Discrimination in Northern Ireland, 1920-1939: Myth or Reality?
Author: John O’Brien
Date Of Publication: Feb 2010
Isbn13: 978-1-4438-1744-8
Isbn: 1-4438-1744-9
Throughout the period of devolved government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972, allegations of discrimination by the Ulster Unionist government against the Catholic and nationalist minority have been constant. These accusations of discrimination were regularly made concerning education, employment, public housing and representation.

This book aims to examine these nationalist allegations and assess whether or not discrimination did occur and if so, the extent to which the minority became disadvantaged as a result. This volume focuses on the inter-war period, 1920-39, and evaluates the policies and practices of successive Unionist governments. In essence, it attempts to ascertain whether or not the charges of overt discrimination levelled against the government were warranted.

Previous literature on the topic has tended to be biased in favour of one side of the political divide, be it Ulster unionism or Irish nationalism. Drawing from a wide range of primary and secondary sources, this book has found that the need for mutual understanding is paramount. The Stormont administration’s need to concentrate all power in its own hands was most likely born out of a longing for security and self-preservation and motivated by siege mentality and internal threat. Is there a state in the world where there would not exist a bias, justified or unjustified, against those who refused to be loyal to or even recognise that state?

Discriminatory practices, engaged in as a means to an end, may have become a way of life for some Protestants and unionists. It definitely came to be seen as such by the Catholic and nationalist minority, whether justified or not.

John O’Brien is a native of Mitchelstown, County Cork and attended the Christian Brothers School in the town. He is a graduate of the University of Limerick where he received his BA in History, Politics, Sociology and Social Studies and his MA in History. He has also studied abroad at the University of Malta. He has previously conducted research into the popular perception of the ‘British presence’ in Ireland. His other research interests include the Troubles in Northern Ireland, international history of the twentieth century, Irish social and political history, local history, imperialism and decolonisation, Maltese/Mediterranean history and Russian history.

“Discrimination” or prejudice based on ethnic or religious lines has proved a dark stain on Northern Ireland’s recent history. In this volume historian John O’Brien has approached a very emotive subject with honesty and a careful eye. His analysis demonstrates that the categories of anti-Catholic/Nationalist and anti-Loyalist/Protestant can never be defined in simple terms or confined within neat categories. As with the tragedy that has defined the island known as Ireland, this history is a complex one and has been subject to a range of competing interests and pressure groups. Through a close and careful analysis of the Stormont parliamentary debates O’Brien demonstrates that the history of prejudice almost always encompasses a range of totalising discourses and concepts, each of which proves a site of contestation and conflict. This important study makes clear that what happened in the past can always be “constructed” in accordance with a number of different yet seemingly plausible narrative accounts. O’Brien’s set himself an ambitious task in this book and succeeded admirably. His research is essential to those seeking a clearer understanding of what has defined Irishness and Britishness, both North and South.

- Dr. Mícheál Ó hAodha, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

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