The traditional counties of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( irish : Tuaisceart Éireann [ ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ ] ( ) ; [ 7 ] Ulster-Scots : Norlin Airlann ) is a character of the United Kingdom that is variously described as a nation, state, territory or area. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] Located in the northeast of the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland shares a molding to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, [ 3 ] constituting about 30 % of the island ‘s population and about 3 % of the UK ‘s population. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( colloquially referred to as Stormont after its location ), established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds duty for a range of devolve policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the british government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in respective areas. [ 13 ]
Reading: Northern Ireland – Wikipedia
Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating a devolve government for the six northeastern counties. The majority of Northern Ireland ‘s population were unionists, who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom. [ 14 ] They were broadly the Protestant descendants of colonists from Great Britain. meanwhile, the majority in southern Ireland ( which became the Irish Free State in 1922 ), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were irish nationalists and Catholics who wanted a joined freelancer Ireland. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] today, the former broadly see themselves as british and the latter broadly see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a large minority from all backgrounds. [ 19 ] The universe of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defensive structure of and against partition. During 1920–22, the capital Belfast saw major communal ferocity, chiefly between Protestant trade unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. [ 20 ] More than 500 were killed [ 21 ] and more than 10,000 became refugees, largely Catholics. [ 22 ] In the watch decades, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. [ 23 ] There was informal common segregation by both communities, [ 24 ] and the trade unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the irish nationalist and Catholic minority, [ 25 ] in what First Minister of Northern Ireland, David Trimble, called a “ cold house ” for Catholics. [ 26 ] In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. [ 27 ] This agitation sparked the Troubles ; a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and country forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. [ 28 ] [ 29 ] The 1998 good Friday Agreement was a major step in the peace process, including paramilitary disarming and security standardization, although sectarianism and segregation remain major social problems, and sporadic violence has continued. [ 30 ] The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialize in Ireland at the clock of Partition of Ireland, but declined as a result of the political and social agitation of the Troubles. [ 31 ] Its economy has grown importantly since the late 1990s. The initial increase came from the “ peace dividend “ and increased trade with the Republic of Ireland, continuing with a significant increase in tourism, investing and commercial enterprise from around the world. unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2 % in 1986, dropping to 6.1 % for June–August 2014 and polish by 1.2 share points over the year, [ 32 ] alike to the UK figure of 6.2 %. [ 33 ] cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, with Northern Ireland sharing both the culture of Ireland and the polish of the United Kingdom. In many sports, the island of Ireland fields a individual team, with the Northern Ireland national football team being an exception to this. Northern Ireland competes individually at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games .
history
The area that is now Northern Ireland was long inhabited by native Gaels who were Irish-speaking and Catholic. [ citation needed ] It was made up of respective Gaelic kingdoms and territories, and was region of the state of Ulster. During the sixteenth hundred English seduction of Ireland, Ulster was the province most immune to English control. In the Nine Years ‘ War ( 1594–1603 ), an alliance of Ulster Irish lords fought against the english government in Ireland. Following irish defeat at the Siege of Kinsale, many of these lords fled to mainland Europe in 1607. Their lands were confiscated by the Crown and colonized with English-speaking Protestant settlers from Britain, in the Plantation of Ulster. This led to the initiation of many of Ulster ‘s towns and created a durable Ulster Protestant residential district with ties to Britain. The irish Rebellion of 1641 began in Ulster. The rebels wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater irish self-governance, and to roll back the plantation. It developed into heathen conflict between irish Catholics and British Protestant settlers, and became separate of the across-the-board Wars of the Three Kingdoms ( 1639–53 ), which ended with the English Parliamentarian seduction. Further protestant victories in the Williamite-Jacobite War ( 1688–91 ) solidified Anglican Protestant convention in the Kingdom of Ireland. The Williamite victories of the Siege of Derry ( 1689 ) and Battle of the Boyne ( 1690 ) are even celebrated by some Protestants in Northern Ireland. [ 34 ] [ 35 ] Many more scot Protestants migrated to Ulster during the scottish dearth of the 1690s .
