Why the Troubles started in Northern Ireland

Summary

Ce script explore l'histoire complexe du Nord de l'Irlande, des tensions religieuses anciennes à la formation de l'Irlande du Nord en 1921. Il retrace les causes de la guerre d'indépendance, la naissance de l'IRA et les conflits internes qui ont conduit à la Guerre des Troubles, marquée par des années de violence et de divisions profondes entre catholiques et protestants, ainsi que l'intervention controversée de l'armée britannique.

Takeaways

• 🏰 La frontière entre les deux communautés en Irlande du Nord est symbolisée par un mur, le premier mur de la paix, érigé il y a près de 50 ans.
• 🏛 L'Irlande du Nord a été formée en 1921 suite à la sécession de l'Irlande du Royaume-Uni, avec six des trente-deux comtés restant dans le Royaume-Uni.
• 🔍 Les tensions religieuses remontent à plusieurs siècles et sont liées à la plantation d'Ulster, où des Écossais protestants ont été installés pour assurer la loyauté de la région.
• ⚔️ Les conflits religieux en Europe, notamment la bataille de Boyne et d'Aughrim, ont eu un impact géopolitique majeur sur l'Irlande du Nord.
• 🌾 La famine de la pomme de terre en Irlande en 1845 a renforcé le sentiment d'inégalité et de rébellion contre la domination britannique.
• 🗳️ À travers le XIXe siècle, plusieurs projets de loi pour l'auto-gouvernement ont été proposés, ce qui a conduit à la rébellion de Pâques en 1916.
• 🏛️ L'Irlande a été partitionnée en 1920, avec l'Irlande du Nord restant sous le contrôle britannique, malgré une majorité protestante politique mais une population catholique importante.
• 🏢 Les catholiques ont été systématiquement désavantagés dans les domaines de l'emploi, du logement et du vote, ce qui a alimenté le mouvement des droits civiques.
• 🛑 La montée de la violence a conduit à la scission de l'IRA en 1969, avec la formation du groupe Provisional IRA, et à l'augmentation du nombre de groupes paramilitaires loyalistes.
• 🚔 L'arrivée de l'armée britannique en Irlande du Nord en 1969 a exacerbé les tensions, notamment avec l'imposition du couvre-feu de Falls Road et la politique d'internement sans procès.
• 🔥 1972 a été l'année la plus meurtrière de la période des troubles, marquée par une escalade de la violence et une augmentation du nombre d'actes terroristes.

Q & A

Quelle est la signification des deux rues, Falls Road et Shankhill Road, à Belfast?

Les deux rues, Falls Road et Shankhill Road, symbolisent les divisions profondes au sein du Nord de l'Irlande, séparant deux communautés qui coexistent à proximité l'une de l'autre mais sont séparées par un mur.

Pourquoi le mur de la première 'peace wall' a-t-il été construit en Irlande du Nord?

Le mur a été construit il y a près de 50 ans comme une barrière temporaire pour diviser deux communautés, et il est resté en place comme un symbole physique des divisions profondes au sein du Nord de l'Irlande.

Quelle est l'origine de la formation du Nord de l'Irlande en 1921?

Le Nord de l'Irlande a été formé en 1921 lorsque l'Irlande a cessé de faire partie du Royaume-Uni, et six des 32 comtés de l'Irlande sont restés dans le Royaume-Uni.

Quel est le contexte historique de la tension religieuse dans le nord de l'Irlande?

La tension religieuse remonte à plusieurs siècles, et une partie de celle-ci peut être retraceable à la plantation d'Ulster, où des Écossais protestants et du nord de l'Angleterre ont été installés dans le but de s'assurer de la loyauté de la région.

Quelle a été la conséquence de la famine de la pomme de terre en Irlande en 1845?

La famine a renforcé chez de nombreux Irlandais le sentiment d'inégalité par rapport au Royaume-Uni, où l'on a continué à exporter des denrées alimentaires pour le profit pendant que les Irlandais mouraient de la faim, ce qui a provoqué des rébellions et de nouvelles demandes d'indépendance.

