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12th-14th century: Ireland gradually under English rule
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15th century: rebellions against English monarchy no longer independence of Irish
parliament (=English consent to Irish laws)
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16th century: start of religious suppression (Henry VIII) when Ireland remains
Roman Catholic
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17th century: "Ulster Plantations -- Protestants settle in Ulster (province
in the North of Ireland), Irish land given to English landlords
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169o: James II (he caused the "Glorious Revolution ), supported by
the Irish, defeated by Protestant William of Orange (King William
III)
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19th century: "Unionists , i.e. supporters of continued union with the rest
of Britain, O'Connell's success in uniting nationalist and Catholic groups.
"Home Rule Movement , demanding an Irish parliament. Sinn Féin want
complete independence for Ireland
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1845-195o: the "Great (Potato) Famine results in 2 million dead or forced
to emigrate (especially to North America), increases anti-English
bitterness and reveals land problems. Ulster (linen trade and ship-building)
suffers less
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1916: "Easter Rising in Dublin fails ... Result: Anglo-Irish War and
establishment of the IRA
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192o: the "Government of Ireland Act creates The Irish Free State
for 26 counties in the South and a new country, Northern Ireland, 6
counties in the north (Protestant majority), remaining part of the UK
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1949: Irish Free State becomes The Republic of Ireland
(independent state)
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1968: a Civil Rights march in Derry is brutally put down by the police -
start of the so called modern "Troubles in Ireland
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3o Jan 1972: "Bloody Sunday : the British Army kill 13 civil rights
marchers in (London)Derry; consequence: more and more people join the IRA
bloodshed on both sides (ca. 3.2oo people until today) [IRA: "all
killings stem from British ... denial of Irish sovereignty ]
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1994: IRA announces "a complete cessation of military operations
(broken by IRA breakaway group/s in 1996 and after)
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since 1996: Peace talks reopened
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Easter 1998: peace-treaty (welcome by more than 70 percent of people in NI), IRA
initially resists peace-treaty ("Let us make it clear that there will
be no decommissioning by the IRA. ), Real IRA emerges/is formed (May
statement claims "ceasefire is over )
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1998: government introduces the Northern Ireland Bill, designed to
implement the Good Friday Agreement The Police (Northern Ireland) Act
is passed nine days later, followed by the Northern Ireland (Sentences)
Act, allowing early release of paramilitary prisoners Real IRA
bombings threaten to hold up the peace process again (esp. Omagh on 15 Aug,
29 killed, soon followed by new Real IRA statement that "all
military operations have been suspended )
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Nov 1999: Mitchell Review - After 10 weeks of talks between the pro-Good
Friday Agreement parties, US Senator George Mitchell says the basis now
exists for devolution of power and the formation of a Northern Ireland
Executive. Direct Rule ends in December and is reinstalled 72 days later
later, apparently due to lack of serious commitment on the part of the IRA
(arms problem)
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March 2000: New Bloody Sunday inquiry opens
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Dec 12, 2000: Clinton in NI (3rd
time), identifies disputes over disarming Northern Ireland's guerrilla
forces and establishing a new police force as two issues that could undermine
the accord
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2001: some bombings killing more than half a dozen of people, Republican
splinter groups suspected; Trimble (minister) resigns as first minister in
protest against the Irish Republican Army"s failure to put its weapons
beyond use
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Summer-Autumn 2001: Negotiations of the problems, NI Assembly suspended twice to buy
time for further negotiations
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Sep 2001: resumption of trouble outside a north Belfast school for
Catholic girls, more than 40 police officers wounded
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Oct 2001: IRA announces it has begun decommissioning its arms
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Nov 2001: David Trimble re-elected as leader of the NIA (after some unionist
attempts at blocking his election)
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April 2002: The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD)
announces that the IRA has decommissioned a "substantial amount of
weapons IRA states it thus wants to "stabilise the peace process
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August 2002: still different views as to the success and the duture of the peace
process, e.g. in Guardian Special NI section; still "small scale
murders and bombings, but the "slow walk to peace (Barry Turley, Observer)
appears to be irreversible
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