The irish question

« Sunday bloody Sunday » by U2

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by the Irish rock band „U2“ designed to transport the listener into 1970’s
Ireland. One of U2's most political songs, its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of the „Troubles“
[an ethno-nationalist period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years ]
mainly focusing on the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed
civil rights protesters.
“How long must we sing this song?”underlines their anger. „Cause tonight, we can be as one, tonight”,
signifies that the door is still open for peace.
Today, this song is considered one of U2's signature songs, and is one of the band's most performed tracks.
Critics rate it among the best political protest songs, and it has been covered by over a dozen artists.
It was named the 272nd-greatest song by Rolling Stone on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All
Time."

BLOODY SUNDAY
1972 January 30
„Bloody Sunday“ is an event that took place in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where 13 unarmed civil
rights demonstrators were shot dead by British Army paratroopers. None of the casualties were posing a
threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting.
This was one of the most prominent events that occurred during the Troubles as it was recorded as the
largest number of civilians killed in a single shooting incident.

By 3 PM on a Sunday afternoon, as many as 15k protesters, all Northern Catholics, were marching in
protest of the « British policy of internment » of suspected Irish nationalists, which allowed the authorities
to imprison suspected IRA (Irish Republican Army) members without trial. 21 British soldiers fired their
weapons indiscriminately into the crowd of protesters, and after less than 30 minutes of shooting 13
marchers were dead and 14 were badly wounded.

The killings brought worldwide attention to the crisis in Northern Ireland and sparked protests all across
Ireland. In Dublin, the capital of independent Ireland, outraged Irish citizens lit the British embassy aflame.
In April 1972, the British government released a report exonerating British troops from any illegal actions
during the Londonderry protest. Irish indignation over Britain’s Northern Ireland policies grew, and Britain
increased its military presence in the North. [ the IRA exploded 20 bombs in Belfast, killing British military
personnel and a number of civilians]. Britain responded by instituting a new court system composed of trial
without jury for terrorism suspects.

Critical situation in Northern Ireland

Situation between Catholic and Protestant before ‚Bloody Sunday‘:
By the mid-1960s a clear Protestant dominance (Unionists wanting to maintain the union with the
UK) over the Catholic minority had been established.
Common was a preferential treatment of unionists in housing, employment and other fields. (reason
why the 1969 civil right movement was created).
Although Catholic emancipation was achieved in 1829, eliminating official discrimination against the
Catholics, which in 1970 were a number grater than the protestants, they continued to be
discriminated. The higher presence and population growth among Catholics was seen as a threat.
 By 1969 the situation in Ireland was out of control and a civil war had broken out. This was the
beginning of the “Troubles”, [an ethno-nationalist period of conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted
about 30 years, from the late 1960s (1969) to the late 1990s.]
The Catholics felt discriminated against. This enabled the IRA to gain supporters and set up a
campaign of violence and bombings both in Ireland and in Britain. In August 1969 British troops
were ordered into Northern Ireland. From 1970 through 1972 an explosion of political
violence occurred in Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army (IRA)'s offensive campaign began
when attacks on the British Army were sanctioned by the Army Council. In 1972, the Provisional IRA
killed approximately carried out 1,300 bombings all over the UK : reason why fear and people
moving in a suspicious way, led to the shooting.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The reasons for the conflicting situation in Ireland are deep-rooted in religion and history: the Irish are
descended from the Celtic people who originally inhabited the island, and they are traditionally Catholic,
while the Protestant minority is descended from the English, and represents the nation that occupied
Ireland and made it a colony.
The Irish have always felt exploited by England, and have regarded it as responsible for their economic
plight.

 Act of Union - In 1801 the Act of Union stated that Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. The
Anglican Church became the official Irish Church, and Catholics were not allowed to sit in
Parliament, even if 88% of the Irish were Catholic.

 The Irish War of Independence - In the 1918 election the Home Rule party „Sinn Fein“ (meaning in
Gaelic "Ourselves Alone", founded in 1905) won throughout Ireland - except in the predominantly
Protestant Ulster - and declared themselves the elected assembly of the Irish people with Eamon de
Valera as the leader. The nationalists started organising their own army, the Irish Republican Army
(IRA), which mostly used aggressive tactics. The War of Independence began in 1919, led by the IRA
(Irish Republican Army) and Sinn Fein; it ended in 1921 with the establishment of the Irish Free State
(an independent Ireland within the British Commonwealth). Only Ulster, or Northern Ireland,
remained united with Britain.

 The Irish Republic – At the end of WW1 the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 devided Ireland into two
parts; however, it was not satisfactory, since it still recognised the sovereignty of the British Crown.
This led to a Civil War (1922-23). In the end the IRA surrendered their arms but the work towards
independence went on until 1949, when the Republic of Ireland was finally officially proclaimed.

 Good Friday Agreement - In 1998 greater autonomy was granted to both Catholics and Protestants
in Ulster. One of its clauses states that the sovereignty of Northern Ireland will be decided on the
basis of a popular referendum. In 1997 all the paramilitaries finally decided to put their arms down
and peace was declared in Northern Ireland.