Quel rôle a joué l'Éaster Rising de 1916 dans l'histoire de l'Irlande?

L'Éaster Rising a été un soulèvement républicain planifié par Patrick Pierce et d'autres, qui a conduit à une semaine de violence et de nombreux blessés, et bien que mis au point par l'armée britannique, les exécutions des leaders ont durci les attitudes envers la Grande-Bretagne.

Pourquoi le Traité d'Anglo-Irlandais de 1921 a-t-il été controversé?

Le Traité d'Anglo-Irlandais a accordé une indépendance limitée à l'Irlande du sud, mais a exigé un serment d'allégeance au roi, ce qui a conduit à une guerre civile entre ceux qui étaient pour le traité et ceux qui étaient contre.

Quels étaient les facteurs qui ont contribué à la montée du mouvement des droits civiques au sein des communautés nationalistes au Nord de l'Irlande?

Le manque d'égalité dans l'accès aux emplois, la promotion, le logement et le vote, ainsi que la manipulation électorale et la gerrymandering, ont conduit à une discrimination envers les catholiques et les nationalistes, ce qui a nourri le mouvement des droits civiques.

Quelle a été la réaction de la communauté nationaliste au déploiement de l'armée britannique dans les rues du Nord de l'Irlande?

Initialement vue comme protectrice, l'armée britannique a fini par être perçue comme partiale et agressive, en particulier après des événements comme le blocus de Falls et l'introduction de l'internement sans procès.

Quels groupes paramilitaires se sont développés au cours des années 1960 et 1970 au Nord de l'Irlande?

Les groupes paramilitaires tels que le Red Hand Commando, l'Ulster Defence Association (UDA), l'Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) et le Provisional IRA se sont développés, exacerbant les tensions et la violence.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Histoire des divisions du Nord de l'Irlande

Le script débute par la présentation des deux rues emblématiques de Belfast, la Falls Road et la Shankhill Road, qui symbolisent les divisions profondes au sein de la communauté. La première muraille de paix en Irlande du Nord, érigée il y a près de 50 ans, est un symbole tangible de ces divisions. L'histoire remonte à la formation de l'Irlande du Nord en 1921, suite à la sécession de l'Irlande du Royaume-Uni. Depuis, le gouvernement de ces six comtés a été un enjeu de contestation, conduisant au conflit sanglant connu sous le nom de 'Troubles'. Le script aborde également la tension religieuse ancienne, la plantation d'Ulster, les conflits religieux européens et la lutte pour l'indépendance de l'Irlande, notamment la famine de la pomme de terre de 1845 et l'insurrection de Pâques de 1916.

05:05

🏛 Partition de l'Irlande et début des Troubles

Le traité d'Anglo-Irlande de 1921 a abouti à la création d'un État libre au sud et à la partition de l'Irlande, avec six comtés du nord restant sous le contrôle du Royaume-Uni. Cette partition a été contestée, notamment par les nationalistes, et a conduit à une guerre civile. Les nationalistes ont été souvent désavantagés, notamment dans l'accès aux emplois et aux logements, ce qui a alimenté le mouvement des droits civiques. Les années 1960 ont vu une montée de la tension, culminant en 1969 avec la formation du groupe séparatiste Provisional IRA et des affrontements violents entre les forces de sécurité et les groupes nationalistes.

10:08

🚔 Déploiement de l'armée britannique et escalade de la violence

Au cours des décennies, les attaques et les bombes ont augmenté en fréquence, et des barricades ont été érigés pour séparer les deux communautés. L'IRA a intensifié sa campagne armée contre les forces de sécurité britanniques et nord-irlandaises, tandis que l'armée britannique a été déployée dans le cadre de l'opération Banner pour soutenir la RUC et protéger les infrastructures et les civils. Cependant, leur présence a contribué à escalader la situation. Les soldats britanniques ont été souvent perçus comme plus ciblés contre les communautés nationalistes, ce qui a exacerbé les tensions. La formation du Ulster Defence Regiment, composé de résidents du Nord de l'Irlande, a également été controversée, avec des accusations de collusion avec les paramilitaires unionistes.

