Why did the troubles in Northern Ireland flare up in 1969 after 50 years of relative peace?
• The new Northern Ireland government was a little unstable initially. It faced political and financial difficulties, and the new government ministers were not very experienced. The Catholics took little part in the new Northern Ireland state. There was electoral discrimination as well as grievances regarding housing, policing and employment. The mentality was that Northern Ireland was a “Protestant state for a Protestant people.” Inter-communal relations were poor. Northern Ireland and the south of Ireland began to grow apart. In 1948 the south of Ireland became a Republic. • In 1963 the arrival of Terence ONeill as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland brought things to a head. He wanted to raise living standards across the working classes. He believed that Catholic discontent and the instability could be addressed through a series of modest reforms which would give Catholics more of a stake in Northern Ireland affairs. However, this policy attracted opposition from both inside and outs
