With the
case of Northern Ireland, the first posts (Posts 86-105) differed from previous
analyses presented by this blog series TERRITORIAL DISPUTES. This time the
series introduced the relationship between national law and international law.
From there, and in light of Brexit, the relationship between the law in the
United Kingdom and the European Union.
The following posts will cover different
views from people at large, politicians and academics in several disciplines
such as law, political science, and international relations. We finish this
post by including a very succinct background account, a couple of questions to
the reader and sources. Today’s blog presents a brief historical account to
provide a contextual reference.
Key Dates in Northern
Ireland History
What are the roots of the
conflict in Northern Ireland? And when did they start? The list of key dates in
the history of Northern Ireland below:
1170 Settlers from Britain
arrive in Ireland
1608 Plantation of Ulster
began
1641 The Catholic-Gaelic
rising in response to the Plantation and the confiscation of land by Protestant
settlers from England and Scotland
1690 The Battle of the
Boyne and the victory of Protestant William III over Catholic James II - this
victory is still celebrated in many parades in Northern Ireland
1801 Act of Union which
abolished the Irish Parliament and bound Ireland and Britain together as parts
of the United Kingdom
1912 Ulster Solemn League
and Covenant signed by over 400, 000 Protestants who wanted to remain in the
Union
1916 The Easter Rising in
Dublin against British rule
1921 A treaty leading to
the establishment of an Irish Free State of 26 counties, with the 6 counties of
Northern Ireland remaining British
1968 The starting point of
the present ‘Troubles’ arising, in part, out of the campaign by Catholics in
Northern Ireland for civil rights
1998 The Belfast Agreement
(sometimes called the Good Friday Agreement)
1999 The setting up of a
power-sharing Assembly in Northern Ireland
2002 Devolution is
suspended as power-sharing unravels over IRA allegations
2007 Devolution is restored
to Northern Ireland
Source:
|
The Northern Ireland
Troubles: INCORE background paper (2009)
|
The Creation Of Northern Ireland
The Protestant north, fearing becoming a minority
in an independent Irish
Catholic state, was preparing to resist Home Rule
since the 1880s. In 1921
Unionism succeeded in excluding six of the nine
counties of Ulster from Home Rule arrangements. The new Northern Ireland six
county administration was the largest area that could comfortably be held with
a pro-Union majority17. It was given its own government with devolved powers
but the British Government retained ultimate authority.
This had not been a first preference for Unionists
in Northern Ireland many of whom saw it as a compromise diluting their position
within the Union. Many Nationalists, however, felt isolated and vulnerable
within this new Protestant majority state.
The Creation Of The Irish Free State
A year later a twenty-six county Irish Free State
came into being. The longstanding division between Catholic and Protestant
communities had now taken constitutional form. Northern Ireland and the Irish
Free State created a new conjunction of majority community with political
power. Politics in Northern Ireland under the devolved administration would
continue to be dominated by the constitutional question.
Source:
Understanding The Northern Ireland Conflict: A
Summary And Overview Of The Conflict And Its Origins
To the
reader, following two of our previous posts of this series about TERRITORIAL
DISPUTES:
a) What are the issues at stakes in this a
territorial dispute?
b) Which remedy could be used to solve
this particular territorial dispute?
For
reference to these questions see:
Jorge
Emilio Núñez
Twitter: @London1701
23rd July 2018
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