15:09

🛑 Politique d'internement et pire année de violence

L'année 1972 a été la plus meurtrière de la période des Troubles, marquée par une montée en puissance de la violence et une escalade des actions des paramilitaires. L'opération Demetrius, qui impliquait l'emprisonnement sans procès de suspects membres de l'IRA, a provoqué de vives protestations et a été un facteur clé dans l'augmentation du nombre de recrues de l'IRA. Les affrontements ont été particulièrement meurtriers, avec des pertes civiles importantes. La politique d'internement sans procès a été perçue comme injuste et ciblé contre la communauté nationaliste, ce qui a profondément divisé les loyalistes et les nationalistes.

Keywords

💡Falls Road

Falls Road est une artère située à Belfast, en Irlande du Nord, qui est souvent associée au nationalisme irlandais et à la communauté catholique. Dans le script, il représente l'un des deux axes majeurs qui divisent la ville selon les lignes religieuses et politiques, reflétant ainsi les divisions profondes au sein de la société nord-irlandaise.

💡Shankhill Road

Shankhill Road est également située à Belfast et est perçue comme un symbole de l'unionisme et de la communauté protestante. Elle est mentionnée dans le script comme étant à quelques rues de Falls Road, soulignant la proximité géographique mais la distance politique et sociale entre les deux communautés.

💡Peace Wall

Le terme 'Peace Wall' fait référence à des murs et des barbelés qui ont été érigés en Irlande du Nord pour séparer les communautés catholiques et protestantes et empêcher les affrontements. Dans le script, il est mentionné comme un symbole physique des divisions profondes au sein de la société nord-irlandaise, datant de près de 50 ans.

💡The Troubles

Les 'Troubles' désignent le conflit violent et politique qui a sévi en Irlande du Nord de 1969 à 1998, marqué par des affrontements entre les factions unionistes et nationalistes, ainsi que des interventions de l'armée britannique. Dans le script, ce terme est utilisé pour décrire le contexte historique et les conséquences qui persistent encore aujourd'hui.

💡Plantation of Ulster

La 'Plantation of Ulster' se réfère à la colonisation entreprise par le roi Jacques Ier à la fin du XVIe siècle, visant à angliciser le nord de l'Irlande. Dans le script, cet événement historique est cité comme l'une des origines des tensions religieuses entre les deux principales communautés en Irlande du Nord.

💡Easter Rising

Le 'soulèvement du jour de Pâques' est un événement clé de l'histoire irlandaise qui a eu lieu en 1916, où des républicains irlandais ont tenté de se libérer du contrôle britannique. Dans le script, il est mentionné comme un moment déclencheur des événements qui ont conduit à la formation de l'IRA et à la lutte pour l'indépendance de l'Irlande.

💡Anglo-Irish Treaty

Le 'Traité anglo-irlandais' est un accord conclu en 1921 qui a abouti à la partition de l'Irlande en deux entités distinctes : le Free State (le sud de l'Irlande) et l'Irlande du Nord (qui est restée partie du Royaume-Uni). Dans le script, ce traité est évoqué pour expliquer les origines de la division politique et territoriale qui a conduit à 'The Troubles'.

💡Civil Rights Movement

Le 'mouvement des droits civiques' en Irlande du Nord est mentionné dans le script comme une réaction des communautés nationalistes face aux discriminations et à l'exclusion. Ce mouvement a été un facteur clé dans l'escalade des tensions et des violences qui ont précédé 'The Troubles'.

💡Internment

L''internement' fait référence à la pratique britannique d'arrêter et de détenir des personnes sans procès ni accusation formelle, souvent basée sur la suspicion d'appartenance au IRA. Dans le script, cette politique est décrite comme ayant provoqué de la colère et de la violence, et comme un facteur qui a renforcé le recrutement du IRA.

