1. What is your impression of Northern Ireland?
Write down a list of words that summarise your impression of Northern Ireland

2. What was the Irish Problem? - the beginning...

3. Lesson objectives...
To evaluate your preconceptions of the Irish Problem
To realise which different groups are involved in the conflict in Ireland
To begin to examine the beginning/cause of the Irish Problem

4. Your task…
Which of the following images fit your image and which do not?
From this evidence – how accurate was your image?

7. What is it all about? Today Ireland is divided into two parts:
The North
Sometimes called Ulster is part of the United Kingdom. This means that it is ruled by the British Parliament in London and has the Queen as head of state
The South
Is an independent country with its own government and parliament in Dublin. A President is head of state. It is called The Republic of Ireland.
The recent violence in Ireland is all about one simple question:
Should the North stay part of the UK or should it join the South as part of a united and independent Ireland?

8. Ignorance matters... IGNORANCE BREEDS FEAR, WHICH BREEDS VIOLENCE
Ignorance has played an important part in causing conflict in Ireland. For example, for much of the twentieth century the Nationalist and Unionist communities of Northern Ireland lived apart, almost totally segregated. Nationalists and Unionists hardly met.
The Result of Segregation...
By the 1960s there was an amazing level of ignorance in each community about their neighbours.
Unionist and Nationalist communities failed to understand each other’s hopes and intentions. The gap was filled by lies, rumours, half truths and misunderstandings.
IGNORANCE BREEDS FEAR, WHICH BREEDS VIOLENCE

9. Ignorance of outsiders...
Equally damaging is the ignorance of outsiders...
Throughout the Northern Ireland conflict the people and government of the United Kingdom could do little to help bring peace, because they knew practically nothing about Northern Ireland and many of them did not care, either.
At many times, the issue of Northern Ireland was only a sideshow, a distraction from political affairs in London.

10. The beginning of the problem…
The political division goes back to 1921
The religious division goes back to 1534

11. Your task…
Stick in and match up the 4 main groups with the correct area of Ireland
Colour in the map – Ulster orange and the rest of Ireland green
Stick in the “Communities” sheet
Highlight key points for each side

12. Lesson objectives...
To evaluate your preconceptions of the Irish Problem
To realise which different groups are involved in the conflict in Ireland
To begin to examine the beginning/cause of the Irish Problem