omagh bomb and northern ireland

8/12/2019 Omagh Bomb and Northern Ireland

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InHistory Behind the Headlines, edited by Meghan OMeara, Detroit MI: Gale Publishing Group,

Volume 2, 2000, pages 2212!"

HEADLINE EVENT THE OMAGH BOMB#$%& OM'G% (OM(, in History Behind the Headlines, edited by Meghan OMeara, Detroit MI: GalePublishing Group, Volume 2, 2000, pages 2212!"

Eugene OBrien

5 keywords

%istory, nationalist, unionist, I)', *iolen+eAbstract

$his +hapter eamines the re+ent history o- .orthern Ireland in terms o- the Omagh (omb as a startingpoint/ It tra+es ey e*ents and ideologi+al standpoints in the politi+al situation up to the end o- the year2000

On aturday 'ugust 1"th, 1334, the small to5n o- Omagh in 6ounty $yrone in .orthern Ireland be+ame

no5n throughout the 5orld/ 't !/10 pm, a "00lb +ar bomb shattered the +enter o- the to5n, illing 23

people and in7uring another 220/ In the thirty year history o- the *iolen+e, euphemisti+ally termed #the

troubles in .orthern Ireland, it might seem strange that this parti+ular in+ident should +ause su+h sho+

and uproar/ $he -a+t that it 5as the in+ident 5hi+h +aused the single greatest number o- deaths in

.orthern Ireland 5as +ertainly a -a+tor/ %o5e*er, the +ontet o- this horri-i+ a+t 5as parti+ularly

signi-i+ant in that it too pla+e in the midst o- a +ease-ire +alled by the Pro*isional Irish )epubli+an

'rmy 8PI)'9 and adhered to by the oyalist Paramilitary groups, su+h as the ;lster De-ense 'sso+iation

8;D'9, the ;lster Volunteer


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broadly des+ribed as 6atholi+, .ationalist and )epubli+an on the one side, and Protestant, oyalist and

;nionist on the other/

%en+e, the sho+ o- this bomb, 5hi+h had been pla+ed at the 7un+tion o- Maret treet and the Dublin)oad, in the +enter o- this busy to5n at pea shopping time/ $here 5as no politi+al or military target

singled out = the aim seems to ha*e been to maimi>e the loss o- li-e/ ' 5arning had been gi*en to a

(el-ast ne5s agen+y some ?0 minutes be-ore the eplosion, but this 5arning designated the Omagh

6ourthouse as the site o- the bomb, 5hi+h 5as some ?00 meters -rom the a+tual eplosion/ ;sually in

the +ontet o- the *iolen+e in .orthern Ireland, su+h bombs 5ere part o- an e+onomi+ 5ar, 5aged largely

by the PI)', and some smaller groupings lie the O--i+ial I)' 8OI)'9 and the Irish national iberation

'rmy 8I.'9, against unionist businesses and those 5hi+h 5ere part o- the supportstru+ture o- the

(ritish 'rmy in .orthern Ireland/ In this +ase, ho5e*er, no su+h imperati*e 5as *isible@ instead +arnage

and the massa+re o- ordinary people 5ere the only results/


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$o understand the reasons behind the planting o- this bomb, it 5ill be ne+essary to loo at the history o-

the .orthern Irish state itsel-, in terms o- its +onstitution and o- the history o- its di--erent +ommunities/

%o5e*er, the #history behind the headlines o- the .orthern Irish tate is a long and tangled one, andneeds to be seen in the +ontet o- the relationships o- +oloni>ation and de+oloni>ation o- Ireland by

&ngland o*er a period o- some 00 years/ In order to -ully understand the +ontet o- the *iolen+e in

.orthern Ireland o*er the past thirty years or so, 5e 5ill tae a broad o*er*ie5 o- this relationship, an

o*er*ie5 5hi+h 5ill be di*ided into -our di--erent se+tions/

ation set up the stru+tural

di*isions that ha*e eisted in ;lster to the present day/ $hirdly, 5e 5ill loo at the period -rom 1400 to

1322, a time 5hen allegian+es to Ireland and &ngland be+ame the de-ining -a+tors in the +reation o- the