💡Provisional IRA

Le 'Provisional IRA' est une branche du mouvement républicain irlandais qui a pris une direction plus militante et violente pendant 'The Troubles'. Dans le script, il est mentionné comme un groupe clé dans l'escalade de la violence et des attaques contre les forces de sécurité britanniques et l'Irlande du Nord.

Highlights

Falls Road and Shankhill Road in Belfast are separated by a peace wall, symbolizing deep divisions within Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland was formed in 1921 when six of Ireland's 32 counties remained part of the UK.

The Troubles, a 30-year conflict, was sparked by contested governance of Northern Ireland.

Religious tensions in Northern Ireland date back to the plantation of Ulster in the 16th century.

The Battle of the Boyne in 1690 had significant geopolitical effects and is still commemorated today.

The potato famine of 1845 reinforced feelings of inequality within the UK and sparked calls for Irish independence.

The Easter Rising in 1916 led to a rebellion against British rule and the formation of the IRA in 1919.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 partitioned Ireland, leading to a civil war and the establishment of Northern Ireland as part of the UK.

The border drawn around six counties of Ulster was designed to ensure a Protestant majority in Northern Ireland.

Voting manipulation and gerrymandering disadvantaged the Catholic population in Northern Ireland.

The civil rights movement emerged in response to systemic discrimination against the Catholic community.

The IRA split in 1969, leading to the formation of the Provisional IRA, which escalated armed campaigns.

Loyalist paramilitaries such as the UDA and UVF grew in response to the IRA's activities.

The British Army's deployment in Operation Banner in 1969 marked an escalation in the conflict.

The Falls Curfew in 1970 and the policy of internment without trial in 1971 sparked further violence and civilian casualties.

1972 was the deadliest year of the Troubles, with violence escalating and spreading beyond Northern Ireland's borders.

Transcripts

This is the Falls Road in Belfast. And this  is the Shankhill Road. These two areas are  

just a few streets away from each other, and  yet there is a border running between them. 

This vast wall stands on the line of the first  peace wall in Northern Ireland. First Built  

nearly 50 years ago as a temporary barrier  to divide two communities, there is a still a  

wall standing here today - a physical symbol of  the deep divisions within the Northern Ireland. 

Northern Ireland was formed in 1921. When Ireland  seceded from the UK, six of Ireland’s 32 counties  

remained as part of the United Kingdom. The governance of these counties has been  

contested ever since, sparking the bloody  30-year conflict known as the Troubles. 

In this four-part series, we’ll be taking  a look at the history of the Troubles,  

and why the scars of this conflict remain. But first of all, let’s take a look back  

to see what marked out the six counties  of Northern Ireland in the first place.

Religious tension in the north of Ireland  dates back hundreds of years, and some of this  

can be traced back to the plantation of Ulster. At the end of the 16th century, an Irish alliance  

rose up to fight against English rule – and a  lot of the unrest took place in the province of  

Ulster. At the end of the war in 1603, James  VI & I, King of Scotland & England, set out  

to colonise and subdue the north of Ireland. He sought to undertake an official plantation of  

Ulster to ensure its loyalty and to stop uprisings  happening ever again. In this, he planted  

mainly lowland Scots and some from the north of  England into six of the nine counties of Ulster. 

Earlier in 1603 that had been private plantation  by Presbyterians Scots in the counties of Down  

and then Antrim. But the actual official policy  starts in 1609 and it's really there to secure  

this part of the country in a way that will  make it not be able to rise in rebellion again. 

Over the next century, Europe was engulfed  in religious wars. James II – the Catholic  

King of England, Scotland and Ireland -  was overthrown by protestant William of  

Orange in 1688. A few years later, James’s  supporters – the Jacobites – attempted to  

restore James to the throne. Supported by  French forces, the Irish Jacobites fought  

the Williamites in Ireland, backed by the  Grand Alliance. The fighting culminated  

in two major battles, at the Boyne and Aughrim. The Battle of the Boyne, although not a decisive  

battle, was very significant. A year later, in  1691, at the Battle of Aughrim, the Jacobite  

forces of James are actually destroyed and he  is defeated. Aughrim itself, although the less  

well known, is by far the most strategically  important of the two battles, but the Boyne has  

a much larger geopolitical effect. And even today  still William of Orange is a figure that we see,  

particularly during the loyalist marching  season, which culminates on the 12th of July. 

