The divided people of Ireland Ireland is a country where two very different peoples live, the nationalists (or Catholics) and the unionists (or Protestants). There are many differences between the beliefs of nationalists and unionists. The main one being that nationalists want a united Ireland and consider themselves Irish, while unionists want to be part of Britain and consider themselves British. Before partition this caused many problems because the nationalists were unhappy at being governed from London, where the politicians had probably never even been to Ireland and so, in their view, could not know what would be best for the Irish people. So even though they don't like partition and would prefer Ireland to be a country ruled from Dublin, they prefer partition to what it used to be, because at least they can run their own affairs. Unionists don't like partition either, but they like being part of Britain and having their affairs run from London. So, for them, partition is preferable to a united Ireland governed from Dublin. One of the reasons for this clash of beliefs is the differences between their cultures. Catholics speak Gaelic and play Gaelic football while Protestants speak English and play British football. These cultural differences create a wall between the two groups, meaning they are strangers to each other. This divide increases distrust and hatred between Catholics and Protestants, and as this grows, the divide widens even more. The wider the divide, the less likely it is that problems between the groups will end. Irela's children... middle of paper... done. Incidents such as that where young Catholic children attending Holy Cross Primary School, who had to pass through a Protestant area, were subjected to verbal abuse and violence and had to be provided with an armed guard to get to the walk to school each morning, did nothing to prove a point, or to help win the “war”. They are simply ensuring that a new generation develops hatred towards some of their fellow human beings and that the “war” continues. For centuries, violence has only led to more violence and more problems. If the Irish problem is to be resolved, it will be diplomatic. The people of Ireland must start from scratch and learn to trust each other. But the most important thing is that; remember that the past is just that, the past and should not affect our view of others, especially not with the severity it has in Ireland..