'Doomsday'threat to 262,000 Northern Catholics

[Oisín]

'Doomsday'threat to 262,000 Northern Catholics

The "doomsday" situation facing a quarter of a million Catholics in the North was set out in a document revealed for the first time under the 30-year rule.

Some minority communities would only manage to hold out for a few days, while other papers warned of the "catastrophic" effects on the Army if Ireland refused to intervene.

The Department of Foreign Affairs document, known as the "doomsday" file, is one of more than 5,500 files released by the National Archives.

In a grim assessment, it said more than 262,000 Northern Ireland Catholics would "be in immediate danger, with minimum chances of escaping", in a "doomsday situation".

It warned this could happen even if the British army was present -- although the scale of attacks would be reduced. The unsigned document was drawn up in the mid-70s at the height of the Troubles.

The document also estimated how long communities could hold out if surrounded and how food and supplies might have to be brought in by sea or air in a Berlin-style airlift.

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[Fortis in Arduis]

It could have really happened then.

[Aemma]

Interesting article Oisín. Thank you. One of my niece's bf is a native of Belfast. He's a young man in his late 20's and he was speaking to us this past Christmas about his RC family's experiences living in Northern Ireland. Although activities happening in Ulster were always on the news when I was growing up, I was still relatively young and never fully fathomed it all. It's interesting to be reading these documents so many years after the fact. Thanks again.

Cheers!...Aemma