Religious conflict, as with much of Europe,  was causing great divisions with Northern Ireland. But  

another struggle was also continuing to grow:  the fight for independence from British rule. 

In 1845, a potato famine broke out across Ireland.  The famine reinforced to a lot of Irish people  

that although they were now part of the UK,  they were not considered equal. As Irish people  

starved, the British continued to export food for  profit. Over a million people died. The famine  

sparked rebellion and new calls for independence. Over the 19th century, there were multiple bills  

proposed for Home Rule. The first was proposed and  failed in 1886. The third attempt passed in 1914,  

but was put on hold due to the First World War. Irish republicans decided to take action. They  

staged a rebellion over Easter week in 1916. The Easter Rising is planned as far back as  

1914 by Patrick Pierce of the Irish  Republican Brotherhood. There are  

a number of other groups involved, one of  which will go on to become the IRA in 1919. 

For a week there is a great deal of violence  and there are a high level of casualties.  

This is eventually put down by the British  Army. Now, whether or not this would have  

gone away afterwards changed dramatically in  the way that the British sought to deal with  

the leaders of the uprising. Many of them  were actually executed by firing squad. And  

this this hardened attitudes towards Britain. However, this and things such as the  

conscription policy that the British  tried to introduce in Ireland, again,  

hardened Republicanism and eventually Sinn Féin,  a party that was formed back in 1905, which had  

been a nationalist party not linked with armed  or violent Republicanism becomes a Republican  

Party. It wins the 1918 general election and  instantly declares an independent Ireland. 

But support for the union remained strong  in the North, leading to the Irish War for  

Independence, largely fought between  the IRA and the British government. 

In 1920, Home Rule was finally granted and Ireland  was partitioned. It was meant to be a temporary  

solution to end the war, but the government in the  south never formed, and the war continued until a  

ceasefire in 1921 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty,  which granted Ireland a limited independence.  

The south became a Free State, but still had  to take an oath to the King. This agreement was  

not entirely popular, leading to a bloody civil  war between those who were pro-Treaty and those  

against. In 1923, the pro-Treaty Free State  forces prevailed, cementing the Anglo-Irish  

Treaty and the two-state solution, with a  region in the North remaining part of Britain.

The border had been drawn around six  counties in Ulster. In some places the  

border was drawn directly through  the middle of towns and villages. 

Ulster contained nine counties; the three  that were excluded were Donegal, Monaghan  

and Cavan. This was devised by Unionists, so as  to ensure a protestant majority in the new state.

But, although the six counties had  a protestant majority politically,  

there was a substantial Catholic  population across the region.  

Voting was manipulated to advantage the unionists. In many senses, the only people you could vote for  

sometimes were unionists; Catholics wouldn't vote  for them, or the often be no point in actually  

putting up a candidate from a nationalist party  because it wouldn't be enough of a vote for them  

to actually carry any win through. There were actually other things,  

such as gerrymandering was used as well, most  starkly in the city of Derry/Londonderry,  

which was an overwhelmingly nationalist community,  but it continued to retain unionist populations  

where the boundaries were drawn up. Not only was gerrymandering an issue,  

also if you were not the rate payer or the rent  payer on a house, even if you were of voting age,  

you can vote in local elections which  further discriminated against working people. 

