Northern Ireland , and Lynch 's attitude to the situation which was about to develop there would come to define his first tenure as Taoiseach . Lynch continued Lemass 's approach in regard to relations with Northern Ireland . Better relations had been forged between the two parts of Ireland with co-operation between Ministers on several practical issues such as trade , agriculture and tourism . In December 1967 Lynch travelled to Stormont for his first meeting with the Prime Minister Terence O'Neill , in the hope of forming even more links . On 8 January 1968 they met again in Dublin . However , the situation was already beginning to deteriorate in Northern Ireland with civil unrest and the resignation of O'Neill to come . O'Neill continued to hold Lynch in high regard stating in the House of Lords in 1972 : Shortly after Lynch 's election victory , tensions in Northern Ireland finally spilled over and " The Troubles " began . The sight of refugees from the North teeming across the border turned public opinion in the Republic . The Battle of the Bogside in Derry between the Royal Ulster Constabulary and residents in August 1969 prompted Lynch on 13 August to make what some people consider one of the most important broadcasts to the nation on RTÉ , commenting on the ever-increasingly violent situation he said : It is clear now that the present situation can not be allowed to continue . It is evident also that the Stormont government is no longer in control of the situation . Indeed , the present situation is the inevitable outcome of the policies pursued for decades by successive Stormont governments . It is clear also that the Irish Government can no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse . It is obvious that the RUC is no longer accepted as an impartial police force . Neither would the employment of British troops be acceptable nor would they be likely to restore peaceful conditions , certainly not in the long term . The Irish Government have , therefore , requested the British Government to apply immediately to the United Nations for the urgent dispatch of a Peace-Keeping Force to the Six Counties of Northern Ireland and have instructed the Permanent Representative to the United Nations to inform the Secretary General of this request . We have also asked the British Government to see to it that police attacks on the people of Derry should cease immediately . Very many people have been injured and some of them seriously . We know that many of these do not wish to be treated in Six County hospitals . We have , therefore , directed the Irish Army authorities to have field hospitals established in County Donegal adjacent to Derry and at other points along the Border where they may be necessary . Recognising , however , that the re-unification of the national territory can provide the only permanent solution for the problem , it is our intention to request the British Government to enter into early negotiations with the Irish Government to review the present constitutional position of the Six Counties of Northern Ireland . Lynch 's statement that the Irish Government could " no longer stand by " was interpreted by some Unionists in Northern Ireland as hinting at military intervention ( and was misquoted as a promise not to " stand '' idly '' by " ) . A minority of ministers – two , according to Desmond O'Malley – would have favoured such a course , but the Irish Army was completely unprepared for an operation of this kind . The majority of the cabinet opposed military intervention , and Lynch took no such action , though he commissioned a study named '' Exercise Armageddon '' . As the violence continued , the Minister for External Affairs , Patrick Hillery , met the British Foreign Secretary and also went to the United Nations in a plea to send a peacekeeping force to the North and to highlight the Irish government 's case . However , little else was achieved from these meetings other than media coverage of the activities in the north . The situation in Northern Ireland continued to deteriorate during Lynch 's first term . Bloody Sunday ( 30 January 1972 ) , saw the killing of 14 unarmed civilians by British paratroopers and a backlash of anti-British feeling in all parts of Ireland , including the burning of the British Embassy in Dublin
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Jack Lynch