In this essay, I aim to explore the long-term impact of the conflict in Northern Ireland on people. I will focus mainly on the impact of the Troubles on mental health and how these effects how these effects escalated into more serious problems leading to extremely disadvantaged people.
What Are ‘The Troubles’?
Before getting into the effect the Troubles had on the North of Ireland, it is important to firstly, outline what is meant by the term, ‘The Troubles’. ‘The Troubles’ is the name given to the decades of sectarian conflict, underpinned by centuries of religious, political, economic and historical factors, in the North of Ireland from the years 1968-1998. It is estimated that in and around 3500 people were killed during this conflict and according to ‘The Conflict Archive on the Internet’, or CAIN, during 1969- 2010, 3568 people died as a cause of the Troubles. While it is widely accepted that the Troubles ended in in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, and the subsequent decommissioning of weaponry on both sides of the divide, these figures from CAIN continue to 2010. This is because, despite the decommissioning, there was and has been ongoing violence since, between new bombings, shootings and paramilitary activity, on both sides. It could be argued, and is argued by some, that the Troubles have not ended, and so statistics stopping at 2010 does not quite cover fully the amount of deaths that occurred during this conflict.
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The Troubles brought armed conflict, economic deprivation, political stalemates, and a ‘laissez faire’ outlook on many aspects of life in the North throughout those decades. People who were in power already in Stormont, were incapable of dealing with the rising violence after the peace protest in Derry in 1969 (Lesley-Dixon 2018), and this then led to the British Army being deployed here to help the situation. After this more political issues arose, after the 14 deaths in Derry during Bloody Sunday in 1972, which of course led to Direct Rule being implemented. This led to the peak of violence and discontent in the North of Ireland, which is where most of the issues that we are now dealing with here originated. This meant a government on a different landmass would be calling the shots for every aspect of life here in the North of Ireland, which of course led to some ignorant calls of reform and change which benefitted only some of the population. The violence and political game that was had here in the North of Ireland had a detrimental effect on education, home life, mental health and much more to the people here and the ongoing violence has only further impacted the State’s inability to provide a worthy education system and a society that has moved on and bettered itself for the people of the State.
Life in North Ireland during the Troubles - at a Disadvantage
People living in the North of Ireland during the Troubles, from both sides of the community were deeply disadvantaged, in terms of the quality of life they were able to obtain due to the amount of conflict they had to endure. From the outset of the creation of ‘Northern Ireland’ in 1921, there was a huge part of the population already at a disadvantage. The State of the North of Ireland was predominantly Protestant, so far so that its government became known as ‘a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people’ (Craig 1934). Historian John Dorney (2015) also claims, “Its power was buttressed by a close association with the Protestant fraternal organizations such as the Orange Order”. This Protestant state led to discontent among the Catholics as they felt they were at a huge disadvantage throughout the Troubles, which was only backed up with the likes of gerrymandering that did take place, or the unequal voting system that rendered non-rate payers unable to vote, and also the policing system, of course. The RUC was established along with the state, and according to Lesley Dixon (2018) only 7.78% of the workforce in the RUC were Catholics (in 1992), showing how unrepresentative it was of its state. Catholics felt they were at a disadvantage therefore from the outset, politically speaking, and that there was no chance of equality, which this belief was again only furthered, by the reaction from the RUC and B Specials to the NICRA march in Derry in 1969, for equal rights among Catholic and Protestants.
I note this historical disadvantage to shine a light on how from the outset, there has been a mindset of ‘disadvantagedness’ within the communities, and while backed up by real life events and facts, this mindset only grew deeper and with more contempt throughout the Troubles, and can be seen today still. As Stackpoole (2010) states, “deep-rooted ethno-political tensions remain to this day”, and this has created a huge divide in our society, which impacts children today in both communities. Cross community links in some areas of highly concentrated numbers of either religion, are not participated in, are not provided or are unheard of. This provides a disadvantage to our people still, as many are uneducated when it comes to either sides’ history, and we cannot move on without understanding, which creates hurdles in our education system, in our work life and daily day to day life.
