Why do you think there is so much tension?

Answer 1

In Ireland there is so much tension because this country it is diveded into two parts which have different religions and different political views.

The Northern Ireland (Ulster) is protestant and the population who live there wanted, at the beginning of the last century, to remain with Britain; while from the other hand, the Southern Ireland which is dominated by the Catholicism, wanted to be indipendent from Britain and wanted its republican government. After the liberal party had accepted this but the protestants didin't want to by governed by the catholics. After the First world war Britain gave each part (north and south Ireland) some control of its internal affairs. After the Easter Rising a war between Souther Ireland and Britain broke out because for the southern Ireland it wasn't enough, they wanted indipendence from Britain. They became indipendent anyway Ulster remained with Britain, although it has its own prime minister and its own Prliament. Protestants had always had the economic power and so the catholic Civil Rights Movement becan in 1960s. British troops were sent in Ireland to keep order, but then began many acts of terrorism and the IRA started boombarding the mainland. So British government imposed unaccetable measures which caused resentment to grow and more support for the extremist political parties. In 1972 the British government decided to rule directly from London; the political abuses disappeared. British and Irish government have developed goos relationships although catholics don't have the same rights as the protestants.