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Peace process in – Transcription Alice – Jonathan

Jonathan: So that’s what I study at university. Alice: Alright! I’ve actually just started a course on Northern Irish history and I was wondering if you would help me understand the origins of . Jonathan: Sure! It’s a long story, it’s a bit complicated but it started after years of fights for independence. Ireland was partitioned in 1921. On one hand you had the Irish Free State, which became a republic in 1949 and on the other hand, you had the six counties of Ulster which made up Northern Ireland. partie e Alice: Right! So was the partition accepted by all? 1 Jonathan: No, there were two problems. The Republicans, who were Catholic, rejected the partition because they wanted to be part of the Republic. There was a lot of discrimination and segregation between the Protestants and Catholics, which led to the Civil Rights campaign in the 60s and this led to the Troubles, which was the name given to the decades of violence starting in the late 60s.

Alice: So what happened exactly during the Troubles? Jonathan: Well, during the Troubles there were a lot of tragic events. It started with the riots in 69. We also saw in 1972 in , and this gave rise to a lot of gun and bomb attacks from paramilitary groups from the Unionist side such as the UVF and the UDA and also from the Republican side such as the Provisional IRA. There was also the hunger strike in 1981 and later on, peace talks and ceasefires led to

partie the “” in in 1998. e

2 Alice: So do you know exactly how many people were killed during the conflict? Jonathan: I’m not sure, I think over 3,500 people were killed, and thousands more were injured so it was quite serious.

Alice: Ok, so what do you think is the current situation right now? Jonathan: The situation now, currently, there is still a lot of segregated neighbourhoods in Belfast. For example the Shankill is a Unionist neighbourhood and the Falls is strictly a Republican neighbourhood. In Belfast you also see a lot of peace lines which are large walls which physically separate Protestant and Catholic communities. Also there’s murals which are present in these neighbourhoods where children grow up. The UVF is still active today and that still obviously affects a lot of communities. We also have the Orange parade which takes place every year on July 12th which is also a cause for a lot more tension. Alice: Of course! So given all that, what role did the political leaders play? Jonathan: Well, there’s a few major political leaders. Ian Paisley who was part of the DUP... partie e Alice: Of course! 3 Jonathan: … there’s David Trimble who was part of the UUP and there’s also Gerry Adams who is a member of the Sinn Féin group. And despite their conflicting views, they managed to reach an agreement. Alice: Ok, was this agreement sufficient in changing people’s minds? Jonathan: Well, politicians can make a law but on the other hand, it’s up to the citizens to respect each other, make a stand against violence. You know, it should be known that the terms of peace may be negotiated by political leaders; however the fate of peace is up to each of us.

1 Alice: Of course, yeah! So do you think peace is on the way? Jonathan: Yeah, I’m optimistic. I think however it will take a long time, perhaps two or three generations for us to see peace and this is because a lot of people have been affected by the Troubles. You know, people have lost families and friends and it will take them a long time to get over this sentiment that they have. Alice: Yeah, that’s understandable! So why are you so optimistic? What makes you so optimistic? Jonathan: Well, because in modern society in Northern Ireland you can see symbols of progress. So, for example, the Ulster rugby team contains players of a Protestant and a Catholic background working together. However, in my opinion, personally, I think Northern Ireland is in need of a secular schooling system in order to better bring together the children at a young age rather than dividing them. partie e Alice: Ok! Well, thank you so much! 4 Jonathan: No problem! Alice: I really feel like I have learnt and understood everything now! Jonathan: Good, good! Well, if you want to experience it yourself, maybe you should come over to Belfast some time! Alice: Yeah, that’d be great, thank you! Jonathan: Yeah, no problem!

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