The Role Of Sociological Imagination In My Life
Every aspect of my life has been a result of the horrifying past of Northern Ireland. I was born on August 16th 1997 to my incredible parents Sean (John) Haughey and Angela Dempsey in Belfast, Northern Ireland. My parents, although faced with every obstacle imaginable, sought out the best life possible for myself, and my two siblings. War strays from all sorts of different reasons, from religion to land or anything in between. Regardless of the situation, we all have some sort of relevance to war, somewhere along the line, our lives relate back to war. Social order is necessary for any society to thrive, there are rules for everyone to follow, both spoken and unspoken. According to C.W. Mills we must have sociological imagination for a society to thrive. Our quality of mind is how willing we are to accept and build upon others cultural values. The sociological imagination is simply a "quality of mind" that allows one to grasp "history and biography and the relations between the two within society.” (C.W. Mills
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1959). It is a necessity for any society to grow and to even function at all. The sociological imagination is a certain type of thinking that requires us to make the connections between social forces and individuals. 1969 1641 1922 The Beginning 1975 1983 The Irish Confederate Wars Partition of Ireland of the Troubles Proposal of Independent Northern Ireland Street Raid |——-|———-|—————-|—————|—————-|———|———|———-|————-| The Orange order Irish Civil War UWC Strike Irish Hunger Strike 1795 1966 1973 1981 The Irish Confederate wars were ongoing between 1641 to 1653 and they caused chaos all over Ireland. Some called in the “Wars of the Three Kingdoms”, the three kingdoms being the native Irish Catholics against Scottish Protestants and the English. Although ultimately it ended with Royalists, Irish Catholics and Scottish Presbyterians against the English government. The war mainly concerned who would rule over Ireland and this war ended up being the most destructive war in Irish history. The formation of the Orange Order happened in 1795 during an era of Catholic and Protestant conflict. It falls under a conservative British Unionist group, also having ties to the Ulster loyalism. Nobody that is not from a Protestant society is allowed access, and the organizations marches (which usually took place in catholic neighbourhoods) have often lead to severe violence in the streets of Belfast. Although seemingly triumphalist and supremacist, the orange order is still ongoing to this day. The Partition of Ireland took place on May 3rd 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. This act finalized the division of Ireland between Northern Ireland (UK) and The Republic of Ireland. The British and Irish government came to the understanding that under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, the status of Northern Ireland will not change without the consent of a majority of the population. This division began many kinds of rioting between the people who wanted Northern Ireland not to be ruled under the British Crown, and those who did. The division was mainly between the protestants (who wanted to stay under British Rule) and the catholics (who wanted an “All-Ireland” country). The Irish Civil war came from what was left of those of the Irish Republican Army, better known now as the IRA. This war took place between 1922-1966, and caused terrible rioting in the streets of Ireland, mainly Northern Ireland. The main goal of this war was to overthrow the crown by force of arms and claim Ireland as one unified country. My grandfather was apart of this war and spent nine years in prison due to his affiliation with the army and his work in the line of fire. The riots that took place during this period left Belfast and the majority of Northern Ireland war torn. There is no specific date recorded for the beginning of the troubles of Northern Ireland, and I personally cannot recall any of it due to the fact that I was an infant.
But the effects of the troubles still have a deep impact on my entire family to this day. The easiest way to describe the troubles is the constant fight for freedom, to go against British rule and to be a free country. Although the vicious attempts by the IRA were ultimately unsuccessful because the divide is still in place even to this day. My brother and father both have the Irish flag tattooed on their forearms and whenever we go back to Ireland they must remain covered up in certain parts of the city. There are certain neighbourhoods based as “protestant” or “catholic”, and if either of them were caught with these tattoos they could have been brutally beaten or even killed. Although the troubles technically ended in 1998, the reminisce still effect the entire city and its
visitors. The UWC strike, which stands for the Ulster Workers’ Council strike was brought on by the effects of the troubles. The main focus of the strike was to bring down Harold Wilson, who was the British prime minister at the time. This strike put a massive weight on all of the business in Northern Ireland and cut off basic services like water and electricity. People reacted with car bombs in Dublin’s city centre, three were set off with no warning and killed 26 people, injuring nearly 300. A little over an hour later another bomb was set off, killing seven more people. These attacks put an end to the strike, although no one was ever convicted for these bombings. The proposal of an independent Northern Ireland took place in 1975. Wilson had a secret meeting with the IRA in 1971 to negotiate a ceasefire. Unknowingly, Wilson had now severely angered the Irish government due to these illegal meetings with the IRA, which were already an illegal organization. The IRA had done so much damage to the country, including burning down the British Embassy in 1972, that the government was infuriated that Wilson would even attempt to reason with them. Foreign Minister FitzGerald feared for the Republic of Ireland and denied asking the British to withdraw because it would most likely end in disaster of the country. In 2006 Fitzgerald said “Neither then nor since has