.orthern Irish state/


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se+tions, or pro*in+es 8the others being Munster, einster, 6onna+ht and Midhe9, and there is e*iden+e

o- the terms eisten+e sin+e !0,000(6/ It 5as +omprised o- nine di--erent +ounties 5hereas the politi+al

term #.orthern Ireland 5as -irst +oined in 1322, and re-erred to si o- these +ounties/ %en+e, the early

history o- .orthern Ireland is inetri+ably +onne+ted 5ith that o- the 5hole island, though there has beena long history o- separation/ In 100 (6 a de-ensi*e rampart, +alled #(la+ Pigs Dye 5as built by the

people o- ;lster as a -orti-i+ation against in*asion -rom the south o- Ireland/


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students o- the .orthern Irish +on-li+t began to emerge/ In 1"?3, ing &d5ard VI -urther altered the

6hur+h o- &ngland, -ollo5ing the eample o- Martin uther, remo*ing +on-ession, pro+essions and the

do+trine o- transubstantiation/ Many Irish re-used to a++ept these +hanges both -or religious reasons, and

be+ause the +hanges 5ere 5ritten in &nglish as opposed to the Irish language/ $here-ore Irelandremained )oman 6atholi+ 5hile &ngland gradually be+ame more o*ertly Protestant/ Politi+ally, this had

important +onseFuen+es -or Ireland, as the Gaeli+ Irish, and their Old &nglish allies, 5ere almost

+ompletely 6atholi+ in religion, 5hereas the .e5 &nglish 5ere, +on*ersely, pra+ti+ally all Protestants/

$his meant that -rom an early stage, politi+s and religion 5ere signi-iers o- di--erent sides o- the

+on-li+t/ $he +onne+tion o- the politi+al 5ith the religious meant that ea+h side had a strong

sense o- belie- in the righteousness o- their +ause/ $he battle lines o- nati*e, Irish speaing and

6atholi+, as opposed to +oloni>er, &nglish speaing and Protestant 5ere being set+hed out this

-ar ba+ in history/

$udor poli+y also meant that the +oloni>ation o- Ireland as a 5hole 5as prose+uted 5ith mu+h greater

*igor, and a ne5 generation o- administrators sa5 their role as the bringing o- the 5hole o- Ireland

5ithin the s+ope o- &nglish po5er/ It 5as during this period that the ongoing +ottish settlements in

;lster 5ere seen as a possible solution to the rebellious nature o- this pro*in+e/ In 1"2, ir $homas

mith began the -irst -ormal plantation o- ;lster by attempting to bring in &nglish settlers in parts o-

6ounty Do5n, 5hile -rom 1"!1"B, the &arl o- &sse attempted to set up a +olony in +ounty 'ntrim/

$hese plantations, 5hile largely -ailures, did institute an &nglishIrish +on-li+t, 5hi+h +rystalli>ed in

;lster, 5here the battle lines bet5een the Gaeli+ -amilies and +lans, and the +oloni>ing &li>abethan

-or+es be+ame +lear by the end o- the 1Bth

+entury, 5ith the .ine Kears Har/

tung by the in+ursions o- the ne5 &nglish, and their repla+ement o- the Gaeli+ and Old &nglish in

o--i+es o- state, %ugh O.eill and his ally, %ugh ODonnell, mounted a 5ar o- attrition against the

&li>abethan &nglish, 5inning a number o- battles o*er the nine years o- the 5ar/ O.eill and ODonnell

"


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adopted de-ensi*e postures inside ;lster, de-eating 5hate*er armies 5ere sent against them, +ulminating

in the de-eat o- ir %enry (agenal and B000 men at the battle o- the Kello5 e the north

east o- Ireland/ $he *ery a+t o- plantation 5as an opportunity -or the ne5 settlers, but a tragedy

-or the nati*es 5ho had been dri*en out -rom their homes/ 's these nati*e people remained +lose

by, a lega+y o- bitterness 5as so5n that 5ould gro5 o*er the years/

1600 to 1800: Plantation and Post-Reformation

In eptember 1B01, O.eill and ODonnell re+ei*ed aid -rom pain in the shape o- an army o- !,"00

men, 5ho landed at insale, on the outh +oast o- Ireland/ $his army 5as besieged by the ord Deputy

o- Ireland, Mount7oy, in O+tober, and O.eill and ODonnell mar+hed south to relie*e the siege/ $hey

5ere de-eated by Mount7oy on De+ember 2? th1B01, a de-eat 5hi+h broe the po5er o- the Gaeli+

