Irish Civil War (For Want of a Telegram)

The Irish Civil War (Irish: Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann), the second phase of which is also referred to as The Troubles (Irish: Na Trioblóidí), was a conflict that followed the independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom at the end of World War I. Initially waged between pro and anti-independence factions, the civil war eventually took on religious and territorial overtones, and came to be classified by some commentators as an ethno-nationalistic conflict. Due to the relatively low intensity of the fighting, it is usually categorised as a guerrilla war.

The initial phase of the war was won by the pro-independence forces, armed and militarily supported by the German Empire. The second phase, which began over forty years later, though sporadic violence occurred almost continually in the interim, eventually devolved into a stalemate between the forces of the Irish and British governments, republican paramilitaries and loyalist paramilitaries.

This phase of the conflict was primarily political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension, though it was not a religious conflict. A key issue was the constitutional status of Ulster. Unionists/loyalists, who are mostly Protestants and consider themselves British in culture, want Ulster to be returned to the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists/republicans, who are predominantly Catholics, want Ulster to remain with the Republic of Ireland. The conflict became a matter of global attention amid an Ulster Civil Rights Association political campaign to end discrimination against the Protestant and loyalist minority by the Catholic/republican government and police force in 1968. This campaign was met with violence by republicans who viewed the campaign as a loyalist stalking horse. This eventually led to the deployment of Irish government troops, initially to protect Protestant civilians, and subsequent warfare over the next three decades.

The main participants in the Troubles were republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA); loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA); the Irish and British armies; and political activists and politicians. More than 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, of whom 52% were civilians, 32% were members of either the British or Irish army, and 16% were members of paramilitary groups. There has been sporadic violence since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, including a campaign by anti-ceasefire loyalists.