public opinion in Ireland realized how close to disaster our whole island came during the last two years of Harold Wilson's premiership.” The Irish Hunger strike began in 1981 due to the unfair treatment of prisoners, most of them being members of the IRA. Prisoners refused to eat so long as they were treated as criminals. These 10 men imprisoned wanted to be treated as political prisoners. They wanted to wear their own clothes, and study their own Irish culture The conflict remained between the British government and the IRA, although the strike ended and all demands were met. The successful end to the hunger strike gave the IRA more reason to fight, in hopes of disconnecting from the British government. During the troubles people were subject to all kinds of societal rules that they were required to follow. Those rules included following anything and everything the British army requested. My grandfather and uncle, were both members of the IRA. On July 8th 1981, my uncle John Dempsey was shot and killed in the streets of Belfast by a British solider during the hunger strike. Since he did not agree with the British ideology and what they stood for, he lost his life. There is a difference between trends at school or fads that some people do not follow. These soldiers looked at my uncle as a criminal for fighting for his country’s independence. A 16 year old boy lost his life along with hundreds of other people during the trouble’s. This has tremendously shaped my family in so many ways. My parents did not want us growing up around these riots and protests, they chose a better life for us and for that I am forever grateful. Throughout my grandparents’, and my parents’ life, they lived in fear of such simple things. Even leaving the house could put them in danger because of the troubles. My parents both moved to Canada in 1988 to escape the war torn streets of Belfast. My father moved with his brother to Toronto, and my mother on her own to Ottawa. They met in 1990 and had my sister, Caitlin in 1991, and following was my brother Mark in 1994. Since both of there families were back in Ireland my parents decided to move back to Ireland. They lived there with my siblings for a few years and they had me in 1997. They moved back in hopes that the troubles had ended, but when they came back they realized it wasn't over. Their was still fighting and bombings, even in the late 1990’s. So after I was born my parents came to the conclusion that the troubles were nowhere near over, so my mom packed up and took the three of us back to Canada. My dad had to stay and work and sell the house, but later followed us back to Canada a few months afterwards. My parents, against all odds brought my siblings and I back here for a better life. Although they had to leave their entire families and start an entire new life, they sacrificed that for us to live a free life. Societies grow and change based on historical events, but it is our job to learn from our mistakes as a whole. It isn't possible for one person to overthrow any laws or norms, society is made up of numerous people. My parents didn’t agree with the cultural norms of Ireland, so they immigrated to Canada, in hopes that in terms of government and society, themselves and their children would thrive.
1959). It is a necessity for any society to grow and to even function at all. The sociological imagination is a certain type of thinking that requires us to make the connections between social forces and individuals. 1969 1641 1922 The Beginning 1975 1983 The Irish Confederate Wars Partition of Ireland of the Troubles Proposal of Independent Northern Ireland Street Raid |——-|———-|—————-|—————|—————-|———|———|———-|————-| The Orange order Irish Civil War UWC Strike Irish Hunger Strike 1795 1966 1973 1981 The Irish Confederate wars were ongoing between 1641 to 1653 and they caused chaos all over Ireland. Some called in the “Wars of the Three Kingdoms”, the three kingdoms being the native Irish Catholics against Scottish Protestants and the English. Although ultimately it ended with Royalists, Irish Catholics and Scottish Presbyterians against the English government. The war mainly concerned who would rule over Ireland and this war ended up being the most destructive war in Irish history. The formation of the Orange Order happened in 1795 during an era of Catholic and Protestant conflict. It falls under a conservative British Unionist group, also having ties to the Ulster loyalism. Nobody that is not from a Protestant society is allowed access, and the organizations marches (which usually took place in catholic neighbourhoods) have often lead to severe violence in the streets of Belfast. Although seemingly triumphalist and supremacist, the orange order is still ongoing to this day. The Partition of Ireland took place on May 3rd 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. This act finalized the division of Ireland between Northern Ireland (UK) and The Republic of Ireland. The British and Irish government came to the understanding that under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, the status of Northern Ireland will not change without the consent of a majority of the population. This division began many kinds of rioting between the people who wanted Northern Ireland not to be ruled under the British Crown, and those who did. The division was mainly between the protestants (who wanted to stay under British Rule) and the catholics (who wanted an “All-Ireland” country). The Irish Civil war came from what was left of those of the Irish Republican Army, better known now as the IRA. This war took place between 1922-1966, and caused terrible rioting in the streets of Ireland, mainly Northern Ireland. The main goal of this war was to overthrow the crown by force of arms and claim Ireland as one unified country. My grandfather was apart of this war and spent nine years in prison due to his affiliation with the army and his work in the line of fire. The riots that took place during this period left Belfast and the majority of Northern Ireland war torn. There is no specific date recorded for the beginning of the troubles of Northern Ireland, and I personally cannot recall any of it due to the fact that I was an infant.