-amilies in ;lster/ $he &nglish go*ernment 5as determined to sei>e this opportunity and began an

ongoing poli+y o- plantation/


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5hile +ounties Derry and 'rmagh 5ere planted 5ith mostly &nglish settlers/ 6ounties $yrone and

Donegal 5ere planted largely 5ith +ots, 5hile there 5as a miture o- +ots and &nglish in +ounties

ed sense o-

&nglishness into the pro*in+e/ In 1B1!, -or eample, a +harter 5as granted maing Derry the +ity o-

ondonderry, and +reating a ne5 +ounty o- ondonderry/ $he go*ernment had learned -rom the earlier

-ailures o- Lueen Marys plantation o- aois and O--aly in einster, and o- Lueen &li>abeths plantation

o- Munster/ In both o- these, the settlers had been isolated and 5ere *ulnerable to atta+s -rom the

dispossessed Irish, 5hose land had been taen/ In ;lster, this problem 5as o*er+ome by the +onstru+tion

o- #plantation to5ns, 5herein most o- the planters +ould tae shelter/ De-ending huge tra+ts o- land 5as

o-ten impossible, so three si>es o- plantation 5ere set out: ?0" he+tares, B0 he+tares and 410 he+tares/

Planters 5ere epe+ted to build -orti-ied houses, #ba5ns on their holdings/ $hese plantations pro*ed

popular, 5ith an estimated 20,000 +ots settling in ;lster bet5een 1B0" and 1B03, bringing 5ith them

their Presbyterian religion, 5hi+h 5as di--erent -rom both 6atholi+ism and the 6hur+h o- &ngland,

although still being +lassi-ied as Protestant/

$he +are-ul planning o- these plantations meant that they 5ere largely su++ess-ul/ Gi*en the -a+t

that the planters 5ere li*ing on land that had been taen -rom the nati*e Irish, high le*els o-

animosity eisted bet5een both groups/ $he building o- -orti-ied d5ellings testi-ied to the siege

mentality that eisted in the mindset o- the planters, 5ith good reason, as 5e 5ill see/

In 1B?1, the displa+ed nati*e Irish, many o- 5hom had been e*i+ted -rom their homes, rose in rebellion/

10,000 and 1",000 planters 5ere illed in a series o- atta+s 5hi+h dre5 the battle lines o- the present

+on-li+t *ery +learly as nati*e, 6atholi+ Irish atta+ed planted, Protestant +ots and &nglish/ In the

-ollo5ing year some ten thousand +ottish troops 5ere sent to de-eat this rebellion, and many o- these

soldiers remained in Ireland, taing up the land *a+ated by the earlier planters/ During 6rom5ells


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puniti*e epedition in Ireland, the planted areas 5ere largely untou+hed, as parts o- the rest o- Ireland

5ere planted by 6rom5ells soldiers, a plantation again based on religious as 5ell as politi+al +riteria/

$he ongoing sense o- religious, so+ial and +ultural di--eren+e 5ithin the region +ontinued to de*elop, and

this de*elopment 5ould +ome to a +lima in 1B4/

In &ngland, the in+reasingly pro6atholi+ poli+ies o- ing James the se+ond, -rom 1B4" on5ards, began

to mae his Protestant sub7e+ts -ear that he 5as going to reintrodu+e 6atholi+ism as the state religion/ $o

+ompli+ate matters, his daughter, Mary, had married prin+e Hilliam o- Orange, a Dut+h Protestant,

maing the latter heir to the throne/ )i+hard $albot, &arl o- $yr+onnell, began strengthening the Irish

army 5ith an eye to5ards -uture +on-li+t/ It 5as his attempted garrisoning o- some 6atholi+ soldiers in

ondonderry in 1B44 that 5as to set in motion a train o- e*ents 5hi+h are +ommemorated to this day by

the mar+hing season in .orthern Ireland/ $he Protestant +iti>ens o- ondonderry 5ere un5illing to

appear openly hostile to the 6atholi+ soldiers, and it 5as le-t to the 'pprenti+e (oys o- the +ity to bar the

gates shut, an a+tion that 5as repeated in &nnisillen, in 6ounty


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He ha*e already noted the +onne+tions bet5een ;lster and the rest o- Ireland/ It is eFually

important to note the +onne+tion 5ith &nglish politi+s/ Ireland 5as *ery mu+h sub7e+t to the

+hanges in religious and politi+al administrations in &ngland/ $his 5ould remain a -a+tor up to

the playing o- the #Orange 6ard, by the 6onser*ati*e politi+ian )andolph 6hur+hill, in the