Access to jobs was another area where the  nationalist community often seemed to be  

prejudiced against such as the big shipbuilding  works in Belfast would have an overwhelmingly  

Protestant workforce. But this is actually a  hotly contested issue in the sense that if you  

didn't have relatives working in one of these  factories, no matter if you were Protestant,  

you would often be prejudiced against as well.  And then on top of that, women found it very hard  

to get roles in some of these jobs as well. It was in this environment, with Catholic  

residents consistently seen to be disadvantaged, that the civil rights  

movement grew among nationalist communities. There was no promotion,  

if you're a Catholic, you didn't get it, you  just didn't get promotion. The Imperial Civil  

Service - if you worked in England, then you would  get a promotion. But if you were in the Northern  

Ireland Civil Service, there were people who  weren't as experienced as you were promoted over  

you. Housing was another thing. That was the start  of the civil rights movement. A young single girl  

got a house where a Catholic family didn't get it.  You know, I never met many and never mixed, never  

had any protestants and friends until I started  nursing really. But it's still there. The hatred.  

Deep hatred in those communities. Communities and attitudes became deeply  

polarized through near 30 years of conflict in  Northern Ireland. Many of the events that took  

place during this time are hotly contested.  Moreover, they are highly disputed as well.  

Often starkly and highly diverse versions of  events exist on both sides, and many people will  

never come to a point of agreement on what  happened on certain days at certain times. 

Throughout the late sixties, tension was rising. In 1969, at the annual Apprentice Boys of Derry  

march, violence erupted. The route of the  march passed through the predominantly Catholic  

Bogside area of Derry/Londonderry, resulting in  violent clashes between marchers and residents. 

Several days of rioting ensued and the police  became involved. Weapons were fired, batton-round  

guns were used. Stones were thrown and bits of  the Bogside were shut off to the police. When  

the police moved into the Bogside, loyalist groups  moved in behind them. This was probably not the  

police's intention, but it galvanized opinion  within the nationalist Republican community.  

At the same time, violence broke out in other  parts of Northern Ireland as well. And people  

were burned out of homes in both loyalist and  republican communities. And the Troubles at  

this point really begins in Northern Ireland. In 1969, the IRA split and a break-away group  

who called themselves the Provisional  IRA formed. Divisions in the IRA  

had been growing through the 1960s. In 1962, the new IRA chief of staff,  

Cathal Goulding, sought to move the IRA in a  different direction, keen that the movement  

becomes political in its outlook rather  than one that relies on armed struggle,  

which to traditional Republicans is seen as  a betrayal of their cause, who see their task  

as the defence of the nationalist community,  and the expulsion of the British from Ireland. 

Loyalist paramilitaries such  as the Red Hand Commando, the  

Ulster Defence Association (UDA), and the Ulster  Volunteer Force (UVF), also grew in numbers. 

Ian Paisley was a Presbyterian minister who  established himself as an outspoken leader  

within Unionism, leading marches  throughout the 1960s and 70s. 

As the rival groups grew, tensions rose. Over  these decades, violent attacks and bombings  

increased in frequency, and barricades  went up to separate the two communities.  

The Provisional IRA escalated their armed  campaign against the British and Northern  

Irish security forces. Many nationalists saw  the PIRA as defenders of their community,  

and loyalists saw them as dangerous insurgents. In reaction to this violence, the British  

Army were deployed on the streets in Operation  Banner. They were called in to support the RUC,  

and protect infrastructure  and civilians. But ultimately,  

their presence served to escalate the situation. We’ve come up to IWM’s conservation studio to  

have a look at this weapon here which is a baton  round gun which was used by the British army and  

the Royal Ulster Constantly in riot control  situations. This type of weapon could fire a  

variety of ammunition from these guns, such  as CS gas canisters, but more usually rubber  

bullets and more latterly plastic bullets. The British Army was deployed in Northern  

Ireland in 1969 at the behest of the then prime  minister, and it changed the relationship with  

Northern Ireland and the rest of United  Kingdom, where now the British government  

itself took a more active role because the  army were very much within their control. 

Initially, in some areas they were seen  as being protective and helpful of the  

nationalist Catholic community. But as the  situation developed in Northern Ireland and  

the army's role became more intense, they  were no longer seen as a neutral actor. 

