The Londonderry Journal
TROUBLED TIMES IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Derry Girls takes place during a period in Irish history known the Troubles. 'Troubles' referred to the escalating violence in Northern Ireland post-1969. The conflict lasted 30-ish years from 1969 to 1998, culminating with the Good Friday Agreement as showcased in the show’s finale. I thought it might be fun to include some historical context about the state of Ireland at the time!
Today the United Kingdom is one sovereign country composed of 4 constituent countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). In addition to Northern Ireland, there also exists the Republic of Ireland, a country that is not part of the UK. Why are they separate? Well, England is protestant, but up until Queen Mary of Scots, they were Catholic. When England was about to make the switch, a good chunk of the Irish - most of them, actually - said “Absolutely not” and formed the very Catholic Republic of Ireland as separate from the United Kingdom. Except, some of the Irish were actually fine with being protestant, hence the existence of Northern Ireland.
Fast-forward to the late 60s. The (Catholic) Republic of Ireland want (Protestant) Northern Ireland to leave the UK and unite with them. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is against uniting as one Ireland, and instead wants to remain as part of the UK, which is also protestant. The dispute turned violent when paramilitaries (a organization that functions in a manner analogous to a military force, but without legitimate status. These guys mean bad news.) like the infamous Irish Republican Army (IRA) got involved. Queue the riots, mass protests, and acts of civil disobedience that fuelled segregation and created ‘no-go’ areas.
crowd chants 'we want bill' in presidential welcome
Following the IRA’s declaration of a ceasefire in 1995, On November 30 of the same year US President Bill Clinton would visit to Londonderry as part of a campaign for peace. Events surrounding this visit make up major plot lines in episode 2x06, The president.
Up until this point, Ireland had endured a rough history with check-ins from US presidents. Still, this particular visit was a Big Deal because of the peace process and you can hear it. The energy of the crowd is unbelievable, and the show doesn’t do it justice:
IRISH VOTERS, NORTH AND SOUTH GIVE RESOUNDING ‘YES’ TO PEACE
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement was a pair of agreements between the British-Irish governments and Irish-Irish parties that would effectively end the Troubles. In short, relationships were addressed. It was a commitment to power sharing, while ensuring that things like the paramilitary and religious discrimination were put to rest.
On May 22, 1998, two referendums were held in each of the Irelands. Voters in Northern Ireland were asked if they would support the multi-party agreement, and voters in the Republic were asked whether they would allow the state to make constitutional changes necessarily to facilitate it. To give the agreement effect, both jurisdictions would need to give approval. And they did. In an overwhelming 82% turnout of registered voters, 71.1% of them said yes.
In Derry Girls’ final moments, we watch as Erin approaches the ballot box to vote for the first time on that very date.
- Episode 3x07, The Agreement
Bonus feature: The cranberries
The Cranberries were an internationally beloved Irish alternative rock band from 1989 to 2019. Often coinciding with the report of significant political events, throughout the show you can hear hits like Ode to my Family and Linger compliment them in the background. Episode 1x01 of Derry Girls kicks off with the first song the band ever released, Dreams.
Interestingly enough, their song Zombie, which eventually became an Irish stadium anthem, was written in response to the bombing of two children as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.