Northern Ireland: Religion in War and Peace

Study Notes

Northern Ireland: Religion in War and Peace

The Conflict in Northern Ireland

The conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists was not a religious war, but rather a political and national identity conflict
Most religious leaders on both sides consistently opposed violence and had some political and moral authority
The conflict was driven by domestic forces, international religious and political forces, socioeconomic factors, and nationalist identity

Historical Origins of the Conflict

The roots of the Troubles stretch back to the late 17th and 18th centuries, when English and British conquests and re-conquests of Ireland stripped the native Irish and old English Catholics of ownership of the land and replaced them with English and Scottish settlers
To be Catholic in Ireland usually signals descent from the native Gaelic Irish or the old English Catholics who persisted after the 16th century revolution
To be Protestant signals likely descent from the colonial English and Scottish settlers

The Troubles (1960s-1998)

Over 3,000 civilians, paramilitaries, police officers, British soldiers, and British and Irish officials were killed, with over 50,000 people seriously wounded
The majority of deaths took place at the hands of paramilitary groups, especially the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Ulster Defense Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force
The conflict was a low-intensity conflict of large proportions, with rioting, paramilitary attacks, guerrilla warfare, insurgent terrorism, and military and police operations

Role of Religious Leaders

Religious leaders on both sides had to contend with political, economic, paramilitary, and local elites concerned about maintaining and extending their influence
Catholic religious leaders played important roles in the initial meetings between Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and other political parties in Northern Ireland
Protestant clerics were meeting with unionist paramilitaries to secure a ceasefire to match the IRA declaration

The Good Friday Agreement (1998)

The agreement was signed in 1998, and churches were among the most vocal supporters, calling it “a way out of the darkness of the last 30 years” and “another opportunity to make and build peace”
When the IRA destroyed its weapons in 2005, two clerics who witnessed the event testified to create universal confidence that the IRA weapons were gone for good

Domestic Factors

Religious identity was an important dividing line in the Northern Ireland conflict
Religious leaders on both sides of the conflict had to contend with political, economic, and paramilitary figures along with local power brokers
The symbols of religious holidays and religious shrines also became important sources of nationalism for both sides

International Factors

Both secular and religious international actors played a crucial role in shaping the course of the conflict in Northern Ireland
Mediation of political elites like British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and US President Bill Clinton was essential to the success of the peace process

Socioeconomic Factors

Socioeconomic factors played a crucial role in stoking the Northern Ireland conflict
Social unrest rose in Northern Ireland as Catholics protested discriminatory government employment and housing practices in the late 1960s
Male unemployment in Northern Ireland hovered around 20 percent throughout the 1980s, with Catholic male unemployment remaining more than twice that of Protestants for over two decades

Description

This case study explores the complex role of religion in the conflict between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists in Northern Ireland. It examines the historical origins and effects of the struggle through five primary questions.