Ulster Cycle

when living in the heart of his homeland. He was no longer a representative of the North, writing ‘‘I am neither internee nor informer/ An inner émigré, grown longhaired/ And thoughtful’’ (32-34). It is a self-reflective poem, almost part of a life cycle of his work. In ‘‘Digging’’, he contemplated what type of poet he could be, and in ‘‘Exposure’’, he reflects on his past life and work, and how he can realign his new life

Northern Ireland has been, for as long as it has been a country, a deeply divided society. A society rife with ethno political conflict between the Nationalist Catholics (who want a united Ireland) and the Loyalist Protestants (who are loyal to “the crown” and thus wish to remain a part of the United Kingdom). This division cumulated in what is now known as “the Troubles”. This conflict has spanned over three decades, from (debatably) 1969 until the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and

“Anarchy in the UK” run rampant with lines like “Is this the MPLA? Or is this the UDA? Or is this the IRA? I thought it was the UK, Or just another country.” The MPLA refers to the The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola, the UDA refers to The Ulster Defense Association (a paramilitary vigilante group formed in Northern Ireland), and the IRA refers to the Irish Republican Army. By using the abbreviation “UK” for the United Kingdom, Sex Pistols lump the entire nation in with extremist

Bringing Peace to Northern Ireland It has proved hard to bring peace to Northern Ireland. There are many factors causing the difficulties. I think some are more important than others are. I think the most important factors are as follows. Religion is a problems because throughout history there have been rivalries between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Paramilitaries are a problem because they

Conflict in the Emerald Isle The island of Ireland is known for many things: St. Patrick’s Day, its green landscape, music, beer, and discord. The heart of this conflict began centuries ago, when Britain came over and forced Protestantism on the Irish Catholic inhabitants. There has always been hatred between the Irish Protestants and Catholics. The island is broken up into to distinct regions. The Republic of Ireland consists of 26 counties, which make up the southern region

known as the Battle of Kinsale which occurred on the 24th of December 1600. The battle was particularly bloody and led to the defeat of the Irish. After the battle Red Hugh O’Donnell left Ireland with the Spanish whilst Hugh O’Neill went back to Ulster. The Battle of Kinsale brought with it the beginning of the end of the old Gaelic order. The Earls in Ireland suffered such a great loss in this Battle of Kinsale, a loss which set in motion the decline of the power of the Earls in Ireland and which

Religion differences between the inhabitants, most of the original population were Catholics, lead over the centuries to the division of two ethnic/nations on the Ulster territory – protestant and catholic. After the partition of the island in 1921 the southern part declared independence, however the Northern Ireland territory remained a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The conflict

James Joyce and Frank O’Connor are two Irish authors who embrace the theme of nostalgia throughout their works to show this important characteristic of Irish Identity. Nostalgia can be seen in James Joyce’s “The Dead” and Frank O’Connor’s “The Majesty of the Law”. The characters in both stories reflect on the way Irish life used to be. Each of these authors use characters in their short stories to show how nostalgia plays an important role in Irish life. James Joyce and Frank O’Connor express nostalgia

When Protestant settlers became more prominent in the Irish government they declared Ireland a Protestant country. This caused religious tyranny for the Catholic majority in Ireland. Although Ireland was declared a Protestant country, the majority of the natives living there were Catholic [The Irish Story]. A declaration that Ireland was a Protestant country caused resentment in the Catholic communities towards Protestants. The maddened Catholics tried to rebel against the repressive laws. Religious

War, oppression, and massacres. All three took place in English-led Ireland during the Victorian Era, and all three were caused by a few differences in beliefs on how to worship the same God. Mainly due to the evangelization of St. Patrick, the Irish people were devoutly Catholic while their English rulers followed a Protestant Church called the Anglican Church of England. Since the Anglican Church was so dominant in England, the Irish Catholics received very poor treatment from the Protestants in