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know this was the city plagued by
violence for more than 15 years.
But under a surface that appears
to be normal, scctarian troublcs in
Northern 1reland have utterly
altered the livcs of both Catholics
and Protestants. Many families
have been toro apart by two
decades of violence.
Henry Sergeant, for example,
begins his day at his home in the
Andersonstown arca of Belfast by
switching on the radio to hear the
latcst news about bombings, hijack–
ings and barricadcd roads. The
family can then plan their rou tcs to
work, school or the shops.
Mr. Sergcant tries to keep his
ñve sons and fivc daughters closc to
home. " If onc gocs out, we always
know where," he says. "And they
call us to Jet us know they have
arrived safely. l f there's trouble, we
go to get thcm."
The constant threat of violence
takes its toll by building up stress
on the mind and body. Sorne resort
to alcohol or other d rugs to cope.
The consumption of tranquilizers
in Northern Ireland tripled over
the last 1
O
years. During
1983 alone, doctors wrote nearly
750,000 prescriptions for drugs.
That was 20 perccnt more than in
the rest of the Uni ted Kingdom.
Will this suffering end? Pol iti–
cians only search for a solution.
Last May the Jeaders of rival
nationaJist parties in the Republic
of Ireland met at Dublin Castle to
approve the New I reland Forum
Report. The 14,000-word report
analyzed the island's social, eco–
nomic and pol itical problems. It
also offered solutions.
It said, in brief, a unified Ireland
would be the "most durable basis
for peace and stability." As an
alternative, it suggested that
Northern I reland and the I rish
Republic could become separate
states under a central government.
Or Dublin and London could share
responsibility for govern–
ing the North.
As u s u al, U lster's
unionists rejected the call
for a united Ireland. T hey
have been adamantly op–
posed to this concept.
County Kilkenny, southern
Leinster, is typical of
Irelaod's natural beauty.
Left, cbildren
in
Belfast
practice witb toy
guns.
Rigbt, funeral parade, 1981,
for IRA's Joe McDonald.
Protestant M.P. Ian Paisley's sup–
porters plastered "Ulster ls Brit–
ish" signs on Dublin's central post
office. T hat was where the uprising
against the British began in 1916.
This message from Northern
Jreland was clear. There would be
no surrender to any effort that
Jeads to British withdrawal so a
united Ireland could be established.
Compromise would be equally
rejected by most other Ulster Prot–
estants. Northern Ireland Secretary
J ames Prior, from England, aJso
says there were no grounds to
expect agreement for any of the
three constitutionaJ solutions sug–
gested by the Forum's report.
After interviewing people from