Although seen as an effective form of crowd  control if used incorrectly, the bullets could  

in themselves be fatal. There were a number of  fatalities caused by rubber and more latterly  

the replacement for the use of plastic bullets,  which were at the time thought to be less lethal,  

but turned out to be no less so. This was often seen as a fairly  

heavy-handed approach, and nationalist communities  often saw that they were the ones more targeted  

by British soldiers with these particular  weapons than those in loyalist communities. 

In 1970, the Ulster Defence Regiment was formed  – the largest regiment in the British Army. 

They consisted of people, men and women, who  came from Northern Ireland. They didn't go  

home. They didn't have tours of duty. They came  from the community from which they defended. 

Although there was a drive to include Catholics in  the recruitment and some did join, it largely was  

unsuccessful because of pressure in nationalist  and Republican communities to join them, and  

also because the force was seen, as with  the Royal Constabulary, the police force,  

to be overwhelming Protestant and was viewed  from a nationalist Republican standpoint as  

being a tool of the oppressor, if you will. The UDR did draw controversy. There were  

accusations from Republicans of collusion with  loyalist paramilitaries, some of which may have  

been true, others may have been overstated. Even within the loyalist community,  

many of them didn't see them as friends either.  For others, others saw them as neutral. So the  

position was difficult and it was dangerous  and it certainly was controversial at times. 

I think that was the hardest  thing any of us had to  

deal with - the fact this was a United Kingdom  city. And yet you were there, as though you were  

in the middle of a war zone. It was a war zone.  It was a war zone. There was a lot of violence and  

a lot of anger. You had all that debris from the  first riots, all the burnt-out streets and things.  

And what were the people like? The ones  that were friendly were very friendly.  

But the ones that weren’t were the exact  opposite. You got stoned, and bottled,  

and petrol bombed and all the rest of it in a  Protestant area just as much as you did in the  

Catholic one. You really were piggy in the middle. The British Army arriving in NI faced a difficult  

challenge. In their efforts to supress the IRA,  hostility from the Catholic community grew towards  

the British Army. This was severely aggravated by  the introduction of the Falls Curfew in July 1970. 

What started off as a search for weapons  in a Catholic, nationalist area, resulted  

in clashes between local residents throwing  petrol bombs, and British soldiers firing CS  

gas. In response to this clash, the entire area  was sealed off and a curfew was imposed. Large  

amounts of weapons were seized by the British  troops, but in the process of the operation,  

four civilians were killed and dozens others  injured.

The same month, in the House of  

Commons, UK Home Secretary Reginald Maudling  declared, "We are now at war with the IRA." 

The following year, the policy of  internment

sparked further anger. Operation Demetrius involved the imprisonment  

without trial of suspected IRA members. The  British Army conducted sweeps and arrested more  

than 340 people from Catholic and nationalist  backgrounds – due to faulty intelligence,  

many of these people in fact had no connection  to armed Republicanism. The treatment of some of  

those arrested was later categorised as torture. We're standing in front of a cabinet here in the  

galleries, and then here we have a poster  which is a protest against the Northern  

Irish government's policy of internment in  1971. These initial sweeps caused four days  

of rioting in which over 20 people died.

Posters like these would have  

appeared on walls, on lampposts, etc. in Northern  Ireland at the time as a protest against what  

was felt to be an unjust policy targeted  against the nationalist community. Indeed,  

loyalists would not be subject to the  same internment without trial until 1973. 

The backlash to internment was strong. It  sparked a lot of violence, a recruitment boost  

for the IRA, and a deepening of divisions  between the loyalists and nationalists.

1972 was the worst year of violence in Northern  Ireland. But from the couple of years before that,  

the violence had been escalating. Northern  Ireland was starting to appear on the news  

regular at night and civilians bore the brunt  of it as far as casualties were concerned. 

There seemed to be at this point no resolution  in sight, but the worst was still to come. 

The presence of the British Army and the growth  of the paramilitaries all ramped up the violence  

of the Troubles. The IRA had already split but  their strategy was about to entirely change.  

As the violence increased and spread beyond NI  borders, the road to peace would not be easy.