I do hope things aren't going backwards in Northern Ireland
By oldchem1
@oldchem1 (8132)
August 3, 2010 2:19am CST
News this morning is that yet again a car bomb has been set off in Londonderry.
It seems that a taxi driver was forced at gun point to take the car along with the bomb to a police station there.
Thankfully nobody was hurt, but - in light of the riots last month - does this mean we are slowly returning to the bad old days in Ireland?
I do hope not.
4 responses
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
3 Aug 10
Wow, where to start - this will be VERY condensed!! Northern Ireland has had many problems over the years going back really to the 1600s but, in 1963 however the modern 'troubles' began.
As with most such conflicts the cause behind the troubles were religion (or the people who follow it) - the difference between Protestants and Roman Catholics and those who wanted to be par of Great Britain and those who wanted to be independent.
In 1963 3, the prime minister of Northern Ireland (Viscount Brookeborough) stepped down from office after serving for 20 years. The new PM (Terence O'Neill) met with the Republic of Ireland's (Southern Ireland) prime minister Sean Lemass, this was the first such meeting for 40 years; the Unionists (the Protestants in Northern Ireland) felt threatened by this and it meant that in the South the Catholics hopes were raised but in the North they were fearful of the future.
The IRA became the militant force in the south and the UVF in the North and troubles broke out in 1966 with riots in the streets. In 1969 a group of the IRA formed called the 'Provisional' IRA who were a lot more violent.
There were lots of efforts to bring calm and peace to the island but eventually the British Army were taken into Ireland to supposidly keep peace between the two parties,but on Sunday 30th January 1972 (Bloody Sunday)in the Bogside area of Derry,in the North unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by some soldiers from the British Army - this increased the conflicts.
From then on during the 1970s many bombs exploded on mainland Britain.
Many people were killed and maimed.
These 'troubles' carried on until the late 90's and almost 4000 people lost ther lives in that time.
Things have been quite calm for the last decade but it does seem as if things are stirring again.
I do hope not.
Hope that helps a bit, as I say it is a VERY condensed report but gives a little background
2 people like this
@attente (986)
• Philippines
3 Aug 10
oooh. that's terrible! religion is really an issue to some places. why not just think that the point here is that we are believing in God, who is our savior. another issue are the traditions and cultures. But why not just unite right. I know this is so easy to say, yet so hard to do. But I hope and pray for unity. I'll pray that that won't happen again in Ireland so as to refrain from killings. be blessed!
Thank you so much oldchem for the condensed yet very clear information! :)
@Memnon (2170)
•
4 Aug 10
I hope not. It's taken long enough to get to where we are. This would be a sad regression. Unfortunately I expect that there will always be a section of the IRA- whatever they decide to name themselves, for whom this is a way of life rather than a cause. Even if they achieved a united Ireland, they would find another reason to continue their activity.
@Suminundu (192)
• Malaysia
3 Aug 10
I too hope that no such incident should happen again in Ireland.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
3 Aug 10
Oh, I did not hear about that, that is very sad, I remember there were some similar things happening last year too, if I am not mistaken? I hope it is just one fool trying to do something on his own, and not a more organized thing... It would be horrible if the fighting would start again.
I guess I will have to keep an eye on the news in order to find out!
