The Ongoing Northern Ireland Conflict essays

The Ongoing Northern Ireland Conflict essays Northern Ireland primarily consists of Protestants who want to remain a part of Great Britain. There is, however, a Catholic minority in the north fighting to become a part of the Republic of Ireland. This situation involves centuries of religious tension. The unrest in Northern Ireland dates back as far as the 1500s. At this time most of Europe's population belonged to the Catholic church. Under the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-49), England was converted to Protestantism. King Henry conquered the totally Catholic Ireland, and it came under Protestant control. This Protestant rule started the initial tension with the Catholics in Ireland. Large numbers of Protestants settled in the North of Ireland, creating a Protestant majority in the region that still exists today. In 1609, James I fought the Protestant Prince William III at the Battle of The Boyne. Due to this battle, the Catholics were forced to give up a vast majority of the land in Ireland to Protestant control. Catholics throughout Ireland called for it to become a republic, independent of Great Britain. However, the Protestants insisted on remaining a part of Great Britain. In 1920, the Goverment of Ireland Act officially divided it into two seperate states, the south a predominantly Catholic state and the north a predominatly Protestant state. The Catholics, who longed for their independence from Great Britain, acheived it when they became the Republic of Ireland in 1949. As one would assume, thirty-five years of constant fighting and five hundred years of struggles has had a significant impact on the region of Northern Ireland. Civil war in Northern Ireland has left the region behind the rest of Europe. Europe, in recent years, has been looking to the future. It recently adopted the Euro, a single currency for all of Europe. Additionally, if you are a citizen of a country in Europe, you can travel to other countries without a passport. Europe is looking to the fu...