The unrest in Northern Ireland dates back as far as the 1500's. At this time most of Europe's population belonged to the Catholic church. Under the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-49), England was converted to Protestantism. King Henry conquered the totally Catholic Ireland, and it came under Protestant control. This Protestant rule started the initial tension with the Catholics in Ireland. Large numbers of Protestants settled in the North of Ireland, creating a Protestant majority in the region that still exists today.

In 1609, James I fought the Protestant Prince William III at the Battle of The Boyne. Due to this battle the Catholics were forced to give up a vast majority of the land in Ireland to Protestant control. Catholics throughout Ireland called for it to become a republic, independent of Great Britain. However, the Protestants insisted on remaining a par

t of Great Britain. In 1920, the Goverment of Ireland Act officially divided it into two seperate states, the south a predominantly Catholic state and the north a predominatly Protestant state. The Catholics, who longed for their independence from Great Britain, acheived it when they became the Republic of Ireland in 1949.

Currently it seems that Northern Ireland is moving in the right direction for peace. A cease-fire has been maintained, for the most part, since the Good Friday agreement. There have been a few minor combats, but nothing like the terrorist attacks of years past. The Catholics and the Protestants in the region still probably hate each other, but at least they are not killing each other over their hatred. It is somewhat premature to see if the peace process in Northern Ireland is successful, but it seems that the situation is becoming more manageable. The United States should continue to aid in the ongoing peace talks in any way they can, and also try to aid the region of Northern Ireland. The United States is very rich compared to Northern Ireland. The United States should and can give to the troubled regi

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Approximate Word count = 767
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)