Northern Ireland, created on May 3 1921, officially celebrates its centenary. A centenary that brings people together as well as divides them… and raises questions on all sides of the population.
It has to be said that the Northern Irish province has lived through a century of unrest and violence… And although the climate has been pacified, thanks to the Good Friday Agreements of 1998, it would seem that only a spark is needed before scuffles break out again. The fault lies with a mismanaged Brexit, which has literally taken Northern Ireland hostage, and which has insidiously awakened the old ghosts of the past within both communities…
So it’s a bittersweet anniversary that’s unfolding before our very eyes today…
As the years go by… Nothing seems to cure Northern Ireland’s ills… The coexistence of two distinct communities (Catholic Republicans and Loyalist Protestants) may have mellowed… but it’s no less pervasive.
As a reminder, Northern Ireland has forged its existence through constant confrontation. A war of territory, a war of religion… between blunders, bombings and crimes of all kinds… Northern Ireland has struggled to define itself under brighter auspices.
After 30 years of turmoil, the province has tried to reinvent itself by introducing the peace process… But the situation is complex and the issues are manifold: they have a way of blurring the overall picture… making the conflict sometimes difficult to understand from the outside… even in peacetime.
But for the specialists, one thing is certain:
Northern Ireland’s centenary is, by its very nature, divisive and can only be divisive,” says Jonathan Evershed, a researcher at University College Cork, interviewed by AFP. There is simply no way to commemorate Northern Ireland in a reconciliatory or inclusive way.
A bitter conclusion which shows that Northern Ireland remains a gaping wound where no one agrees.
Both sides seem trapped in a grotesque situation. Some Republicans felt they were living under the illegitimate authority of the United Kingdom, while Loyalists denounced a growing climate of insecurity…
A situation that won’t help matters.
Queen Elizabeth II’s and her government’s desire to celebrate this centenary is, in itself, a point of debate. In celebrating this anniversary, the British government is demonstrating that Northern Ireland is indeed the territory of the United Kingdom…
A demonstration that won’t be to everyone’s taste (be it the Republican Northern Irish community, or even the Irish population resident in the Republic of Ireland).
Although the government’s program includes events designed to reconcile the two parties, the reality is likely to be quite different.
So certain symbolic gestures are likely to anger Republicans, such as the fact that a “centenary rose” will be presented to the Queen “for her own garden”.
Unionists and nationalists have different understandings of the past – they commemorate different things, and do it differently – because they have conflicting visions of the political future,” analyzes Mr. Evershed.
This anniversary does not promise to be a dazzling celebration: some Republican political parties have already said they will not attend the ceremony…
Northern Ireland seems to be mired in a slump… that could well last for years to come…
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