The 5-episode documentary entitled Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland is available on BBC iPlayer
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The Troubles... In a Nutshell
Northern Ireland was torn apart by a thirty-year conflict known as 'The Troubles'. It opposed the Catholic minority to the Protestant majority. The dispute started with peaceful Civil Rights movements organised by Catholics as they were faced with discriminations (especially a lack of voting power). However, the peaceful marches quickly turned into bloodsheds and violent clashes. Tit-for-tat bombings, terrorist attacks and assassinations plagued 'The Troubles', usually orchestrated by gun-toting paramilitary soldiers (IRA, UDA, UVF...), or even the British Army.
➙ The IRA (Irish Republican Army) staunchly fought for a united Ireland, and refused the prevalence of the British Army on Irish soil. They regarded British soldiers as colonisers.
➙ The British Army initially came to Northern Ireland to alleviate the escalating tensions. But they quickly got into armed struggles against ire-stricken Catholics and the IRA's staunchest militants.
The Troubles ended in 1998 with more than 3,500 dead and thousands wounded, either physically or psychologically. The Good Friday Agreement took steps to decommission paramilitary weapons, and to implement a power-sharing system.
Téléchargez une fiche récapitulative de l'Histoire des Troubles en Irlande du Nord ci-contre
The Troubles' legacy in Northern Ireland is complex. There have been since 1998 various dilemmas and controversial topics. Indeed, Northern Ireland faces numerous challenges, including investigations to prosecute former militants who slew civilians, the memorial strife between Catholics and Protestants, the cross-community fragile relationships in Belfast, a city still spatially segregated by the so-called Peace Walls… There are strong social cleavages in the province: for a majority of residents, cultural intermingling and social acceptance are far from being considered. In Belfast, an oppressive atmosphere looms large, especially in areas where brutal clashes occurred during the Troubles. In parallel, Brexit has added salt to the wound: the withdrawal from the EU is significantly complicated in Northern Ireland, since it is the UK's only land-to-land border...
To what extent has Northern Ireland coped with the wounds of its troubled past, as well as Brexit-posed challenges?
A. Reconciliation is Underway!
a) Avoid any other escalation.
The “No More” mural, Belfast, depicts Protestant Dylan Wilson holding the hand of Catholic Dearbhla Ward (www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
This mural located in Belfast underscores the national trauma Northern Ireland has been going through since 1998. Two children are holding their hands as an epitome of reconciliation and respect. The poem itself is soul-stirring. Indeed, the artist wishes Northern Ireland was no longer wracked by The Troubles' divisive legacy. The mural reads: "No more bombing, no more murder / No more killing of our sons / No more standing at the grave side / Having to bury our loved ones". To another extent, murals contribute to addressing the troubled past by taking part in the country's memorial strife. A 'memorial strife' is a concept encapsulating all the subjective visions of history, and how they can end up being contentious with one another.
The national trauma the Troubles have brought about needs to be healed. Strikingly enough, former paramilitary militants are committed to favouring peace in Northern Ireland through awareness-raising strolls in Belfast, explaining how they lived throughout the Troubles. They use their life experience as a key factor for reconciliation.
b) The Peace Babies
In Northern Ireland, the generation born after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement is known as the "peace babies". A majority of them don't want to sink once again into another conflict similar to the Troubles. They usually claim that it is the past, and that the entire society should move on. Even when grown-ups tell their story and how they used to live during the Troubles, youngsters feel fed up with the hatred and sectarianism. Northern Ireland should turn the page, or even break up with the past once and for all! However, it is worth pinpointing that a slim part of them are strongly patriotic, and refuse to have a durable peace between the two communities. They are fueled by their parents' biased narratives of the Troubles, and show their defiance through illegal demonstrations.
c) The Case of (London)Derry
It is a city with a strong past. A city whose residents still remember the atrocities and small victories. Once wracked by Bloody Sunday, Londonderry, or Derry depending on your ideology, is at the core of reconciliation along with Belfast. The memory of the Troubles in Derry is a key factor for reconciliation, through either murals or monuments. They encourage a stronger peace process. For instance, the monuments entitled “Hand Across The Divide” symbolically epitomises reconciliation between the two communities, with two anonymous people on their pedestal holding their hands together. With a bunch of murals strewn across the city, historical monuments tackling former divisions, Derry serves as a booster for peace in Northern Ireland.
B. A Fragile Peace in Northern Ireland
a) The Peace Walls
From www.bloomberg.com
The Peace Walls (or Peace Lines) are separation barriers in Belfast that separate predominantly Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly Protestant neighbourhoods. They were originally erected during the Troubles to avoid further social unrest in Belfast. The first Peace line was built in 1969 after numerous riots. Throughout the Troubles, more and more Peace lines were erected as tensions became more violent. In aggregate, the Peace lines now account for a 34-kilometer line.
