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Northern Ireland

Decent Essays

Diplomacy does not happen overnight, and the true tale of hardship and bickering over Northern Ireland is proof of that. Ireland and England failed to agree on who held the power of Northern Ireland for over 30 years until the Good Friday Agreement, a form of diplomacy between the countries, took place. Before that time, many soldiers and innocent citizens of Northern Ireland lost their lives. Religious fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant residents. Political figures from countries like Wales and the United States came together to help put an end to the bitter relations of the European countries (Delaney). After many years of hard feelings and failed attempts at bringing peace to Ireland and England, the countries came …show more content…

After one year, the death toll was 300, and after 10 years the number of people who had been killed from the fighting was a gruesome 1, 932 (Holland 196). Many of the victims were innocent people who were not partaking in the fights in any way. The killers of these innocent people were never caught or punished (Graham). After several years of fighting Jack Holland expressed what he was witnessing as “there has already been much crying about Northern Ireland” (Holland 1). Even the governments were aiming their weapons at each other. The Irish Republic Army killed a British soldier, creating a substantial amount of tension between the two countries (De Breadun). When the end neared, Ulster Defense Association ceased to be an armed paramilitary group. They had been responsible for many deaths over the years (Delaney). Several political figures from all parts of the world were brought together over the ordeal concerning Northern Ireland. During the early 1990s, British Prime Minister John Major worked with Ireland’s Ahern to achieve peace between them. All attempts at peace failed overall. United States President Bill Clinton worked with Ireland, Britain, and Northern Ireland to acquire the peace they were hoping for (Graham). It was not until Tony Blair became Prime Minister that things began to fall into place. Britain’s George Mitchell held the skill and patience necessary to help Northern Ireland peace talks lead to the Good Friday Agreement.

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