1Union
Until 1800, Britain effectively treated Ireland as a colony, but the Act of Union
made the island an integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Irish nationalist movement
calling for independence grew stronger, giving rise to a Unionist movement
that wished to maintain Ireland within the Union.
2The religion conflict
Ireland still insisted on Catholicism tradition, and became a strong bulwark of
the Roman Catholic church. The different religious beliefs made two national
hostile to each other.
3Invasion and Colonization
Conflict began when the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland between 1167 and
1171, although their sphere of influence was largely restricted to the east
coast.
The English colonised Ireland in the 12th century and for almost 800 years
oppressed the indigenous people through force, as England having a much
larger army and greater military resources. They tried to eradicate the religion,
language, culture and Irish people themselves.
4.Partition
In 1921 the British government agreed to give 26 Irish counties a measure of
independence as the Irish Free State (from 1949 the Republic of Ireland). The
six northeastern counties remained within the United Kingdom as Northern
Ireland.
5.Conflict in Northern Ireland
Violence flared in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s over whether Northern
Ireland should remain in the United Kingdom. More than 3,400 people were
killed in more than 30 years of conflict. The Good Friday Agreement, signed in
1998, tried to find a way to bring peace to the region.