1320s/

$he -ollo5ing year, ?,000 Danish troops -rom the &uropean Grand 'llian+e troops arri*ed in Ireland to

aid Hilliam, 5hile ouis IV o-


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$he battle o- the (oyne remains an i+on o- identity -or ;lster Protestants/ Mu+h o- the #mar+hing

season that has +aused +on-rontation by parading through nationalist areas, re+alls and +elebrates

e*ents o- this 5ar, 5ith #ing (illy seen as a de-ender o- ;lster Protestantism/ Mu+h o- the

*o+abulary and symbols o- the present +on-li+t ha*e their origins in this period/

1800 to 1922: nionism and !ationalism

$he 134 rebellion 5as a prime +ause o- the '+t o- ;nion, in 1401, 5hi+h set up the ;nited ingdom o-

Great (ritain and Ireland, to be ruled -rom ondon, 5ith the abolition o- all regional parliaments/ It is to

this union that the ;nionists pro+laim their loyalty as it is a guarantee o- their (ritishness/ Hith the

industrial re*olution, and the epansion o- the Irish linen industry, ;lster prospered, and the disastrous

e--e+ts o- the potato -amine 14?"14?4 on a mainly tillagebased Irish small -arming e+onomy 5ere less

se*ere in the in+reasingly industriali>ed northern pro*in+e/ In 14B2, the shipbuilding -irm o- %arland

and Hol-- 5as -ounded in (el-ast/ Hith the in+eption o- the union, Irish politi+s be+ame in+reasingly

polari>ed along politi+oreligious lines, 5ith Daniel O6onnell appealing to 6atholi+ nationalism in his

attempts at repealing the union, 5hile the Irish )epubli+an brotherhood, also no5n as the


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6onser*ati*es 5ere in po5er, and %ome )ule 5as not pursued/ In the meantime, nationalist Ireland 5as

+oming into being, 5ith the -oundation o- the Gaeli+ 'thleti+ 'sso+iation 8G''9 in 144?, to promote

Irish sports, 5hile in 143!, the Gaeli+ eague 5as -ounded to promote the Irish language/ $hese tended

to -urther di--erentiate the ;lster ;nionists, 5ho 5ere no5 dissimilar in religion, politi+al aspiration, and+ultural and linguisti+ pra+ti+es/ In 1432, the ;lster 6on*ention 5as held in (el-ast, 5hi+h resol*ed to

oppose the %ome )ule mo*ement/ In 143!, the e+ond %ome )ule (ill 5as passed by the %ouse o-

6ommons, but de-eated in the %ouse o- ords/

It is -rom this '+t o- ;nion that ;nionism deri*es its name, its ideology and its history/ $he

#(ritishness that is enshrined in the '+t 5as *ery mu+h part o- their o5n #(ritish identity, and

any s+hi>ophrenia 5hi+h they may ha*e -elt, as 'nglo+entri+ Protestants planted in Ireland, 5as

no5 dissol*ed in the o*erall sense o- union/ $he +onne+tions bet5een ;nionism and

6onser*ati*e politi+s 5ere also laid at this period/

In 1300, the


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+ommand o- Ma7orGeneral ir %ubert Gough, stated that they 5ould resign their +ommissions be-ore

en-or+ing %ome )ule against the loyal sub7e+ts o- ;lster/

$he ;nionist rea+tion to the third %ome )ule (ill 5as to organi>e a 5ee o- demonstrations/ Oneptember 24th, 1312, the #olemn eague and 6o*enant, 5as introdu+ed by 6raig, 5hi+h some

?"0,000 people signed to *oi+e their opposition to the %ome )ule (ill, s5earing to use #all means 5hi+h

may be -ound ne+essary to de-eat the present +onspira+y to set up a %ome )ule parliament in Ireland/

One o- the suggested options 5as that the -our +ounties 5ith a Protestant ma7ority = 'ntrim, Do5n,

ondonderry and 'rmagh = +ould be le-t out o- the %ome )ule (ill/ $o rein-or+e their position, in

January 131!, the ;lster Volunteer


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plebis+ite to de+ide 5hether it 5anted %ome )ule, or union 5ith (ritain/ I- a +ounty *oted no, it 5ould

remain outside the %ome )ule -or B years/ %o5e*er, the debate 5as brought to a halt by the beginning

o- the


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(y the end o- the 5ar, the Irish politi+al s+ene had been #+hanged utterly in the 5ord o- the poet H/ (/

