Northern Ireland

Before the early 20^th century Northern Ireland was a part of Ireland as a whole having developed in the middle ages as the Kingdom of Ulster, later the province of Ulster. After many English and Scots people settled there in the 16^th century, Northern Ireland became mainly Protestant, unlike the rest of Ireland which remained, as before, mainly Roman Catholic.

By the terms of an Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 Northern Ireland was granted its own Parliament in which a Protestant government was formed after successive elections. Roman Catholics who were excluded from political office, came increasingly to resent the conti-nuing Protestant domination and, as a result, a vigorous civil rights movement emerged in the late 1960s. The sectarian (Catholic aga-inst Protestant) disturbances followed. They were exploited by extremists of both faiths, and in particular by the Provisional IRA (which broke away from the Official IRA in 1970). Therefore, British troops were sent to Northern Ireland in 1969 to help to keep the peace.

As the Northern Ireland government was unable to introduce satisfactory reforms, the British government imposed direct rule (of Northern Ireland from Westminster) in 1972. Since then, in spite of the efforts of the British government, the police force in Northern Ireland and the British Army units there violence and terrorism has continued, with the IRA also taking its campaign of violence to mainland Britain (especially London and British military bases). The unrest did not noticeably decrease in 1985 when the Anglo-Irish Agreement was made between the Republic of Ireland and the British Government to give the republic a special consultative role in the governing of Northern Ireland. The British Parliament gave the governing power under the Northern part of Ireland to the Irish Government in November 1999.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, or Ulster. It was cre-ated in 1922 when Ireland was divided into two parts and Southern Ireland became an independent republic, Eire. The name Belfast comes from Gaelic, the language of Ireland, "Beal Fiersde", which means "Mouth of the Sandpit". Belfast stands on the coast. It was founded in 1603 when an English gentleman built a castle there and a small town grew up around it. In the nineteenth century Bel-fast became a big industrial town and port. It had a large ship-building industry. Belfast is a centre of Protestant power in Ulster and has been greatly affected by the troubles: the terrorism and fight for civil rights, which started in 1969.

Answer the following questions:

1. When and why did Northern Ireland become a particular part of

Ireland?

2. What is the origin of the sectarian disturbances in Northern

Ireland?

3. Why did the British government impose direct rule in 1972?

4. Did it help to keep the peace?

5. When did Belfast become the capital of Northern Ireland?

6. What does the name Belfast mean?

7. When was Belfast founded?

8. Why is the centre of the city fenced off?