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the Catholics wanted control of all Jre–
land. How could the British Govern–
ment avert the unthinkable dilemma of
having Ulster Protestants under the
governmental and religious control of
Southern Ireland? The compromise
solution was to let all Ireland become
uoited with Britain.
"Pitt, the English Prime Minister
from 1783 to 1801, realized that the
onJy solution to the Irish problem, as he
saw it, was political union between
Great Britain and Jreland. This would
mean, of course, giving full política!
rights to the Catholics. This, he real–
ized, would put the Protestant minority
in jeopardy. He saw a possible answer
to the difficulty in uniting the Irish Par–
liament in Dublin with the Engl ish Par–
liament at Westminster. By this system,
in a free eJectorate, the Catholic repre–
sentation would be in a majority in the
Dublin parliament, but in a minority in
the Westminster parliament"
(Back–
gi'Otmd
l o
the Ulster Problem,
by Dr.
J.
H. Stewart).
So in 1800 the
Act of Union
brought
Ireland into union with the rest of
Britain. But it was not a happy union'
It could oever really work. The South–
ern Irish were determined to have home
rule, and ant i-British sentiment contin–
ually simmered and seethed in lreJand.
l reland Becomes a Republic
Anti-British feelings finally boiled
over in 1916 in the Easter Monday
Rebellion in which over 3,000 perished.
Britain dealt ruthJessly with those wbo
took part in this rebellion. But "Home
Rule" was such a strong issue in Ireland
that in 1921 Britaio finally gave in.
However, the British Government
insisted that thc "six counties" of
Northern Ireland (Ulster) must be per–
mitted to remain part of Britain since
this was their strong desire aod these
Ulster-Scot Protestants detested the very
idea of coming under the political rule
of Dublin and the rel igious control of
the Pope at Rome.
In 1922, Southern Ireland became an
independent nation. From then to 1948
she was known as The Irish Free State
and held Dominion status within the
British Commonwealth. In 1948, Ire–
land left the Commonwealth and
became known as the Republic of
Jreland.
The
PLAIN TRUTH
From that day forward, the Republic
of Ireland has gone her separate way.
But shc has steadfastly refused to accept
the
partitiou
of Ireland. Southern Ire–
land maintains that the "six counties"
known as Ulster rightly belong to
her.
Article 2 of the Constitution of
the Republic of Ireland states: ' 'The
national territory consists of the
11·hole
territory of lrelallcl,
its islands and the
territorial seas."
The Republic of Ireland's External
Affairs Minister, Dr. Patrick Hillery,
speaking of thc six COLLOties of Ulster,
declared in 1969: "We regard
it
as our
territory. We regard
them
as our people.
Our constitution recognizes a 32-county
Ireland, and until
remúfication
we only
have a state of 26 counties.. . ."
Dr. Hillery provoked a storm of pro–
test from the Ulster goveroment during
the height of the 1970 summer riots
when he slipped, clandestinely, across
the border into Ulster to visit Catholics
in the riot districts of Belfast. Of
course, he believes the peoples of Bel–
fast are actually the
sttbjecls
of the gov–
ernment of the Republic of Jreland.
But the govcrning officials in North–
crn Ircland (with their capital at Stor–
mont, Belfast) don't sce it that way.
The majority of the people of Ulstcr
want to remain
British,
plan to remain
under the government of London
not Dublin.
And they are wi ll ing
to
fight
to
prove their point. These Ulstermen are
very
loyal
to
the Q11een
and fully intend
to keep Ulster united with Britain. They
fly the Union Jack proudly, paint their
curbs red, white and blue, sing patriotic
songs. Sorne of the more extreme ones
even paint defiant slogans on walls:
"No Popery here!" "No surrender !"
And they are willing to
die
rather
than surrender to rule from Dublin -
rather than see the Pope rule thcm. And
the Cathol ics are just as fervent in their
anti-Protestant sentiments!
What a paradox that peoples who
profess to be followers of the One who
said, ''love your enemies" need the Brit–
ish Army to keep them from tearing
each other apart!
Speaking of the Ulster Scots, Prime
Minister Churchill said in 1943: "But
for the
toyalty of Northem lre/cmd
and
its devotion to what has now become
the cause of 30 [ Allicd] governments
or nations, wc
~ hould
have bc:cn con–
fronted with slavery and death and the
light which now shines so strongly
throughout the world would have been
quenched."
Many in Britain were irked during
World War
II
to see significant pro–
Nazi sentiments in Southern Jreland.
lreland permitted German U-boats to
use her ports. "De Valera (Prime Min–
jster of thc Irish Republic] was even
punctilious enough to express his con–
dolences to the German Embassy on the
report of the death of Hitler, an action
which provokcd some resentment
111
England, but as Omrchill remarked in
his speech aftc:r VE Day, feeling in
Britain aga inst Ireland for her
11e11lrality
was largely counterbalanced by recogni–
tion of the war services of her
11oltmteers,
who collected between thcm ... a nota–
ble batch of V.
C.
s" (Victoria Crosses,
Britain's highest decoration for combat
heroism).
(The Story of
helcmd.
p. 217,
Brian Inglis.)
Ireland's Clouded Future
After the serious rioting and blood–
shcd in Ulster in 1969 and 1970, many
Britons woke up to the fact that the
British Isles are
11ot
immune to violence
aud bloodshed.
Now many wonder
when
the strife
and blood-lettiog will eod in Ulster.
Many in Britain (espec ially in
Ulster) would be shocked
if
they knew
the way events in Northern Ireland will
go.
Catholic Eire is very hopeful of
entering the EEC - and she will
prob–
ably
be accepted, eventua1Jy, either as a
full-flcdged member or as an associate
rnember of this powerful, rapidly grow–
ing, predominantly Catholic club. She
has already applied to become a mem–
ber. But Protestant Britain will prob–
ably
not
be accepted fully into the
Common Market.
It is possible that, through the
POLIT–
IC:AL
or
MlLITARY
influence of a strong
United States of Europe, the Republic
of lreland could succecd in gaining
complete control over the six counties
of Ulster. This has bcen the goal
whicb the Southern Irish have sought,
unsuccessfully, to attain for centuries! O