| Abstract: |
This article investigates the extent of the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland as of September 1981. The author spent five months in Northern Ireland in 1978 to get a better understanding of the troubles, the term used by the Irish to refer to the conflict. After interviewing and speaking with hundreds of people from all walks of life, no simple solution became apparent. The major problem does not appear to be misunderstanding or the lack of communication; rather, the fear that any change or negotiated settlement would adversely affect the quality of life each party desires for itself. The people of Northern Ireland have adjusted to the constraints imposed upon them by the conflict. They have accepted being frisked, delayed because of bomb scares, and stopped for street car checks. Inconveniences such as no evening entertainment, early curfews, and closing the through streets of their towns and cities from nine o'clock in the evening until seven in the morning were accepted as alternatives to violence. Living with conflict had become part of their way of life. The great majority of the people, Catholic and Protestant, desire to live in peace; however, they find little reason to believe that it will come soon. |