Keats/ $he (ritish general ele+tion o- 1314 sa5 inn


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+oun+il ne*er a+tually met, and the (oundary 6ommission report 5as shel*ed in 132", 5ith no +hanges

made to the border/ $he period -ollo5ing the $reaty 5as a turbulent one, 5ith +i*il 5ar bet5een pro and

anti $reaty -a+tions in the south, at the +ost o- ?,000 to ",000 li*es, and 5idespread *iolen+e in .orthern

Ireland 5ith approimately 2!2 people illed and roughly 1,000 in7ured/ In 13!2,


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$he Ireland '+t in 13?3 guaranteed .orthern Irelands status 5ithin the ;nited ingdom, 5hile also

re+ogni>ing the status o- the )epubli+ o- Ireland/ $he 'ntipartition eague 5as disbanded in 13"1/ In

13"?, the


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"0thanni*ersary o- the &aster )ebellion +aused rioting 5ith oyalist +ounter demonstrations/ $he I)'

ble5 up .elsons Pillar in Dublin that same year, but had be+ome largely irrele*ant in the in+reasingly

prosperous )epubli+ o- Ireland//

1967 to 2000: "he "ro#$les

$he 13? &du+ation '+t had opened third le*el edu+ation to a generation o- .ationalists, and in eeping

5ith theZeitgeisto- the B0s, the .orthern Ireland +i*il rights 'sso+iation 8.I6)'9 5as -ormed in 13B,

looing -or *oting rights -or all in lo+al ele+tions 8only rate payers had the -ran+hise until then9, as 5ell

as an end to gerrymandering o- +onstituen+y boundaries 8the a+tion o- manipulating the boundaries o- a

+onstituen+y so as to gi*e an un-air ad*antage at an ele+tion to a parti+ular party or +lass9/ $hey also

highlighted the re-orm o- housing allo+ations and publi+ se+tor appointments, the repeal o- the pe+ial

Po5ers a+t, and the disbandment o- the allProtestant paramilitary style #(pe+ial poli+e -or+e/

(e+ause the .I6)' did not in-orm the poli+e, their mar+hes 5ere de+lared illegal/ In 13B4, the -irst +i*il

rights mar+h, -rom 6oalisland to Dungannon, 5as held in 'ugust 13B4, and passed o-- pea+e-ully/

%o5e*er another mar+h, on O+tober " th, 5as stopped by the )oyal ;lster 6onstabulary, 5ith a baton

+harge, lea*ing a number o- the mar+hers in7ured/ $he mar+h had been banned by the poli+e, in*oing

the Publi+ Order '+t/ $5o days o- rioting -ollo5ed, and this in+ident is seen by many as the beginning

o- the present #troubles/ $he 5hole in+ident 5as -ilmed, and dre5 the attention o- the 5orlds media to

(el-ast/ ation 5as -ormed, and in

.o*ember, $eren+e O.eill announ+ed a -i*epoint re-orm plan in the areas o- *oting, housing and a

+omplaints +ommission/ In late .o*ember, a +i*il rights mar+h in 'rmagh 5as stopped by the poli+e

due to the presen+e o- a +ounterdemonstration, led by Ian Paisley and )onald (unting 8both o- 5hom

5ere subseFuently imprisoned -or illegal assembly9/ In De+ember, O.eill made a tele*ised spee+h,

1


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stating that ;lster stood at a +rossroads, 5hi+h gained a lot o- support/ $he .I6)' +alled o-- its

+ampaign/

$he parallels bet5een Irish and 'meri+an +i*il rights mar+hes are +lear/ ' generation o- 5ell

edu+ated and arti+ulate .ationalists began sa5 themsel*es as disen-ran+hised, and the media, byne5 used to -ilming riots and demonstrations, broad+ast these s+enes around the 5orld, -o+using

media attention on .orthern Ireland and embarrassing the (ritish go*ernment/ $he ;nionist

establishment, -earing that any +hange might opened the -loodgates, adopted a rigid poli+y, 5hi+h

5as a propaganda disaster -or them/

%o5e*er on January 1st, 13B3, Peoples Demo+ra+y began a -ourday mar+h -rom (el-ast to Derry, a

notion borro5ed -rom Martin uther ings mar+h -rom elma to Montgomery/ On the -ourth day, the

mar+h 5as atta+ed by oyalists, in+luding some o-- duty (pe+ials, at (urntollet (ridge/ $he poli+e

