died and 351 were wounded.

I was in Northern Ireland in 2010 and you could feel the tension on both sides right at the surface, but being American no one cared if I was Catholic or Protestant and while there was violence when I was there it happened a few days after I left Belfast and went to Derry/Londonderry. Things could get much worse with the impending Brexit since Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union (like the Republic of Ireland is.)