Following the Williamite victory, and contrary to the Treaty of Limerick ( 1691 ), a series of Penal Laws were passed by the Anglican Protestant ruling class in Ireland. The intention was to disadvantage Catholics and, to a lesser extent, Presbyterians. Some 250,000 Ulster Presbyterians emigrated to the british North american colonies between 1717 and 1775. [ 36 ] It is estimated that there are more than 27 million Scotch-Irish Americans now living in the United States, [ 37 ] along with many Scotch-Irish Canadians in Canada. In the context of institutional discrimination, the eighteenth century saw secret, militant societies develop in Ulster and act on sectarian tensions in fierce attacks. This escalated at the conclusion of the century, particularly during the County Armagh disturbances, where the Protestant Peep o’Day Boys fought the Catholic Defenders. This led to the establish of the Protestant Orange Order. The irish Rebellion of 1798 was led by the United Irishmen ; a cross-community irish republican group founded by Belfast Presbyterians, which sought Irish independence. Following this, the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain pushed for the two kingdoms to be merged, in an attack to quell sectarianism, remove discriminatory laws, and prevent the diffuse of French-style republicanism. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed in 1801 and governed from London. During the nineteenth century, legal reforms known as the Catholic emancipation continued to remove discrimination against Catholics, and progressive programs enabled tenant farmers to buy bring from landlords .
home Rule Crisis
sign of the Ulster Covenant in 1912 in confrontation to Home Rule By the late nineteenth hundred, a bombastic and disciplined cohort of irish Nationalist MPs at Westminster committed the Liberal Party to “ Irish Home Rule ” —self-government for Ireland, within the United Kingdom. This was bitterly opposed by irish Unionists, most of whom were Protestants, who feared an irish devolve politics dominated by irish nationalists and Catholics. The Government of Ireland Bill 1886 and Government of Ireland Bill 1893 were defeated. however, Home Rule became a near-certainty in 1912 after the Government of Ireland Act 1914 was introduced. The liberal government was dependent on Nationalist support, and the Parliament Act 1911 prevented the House of Lords from blocking the bill indefinitely. [ 38 ] In response, unionists vowed to prevent Irish Home Rule, from conservative and Unionist Party leaders such as Bonar Law and Dublin-based barrister Edward Carson to militant working class unionists in Ireland. This sparked the Home Rule Crisis. In September 1912, more than 500,000 Unionists signed the Ulster Covenant, pledging to oppose Home Rule by any means and to defy any irish government. [ 39 ] In 1914, unionists smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers ( UVF ), a paramilitary organization formed to oppose Home Rule. irish nationalists had besides formed a paramilitary arrangement, the irish Volunteers. It sought to ensure Home Rule was implemented, and it smuggled its own weapons into Ireland a few months after the Ulster Volunteers. [ 40 ] Ireland seemed to be on the brink of civil war. [ 41 ] Unionists were in a minority in Ireland as a whole, but a majority in the province of Ulster, particularly the counties Antrim, Down, Armagh and Londonderry. [ 42 ] Unionists argued that if Home Rule could not be stopped then all or share of Ulster should be excluded from it. [ 43 ] In May 1914, the british government introduced an Amending Bill to allow for ‘Ulster ‘ to be excluded from Home Rule. There was then debate over how much of Ulster should be excluded and for how long. Some ulster unionists were uncoerced to tolerate the ‘loss ‘ of some mainly-Catholic areas of the province. [ 44 ] The crisis was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, and Ireland ‘s interest in it. The british government abandoned the Amending Bill, and alternatively rushed through a fresh charge, the Suspensory Act 1914, suspending Home Rule for the duration of the war, [ 45 ] with the exception of Ulster still to be decided. [ 46 ]
partition of Ireland
