Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
100yrs of Northern Ireland & fears of violence still loom
THE day that many consider to be the date the state of Northern Ireland was created will be quietly marked today.
Much like the day the region was founded 100 years ago, there will be no huge celebrations or grand ceremonies.
Very few people who were alive to witness the birthdate of Northern Ireland were aware it was a particularly significant day.
Northern Ireland was created on May 3, 1921, when the Government of Ireland Act came into effect and partitioned the island into two separate entities.
But the exact date of when Northern Ireland was created has divided opinion.
The effect of the Government of Ireland Act split the 32 counties of
Ireland into two, leaving Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone to form Northern Ireland. Whether one marks, acknowledges, remembers, celebrates or boycotts the centenary, Northern Ireland has had a turbulent history from which no single narrative can be drawn.
Nationalists and unionists hold sharply differing views on the history of Northern Ireland, on its past governance and public representation.
There are different views on the security situation including decades of conflict, seismic events like the Second World War or the civil rights movement and issues including public housing, freedom to demonstrate and equal voter representation.
Centenary commemorations, however, have not escaped the effects of Covid-19 restrictions.
The pandemic has caused huge disruption to plans by unionist parties to mark the centenary event. On Tuesday, a panel will examine the history of Northern Ireland.
The talk, involving a number of historians brought together to advise the Government on the centenary, will take place live from the Ulster Museum.
Dr Caoimhe Nic Dhaibheid, a senior lecturer in modern history at the University of Sheffield, will be among the panellists.
Dr Nic Dhaibheid’s work focuses on the Irish revolution and political violence.
The panel includes a number of historians from different institutions and from a variety of political backgrounds.
Dr Nic Dhaibheid said: “The panel recognises that people have very different views on the centenary and we are not seeking to impose any particular narrative.
“We want to allow for the space for multiple interpretations to come to the fore and for people to engage with the history of Northern Ireland and partition in whatever way they chose to do so.
“It’s a complex and messy history. As it was a messy period, there’s a number of dates potentially that you could identify as the birth of Northern Ireland.
“In some respects that date becomes clearer in retrospect as time goes on.
“The people who were alive on May 3 1921 were not necessarily conscious that this was the date that was going to be identified, because that was the date in which the Government of Ireland Act came into force.”
Meanwhile, unionist politicians marked Northern Ireland’s centenary at St Patrick’s Church in Coleraine, Co Derry, yesterday.
Among those in attendance for the service were Ian Paisley Jnr, Baroness Hoey, Gregory Campbell and Jim Allister.