5ere ine--e+ti*e in pre*enting this atta+/ 'gain it 5as -ilmed, and again these pi+tures 5ent around the

5orld/ O.eill announ+ed an inFuiry into the in+ident/ 'n ele+tion 5as +alled -or


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border, and blamed the present situation on the #poli+ies pursued -or de+ades by su++essi*e tormont

go*ernments/ %e 5ent on to mae the point that the Irish go*ernment +ould #no longer stand by and see

inno+ent people in7ured and perhaps 5orse/ o, on 'ugust 1"th, the ; Prime Minister, %arold Hilson,

ordered the (ritish 'rmy into (el-ast and Derry to support the );6/ ers in the

)epubli+ and in 'meri+a/ $hey targeted poli+emen and be+ame in+reasingly in*ol*ed in +i*ilian

demonstrations and riots/ 2" people 5ere illed in 130 and 1? in 131/ (y mid 130, the PI)' 5ere

belie*ed to be around 1,"00 strong, and their e+onomi+ 5ar meant that there 5ere 1"! eplosions in

130, es+alating to !0? eplosions in the -irst B months o- 131/ On


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;nionist +ommunity too pla+e, 5ith Ian Paisley and Desmond (oal -ounding the Demo+rati+ ;nionist

Party 8D;P9/

On unday, January !0

th

, 132, an antiinternment mar+h too pla+e in Derry, 5hi+h ended in rioting/Members o- the para+hute )egiment, belie*ing themsel*es to be under atta+, opened -ire, illing 1?

people 8there is an opposing *ie5 that they opened -ire deliberately = the 5hole a--air is no5 the sub7e+t

o- a tribunal o- enFuiry9/ .o guns or bombs 5ere -ound on any o- the protestors, and no members o- the

army 5ere in7ured/ $he ensuing Hidgery inFuiry did not re+ommend +harges against any o- the soldiers,

angering .ationalists/ In Dublin, -eelings ran high, and the (ritish &mbassy 5as burned do5n/ '

(ritish army barra+s in 'ldershot 5as bombed by the OI)', illing soldiers/ 't this stage, many

.ationalist areas had be+ome #no go areas -or the );6 and the (ritish 'rmy, 5ith barri+ades set up,

and manned by the PI)'/ $he (ritish Prime Minister, &d5ard %eath, announ+ed in Mar+h 132 that la5

and order po5ers 5ere to be remo*ed -rom the tormont, and that Dire+t )ule 5as to be introdu+ed -rom

(ritain, 5ith a ne5 se+retary o- tate -or .orthern Ireland, Hilliam Hhitela5, being appointed/

$he *iolen+e in .orthern Ireland 5orsened in 132, 5ith ?B people illed/ $he (ritish go*ernment

entered into se+ret negotiations 5ith the PI)', 5ho +alled a tru+e -or the duration/ $he PI)'s demand

-or unity 5as unable to be met by the (ritish and the negotiations broe do5n/ $he PI)' response 5as

to detonate 2B no5arning +ar bombs in (el-ast on 21 July 132, illing 11 people and in7uring 1!0/ $he

day is no5 no5n as #(loody


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Gi*en that in 13B3, the slogan I)' 5as eFuated 5ith #I )an '5ay in street gra--iti, the birth o-

the PI)', as 5ell as gi*ing the term #Pro*o to the &nglish language, 5as in the main a response

to 5hat 5as seen as o--i+ial repression, and +ollusion -rom the );6/ Internment and (loody

unday s5elled their numbers, and they 5ere seen as +arrying on the 5ar begun in 131B by many

.ationalists/ %o5e*er, their +ampaign o- bombing and se+tarian murder alienated many in the)epubli+, though it 5as thought by )epubli+an strategists that they +ould bomb the (ritish into

negotiation/

$he Irish and (ritish go*ernments 5ere anious that the unrest should be ended, and attempted to broer

an agreement 5hereby po5er 5ould be shared bet5een ;nionists and .ationalists in a ne5 assembly/

$he role o- the Irish go*ernment in the administration o- these po5ers 5as a ma7or sti+ing point -or

