What 'The Troubles' Cost
This morning I received in the post a Daily Mail Year Book for 1973; it cost me 75p on eBay. Casually looking through it as my itunes update was loading I came across the entry for 31st July 1973.
'The new Northern Ireland Assembly held its first meeting which ended in uproar with supporters of the Rev, Ian Paisley and Mr William Craig taking over the Stormont Chamber after the proceedings had been officially adjourned."
On the BBC news this morning there's a lot of coverage of British troops finally being withdrawn from Northern Ireland. Of course the 81-year-old Rev Mr Paisley is now the First Minister of Northern Ireland. 499 British Army troops were killed in N.I during 'the Troubles' along with a 3,024 'civilians' and members of the various security services. Approximately 60% of the victims were killed by republicans, 30% by loyalists and 10% by the British, Irish and Northern Irish security forces.
I wonder what those involved, when looking back, think they've really gained?
1 comment:
This time was heartbreaking in the States, too. So many Irish-Americans sided with the IRA, even sending arms money. This is a sensitive issue among Irish Americans, and I could get myself into some hot water even criticizing the IRA. C'est la guerre.
I still tell my kids about this time of Troubles as a cautionary tale. Hard to believe that back in the early seventies you could get killed for being Catholic or Protestant. Thank God the demagogues who fanned the flames of hatred (such as Ian Paisley) have quieted down.
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