Bloody Sunday

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Who is this band and about what are they singing?

What do you know about or associate with Bloody Sunday?

Compact timeline (Northern) Ireland

1800: Catholic Ireland became part of protestant Great Britain.

1916: Easter Rising, Nationalists proclaimed an independent Irish Republic.

1919-1921: Irish war of Independence between British forces and the Irish Republican Army leading to the partitioning of Ireland into Northern (majority Protestants) and Southern Ireland (majority Catholic). They were both still part of the UK.

1922-1923:  Irish Civil War because of disagreement among republicans over the Anglo-Irish Treaty .

1923: Irish Free State without British rule.

1949: On Easter Monday, Eire became Republic of Ireland, totally independent from Britain.

1968-1998: The Troubles.

1972: Bloody Sunday, as British troops shot and killed 13 demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland (Ulster).

1998: Good Friday Agreement on a political settlement for Northern Ireland approved by voters.

2005: IRA announced an end to armed campaign and handed in their weapons. The Protestants Loyalist didn't.

2007: Last British soldier left Northern Ireland

Catholics (45%)

Republicans

Nationalists 

(want to unite with the Republic of Ireland)

IRA (Irish Republican Army-set up to fight for a united Ireland, but is now committed to peace)

Protestants (48%)

Unionists

Loyalists 

(want to be part of UK)

UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force)

In Northern Ireland people who are ‘nationalist’ and ‘republican’ want

1. Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK
2. An independent state called Ulster
3. Ireland to be a united independent country
4. Ireland to become part of the UK

What does IRA stand for?

How many years did it take for 'the troubles' to end?

1. 3 years
2. 30 years
3. 10 years
4. 11 months

The Troubles

The period known as 'The Troubles' began in the late 1960s and lasted for nearly 30 years. 

 

Late 1960's: a Catholic civil rights movement began.  

 

British troops were deployed to Northern Ireland, at first to protect Catholics, but soon became involved in bursts of fierce fighting with paramilitary groups.  

 

Thousands of people on both sides were killed by bombs and bullets, while republican groups also launched attacks on the UK mainland. 

 

A splinter group called the  Provisional IRA  was responsible for much of the republican violence during the Troubles.  

 

The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 and was seen as a major step towards peace in Northern Ireland.

Questions about video - to be made individual

1. Why was the march organised?

2. How many people gathered for the march?

3. What is meant with 'internment'?

4. Were the marchers Catholics or Protestants?

5. Why was the march blocked by British troops?

6. Why did the British troops start firing?

7. In what way was Bloody Sunday retaliated?

8. In what way was Bloody Sunday investigated?

9. What was the conclusion of the Saville report?

10. What did Prime Minister Cameron do after the publication of the Saville report?

In case of any unknown words use a dictionary!

Answers

1. To protest against the government's policy of internment. 

2. 15,000 people gathered.

3. A new policy which allowed the authority to enprison suspected IRA members without trial.

4. Catholics.

5. Because the march was illegal.

6. Because they said the were fired at first. This has been long contested by eye witnesses.

7. The British Embassy in Dublin was burnt.

8. First by a public enquiry leading to the Widgery Report. In 1998 a second inquiry followed by Saville.

9. The conclusion was that none of the casualties were posing a threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting.

10. He apologised on behalf of the country.

Homework

• Form a group of 4 students
• Choose one of the following subjects (meaning song U2, consequences Bloody Sunday,  the victims of Bloody Sunday, what happened after Saville?, IRA, How do Catholics and Protestans live together today?
• Every subject can only be choosen once by a group
• Create a 5-minute presentation about this subject
• Use the internet to gather information
  
• Next week share your presentation with the rest of the class!