The+beginning+of+the+Ireland+conlfict

=** Why is Ireland divided into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? **=

Ireland is today divided into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. While the Northern part has a protestant majority, the republic below is dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. The relationship between the two countries is today very strained. Roughly spoken, the reason behind the dividing was the political and religious suppression performed by British settlers which lead to the civil war and later the partition. This article deals with events in Irish history that are connected to the partition of Ireland in 1923.

The conflict goes back to the 12th century, when British settlers made Ireland England’s first colony. In 1542, [|Henry VIII] declared himself as King of Ireland and established a protestant rule in the originally Roman Catholic country. During the rest of the millennium, the Irish history speaks of violent conflicts between English Rulers and rebellious native Irish.

In the early 17th century, the British settling in [|Ulster] began. The Brits were in need of a proper excuse to justify their rule in Ireland, thus ease the rebelliousness amongst the native Irish. Since the English government wished for settling, they altered their politics and made it profitable to buy land in Ireland. Both English and Scottish [|gentries] moved to Ulster. The settling resulted in a protestant majority in the northern parts of Ireland. The native inhabitants were consequently driven to the south.

Unfortunately for the British rule, the settling worked against its purpose and resulted in more rebelliousness.The Brits were keen on keeping Ireland as a colony because it gave them a huge economical advantage, they therefore maintained their dominance despite uprisings and several conflicts. The Rulers weakened the Roman Catholic majority in Ireland by establishing several laws that restricted the Roman Catholics’ political and religious rights.When the great famine occurred, people started blaming the British rule for the appalling conditions they were living in. As time went on, the demand for an independent state grew amongst the native Irish.  In 1922, a civil war broke out. Since the Brits were involved with World War 1, their resources in Ireland were considerably restricted. The Irish opposition took advantage and won the war against the English rulers. T he Island became free from Britain on 6 December 1922. The war resulted in the establishment of the Irish Free State, later to be named the Republic of Ireland.

The new Irish state was divided in two shortly after its establishment. The reason for this partition was that in Ulster, the majority were Protestants (most of them descendants from the British and Scottish settlers). These Protestants feared that they would lose their political and social rights if they were to go in a union with the new republic, which had a majority of 95% Roman Catholics. The partition was not supposed to be permanent, and even today, many Irishmen wish for a united independent country. The main reason for the partition in Ireland is the suppressive way the British rulers handled the native Irish throughout history. The native people responded with rebelliousness, but as the Brits were obstinate and started settling the conflict only escalated and the Irish civil war broke out. The war, which was won by the native Irish, resulted in the establishment of the Irish Free State. Since the majority in the northern areas was Protestants and descendants of the early British and Scottish settlers, this part chose to break out of the Irish Free State and rejoin Britain as a colony. - Dara Goldar Sources: Gunnar Mørk [][][][][]