Key Vocab Flashcards
(18 cards)
Unionist
A person in Northern Ireland, mainly Protestant, who supports remaining part of the United Kingdom.
Nationalist
A person, typically Catholic, who supports the reunification of Ireland and Northern Ireland into a single Irish state.
Sectarianism
Conflict or discrimination arising from differences in religious or political affiliations, especially between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
Paramilitary
Armed groups, often illegal, that operate similarly to military forces but aren’t part of the official state military. Examples include the IRA and UDA.
IRA (Irish Republican Army)
A Nationalist paramilitary group fighting for Irish independence and the unification of Ireland.
UDA (Ulster Defense Association)
A loyalist paramilitary group supporting Northern Ireland’s status as part of the UK, often opposing the IRA.
The Troubles
The name given to the violent conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, involving political, religious, and paramilitary conflict.
Good Friday Agreement
A peace agreement signed in 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles and established shared governance in Northern Ireland.
Direct Rule
The British government’s control over Northern Ireland from Westminster, implemented in 1972 due to escalating violence.
Internment
Imprisonment without trial, used in Northern Ireland from 1971 to detain suspected IRA members, which increased tensions.
Bloody Sunday
A key event in 1972 where British soldiers shot and killed 14 unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry, escalating the Troubles.
Civil Rights Movement (in Northern Ireland)
A movement, largely in the 1960s, aimed at ending discrimination against Catholics in areas like housing, employment, and voting.
NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association)
Founded in 1967, it campaigned against discrimination in housing, employment, and voting against Catholics in Northern Ireland. Inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement, NICRA organized protests and marches advocating for equal rights, which initially aimed to be peaceful but often faced violent responses, heightening tensions and contributing to the early stages of the Troubles.
Hunger Strike
A non-violent protest method, famously used by IRA prisoners in the 1980s (e.g., Bobby Sands) to demand political prisoner status.
Loyalist
Someone, typically Protestant, who supports Northern Ireland remaining within the UK, often associated with paramilitary groups like the UDA.
(also unionists)
Devolution
The transfer of powers from a central government (UK) to a regional government (Northern Ireland), as established in the Good Friday Agreement.
Sectarian Violence
Violent acts rooted in religious and political differences, mainly between Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Unionists.
Peace Process
The series of negotiations and agreements aimed at ending the Troubles, culminating in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
