Northern Ireland The Battleground for Christians

Educating American schoolchildren during the height of Ireland’s Troubles.

“Catholic battles Protestant in the agony of Northern Ireland. And 400 years of frustration seems wrapped in this boy hurling a stone at British soldiers.” – Text, lower right.

This brightly colored poster map of Northern Ireland and the adjacent coast of Britain was issued to inform the audience about the widespread political and religious violence during one of the worst periods of The Troubles. An overly-simplified image divides Northern Ireland, apparently equally, between Protestants and Catholics, as the region in between the Republic of Ireland (100% Catholic?) and the United Kingdom (100% Protestant?).

Artwork by Hal Aber with photo credit given to UPI. Published by Scholastic Magazines, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, as a Headline Focus Wall Map in October of 1972. A tragic photograph on the verso is accompanied by a teacher’s guide that offers suggestions on incorporating the content into the classroom.