The Troubles (1968 - 1998)

No project about Ireland is complete without an explanation of "The Troubles". In our case, linking this to progress is a no-brainer. The Troubles refer to the three decades of violent conflict between 1968 and 1998.

The catholic began protests in 1967 because they were discriminated by laws which favoured the protestants in all senses. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) finally joined the battle and began a campaign of violence against the British soldiers who had been sent to Northern Ireland by the government in London to try and keep the peace. The IRA wanted to unite the whole of Ireland , but the protestants, supported by organisations such as the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force), wanted to remain part of the UK. They reacted to the IRA's violence with more violence. Bombs soon started to explode without previous warning and the number of deaths increased. Northern Ireland became a dangerous place to live. Belfast was divided by a "wall of shame" which even separated families. It was, and still is, dangerous to cross to the other side to see family or friends.

In 1973, the IRA moved their protest to England. In total, over the 3 decades more than 3,600 people died and more than 50,000 were injured.

Luckily for everybody, in 1998 the "Good Friday Agreement" ended the conflict, when both sides realised nobody could win the conflict. Both armed organisations agreed that only the majority of people would decide if they wanted to remain a part of the UK or unite with Ireland.

Nowadays, the situation in Ireland is much better. There are still tensions between catholics and protestants but Irish people are making a huge effort to advance and work together towards peace.

NORTHERN IRELAND

DATES NOT TO FORGET:

  • BLOODY SUNDAY, 30th January, 1972: The British army murdered 14 citizens and seriously injured 2 others.

  • THE GUILDFORD FOUR, 5th October, 1974: Four Irish people were wrongly arrested and tortured after the IRA exploded a bomb in a pub in Guildford, England, killing 5 people and hurting many more. Gerry Conlon made a false confession after the British police tortured him. He spent 15 years in prison until he was finally found not guilty and released in 1989. His father was also accused of conspiracy and arrested. He died in prison.

  • BIRMINGHAM PUB BOMBINGS, 21st November, 1974: 22 civilians were killed when bombs exploded at two pubs in Birmingham.

  • MANCHESTER BOMBING, 15th June, 1996: A bomb by the PIRA destroyed a large part of the city centre and injured over 200 people.

  • THE BELFAST AGREEMENT, 10th April, 1998: also known as "Good Friday Agreement", it was signed in Belfast after two years of intensive talks between the two sides.

  • OMAGH BOMBING, 15th August, 1998: A dissident republican group called the real IRA exploded a bomb in Omagh, killing 29 civilians.

  • 22nd August, 1998: The Irish National Liberation Army declared a ceasefire. 1998 is considered by many as the end of the Troubles.

STUDENTS' WORK:

Mª JOSÉ BERMÚDEZ, MARTA, BERTA AND VERO

CLEMENTE, RICARDO, JOSÉ JUAN,

ANTONIO AND MIGUEL

IVÁN, JOSÉ RAMÓN, FRAN, GABI AND

ANDRÉS

Mª JOSÉ BUENDÍA, SILVIA, RAQUEL

MELISSA AND CELIA

MYRIAM, PABLO, ALEX, ROCÍO

AND DANIEL

ÁNGELA SOLANA,

ORAL PRESENTATIONS: