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Northern Ireland and Bloody Sunday

 

            Religion and Politics have been intertwined in Northern Ireland since the time of the Tudors; the constant tension between Catholics and Protestants has translated into Political action with intentional Catholic targeting by Protestants and the suspension of their civil rights in the 1960's. The loyalties of the Unionist and Loyalist parties in Northern Ireland to Britain has led to their increased power through actions such as the penal laws . However, the Protestant governments that then emerged used their powers in "religious bitterness"1 to strengthen their power.
             A central issue in Northern Ireland may be interpretations: Seemingly peaceful actions by one group (Orange Order marches) can be interpreted as violent by another group. Many Catholics claim during these marches that Protestants aim to cause violence by marching through Catholic areas; on the other hand we also see the interpretation that "the Catholics had started the trouble"2. This state of conflicting interpretations has led to conflict in the modern world as parties continue to interpret situations differently and so act against each other in different ways. Each party in Northern Ireland fears the other, Protestant Unionist parties fear that Britain will release them to the Republic of Ireland while Catholics continue to fear Protestant oppression through majority government. It seems clear that the violence and attitudes of people in Northern Ireland "is fed by the fears of two minority groups"1. Current attitudes in Northern Ireland are heavily founded on this historical oppression and infighting ,fuelled by conflicting interpretations however, to answer this question I will look not only at this history but (through use and analysis of source evidence) also at the events, reactions and significance of Bloody Sunday.
             Many current attitudes in Northern Ireland stem from the events of Bloody Sunday and the effects it had on the coming years.


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