By the goal of the war ( during which the 1916 Easter Rising had taken locate ), most irish nationalists now wanted entire independence quite than home rule. In September 1919, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George tasked a committee with planning another home rule charge. Headed by English trade unionist politician Walter Long, it was known as the ‘Long Committee ‘. It decided that two devolved governments should be established—one for the nine counties of Ulster and one for the pillow of Ireland—together with a Council of Ireland for the “ boost of irish oneness ”. [ 47 ] Most Ulster unionists wanted the district of the Ulster government to be reduced to six counties, so that it would have a larger protestant trade unionist majority. They feared that the district would not last if it included excessively many Catholics and irish nationalists. The six counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh comprised the maximal area unionists believed they could dominate. [ 48 ] Events overtook the government. In the 1918 Irish general election, the pro-independence Sinn Féin party won the submerge majority of irish seats. Sinn Féin ‘s elect members boycotted the british parliament and founded a separate irish fantan ( Dáil Éireann ), declaring an autonomous Irish Republic covering the whole island. many irish republicans blamed the british administration for the sectarian divisions in Ireland, and believed that Ulster Unionist defiance would fade once british rule was ended. [ 49 ] The british authorities outlawed the Dáil in September 1919, [ 50 ] and a guerrilla conflict developed as the irish Republican Army ( IRA ) began attacking british forces. This became known as the Irish War of Independence. [ 51 ] [ 52 ]
Crowds in Belfast for the state of matter open of the Northern Ireland Parliament on 22 June 1921 meanwhile, the Government of Ireland Act 1920 passed through the british parliament in 1920. It would divide Ireland into two autonomous UK territories : the six northeastern counties ( Northern Ireland ) being ruled from Belfast, and the other twenty-six counties ( Southern Ireland ) being ruled from Dublin. Both would have a shared Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who would appoint both governments and a Council of Ireland, which the british government intended to evolve into an all-Ireland parliament. [ 53 ] The Act received imperial assent that December, becoming the Government of Ireland Act 1920. It came into force out on 3 May 1921, [ 54 ] [ 55 ] partitioning Ireland and creating Northern Ireland. Elections to the Northern fantan were held on 24 May, in which Unionists won most seats. Its parliament first met on 7 June and formed its first devolve government, headed by Unionist Party drawing card James Craig. Republican and nationalist members refused to attend. King George V addressed the ceremony open of the Northern fantan on 22 June. [ 54 ] During 1920–22, in what became Northern Ireland, partition was accompanied by ferocity “ in defense or opposition to the raw colony ”. [ 20 ] The IRA carried out attacks on british forces in the northeast, but was less active than in the south of Ireland. Protestant loyalists attacked the Catholic community in reprisal for IRA actions. In summer 1920, sectarian violence erupted in Belfast and Derry, and there were mass burnings of Catholic property in Lisburn and Banbridge. [ 56 ] Conflict continued intermittently for two years, by and large in Belfast, which saw “ barbarian and unprecedented ” communal ferocity between Protestant and Catholic civilians. There was rioting, gun battles and bombings. Homes, occupation and churches were attacked and people were expelled from workplaces and from assorted neighbourhoods. [ 20 ] More than 500 were killed [ 21 ] and more than 10,000 became refugees, most of them Catholics. [ 22 ] The british Army was deployed and the Ulster Special Constabulary ( USC ) was formed to help the regular patrol. The USC was about wholly Protestant and some of its members carried out reprisal attacks on Catholics. [ 57 ] A armistice between british forces and the IRA was established on 11 July 1921, ending the fight in most of Ireland. however, communal ferocity continued in Belfast, and in 1922 the IRA launched a guerrilla offense in border areas of Northern Ireland. [ 58 ] The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed between representatives of the british Government and the Irish Republic on 6 December 1921. This created the Irish Free State. Under the terms of the treaty, Northern Ireland would become depart of the Free State unless the government opted out by presenting an address to the king, although in exercise division remained in invest. [ 59 ]
As expected, the Parliament of Northern Ireland resolved on 7 December 1922 ( the day after the establishment of the Irish Free State ) to exercise its right to opt out of the Free State by making an address to King George V. [ 60 ] The textbook of the address was :
Most gracious Sovereign, We, your Majesty ‘s most dutiful and firm subjects, the Senators and Commons of Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, having teach of the die of the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922, being the Act of Parliament for the ratification of the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland, do, by this humble Address, pray your Majesty that the powers of the Parliament and Government of the Irish Free State shall no long extend to Northern Ireland. [ 61 ] [ 62 ]
