Task 3B: Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland

Here we will look into Task 3B and offer you some points to consider when you discuss the development of the relationship between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland over the last century, based on the texts in Appendix 1 in the exam set.

Outlines

We will first outline the texts “David Cameron: ‘All time high for Anglo-Irish relations’”, “Rise above partitionism” and the extract from the novel “Cal”.

Extract from “Cal”

"Cal" is a novel written by Bernard MacLaverty and published in 1983, tracing a young Irish Catholic involved with the IRA (The Irish Republican Army).

The excerpt follows the protagonist as he walks home. He and his family, the McCluskeys, are the only Catholic family that decided to continue living in an area mostly inhabited by Protestants.
As he walks home, Cal thinks about his situation and the conflict between the Catholic and Protestant Irishmen. He fears the anger of the Protestants.
Some of the families are, however, polite with him and his family, even if they are condescending about their religious beliefs.

“David Cameron: ‘All time high for Anglo-Irish relations’”

The text is a news article from The BBC News, from spring 2014.

The article informs the readership about the meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Irish counterpart Enda Kenny, in London. The two discussed the peace process in Northern Ireland and economic partnerships.
Both leaders made optimistic declarations about the relations between the two countries. The article reminds that the Queen visited Ireland in 2011 and that the Irish president is expected to visit England.
Discussions between the two leaders are also expected to cover The Troubles, tragic events that took place because of the conflict between Protestants and Catholics...