histeriacomic:

Just as a quick note: This topic is seriously some serious business. Unfortunately, this is one of the easiest ways to present in just one strip. (Though the boys are adorable in their pj’s. You can’t see it, but we gave Ireland shamrock-patterned pj’s. |D)

As I’ve said before—Irish history is something that takes patience. So in these comics and info sections, I know there are bits of information missing. However: I don’t feel comfortable including every single little thing. There is a ton of  s t u f f  for all of this, and I don’t want to overwhelm and confuse you. So, I tried to keep this short, sweet, and simple. Uh. Tried.

So as we know, during the Irish War for Independence, there were also clashes between Catholics in Ireland and Protestants in Northern Ireland. After the war, the religious clashes also died down, but they were by no means over. Though, it wasn’t just religion that caused the two to fight. There were economic differences between them, as well as political (which, sadly, was also because of religion). Northern Ireland was actually quite well-off, whereas Ireland … wasn’t. So … woohoo.

Don’t forget that Northern Ireland was not 100% Protestant! There was still a small handful of Catholics, but they were a definite minority. They didn’t receive quite the same, uh, liberties Protestants did. So in the late 1960’s, things in N. Ireland culminate, and explode.

I often say, “Man! Wouldn’t it be awesome to live in this time and experience this first-hand?!” but I have absolutely [ZERO] desire to experience The Troubles. Imagine the violence everywhere. More than military or political, civilians were usually the victims; civilians that didn’t really have much to do with anything, other than being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Things were horrible—security checkpoints going into a grocery store, and being subjected to full-body searches. Uh, I purposefully pick the non-body scan line at the airport. There would be no way I’d be going grocery shopping in Belfast. Come on; who really needs milk and bread? 

This went on for 30+ years (with small sporadic ‘attacks,’ if that’s what you wanna call ‘em, happening even within the last 2 or 3 years), and over 3,000 people have died, more than half being civilians. It’s so bad, some have said that the psychological effects pretty much mirror those of Londoners’ during the Blitz in WWII. That’s … pretty bad, you guys. :(

The comic here takes place in the late 1990’s, when things started calming down. (There’s no specific year, mostly because it’s just hard to pinpoint the ‘end’ y’know?) Norn’s got a bit of a fever, and his brothers are fretting over him—he’s really the only brother, after all, that can get along with all of them. Basically, what England and Ireland are talking about: In the Anglo-Irish Agreement (such an original title…), the UK and the (by now) Republic of Ireland would both have a say in Northern Irish politics. The time of the comic and the date of the signing of the agreement (1985) are more than a decade apart. My goal here, though, is for you to get information. 

Oh, also! FYI. The PM of the UK at the time was Margaret Thatcher. There’s a movie coming out soon, The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep, about Ms. Thatcher. I can’t wait to see it, and I hope they touch on this. We’ll have to see. :)

LINK:

Only one, and why? Cuz it’s a very beautiful link.
THIS LINK MAY CONTAIN TRIGGERING CONTENT. Violence, blood, etc. Please click and view at your own discretion. Pictures of War - The Troubles.

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT COMIC. *____*

PLEASE KNOW BEFORE CLICKING THAT LINK.

This blog collects photographs of war. Now, I’m pretty sure we never envision war as some silly slap-fest full of unicorns and rainbows. These are legitimate photographs and gif images, and may contain triggering content such as violence and blood. It’s … war. 

You are under absolutely no pressure to venture to that blog if those kinds of things bother you. If you do click the link, and those things do NOT bother you, I hope you can understand a little bit more of the settings we’re talking about. Of course, 100% is impossible, but there’s only so much we can do without being part of the times. -Binni