(rian ed a pro*in+e5ide strie 5hi+h e--e+ti*ely paraly>ed

+ommuni+ation, po5er and industry in .orthern Ireland/ $he ;lster De-en+e 'sso+iation 8;D'9

manned barri+ades, 5hi+h, 5hen remo*ed by the (ritish army, 5ere instantly repla+ed/ $he pro*in+e

ground to a standstill, and to -urther add to the tension, loyalist +ar bombs in the )epubli+ o- Ireland, in

Monaghan and Dublin, illed !! people/ Hhen the (ritish go*ernment re-used to negotiate 5ith the

striers, all unionist members o- the ee+uti*e resigned, and .orthern Ireland 5as again under dire+t

rule/

Perhaps the most important -eature o- the strie 5as the grass roots support gi*en to the striers

by ordinary Protestants, 5ho +learly -elt that their politi+ians 5ere not gi*ing them the leadership

they desired/ It -urther -ra+tured the ;nionist parties, 5ith the -ormation o- #Vanguard, another

21


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player 5as added to the politi+al s+ene/ (rian e prison, a number o- )epubli+an prisoners undertoo 5hat

they +alled the #dirty protest, in that they re-used to 5ash, or +lean their +ells, or to 5ear prison +lothes/

In 1340, there 5as a brie- hunger strie, 5hi+h 5as +alled o-- in De+ember/ %o5e*er, the issue

remained unresol*ed and in Mar+h 1341, a ne5 hunger strie began, 5ith 5ide .ationalist support/ $he

6onser*ati*e go*ernment, under Margaret $hat+her, re-used to negotiate, and 10 hunger striers died

be-ore the strie 5as terminated, in O+tober 1341/ $hat+her 5ent on to say: #He are not prepared to

+onsider spe+ial +ategory status -or +ertain groups o- people ser*ing senten+es -or +rime/ 6rime is +rime

is +rime, it is not politi+al/ One o- the striers, (obby ands, 5as ele+ted a Member o- Parliament

during a byele+tion -or the


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Gibraltar, in Mar+h 1344, and during their -uneral, a loyalist gunman shot three o- the mourners dead in

Millto5n +emetery/ During the -uneral o- one o- these people, t5o (ritish army +orporals dro*e into the

+ortege, and 5ere beaten, and then illed, presumably by the PI)'/ In 'ugust o- the same year, eight

(ritish soldiers 5ere illed by a bomb atta+ on a bus at (allyga5ley, 6o $yrone/ $he need -or some-orm o- a++ommodation 5as be+oming all the greater/ (et5een 1344 and 1332, attempts 5ere made to

initiate allparty tals in .orthern Ireland/ In an e--ort to mae some progress, the tals 5ere di*ided into

three strands: strand one dealing 5ith internal relations, strand t5o dealing 5ith .orthouth relations

5hile strand three dealt 5ith Irish(ritish relations/ $he +arrot 5as held out to inn


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#permanen+e o- the +essation, and in 133", the issue o- oyalist parades in .ationalist areas be+ame

pre*alent, 5ith ensuing riots around the time o- the mar+hing season/ $he issue o- de+ommissioning o-

arms prior to entry into tals 5as a sti+ing point, 5ith the (ritish Prime Minister, John Ma7or, setting

this as a prereFuisite to inn


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+onstitutional +hange disa*o5ing the )epubli+s +laim to the 5hole island9/ $he ;D's leader in the

Ma>e prison 5ent on re+ord on the ((6 saying #the 5ar is o*er/

$he danger o- regression into *iolen+e 5as +lear throughout the pea+e pro+ess in the shape o- the

Drum+ree stando--/ $he relati*e speed 5ith 5hi+h the agreement 5as rea+hed 5as a sign thatpea+e 5as +learly desired, but it also +ontained a 5arning that some items may ha*e been rushed,

and +ould still be+ome a di--i+ulty in the later stages o- the pro+ess/ $he *erbal ambiguities o- the

pea+e pro+ess, 5hile allo5ing all sides to +laim *i+tory, 5ould +ause di--i+ulty in the -uture/

In the ele+tions -or the .orthern Ireland 'ssembly, the ;;P got 24 seats, the DP 2?, the D;P 20 and

< 14, and on Hednesday July 1st, 1334, the -irst meeting o- the 'ssembly too pla+e, 5ith all parties

present/ Da*id $rimble, leader o- the ;;P, 5as ele+ted


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Pri>es on De+ember 10th/ Hell into 1333, the de+ommissioning issue 5as unsol*ed, despite the best

e--orts o- $ony (lair and the Irish $aoisea+h, (ertie 'hern/

$5o important de*elopments +an be seen in the midst o- the 5rangling o*er de+ommissioning/

