Agnosticism IS the most dishonest position

[The Architect Of Fate]

The Troubles began with Rev. Ian Paisley's sectarianism.
As troops became involved in the '70s the KGB figured this would be an opportunity to tie down forces and serve as a cover for their own assassinations in the UK. Most famously was the attempted assassination of the British Government in Brighton '84 following MI6 rescue of Gordievsky. The OIRA took up a pro-communist stance which threatened to compromise Moscow's deniability so the PIRA became the principle vehicle. Republican pubs in Belfast tended to some of the best places to find a KGB officer when NATO intel wanted to feed misinformation to moscow.

That's a hell of a lot of politics!

Nope Religion

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You have no idea what was driving events in NI, or why certain groups wanted to tie large numbers of British troops down in NI instead of West Germany for example. But please feel free to continue with the internal politics line.

I'd be genuinely pleased if you'd explain it to me. From the examples you give, it sounds like Cold War politics instead of internal politics. But not religion.

One question worth addressing: in the 19th and 20th centuries, Catholics and Protestants lived together in many many cities without sectarian violence. What particular aspect of history in Northern Ireland made this untrue for them?

Fallacy fallacy

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OK, Hitchens claims that the troubles in Belfast were religious in origin. So do some of the posters here, though they are unwilling to write anything other than pronouncements and insults, and don't make an argument for their claim. I say they are wrong.

The combatants in Belfast took sides along Protestant/Catholic divides. But their quarrels had nothing to do with Protestantism or Catholicism. Their fight was about political issues. 

So you didn't watch the video I provided you, because you want to cling to your wrong headed fantasy.

Because absolving religion is his goal

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The Troubles began with Rev. Ian Paisley's sectarianism.
As troops became involved in the '70s the KGB figured this would be an opportunity to tie down forces and serve as a cover for their own assassinations in the UK. Most famously was the attempted assassination of the British Government in Brighton '84 following MI6 rescue of Gordievsky. The OIRA took up a pro-communist stance which threatened to compromise Moscow's deniability so the PIRA became the principle vehicle. Republican pubs in Belfast tended to some of the best places to find a KGB officer when NATO intel wanted to feed misinformation to moscow.

He just dismissed it all as politics