Troubles ...

Any of my readers who know me, know of my pride in my Irish heritage, as well as my interest in historical conflict – especially the American Civil War and World War II. And I have not hid my excitement at the upcoming Assassin’s Creed release – which takes place during the American Revolution against the British Crown. Recently, discussions with some friends, along with a disturbing piece of news read online, have put me to thinking about “the Troubles”.

For those who don’t know, the Troubles (as they are often known) was the collective name for the decades-long conflicts between Irish Republicans and British Loyalists over the Seven Counties of Northern Ireland. As was common with much of Ireland’s history (proud or otherwise), the Troubles were rife with conflict, warfare, and death - paramilitary and civilian. Actions by both sides of the conflict were condemned – by governments, citizens, the media, and even religious leaders. I remember reading in the papers (this was before the internet) and seeing on the nightly news stories of the conflicts in Ireland and the Seven Counties. Little did I realize, until I was older and more read, that these stories were told from a strongly Loyalist point of view. A view I find to be terribly ironic, if you look at the histories involved.

What many people fail to realize is how similar the Troubles were compared to our own proud history in the United States. Both were conflicts against the overbearing British Crown by people trying to stake a claim to their own independence from the monarchy. However, as anyone may be familiar with, the media’s perspective on matters will paint the picture that is presented to the populace. Given the relationship that the American and British governments have, it is no wonder that the American media was taking a definite Loyalist view. After all, “our good friends” the British were being irrationally attacked by the “hostile Irish” when all our friends were trying to do is help govern land that they had acquired decades before *cough* through force *cough*.

My how times change – if you all recall your history books, our forefathers (many British expatriates of their own right) fought for their own rights, their own freedoms after suffering under the oppression of the British monarchy. This is the same as the roots of the fight for Irish independence that continued for centuries, into modern times before a uneasy resolution was reached on Good Friday, 1998. Yes, you read that correctly, 1998. The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended the “Troubles” and designated that the Seven Counties of Northern Ireland were part of the British “protectorate” until such time as the majority of citizens in Northern Ireland vote democratically to rejoin the Republic of Ireland. In an area with a population “equally” divided amongst republicans and loyalists, Catholics and Protestants, the likelihood of this ever happening is slim. It is a struggle that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

So, I know what you are all asking at this point – where’s your point Mick? Imagine what that would be like here in our world … another country annexing some of our land in this country – let’s just say that Canada decides it must forcibly protect citizens who have staked claim to land in New England, for example. The states of Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont become known as the Northern States, and part of the parliamentary democracy/constitutional monarchy of Canada. How would you feel about that? How far would you be willing to go to see your fellow American citizens reunited with the remaining 44 states of the United States? Would you take up arms?

Our forefathers fought to free their families from British oppression and we laud them as heroes. The Irish have fought to do the same, but are often seen as violent criminals, largely because of their methods of warfare. Worldwide, people fight for their freedoms – Sudan, Eastern Europe, the Middle East. War is a brutal monster – sometimes born from necessity, often born from fierce stubbornness of the parties involved. We live in a world constantly at war, due to the conflicts of nature we live in. And it will forever continue as nature forces us to take its course and to learn its lessons. Sometimes the cost of those lessons is a difficult and painful one.