curtly afterwards, the Irish Boundary Commission was established to decide on the molding between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Owing to the outbreak of the Irish Civil War, the work of the commission was delayed until 1925. The unblock State government and irish nationalists hoped for a big transfer of territory to the Free State, as many surround areas had patriot majorities, leaving the remaining Northern Ireland excessively minor to be viable. [ 63 ] however, the commission ‘s final reputation recommended only little transfers of district, and in both directions. The free State, Northern Ireland and UK governments agreed to suppress the report and accept the status quo, while the united kingdom government agreed that the Free State would nobelium retentive have to pay its share of the UK national debt. [ 64 ]
1925–1965
James Craig ( kernel ) with members of the first politics of Northern Ireland
opening of the Northern Ireland parliament buildings ( Stormont ) in 1932 Northern Ireland ‘s margin was drawn to give it “ a decisive Protestant majority ”. At the clock time of its creation, Northern Ireland ‘s population was two-thirds Protestant and one-third Catholic. [ 65 ] Most Protestants were unionists/loyalists who sought to maintain Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom, while most Catholics were irish nationalists/republicans who sought an independent United Ireland. There was reciprocal self-imposed segregation in Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics such as in education, house and frequently employment. [ 66 ] For its first fifty dollar bill years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken serial of Unionist Party governments. [ 67 ] Almost every minister of these governments were members of the Protestant Orange Order. [ 68 ] Almost all judges and magistrates were Protestant, many of them closely associated with the Unionist Party. Northern Ireland ‘s new police force was the Royal Ulster Constabulary ( RUC ), which succeeded the Royal Irish Constabulary ( RIC ). It besides was about wholly Protestant and lacked operational independence, responding to directions from government ministers. The RUC and the reserve Ulster Special Constabulary ( USC ) were militarized police forces due to the menace from the IRA. They “ had at their administration the special Powers Act, a sweeping objet d’art of legislation which allowed arrests without warrant, imprisonment without trial, outright search powers and bans on meetings and publications ”. [ 69 ] The Nationalist Party was the independent political party in resistance to the trade unionist governments. however, its elect members frequently protested by abstaining from the Northern Ireland parliament, and many nationalists did not vote in parliamentary elections. [ 66 ] early early nationalist groups which campaigned against partition included the National League of the North ( formed in 1928 ), the Northern Council for Unity ( formed in 1937 ) and the irish Anti-Partition League ( formed in 1945 ). [ 70 ] The trade unionist governments, and some unionist-dominated local authorities, were accused of discriminating against the Catholic and Irish nationalist minority ; particularly over gerrymander of electoral boundaries, the allotment of populace housing, public sector employment, and policing. While some individual accusations were baseless or overstate, there are enough proved cases to show “ a consistent and incontrovertible traffic pattern of consider discrimination against Catholics ”. [ 71 ] In June 1940, to encourage the neutral Irish submit to join with the Allies of World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill indicated to the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera that the United Kingdom would push for irish oneness, but believing that Churchill could not deliver, de Valera declined the offer. [ 72 ] The British did not inform the Government of Northern Ireland that they had made the offer to the Dublin government, and de Valera ‘s rejection was not publicised until 1970. The Ireland Act 1949 gave the first gear legal guarantee that the region would not cease to be character of the United Kingdom without the consent of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. From 1956 to 1962, the irish Republican Army ( IRA ) carried out a limit guerrilla campaign in boundary line areas of Northern Ireland, called the Border Campaign. It aimed to destabilize Northern Ireland and bring about an end to division, but ended in bankruptcy. [ 73 ] In 1965, Northern Ireland ‘s Prime Minister Terence O’Neill met the Taoiseach, Seán Lemass. It was the first meet between the two heads of government since partition. [ 74 ]
The Troubles
