for those that don't no explanation is possible."

-graffiti on a 'peace' wall in Belfast

My interest in the conflict in Northern Ireland dates back to 1994, when Gerry Adams was granted a visa to visit the United States. The fact that Adams was granted a visa made news all over the world. Adams had previously been convicted of membership in the Irish Republican Army, which was considered by the U.S. State Department to be a terrorist organization. Up until the time that Adams was granted a visa the U.S. had a strict policy of not allowing persons with known affiliations to terrorist groups into this country. To me, however, Adams was not a terrorist but a freedom fighter. You see I am the grandson of four Irish immigrants and had heard about the 'awful English' my entire life. I distinctly remember helping my grandmother do house chores as a young child as she would sing an old Irish ballad "Four Green Fields" over and over again. When I was younger, I really thought that my grandmother used to have four green fields, one of which was stolen from her. It was not until I got much older that I realized the song symbolized the partition of Ireland. I had t

Segregation in Northern Ireland's school system is the norm rather than the exception. Although the government funds both Catholic and Protestant schools the result of this segregation has as much to do with the long standing animosity between the two groups as any other event. Children learn throughout their formative years, do to the curriculum instituted at the schools, that their group is on the moral high ground. It does not matter if the child attends a Catholic school or a Protestant school. Catholic students are taught that they have been oppressed and enslaved by the Crown since the 16th century and that Protestant children are illegitimate, because their parents were never lawfully wed in a Catholic Church. Protestant children on the other hand are taught about all of the great victories that the English have scored on Irish soil in an attempt to save the Irish from their pagan religion. Catholics are taught to revere the Pope, Protestants, the Queen. Protestant children learn to sing the anthem 'Land of Hope and Glory' while Catholic children learn 'A Nation Once Again', both songs have the ability to stir nationalistic pride or incite the wrath of others. It is of little amazement that the product of segregated schools, children who learn to hate at such a young age, would go on to discriminate against one another for the rest of their lives.

Burns-Bisogno, Louisa. Censoring Irish Nationalism; British, Irish, and American Suppression of Republican Images in Film and Television, 1909-1995. Jefferson, NC. McFarland & Company, Inc.

he chance to see Gerry Adams address the Washington Press Corps Luncheon on C-SPAN that spring, in 1994, and it left an indelible impression on me. My thirst for learning about the 'Troubles' was developed. The thirst increased when there appeared to be a chance for peace that autumn, when the IRA called a cease-fire. I tried to follow the news from Ireland the best I could in the local papers and read whatever books I could get my hands on. It was not until I undertook the task of writing this paper, however, that I came to realize the depth and complexity of the problems in Northern Ireland. I have tried to, despite of my upbringing, write this paper with an unbiased opinion. In attempting to see both sides of the issue, in Northern Ireland, my views on the subject have developed. In my youth I was strongly in favor of the Republican viewpoint, this was re-uniting Ireland by any means necessary. As I have studied this issue, I have become more moderate. Although I would eventually like to see the re-unification of the island of Ireland, I believe that the time has come to explore means other than military action. I hope that the powers that be in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, can find a way to make 'The Agreement' of April 10, 1998 work. Until there is peace on the island of Ireland, and even throughout the transition period after the new peace agreement catches on, I will be a more informed observer because of the research that I have conducted for this paper.

Harris, Rosemary. Prejudice and Tolerance in Ulster; A study of neighbors and 'strangers' in a border community. Totowa, NJ: Manchester University Press, 1972.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Northern Ireland, Protestants Catholics, Catholic Unionists, Catholic Protestant, Catholic's Nationalist's, United Kingdom, Catholics Protestants, Nationalists Unionists, northern ireland, Republican Army, Luncheon C-SPAN, university press, 'the agreement', clarendon press 1991, northern ireland london, oxford clarendon, ireland london, ireland oxford, cambridge university, york cambridge university, clarendon press, cambridge university press, press 1991, peace northern ireland, ireland york,
Approximate Word count = 4352
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page double spaced)