The ethnologic-political conflict between the Protestant unionists (loyalists) and the Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans) reached the climax in 1968. The duration of The Troubles, known as the Northern Ireland conflict, is dated from the 1960s to 1998. It consisted of the dispute between the unionists and the nationalists if Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or become part of the Republic of Ireland.
Another major side was the British army whose main purpose was to achieve peace between the unionist paramilitary forces and the Irish Republican Army. Because of many bombings, street fighting and diverse confrontations the war was characteristic of a civil war. The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic was supervised by the British Army.
One of the first confrontations in course of the Troubles was the Battle of the Bogside, in 1969. The main reason for the upcoming civil rights movement was the inequality and discrimination against Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. A series of riots and violence erupted when tensions became heavier. Almost every time it was a Protestant march that was the last straw [dt.: der Tropfen, der das Fass zum Überlaufen brachte] and quickly escalated from insults [dt.: Beleidigungen] to violence and extreme riots. Many Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were deployed to supress violence.
Later, in the 1998, the RUC was reformed into the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the riots and fighting spread from Derry and Belfast into several towns and other cities.
On January 30, 1972 the Bloody Sunday caused a new level of intensity when British paratroopers [dt.: Fallschirmjäger] fired on demonstrators belonging to the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association. 13 people were killed and 14 were injured.
Soon, leaders from Britain and Ireland came together to discuss the situation. In 1998, multi-party talks, mediated by U.S. senator George Mitchell, composed the Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, through which the Troubles officially ended. Terms to rule the split island of Ireland were passed. For example, a multi-party assembly was to be elected to govern society and a North-South-Council was formed to respect mutual interests. The Northern Ireland population was allowed to call themselves British or Irish and according to the agreement, everyone shall have basic human and civil rights.
From 1995-2005 Ireland experienced a period of rapid expansion. The country developed from one of the poorest countries in Europe to one of the wealthiest. From this period on, the Republic of Ireland is called the Celtic Tiger that refers to the above-average economic growth of Ireland in the 90s. The Celtic Tiger is related to the “East Asian Tigers” which refers to economic growth in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Hong and South Korea. Today experts are still debating which factor has been the most important for the economic growth in Ireland. The main reason is probably a convergance of a lot of factors. Amongst others, a stable national economy and EU membership played an important role. The US economic boom and the low corporate taxes, as well as foreign investments are different factors that also caused economic growth. In 2002, the Irish pound was replaced by the Euro, as a national currency.
In course of the global financial crisis, an economic disaster hits Ireland and the banking system collapsed in 2008. The unemployment rate reaches 11% and people begin to protest the struggling government.
The Irish economy was often subject to extreme fluctuations. While the economic boom brought a great upswing, a few years later there was an economic crash.The sum of the crises, such as the potato famine or the economic crises, turned young people into emigrants. Over several decades, young Northern Irish people leave the country and return some time later, if at all; this phenomenon is called "brain drain." The reason for emigration from Northern Ireland is the disrupted past of Northern Ireland and the accompanying urge of young people to study in a modern country.
In 2020, the Brexit shattered [dt.: zerrütten] the connection between the two parts of the island which had progressed positively years before. As a consequence of Brexit there is nowadays not just a border between the Northern and Southern part of the island but also a European Union frontier.
Quote:
“Ireland is a country united by geography and divided by history”.
~ The Irish Times
Because of the complex relationship with neighbouring England, the notion [dt.: Vorstellung, Auffassung] of one’s own culture was related to the question of one’s own identity. In order to expand the English territory, Irish culture was suppressed for decades. Ireland has only been independent of British rule for a century, but both the language and the way of life have been shaped by English. The common resistance to the British crown, for example in the form of anti-English music, has united many Irish people.
Celtic descent is also a central aspect of Irish history and continues to shape Irish traditions. Irish traditions are now well known in the international present. For example, the Irish National Day, St. Patrick’s Day, is celebrated not only in Ireland but also throughout the world by people of Irish descent. Halloween is also a world-famous festival from Ireland. Folk music from the 1960s, as well as tap dance and the dancing show Riverdance have their origins in Ireland. Dancing is also quite popular for Irish pub culture which is familiar for people of every generation to this day.