$he PI)' and inn ed the legitima+y o- the .orthern Irish state, ama7or de*elopment in )epubli+an thining/ $he ;nionists, on the other hand, had +learly

a++epted the right o- the go*ernment o- the )epubli+ o- Ireland to ha*e some input into the

politi+s o- .orthern Ireland, a notion 5hi+h had shattered the unningdale 'greement, and

brought about the ;H6 trie/

On July 1"th, an attempt to i+strart the .orthern 'ssembly -ailed 5hen the ;;P and Da*id $rimble

did not attend the inaugural session, +iting de+ommissioning/ eamus mallon, o- the DP, resigned as

Deputy


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+oming -rom the Ma>e prison on July 23 th, 2000/ It is hoped that the +onstant +olle+ti*e de+ision

maing that is a +on+omitant o- parliamentary demo+ra+y 5ill gradually allo5 the parties to shed

their mutual demoni>ation o- ea+h other and begin the long and di--i+ult progress to5ards a more

in+lusi*e so+iety/ $he Omagh bomb, i- only as a +atalyst in this pro+ess, has a+hie*ed a pla+e in

history that 5ill be long remembered/ It also remains as a signi-ier that there remain groups 5hore-use to -ollo5 the demo+rati+ 5ishes o- the people o- all +ommunities in Ireland/

BIORA$HIES

%err& 'dams: President of Pro(isional )inn *+in

%e 5ent -rom (el-ast barman to reputed I)' leader bet5een 13B3 and 13! 8although he has repeatedly

denied I)' membership9/ In 133, he spoe about the need -or politi+al as 5ell as military dimension to

the )epubli+an mo*ement, and he 5ent on to ha*e tals 5ith John %ume, o- the DP, in 1344 and

133!, 5ith a *ie5 to -ashioning a pan.ationalist strategy/ $he resulting #%ume'dams do+ument,

pa*ed the 5ay -or I)' +ease-ires in 133?, and 133, 5ith 'dams being seen as a ey ar+hite+t o- the

PI)' +essation o- *iolen+e/ %e ser*ed as MP -or Hest (el-ast -rom 134!1332, and -rom 133 to date/

%is +laims to be a -ully +onstitutional politi+ian ha*e been *ie5ed 5ith ambiguity by his detra+tors,

notably re-erring to his #they ha*ent gone a5ay, you no5 remar about PI)' during the -irst

+ease-ire, and his +arrying o- the +o--in o- hanill bomber $homas (egley/ %is meeting 5ith Da*id

$rimble on eptember 10th1334 5as the -irst su+h meeting bet5een ;nionism and militant .ationalism

sin+e that o- Mi+hael 6ollins and James 6raig " years be-ore, and he has undoubtedly been responsible

-or the trans-ormation o- the )epubli+an armed struggle/

,ohn #me: .eader of the )o/ial emo/rati/ and .a$o#r Part&

$he ey -igure in +onstitutional nationalism in .orthern Ireland, he +ame to prominen+e in the 6i*il

)ights mo*ement in the late B0s/ %e ser*ed as MP -or


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the %ume'dams do+ument 5hi+h #aimed at the +reation o- a pea+e pro+ess, a pro+ess 5hi+h ultimately

led to the in+reasing politi+i>ation o- inn ing o- the positions o- $eren+e O.eill, James 6hi+hester6lare and (rian


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4th, 133"/ %e 5as originally *ie5ed as a hardline ;nionist, but has dire+ted a trans-ormational +hange o-

dire+tion in ;nionist politi+s, -inding +ommon ground 5ith the DP, and being able to 5or 5ith inn


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Hhyte, John,Interpreting Northern Ireland8O-ord, 13309/

Hi+hert, abine,Northern Ireland -ince $%348ondon, 13339/

'EB SITES(

'll o- the ma7or parties ha*e 5ebsites, 5hi+h gi*e their histories and state their politi+al ideologies/Demo+rati+ ;nionist Party: http:555/dup/org/u

Grand Orange odge o- Ireland: http:555/grandorange/org/u

Progressi*e ;nionist Party: http:555/pup/org

)epubli+an inn

omagh bomb and northern ireland

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