However, they were meant to be temporary. They should have been toppled altogether. It turns out that a very few Peace lines have been removed so far. For some, if the Peace lines were removed, it would reignite tensions. It is commonly believed in Northern Ireland that tensions could break out at any moment. Indeed, a study, released in 2012, showed that 69% of residents believe that the peace walls are still necessary because of potential violence.
The existence of Peace lines in current-day society makes Belfast a spatially-segregated city. Reconciliation is thus harder to reach.
b) Shankill Road vs. Falls Road
FALLS ROAD (Catholic Area)
Falls Road is a Catholic-dominated area. This mural depicts Bobby Sands as a hero. He is glorified for hunger-striking in prison. Similarly, murals portraying gun-toting IRA militants adorn the streets.
SHANKILL ROAD (Protestant Area)
Shankill Road is a Protestant-dominated area. Symbols of the British Army are scattered about the houses, like the Queen.
c) Brexit-posed challenges
The mapping between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland makes a Hard Border impossible. People who live around the border know for a fact that checking points and steady barriers cannot be established out of the winding [waɪndɪŋ] routes and the lack of infrastructures. One can easily travel from Northern Ireland to the Republic and vice versa.
d) Dissident Republicanism / The New IRA
In Northern Ireland, there are "dissident republicans", that is to say people who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement. For example, the New IRA (picture on the right) is a group of staunch republicans that want a united Ireland and an end to British rule in Northern Ireland, vowing to continue the armed struggle until those aims are achieved. The IRA has carried out several bombing attacks and assassinations since 2012. They slew a 29-year-old journalist in 2019.
e) Self-Preservation Parades [Abridged and Adapted from Wikipedia]
On a yearly basis, parades are set in Northern Ireland by both communities to stand out against one another. Easter is a major parading time for both communities, and is often considered to be the start of the year's "marching season". It goes without saying that those parades perpetuate a sense of divisiveness between the two communities, thus impeding further reconciliation. The Parades Commission is a quasi-judicial public body which exists to place conditions and settle disputes
PROTESTANTS
Protestants commemorate several historic landmarks such as King William's Victory over his Catholic rival in 1690. For them, it aims at preserving their cultural identity, and deterring the other side from taking over. The Orange Institution holds hundreds of parades throughout Northern Ireland every year.
CATHOLICS
Parades are much less common among nationalist or republican communities. According to the Parades Commission, less than 5% of parades in Northern Ireland are nationalist/republican.
C. A Return to The Troubles?
Many people from Northern Ireland instinctively dread a looming return to the Troubles. They mainly feared the escalation of tensions in 2016 after the referendum on Brexit. However, historians are crystal clear: Northern Ireland will never sink into a Troubles-like conflict. Indeed, they argue that residents are no longer as patriotic and combative as before. It has been 26 years since the Good Friday Agreement, and, on average, one's insurrectional eagerness is way lower than during the Troubles. Opposition is more likely to be observed through picketing, protesting, marching. All in all, Irish-British residents would rather resort to civil disobedience than one-on-one struggles.
Amnesty for Troubles-related crimes to become law – why many people in Northern Ireland oppose the bill.pdfIn 2023, an Amnesty Law, whose main purpose was to foster reconciliation with the gruesome past, caused great controversy in the UK as a whole. International institutions such as the US Congress and the UN opposed the bill, arguing that it would violate human rights. Bereaved families were also at odds with the bill, for they had been seeking justice since the Troubles ended in 1998.
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BIBLIOGRAPHIE / SITOGRAPHIE
➜ Œuvres complètes
Patrick RADDEN KEEFE, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Ed. William Collins (www.williamcollinsbooks.co.uk), 2018.
➜ Reportages vidéographiques
BBC News, Northern Ireland ‘peace babies’ reflect on Good Friday agreement’s 25th anniversary - BBC Newsnight (disponible en ligne), YouTube, 12 Avril 2023, https://youtu.be/OYKBiAcTID0?si=TPh2PYnVfLPEqBjd
Arte.tv, Irlande du Nord : la possible réunification ? (disponible en ligne jusqu'au 29/03/2025), Arte.tv, 2024, https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/119671-000-A/irlande-du-nord-la-possible-reunification/
Arte.tv, Irlande du Nord, la frontière de tous les dangers (disponible en ligne jusqu'au 10/09/2026), Arte.tv, 2024? https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/112300-000-A/irlande-du-nord-la-frontiere-de-tous-les-dangers/
DW News, Post-Brexit border reignites tensions in Northern Ireland | Focus on Europe (disponible en ligne), YouTube, 4 Juillet 2021, https://youtu.be/0WAdB6rSk5s?si=RwFVYofwBeuArRRS
➜ Articles de presse
Troubles shadow lingers as N Ireland marks 25 years of peace | AP News
What is the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill? | BBC News
Few cheer in Northern Ireland as Brexit finally happens | ABC News
➜ Sources supplémentaires (non classées)
Wikipedia | Northern Ireland's Peace Lines = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_lines
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