During the Troubles people in the North of Ireland suffered greatly from an abnormal society. Laws, customs and violence that was not regular practice in many other countries, even in the same landmass, the southern part of the country saw no effects of the Troubles. This disadvantaged the people in ways that caused many mental health issues.
Mental Health Issues and the Troubles
It has been widely researched all over the world and has been concluded by researchers that societies in armed conflict create mental health issues. These issues are seen within the immediate society involved in the conflict, but also can create issues for further generations to come. Maighread Gough (2017), talks about the long- and short-term effects armed conflict can have on societies, “The short-term consequences include death and serious injury, loss of a family member, displacement, witnessing traumatic events, risk of exploitation and other adversities. Longer term, the psychological impact pervades, and for some leaves an enduring scar”. These symptoms of conflict, are non-discriminatory, and both sides of the Troubles, were victims of this. Proof of the affect the Troubles had on the people, can in part be seen by the Victims and Survivors Commission that was launched in 2012, to help people still suffering from the effect the Troubles had on them.
Psychological Impact of Armed Conflict
The psychological effects of armed conflict on societies is the biggest impact felt by people of war-stricken areas (Maighread Gough, 2017). These psychological effects are triggered mainly by two main factors according to Miller and Rassmussen (2010): direct exposure to the violence and destruction of war, and daily stressors, the stressful social and material conditions that are often caused or exacerbated by armed conflict. These triggers lead to a disadvantaged society in ways that attack mental health without the person being directly involved or being directly impacted by the conflict. For example, daily stressors can include dealing with poverty, inability to find work, breakdown of social networks, and a malfunctioning education system. These consequences of armed conflict are stressful in themselves, as they affect, they ways in which society operates, but this stress is only exacerbated by the added stress of the environment in which it has originated. These stresses show that armed conflict can have a detrimental effect on people’s mental health, which can lead to a deeply disadvantaged society as having mental health issues is then seen as the norm and may not be tackled appropriately. This can lead to an impact being played on future generations’ mental health which will create an ongoing loop of a disadvantaged society. Despite children of those who experienced the armed conflict of the Troubles, not having any memory of it, transgenerational trauma can be instilled in children unknowingly by the parents, (Leen-Feldner et al, 2013). This can be done through multiple ways, including, parents showing irregular moods, transferring negative thoughts or behaviors to children, who then adapt the same opinions and behaviors.
Effect on Mental Health
A great amount of research has been done, looking into the impact the Troubles had on mental health in the North of Ireland. It seems, that there is a general consensus that there are a greater number of mental health issues among the people who grew up amidst the conflict. The North of Ireland has seen a greater amount of mental health issues than anywhere else in the UK (O’Neill, S. Heenan, D and Betts, J, 2019). In the Review of Mental Health Policies carried out by Ulster University in 2019, it is stated that, ‘The rates of mental illness in NI are higher than any other region in the UK; and at least 25% higher than in England”, and that the suicide rates here are the highest in the UK also, and this is attributed (according to the review) to the “legacy of violence and socioeconomic factors”. This easily shows the impact the Troubles played on generations of people in the North of Ireland as these statistics are new and have a direct relation to the conflict. It shows, also, that generations have been rendered at a disadvantage to their equals in the rest of the UK and Republic of Ireland. This is an ongoing issue.
The Troubles show proof of Miller and Rassmussen’s (2010) research that daily stressors impact greatly on mental health. Research carried out by O’Reilly and Stevenson (2002), found that “participants, who said that areas in which they lived were more affected by the Troubles tended to be Catholic and were more likely to have lower incomes, to live in rented accommodation, and to have poorer health”. This shows that stresses that were common place in deprived areas of the North of Ireland, were exacerbated by the Troubles, so much so that it these stresses only came to light due to the extra stress felt from the Troubles.
Conclusion
Summing up all of the above in this essay, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the Troubles, had a significant impact on its inhabitants and on their mental health. Researching this topic has opened my eyes to the profound impact a conflict state can have on people living there and the dynamics of how they continue to work during or recover from conflict, and how that also affects people living there. I believe that we should learn from our own past and other people's situations in order to make society better, more conscious.
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