Summary
Overview
This episode examines the origins of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, tracing the sectarian tensions from partition in 1922 through the mid-1960s. It explores how historical grievances, political marginalization of Catholics, economic anxieties, and the rise of hardline figures like Ian Paisley created the conditions for violence, culminating in the first killings by loyalist paramilitaries in 1966.
Introduction: The Voice of Ulster Protestantism
The episode opens with Ian Paisley's fiery 1965 sermon exemplifying Protestant fundamentalism in Northern Ireland. Despite the swinging 60s happening elsewhere, Paisley's rhetoric sounds like it's straight from the Reformation era. His influence would span four decades of conflict that claimed thousands of lives, including nearly 2,000 innocent civilians through shootings and bombings in both Ireland and Britain.
- Ian Paisley delivered a sermon 'Why I am a Protestant' on March 1, 1965, championing Ulster loyalism and opposing Rome
- The Troubles claimed thousands of lives including almost 2,000 innocent civilians over four decades
- At the peak in the early 1970s, almost 500 people were killed every year with a bomb going off in Belfast every single day
" We're not going. We're not going. You can go if you want, but we will not go. "
Historical Context: Partition and the Birth of Northern Ireland
The series picks up from early 20th century Ireland, when partition created two distinct entities. By 1922, the island was divided into the 26-county Irish Free State (later Republic) and the 6-county Northern Ireland with a two-thirds Protestant majority. This partition, born from Ulster Unionists' refusal to accept Catholic-dominated home rule, was accompanied by violence that killed over 500 people between 1920-1922, mostly Catholic civilians.
- In 1912, almost half a million Ulster Unionists signed a covenant pledging to use 'all means necessary' to fight home rule
- 100,000 organized into paramilitary volunteers and smuggled tens of thousands of guns into Ulster
- Partition in 1922 created Northern Ireland with six counties and a guaranteed two-thirds Protestant majority
- Between summer 1920 and 1922, over 500 people were killed in Belfast, most of them Catholic civilians, with 10,000 Catholics driven from jobs and 25,000 from homes
" A bridge and a trader are very very much alike for they both go over to the other side. "
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