The Northern Ireland Conflict Through the Lens of Derry Girls
Derry Girls is a critically acclaimed Irish comedy TV show that was first broadcasted on British Channel 4 and later became available for streaming on Netflix. Despite being a comedy series, Derry Girls had the long-drawn Northern Ireland conflict, also called “The Troubles,” woven into the storyline.
The show is set in the 1990s Londonderry and shows the coming-of-age struggles of a group of high school girls. The lighthearted comedy sheds light on the conflict in Northern Ireland and concludes with the end of the conflict as The Good Friday Agreement comes into effect.
In this blog, we’re going to discuss the roots of this conflict and what it meant for the country.
Roots of The Troubles
On the surface and as shown in Derry Girls, it may seem like The Troubles had religious roots because the two fighting sides were Catholics and Protestants. In truth, The Troubles go back all the way to the 1800s when factions of Irish people began fighting for emancipation from the English. It was during this time that the loyalists and unionists (who happened to be Protestants) supported the United Kingdom, while nationalists (who were largely Catholic) wanted Northern Ireland to separate from the UK.
The split was observed because of the British laws that gave more power to the Protestants and control of the majority of land in the country. While the seeds were sown in the 1800s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that The Troubles began in full swing.
Life During The Troubles
During The Troubles, there were small-scale riots that happened every few days. There were also mass protests and civil disobedience movements observed across Northern Ireland and regular disagreements between the two groups. The entire period of The Troubles, which lasted more than three decades, can be characterized as a low-level war, as more than 3,500 lives were lost during this time.
The End of The Troubles
In 1998, The Troubles finally ended when the Northern Ireland peace process was initiated, and the paramilitary ceasefire began. The Good Friday Agreement also came into effect, which gave autonomy to Northern Ireland and accepted the principle of consent in political, civil, policing, and disarmament rights.
Needless to say, The Troubles shown in Derry Girls were simply an extension of the existing problems that started in the 1800s and ones that caused mass displacement of the Irish diaspora across the world.
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