The Troubles, which started in the late 1960s, consisted of about 30 years of recurring acts of intense violence during which 3,254 people were killed [ 75 ] with over 50,000 casualties. [ 76 ] From 1969 to 2003 there were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200 bombings or attempted bombings associated with The Troubles. [ 29 ] The dispute was caused by the challenge condition of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and the discrimination against the irish nationalist minority by the dominant trade unionist majority. [ 77 ] From 1967 to 1972 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association ( NICRA ), which modelled itself on the US civil rights apparent motion, led a campaign of civil resistance to anti-Catholic discrimination in housing, employment, patrol, and electoral procedures. The franchise for local politics elections included merely rate-payers and their spouses, and so excluded over a draw of the electorate. While the majority of disenfranchised electors were Protestant, Catholics were over-represented since they were poorer and had more adults still living in the family home. [ 78 ]
responsibility for Troubles-related deaths between 1969 and 2001 NICRA ‘s campaign, seen by many unionists as an irish republican front, and the fierce reaction to it proved to be a precursor to a more violent period. [ 79 ] equally early as 1969, armed campaigns of paramilitary groups began, including the Provisional IRA campaign of 1969–1997 which was aimed at the end of british rule in Northern Ireland and the universe of a United Ireland, and the Ulster Volunteer Force, formed in 1966 in response to the perceived corrosion of both the british character and trade unionist domination of Northern Ireland. The state security forces – the british Army and the police ( the Royal Ulster Constabulary ) – were besides involved in the ferocity. The british government ‘s position is that its forces were neutral in the conflict, trying to continue law and orderliness in Northern Ireland and the veracious of the people of Northern Ireland to democratic self-determination. Republicans regarded the state forces as combatants in the dispute, pointing to the connivance between the state forces and the loyalist paramilitaries as validation of this. The “ Ballast ” investigation by the Police Ombudsman has confirmed that british forces, and in particular the RUC, did conspire with loyalist paramilitaries, were involved in murder, and did obstruct the course of justice when such claims had been investigated, [ 80 ] although the extent to which such collusion occurred is still disputed. As a consequence of the worsening security system situation, autonomous regional government for Northern Ireland was suspended in 1972. Alongside the violence, there was a political deadlock between the major political parties in Northern Ireland, including those who condemned violence, over the future status of Northern Ireland and the human body of politics there should be within Northern Ireland. In 1973, Northern Ireland held a referendum to determine if it should remain in the United Kingdom, or be part of a connect Ireland. The vote went heavily in favor ( 98.9 % ) of maintaining the condition quo. approximately 57.5 % of the total electorate voted in support, but entirely 1 % of Catholics voted following a boycott organised by the Social Democratic and Labour Party ( SDLP ). [ 81 ]
peace process
The Troubles were brought to an awkward end by a peace process which included the declaration of ceasefires by most paramilitary organisations and the complete decommission of their weapons, the reform of the police, and the corresponding withdrawal of united states army troops from the streets and from medium bound areas such as South Armagh and Fermanagh, as agreed by the signatories to the Belfast Agreement ( normally known as the “ dependable Friday Agreement “ ). This reiterated the long-held british position, which had never ahead been amply acknowledged by consecutive irish governments, that Northern Ireland will remain within the United Kingdom until a majority of voters in Northern Ireland decides differently. The Constitution of Ireland was amended in 1999 to remove a claim of the “ irish nation ” to sovereignty over the entire island ( in Article 2 ). [ 82 ]
