Abstract
The early 17th-century Plantation of Ulster, in which the English Crown sought to plant loyal British colonists in the north of Ireland, is commonly understood as overtly religious in intent and action, and is viewed as the foundation for today’s divide between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. Archaeological and documentary evidence complicates this straightforward narrative by demonstrating considerable cultural exchange and the emergence of hybrid practices—suggesting that, during the plantation period itself, religion may have been less influential than economic and political pragmatism. By the end of the 17th century, however, religion took on a more prominent political and cultural role, overtly materialized in objects, settlement patterns, and landscapes. The nature and timing for this transition is examined through archaeological case studies and considered in light of contemporary historical memories regarding the plantation and the origins of sectarianism in Ireland.
Highlights
The 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the “Troubles” (1968–1998), is commonly understood as a sectarian religious conflict between Protestant and Roman Catholic communities with roots stretching back to the 17th-century Ulster Plantation
To move forward in any meaningful way as a post-conflict society requires reconsidering the origins of sectarianism, reassessing the meaning and role of religion in early modern Ireland, and putting to the test the assumption that 20th-century conflicts were the inevitable outcome of those of the early 17th century
Rather than presuming that this divide arose fully formed in the 16th and early 17th century and remained fixed and static for the 500 years, it would be much better to focus on the actual lived experiences of people in the past and the manner in which they negotiated political, economic, and religious change within a broader framework of nascent capitalism and its inherent inequalities
Summary
The 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the “Troubles” (1968–1998), is commonly understood as a sectarian religious conflict between Protestant and Roman Catholic communities with roots stretching back to the 17th-century Ulster Plantation. Conflict analysts (e.g., McGarry and O’Leary [2000]) and common historical narratives present the ongoing division between today’s two broadly drawn oppositional communities, Catholic, Nationalist, Republican vs Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist, as a direct outcome of the plantation and efforts to impose the Reformation in Ireland. To move forward in any meaningful way as a post-conflict society requires reconsidering the origins of sectarianism, reassessing the meaning and role of religion in early modern Ireland, and putting to the test the assumption that 20th-century conflicts were the inevitable outcome of those of the early 17th century
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