Elizabeth Bowers on Historical Catholic-Protestant Tensions in Ireland

By: Elizabeth Bowers

October 1, 2006

Pride. After spending time in Ireland, this trait can be clearly recognized in its people. Pop culture often stereotypes the Irish as stubborn and proud. While not all Irishmen possess these traits in every aspect of their lives, there are several superordinate goals that the Irish people take pride in achieving together.
Their pride is woven through the country's own three-leaf clover, which is composed of its economics, religion, and government. The Irish take pride in their economy (the Celtic Tiger which has roared its way from a sleepy European backwater into a vibrant economy), their respective religions, and their government.

While the Irish nation's pride has driven its people to accomplish a great many objectives in the recent decades, they are not apt to forget the barriers they had to cross to achieve them. Moreover, they realize they worked too hard to slip from their current success. The Irish take every opportunity to dialogue with foreigners and never fail to sneak in pieces of their history into conversation. A particularly popular figurehead in Irish history is St. Patrick. One of the major reasons why St. Patrick is remembered with such reverence is because he had the ability to tame and convert a largely pagan community. What made Patrick so famous was that he succeeded in converting the Irish while several of his predecessors had failed. By bringing Christianity, particularly Catholicism to Ireland, Patrick succeeded in creating one of the first and strongest links between the Emerald Isle and the European mainland. Over the years, the Irish became strongly attached to Christianity but were basically left alone to rule themselves. A major religious conflict occurred between the Catholic Irishmen and King Henry VIII of England. Henry separated from the Catholic Church and forced his countrymen and the Irish to follow suit. His daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, followed his lead, and the Irish who were too pious and proud to convert seriously suffered. A battle between the English Protestants and the Irish Catholics resulted, and many of the remnants of this epic conflict still exist today.

Fortunately, this interminable conflict seems to have finally come to an end after several political parties have extended olive branches to one another. In the recent decades, there have been great strides by England, Ireland, America, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to put an end to this fight. The decision to finally disarm was particularly difficult for the IRA. This party's origins can be traced back to the United Irishmen who began attacking the British and fighting for independence in the 1790s. This group sought to unite Ireland and has since become one of the major political presences in Ireland. One of their major accomplishments occurred when England ceded the 26 counties which today form the Republic of Ireland.

These results which the IRA achieved, however, resulted largely through the use of violence. Therefore, it was particularly hard to convince the organization to disarm and utilize peaceful methods to achieve desired outcomes. Thankfully, the peace talks were successful, and on July 28, 2005, the Irish Republican Army formally agreed to disarm. This promise was verified by the head of the independent decommissioning body, General John de Chastelain, on September 26, 2005. From September 2005 until today, the IRA has stayed true to its vow of disarmament. This event has significantly helped both Northern Ireland and the Republic move toward a lasting peace. However, some groups, particularly the Democratic Unionist Party, are concerned that this ceasefire may not last since the IRA has a notorious track record of reneging on their promises. The IRA had already agreed to disarm several times (notably August 31, 1994; July 20, 1997; and October 21, 2003). The Unionists may have a legitimate concern since it will be extremely difficult to fully disarm a large-scale political mechanism like the IRA, which has many members and networks.

Despite the major accomplishments in the peace process over the recent years, no one can claim that the Irish people from the North and the Republic of Ireland have forgotten their differences, especially their religious differences. An armistice cannot erase the years of religious conflicts and prejudices that exist in both of these countries. Only time will be able to heal the deep divide between these religious groups.

The United States ambassador to Ireland, James Kenny, who played an influential role in the peace process over the past few years, commented on the religious issues that still need to be solved in Ireland. It will be a difficult subject to overcome. In the North there are still uncomfortable feelings regarding the religious aspects of the Catholics and Protestants, Kenny said. The problem will be generational. The next generation will be able to move away from these uncomfortable feelings as the peace process moves forward. There are still some hard feelings between people of different religions, but I believe they will overcome them. Hopefully, Kenny's wish will come true and the country will continue to move towards a lasting peace.

All in all, the Irish people have many accomplishments to be proud of. The significant changes regarding their religious acceptance, economic practices, and political interactions will be a pleasure for me to observe over the following months.
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