But the effects of the troubles still have a deep impact on my entire family to this day. The easiest way to describe the troubles is the constant fight for freedom, to go against British rule and to be a free country. Although the vicious attempts by the IRA were ultimately unsuccessful because the divide is still in place even to this day. My brother and father both have the Irish flag tattooed on their forearms and whenever we go back to Ireland they must remain covered up in certain parts of the city. There are certain neighbourhoods based as “protestant” or “catholic”, and if either of them were caught with these tattoos they could have been brutally beaten or even killed. Although the troubles technically ended in 1998, the reminisce still effect the entire city and its
visitors. The UWC strike, which stands for the Ulster Workers’ Council strike was brought on by the effects of the troubles. The main focus of the strike was to bring down Harold Wilson, who was the British prime minister at the time. This strike put a massive weight on all of the business in Northern Ireland and cut off basic services like water and electricity. People reacted with car bombs in Dublin’s city centre, three were set off with no warning and killed 26 people, injuring nearly 300. A little over an hour later another bomb was set off, killing seven more people. These attacks put an end to the strike, although no one was ever convicted for these bombings. The proposal of an independent Northern Ireland took place in 1975. Wilson had a secret meeting with the IRA in 1971 to negotiate a ceasefire. Unknowingly, Wilson had now severely angered the Irish government due to these illegal meetings with the IRA, which were already an illegal organization. The IRA had done so much damage to the country, including burning down the British Embassy in 1972, that the government was infuriated that Wilson would even attempt to reason with them. Foreign Minister FitzGerald feared for the Republic of Ireland and denied asking the British to withdraw because it would most likely end in disaster of the country. In 2006 Fitzgerald said “Neither then nor since has public opinion in Ireland realized how close to disaster our whole island came during the last two years of Harold Wilson's premiership.” The Irish Hunger strike began in 1981 due to the unfair treatment of prisoners, most of them being members of the IRA. Prisoners refused to eat so long as they were treated as criminals. These 10 men imprisoned wanted to be treated as political prisoners. They wanted to wear their own clothes, and study their own Irish culture The conflict remained between the British government and the IRA, although the strike ended and all demands were met. The successful end to the hunger strike gave the IRA more reason to fight, in hopes of disconnecting from the British government. During the troubles people were subject to all kinds of societal rules that they were required to follow. Those rules included following anything and everything the British army requested. My grandfather and uncle, were both members of the IRA. On July 8th 1981, my uncle John Dempsey was shot and killed in the streets of Belfast by a British solider during the hunger strike. Since he did not agree with the British ideology and what they stood for, he lost his life. There is a difference between trends at school or fads that some people do not follow. These soldiers looked at my uncle as a criminal for fighting for his country’s independence. A 16 year old boy lost his life along with hundreds of other people during the trouble’s. This has tremendously shaped my family in so many ways. My parents did not want us growing up around these riots and protests, they chose a better life for us and for that I am forever grateful. Throughout my grandparents’, and my parents’ life, they lived in fear of such simple things. Even leaving the house could put them in danger because of the troubles. My parents both moved to Canada in 1988 to escape the war torn streets of Belfast. My father moved with his brother to Toronto, and my mother on her own to Ottawa. They met in 1990 and had my sister, Caitlin in 1991, and following was my brother Mark in 1994. Since both of there families were back in Ireland my parents decided to move back to Ireland. They lived there with my siblings for a few years and they had me in 1997. They moved back in hopes that the troubles had ended, but when they came back they realized it wasn't over. Their was still fighting and bombings, even in the late 1990’s. So after I was born my parents came to the conclusion that the troubles were nowhere near over, so my mom packed up and took the three of us back to Canada. My dad had to stay and work and sell the house, but later followed us back to Canada a few months afterwards. My parents, against all odds brought my siblings and I back here for a better life. Although they had to leave their entire families and start an entire new life, they sacrificed that for us to live a free life. Societies grow and change based on historical events, but it is our job to learn from our mistakes as a whole. It isn't possible for one person to overthrow any laws or norms, society is made up of numerous people. My parents didn’t agree with the cultural norms of Ireland, so they immigrated to Canada, in hopes that in terms of government and society, themselves and their children would thrive.