The Short Strand ( ga, an Trá Ghearr) is a working class, inner city area of

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 Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland. It is a mainly Catholic and

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

surrounded by the mainly Protestant and unionist East Belfast. It is on the east bank of the

River Lagan The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles (86 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...

in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

of Ballymacarret, which is part of

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. The borders of the Short Strand are Albertbridge Road (to the south), Short Strand Road (to the west),

Newtownards Road The A20 is a road in County Down in Northern Ireland. It runs from Belfast to Newtownards and on to Portaferry. Beginning as the Newtownards Road at the junction of Bridge End close to Belfast city centre, the road runs in an easterly direct ...

(to the north) and Bryson Street/Clandeboye Gardens (to the east). At the Short Strand's northeast corner is St Matthew's Catholic church. For decades, Protestants and Catholics have regularly clashed at the edges of the Short Strand. This has led to fierce

riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

ing and, occasionally, gun battles. Much of the Short Strand is surrounded by

peace lines The peace lines or peace walls are a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate predominantly republican and nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly loyalist and unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. T ...

History

19th century

In the 19th century, many Catholics moved from

to the area.

1920s Troubles

On 21 July 1920, after hours of intimidation and violence by

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, most Catholic and Socialist workers were forcibly removed from their jobs at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. Expulsions continued for several days at locations within Belfast to include several hundred female textile workers. After the "Shipyard Clearances" intense

Communal violence Communal violence is a form of violence that is perpetrated across ethnic or communal lines, the violent parties feel solidarity for their respective groups, and victims are chosen based upon group membership. The term includes conflicts, riots ...

occurred in the Short Strand area for several years with an estimated 32 people from the area losing their lives over a two year period. Widespread rioting, looting, evictions of Catholics from their homes and arson occurred. The local Catholic church (St. Matthews) was attacked multiple times – on 22 November 1921 the gate lodge of the church was gutted by a Loyalist mob numbering between seven and eight hundred. In March 1922, St. Mathews Primary School was subjected to a bombing attack. (See

Belfast Pogrom 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 ...

The Troubles

The ethno-political conflict known as

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

began in 1969. In the early years of the Troubles, Catholics in Short Strand numbered about 6,000, while their Protestant neighbours totalled about 60,000. The area was the scene of much violence; including rioting and attacks by both

Irish republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

and

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

paramilitaries. On 27 June 1970, the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

fought a lengthy gun battle with loyalist militants around St Matthew's church. Three people were killed. This was the Provisional IRA's first major action and became known as the

Battle of St Matthew's The Battle of St Matthew's or Battle of Short Strand was a gun battle that took place on the night of 27–28 June 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was fought between the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and Ulster loyalists in ...

. Throughout the Troubles there was a

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

(RUC) base in the Short Strand. It was heavily fortified due to bomb and gun attacks by the IRA. It was shut in 2010 and demolished in February 2011.

21st century

In June 2002, there was major rioting between rival republican and loyalist crowds, numbering over 1,000, and prolonged exchanges of gunfire between the rival paramilitaries. See 2002 Short Strand clashes. On 20 June 2011, a group of 60 to 100 men were reported to be attacking peoples' homes. There were reports of injuries, as well as homes being damaged and petrol bombs being thrown. Two men were reported to have been shot. Fighting had started at an interface area between Mountpottinger Road and the lower Newtownards road.

Chief Superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model. Rank insignia of chief superintendent File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police File:RCMP Chief Su ...

Alan McCrum of the

PSNI The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...

said that the violence had been orchestrated by the UVF. Two men were shot, and eleven shots were fired. A press photographer was shot on the second night of riots, with the PSNI blaming dissident Republicans. Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Finlay said that there was no sign that the UVF intended to finish the rioting. In 2015, the area again made headlines when members of the IRA were blamed for the murder of former IRA man Kevin McGuigan, who was shot dead outside his home in the Short Strand in retaliation for the murder three months earlier of senior IRA member Gerard 'Jock' Davison.

Popular culture

Film

*Much of the film '' The Outsider'' (1980) is set in the Short Strand.

Television

*The Short Strand, and St Matthew's Church in particular, are settings for season 3 of the television show ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008 to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club ope ...

''.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Belfast Riots and civil disorder in Northern Ireland