The new Articles 2 and 3, added to the Constitution to replace the earlier articles, implicitly acknowledge that the condition of Northern Ireland, and its relationships within the rest of the United Kingdom and with the Republic of Ireland, would only be changed with the agreement of a majority of voters in each jurisdiction. This expression was besides central to the Belfast Agreement which was signed in 1998 and ratified by referendums held simultaneously in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. At the like prison term, the british Government recognised for the first time, as region of the prospective, the alleged “ irish dimension ” : the rationale that the people of the island of Ireland as a whole have the right, without any external intervention, to solve the issues between North and South by common accept. [ 83 ] The latter instruction was samara to winning support for the agreement from nationalists. It established a devolved power-sharing government within Northern Ireland, which must consist of both trade unionist and nationalist parties. These institutions were suspended by the british Government in 2002 after Police Service of Northern Ireland ( PSNI ) allegations of spying by people working for Sinn Féin at the Assembly ( Stormontgate ). The resulting shell against the charge Sinn Féin member collapsed. [ 84 ] [ 85 ] On 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA declared an end to its political campaign and has since decommissioned what is thought to be all of its armory. This final examination act of decommission was performed under the watch of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning ( IICD ) and two external church witnesses. many unionists, however, remained doubting. The IICD by and by confirmed that the main loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Defence Association, UVF and the Red Hand Commando, had decommissioned what is thought to be all of their arsenals, witnessed by former archbishop Robin Eames and a erstwhile circus tent civil servant. [ 86 ] Politicians elected to the assembly at the 2003 Assembly election were called together on 15 May 2006 under the Northern Ireland Act 2006 [ 87 ] for the function of electing a first Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and choosing the members of an Executive ( before 25 November 2006 ) as a preliminary mistreat to the renovation of devolve government. Following the election held on 7 March 2007, devolved government returned on 8 May 2007 with democratic Unionist Party ( DUP ) drawing card Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin deputy drawing card Martin McGuinness taking office as First Minister and deputy First Minister, respectively. [ 88 ] In its white composition on Brexit the United Kingdom government reiterated its commitment to the Belfast Agreement. With gaze to Northern Ireland ‘s status, it said that the UK Government ‘s “ clearly-stated predilection is to retain Northern Ireland ’ s stream built-in position : as part of the UK, but with strong links to Ireland ”. [ 89 ]
Politics
background
A flow chart illustrating all the political parties that have existed throughout the history of Northern Ireland and leading up to its formation ( covering 1889 to 2020 ). The independent political divide in Northern Ireland is between unionists, who wish to see Northern Ireland continue as part of the United Kingdom, and nationalists, who wish to see Northern Ireland unified with the Republic of Ireland, freelancer from the United Kingdom. These two opposing views are linked to deeper cultural divisions. Unionists are predominantly Ulster Protestant, descendants of chiefly Scottish, English, and Huguenot settlers arsenic well as Gaels who converted to one of the Protestant denominations. Nationalists are overwhelmingly catholic and descend from the population predating the settlement, with a minority from the scots Highlands a well as some converts from Protestantism. Discrimination against nationalists under the Stormont government ( 1921–1972 ) gave rise to the civil rights apparent motion in the 1960s. [ 90 ] While some unionists argue that discrimination was not merely due to religious or political bigotry, but besides the result of more building complex socio-economic, socio-political and geographic factors, [ 91 ] its universe, and the manner in which nationalist anger at it was handled, were a major contributing component to the Troubles. The political unrest went through its most violent phase between 1968 and 1994. [ 92 ] In 2007, 36 % of the population defined themselves as trade unionist, 24 % as nationalist and 40 % define themselves as neither. [ 93 ] According to a 2015 impression poll, 70 % express a long-run preference of the alimony of Northern Ireland ‘s membership of the United Kingdom ( either immediately ruled or with devolve government ), while 14 % express a predilection for membership of a connect Ireland. [ 94 ] This discrepancy can be explained by the submerge preference among Protestants to remain a separate of the UK ( 93 % ), while catholic preferences are spread across a issue of solutions to the built-in question including remaining a separate of the UK ( 47 % ), a joined Ireland ( 32 % ), Northern Ireland becoming an independent state ( 4 % ), and those who “ do n’t know ” ( 16 % ). [ 95 ] official vote figures, which reflect views on