The 1886 Belfast riots were a series of intense riots that occurred in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Ireland, during the summer and autumn of 1886.

Background

In the late 19th century,

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

began to migrate in large numbers to the prosperous city of

in search of work. By the time of the riots, Catholics made up over one-third of the population of the city.Elliott (2000), p. 323. This migration brought with it sectarian tensions as Catholics and Protestants competed for jobs. As the minority, Catholics found themselves discriminated against in this area and were kept at the lower end of the labour market.Elliott (2000), p. 324. At this time there was a real possibility that the British government would establish a

devolved Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...

Irish parliament (see

Irish Home Rule Movement The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

). Belfast Catholics believed that a devolved Irish government would be sympathetic to their situation and end the discrimination. Belfast Protestants believed this too, and feared the end of their privileged position. In April 1886, Prime Minister William Gladstone introduced a

Home Rule Bill The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

. The Bill was defeated in the House of Commons on 8 June.

Riots

The introduction of the Bill led to renewed sectarian tensions in Belfast. On 3 June, a Catholic

navvy Navvy, a clipping of navigator ( UK) or navigational engineer ( US), is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects and occasionally (in North America) to refer to mechanical shovels and ear ...

sneered to a Protestant co-worker that under an Irish government Protestants would never get hired, even in Belfast. This represented the very worst fears of Protestants towards Home Rule and the story quickly spread throughout Belfast. This led to clashes between Protestant and Catholic labourers on the shipyards. The riots intensified on 8 June, the day that the Home Rule Bill was defeated in parliament. Celebrations were held throughout the city to celebrate the defeat. Some of the revellers attacked Catholic homes and businesses.Jonathon Bardon (2001), ''A History of Ulster'', Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, p. 381. The police found themselves unable to cope with the situation. Reinforcements were sent in from other parts of Ireland. Most of the reinforcements were Catholic. A rumour that the reinforcements were sent by Gladstone to punish Belfast Protestants for opposing Home Rule spread throughout the city. It was encouraged by popular preachers such as

Hugh Hanna Hugh Hanna (21 February 1821 – 3 February 1892), nicknamed Roaring Hanna, was an Presbyterian minister in Belfast known for his anti-Catholicism. Biography Born in Dromara, County Down, Hanna studied at Bullick's Academy in Belfast before ...

. The rioters thus began to attack the police, and later soldiers.Bardon (2001), p. 382. Running battles between security forces and rioters lasted until 14 June. On 22 June the reinforcements were sent home by the city government, although some were kept as trouble was expected on 12 July, the date of annual Protestant celebrations.Boyd (1987), p. 148. Trouble did indeed erupt on the 12th and, contrary to the expectations of the government, the police found themselves overwhelmed by the Protestant attackers. Reinforcements had to be sent into Belfast again, and the threat of over 2,000 police officers and soldiers descending on the city caused the rioters to quit by 14 July. On the last Saturday of July, Hanna held his annual outing for the Protestant children of Belfast. This outing usually involved a trip out to the countryside, with marching and drumming along the way. Hanna agreed to comply with the city's request that he forgo the drumming and marching due to the tense situation.Boyd (1987), p. 150. As the outing made its way through Belfast, disappointed local Protestants joined in to march with their own drums and anti-Catholic banners. Marchers deliberately provoked the Catholics by marching into Catholic areas. Taunting quickly gave way to heavy street fighting between Catholics, Protestants and police. Bloody clashes on a par with the riots in June lasted for a few days, but low-intensity rioting continued until September. Officially thirty-one people were killed in the riots, although George Foy, who made surgical reports on the riots, reckoned that the real death toll might have been as high as fifty. Hundreds were injured. Over four hundred arrests were made. An estimated £90,000 worth of property damage was incurred, and local economic activity was significantly compromised.Ian Budge and Cornelius O'Leary, (1973), ''Belfast: Approach to Crisis. A Study of Belfast Politics, 1613–1970'', London: MacMillan Press., p. 89.

Trivia

Reginald Edward Harry Dyer Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, CB (9 October 1864 – 23 July 1927) was an officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted British Indian Army. His military career began serving briefly in the regular British Army before trans ...

, who gained notoriety for his role in the

Jallianwala Bagh massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...

, was deployed to Belfast with the British Army to perform riot control duties.

References

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Bibliography

*Bardon, Jonathon, (2001), ''A History of Ulster'', Belfast: The Blackstaff Press. *Boyd, Andrew, (1987), ''Holy War in Belfast'', Belfast: Pretani Press. *Budge, Ian and O'Leary, Cornelius, (1973), ''Belfast: Approach to Crisis. A Study of Belfast Politics, 1613–1970'', London: MacMillan Press. * Elliott, Marianne, (2000), ''The Catholics of Ulster: A History'', London: Penguin. 1886 in Ireland 1886 riots 19th century in Belfast Arson in Ireland August 1886 events July 1886 events June 1886 events Political riots Riots and civil disorder in Belfast Sectarian violence September 1886 events