The conflict in Northern Ireland is a battle between two religiously and culturally differentiated groups, Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans, over the fate of Ireland. Unionists are the Protestant descendants of British immigrants, who began coming to the island as early as the 12th century to farm and conduct business. Their sphere of influence, economically and politically, remained centralized in the area which is now Northern Ireland. Unionists see themselves as having a dual nationality, Irish and British, and so want to remain citizens of Great Britain. Republicans are the Catholic natives of the island that want Ireland united and completely free of British political and military influence. They see the existence of Northern Ireland as a vestige of British colonialism. Catholics in Northern Ireland began a civil rights movement in the 1960's to end the discrimination they have faced under Protestant rule.

To this extent it is easy to sympathize with the impoverished, pitifully depicted Catholic contingent in John Conroy's harrowing and realistic account of the 'troubles', Belfast Diary - War as a Way of Life (1987).

"Standing Back to Comprehend, Looking Forward to Resolution"

I believe that much of the perpetuation of conflict in Northern Ireland is facilitated by the re-production of exclusivist identities and patterns of relationship between Catholics and Protestants. This has materialized through a political process which, while contingent upon political action, has been played out within an ideological field in which exclusivist forms held a massive predominance.

Conroy, J. Belfast Diary - War as a Way of Life: Beacon Press, Boston; 1987.

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