the “ national motion ” along with issues of campaigner, geography, personal loyalty and historic vote patterns, show 54 % of Northern Ireland voters vote for trade unionist parties, 42 % vote for nationalist parties and 4 % vote “ other ”. Opinion polls systematically show that the election results are not inevitably an reading of the electorate ‘s stance regarding the constitutional condition of Northern Ireland. Most of the population of Northern Ireland are at least nominally christian, by and large Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations. many voters ( careless of religious affiliation ) are attracted to unionism ‘s conservative policies, while early voters are alternatively attracted to the traditionally leftist Sinn Féin and SDLP and their respective party platforms for democratic socialism and social democracy. [ 96 ] For the most part, Protestants feel a strong connection with Great Britain and wish for Northern Ireland to remain separate of the United Kingdom. many Catholics however, broadly aspire to a United Ireland or are less sealed about how to solve the constitutional doubt. Protestants have a little majority in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Northern Ireland Census. The makeup of the Northern Ireland Assembly reflects the appeals of the respective parties within the population. Of the 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly ( MLAs ), 40 are unionists and 39 are nationalists ( the remaining 11 are classified as “ other ” ). [ 97 ]
government
Since 1998, Northern Ireland has had devolved politics within the United Kingdom, presided over by the Northern Ireland Assembly and a cross-community politics ( the Northern Ireland Executive ). The united kingdom Government and UK Parliament are responsible for reserve and demur matters. Reserved matters comprise listed policy areas ( such as civil aviation, units of measurement, and homo genetics ) that Parliament may devolve to the Assembly some prison term in the future. Excepted matters ( such as international relations, tax income and elections ) are never expected to be considered for degeneration. On all other governmental matters, the Executive together with the 90-member Assembly may legislate for and govern Northern Ireland. degeneration in Northern Ireland is dependent upon engagement by members of the Northern Ireland executive in the North/South Ministerial Council, which coordinates areas of co-operation ( such as agribusiness, education and health ) between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. additionally, “ in recognition of the irish Government ‘s special interest in Northern Ireland ”, the Government of Ireland and Government of the United Kingdom co-operate closely on non-devolved matters through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly are by unmarried assignable vote with five Members of the Legislative Assembly ( MLAs ) elected from each of 18 parliamentary constituencies. In accession, eighteen representatives ( Members of Parliament, MPs ) are elected to the lower house of the UK fantan from the lapp constituencies using the first-past-the-post system. however, not all of those elected take their seats. Sinn Féin MPs, presently seven, deny to take the oath to serve the Queen that is required before MPs are allowed to take their seats. In addition, the upper berth house of the UK fantan, the House of Lords, presently has some 25 appointed members from Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Office represents the united kingdom politics in Northern Ireland on reserved matters and represents Northern Ireland ‘s interests within the united kingdom Government. additionally, the Republic ‘s government besides has the right to “ put fore views and proposals ” on non-devolved matters in relation back to Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Office is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who sits in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is a distinct legal jurisdiction, offprint from the two other jurisdictions in the United Kingdom ( England and Wales, and Scotland ). Northern Ireland law developed from irish law that existed before the partition of Ireland in 1921. Northern Ireland is a common law jurisdiction and its common law is similar to that in England and Wales. however, there are authoritative differences in law and procedure between Northern Ireland and England and Wales. The body of legislative act law affecting Northern Ireland reflects the history of Northern Ireland, including Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the former Parliament of Northern Ireland and the Parliament of Ireland, along with some Acts of the Parliament of England and of the Parliament of Great Britain that were extended to Ireland under Poynings ‘ law between 1494 and 1782 .
