Ethnocentric Event of

Northern Ireland
by Alec McCormick

The Event:
Violence broke out in the Northern Ireland County Londonderry in 1968 during a civil rights march, which
caused 30 years of conflict. This is what has been commonly called, Troubles.
The Catholic/Nationalist party drew inspiration from the Civil Rights movement in the United States led by
Martin Luther King Jr. The Unionist, which was a mostly protestant party, had many laws in place that
discriminated against the Catholic/Nationalist minority.
The people in Northern Ireland were made up of loyalists supporting the union with Britain and
nationalists seeking unification with the Republic of Ireland to the south.
On October 5th of 1968, there was a showdown between all the parties involved.

Who was involved?

Ulster Unionist Party held power in Northern Ireland since its creation in 1921. It
was made up of mostly Protestants of the Unionist/Loyalist community.
The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association or NICRA made up of mostly
Catholic reformist from the Catholic/Nationalist minority.
The Apprentice Boys is a fraternal society that was founded in 1814. It is based
in Derry and has about 10,000 members all over places like Ireland, Scotland,
England and Toronto, Canada.
William Craig was the Minister of Home Affairs.

Goals of NICRA:
In Belfast around 1967 The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association or NICRA
called for wide-ranging reforms. Their goals were:
Equal voting rights in local government elections.
A more fair system for the allocation of public housing.
An end to Gerrymandering - a manipulation of the electoral boundaries that
allow one community to have advantage over another.
An end to employment discrimination.
A disbandment of B-specials which was an all protestant auxiliary police force.
A repeal of the Special Powers Act, which allowed internment of suspect without
a trial.

How the Troubles began:

After a successful march in another county, the Derry Housing Action Committee
invited NICRA to march in County Londonderry. The Apprentice Boys also
announced a march on the same day and on the same exact route. William Craig
banned all marches within the boundaries of the planned route.
On the day of the march several hundred protesters planned to walk along Duke,
a predominantly protestant area of the Waterside District. They would then
proceed to the Diamond in the center of the city. Duke Street was considered out
of bounds according to Craig's orders. The Protesters were confronted with a row
of police officers upon turning onto Duke Street.

Police used water cannons and batons to disperse the protesters.

The Outcome: Nothing was ever the same.

The television coverage of the event made international news. Demonstrations and counter
demonstrations broke out in the weeks and months after. Riots in Derry and Belfast became
commonplace. In 1969 the protest saw it first deaths.
The British Army was called in to keep peace, Their occupation was only suppose to be for a short
interval. However, the Army ended up staying until July 2007.
By the end of 1969, there was various 'no-go' areas and 'peace walls' set up in Belfast and Derry. The
once mixed areas become exclusively Protestant or Catholic, polarizing not only people, but also opinions
and attitudes. Paramilitary groups on both sides began to emerge, and a widespread civil disorder quickly
escalated into a conflict that lasted 30 years.

And then there was peace?

The Good Friday Agreement brought an end to the 30 year conflict.
The Good Friday Agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both
agreed in Belfast on Good Friday - April 10, 1998.
The agreement set up as a power-sharing assembly to govern Northern Ireland by
cross-community consent.
This partnership of constitutional opposites is perhaps the most remarkable
outcome of the Troubles, and one that underlines the triumph of politics over
violence in post-conflict Northern Ireland. BBC

The Prospects for Peace in the Future:

Throughout the last 17 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, it has
been more peaceful but there's still segregated areas where conflict can erupt in
the form of petrol bombs.
And because of North Irelands economic woes, it is a breeding ground for more
conflict.
I don't really know what the future holds for Ireland. Because I can't see the future.

Ethnocentrism:
"We aimed for no more than to have dominion over every creature that moved upon the earth. And so it came to pass that we
stepped down there on a place we believed unformed, where only darkness moved on the face of the waters." Kingsolver p.
10
Ethnocentrismthe belief that one is culturally superior. Rev. Price personifies the attitudes of American ethnocentrism. Americas
ethnocentrism has led to the intervention in world affairs.
The Ethnocentrism of the Loyalist has caused the areas of Northern Ireland to be segregated. These segregated areas have caused a
polarization of viewpoints. They both believe themselves superior in their ideologies. The blending of the cultural aspect of two
different political and religious groups tends dilute one ideologies. When societies are polarized they become destructive. One group
tries to have dominion over the other and violence eventually ensues.

The Common Thread:

When Ruth May is taken to a doctor for a broken arm, the Belgian doctor criticizes the European and American economic
and political policies in the Congo especially the injustice of enslaving the Congolese in the rubber plantations and
mines. Nathan Price counters the doctor's statement by saying, "The Belgians and American business brought
civilization to the Congo! American aid will be the Congo's salvation." P 121 The doctor is skeptical of this viewpoint.
"I do not like to contradict, but in seventy-five years the only roads the Belgians ever built are the ones they use to
haul out diamonds and rubber. Between you and me, Reverend, I do not think the people here are looking for your
kind of salvation." P122
In Kingsolvers viewpoint, the tragic violence and hunger experienced in the Congo is the result of its colonizationforeigners who robbed Africa of her natural resources. There is parallels between the political unrest in the Congo and in
Northern Ireland. Like Nathan Price in the Poisonwood Bible, both religious groups believe themselves an instrument of a
Christian God and only their path is the righteous one.
The European exploitation of Africa is parallel to the Protestant/Unionist dominion over the minority Catholics/Unionist. The
strong overtake anyone or anything too weak to prevent it. In both cases there is an imbalance of power, resources, and
justice. There is degradation and discrimination and then there is a resilience that comes from the survival of the conflict.