A Brief Synopsis of Infamous Ulster Plantation and Centuries-old Rivalry between Protestants and Catholics

The roots of the persistent rivalry between Protestants and Catholics trace back over many centuries in Northern Ireland. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a large number of Protestants from England and Scotland relocated to different parts of Ireland. As a result of long-standing sectarian discrimination against the Catholic community, conflict emerged in Northern Ireland. One of the primary bases for the conflict's eruption is the infamous Ulster Plantation under which organized colonization and religious divisions took place. The British zealously seized land and property from the native Irish communities and passed it to Protestants from England and Scotland. The British established themselves as the new ruling class in the region, which provoked further disagreements and between the two communities.

The majority of Protestants regarded themselves as British and advocated the existing link with Britain, and for this reason, enjoyed greater political and economic ascendancy. On the other hand, Catholics mainly viewed themselves not as British but as Irish and considered Northern Ireland an illegitimate state and believed that the natural political unit for the island was an independent united Ireland. Issues of power, territory, and justice added to the competition between the two communities.

The outcome of the violence resulted in the introduction of Penal Laws by Oliver Cromwell, who invaded Ireland in 1649 and passed a series of infamous laws. Large amounts of Catholic lands and properties were confiscated, and the Irish community had to accept the established Church of Ireland. The Catholic community had been oppressed, impoverished, and degraded by the introduction of the Penal Laws.

The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland in 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act. This Act intended for both territories to remain within the United Kingdom and contained provisions for their eventual reunification. In consequence, Partition served as a means of fostering discrimination and division between the Catholic community and Protestants in Ireland. The outbreak of hostilities between Catholics and Protestants was no surprise in a society that has always been characterized by such high levels of discriminatory practices.

References:

BBC News, 2010. Bloody history of the 1641 rebellion is published online. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-11605241

Whyte, John. 1983. How Much Discrimination was there under the Unionist regime, 1921-1968? Available at: https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/whyte.htm#chap1