Descriptions
There is no broadly accepted term to describe what Northern Ireland is : state, region, country or something else. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] The choice of term can be controversial and can reveal the writer ‘s political preferences. [ 11 ] This has been noted as a problem by several writers on Northern Ireland, with no generally recommended solution. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] Owing in separate to the room in which the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland, came into being, there is no legally defined terminus to describe what Northern Ireland ‘is ‘. There is besides no uniform or guiding way to refer to Northern Ireland amongst the agencies of the UK government. For exemplar, the websites of the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [ 98 ] and the UK Statistics Authority describe the United Kingdom as being made up of four countries, one of these being Northern Ireland. [ 99 ] other pages on the like websites refer to Northern Ireland specifically as a “ state ” as make publications of the UK Statistics Authority. [ 100 ] [ 101 ] The web site of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency besides refers to Northern Ireland as being a province [ 102 ] as does the web site of the Office of Public Sector Information [ 103 ] and other agencies within Northern Ireland. [ 104 ] Publications of HM Treasury [ 105 ] and the Department of Finance and Personnel of the Northern Ireland Executive, [ 106 ] on the other hand, identify Northern Ireland as being a “ area of the UK ”. The UK ‘s submission to the 2007 United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names defines the UK as being made up of two countries ( England and Scotland ), one principality ( Wales ) and one province ( Northern Ireland ). [ 107 ] Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland has no history of being an independent state or of being a nation in its own right. [ 108 ] Some writers describe the United Kingdom as being made up of three countries and one state [ 109 ] or period out the difficulties with calling Northern Ireland a area. [ 110 ] Authors writing specifically about Northern Ireland dismiss the idea that Northern Ireland is a “ nation ” in general terms, [ 10 ] [ 12 ] [ 111 ] [ 112 ] and draw contrasts in this respect with England, Scotland and Wales. [ 113 ] even for the period covering the first base 50 years of Northern Ireland ‘s universe, the term country is considered inappropriate by some political scientists on the basis that many decisions were still made in London. [ 108 ] The absence of a discrete state of Northern Ireland, separate within the island of Ireland, is besides pointed out as being a problem with using the term [ 12 ] [ 114 ] [ 115 ] and is in contrast to England, Scotland, and Wales. [ 116 ] many commentators prefer to use the term “ state ”, although that is besides not without problems. It can arouse aggravation, particularly among nationalists, for whom the title province is properly reserved for the traditional province of Ulster, of which Northern Ireland comprises six out of nine counties. [ 11 ] [ 110 ] The BBC expressive style lead is to refer to Northern Ireland as a province, and function of the term is common in literature and newspaper reports on Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Some authors have described the meaning of this term as being equivocal : refer to Northern Ireland as being a province both of the United Kingdom and of the traditional state of Ireland. [ 114 ] “ region ” is used by several UK politics agencies and the European Union. Some authors choose this discussion but note that it is “ unsatisfactory ”. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] Northern Ireland can besides be merely described as “ function of the UK ”, including by UK government offices. [ 98 ]
option names
many people inside and external Northern Ireland use other names for Northern Ireland, depending on their target of watch. disagreement on names, and the reading of political symbolism into the use or non-use of a news, besides attaches itself to some urban centres. The most noteworthy model is whether Northern Ireland ‘s second largest city should be called “ Derry ” or “ Londonderry ”. Choice of language and terminology in Northern Ireland frequently reveals the cultural, cultural and religious identity of the speaker. Those who do not belong to any group but tend towards one side frequently tend to use the terminology of that group. Supporters of unionism in the british media ( notably The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express ) regularly call Northern Ireland “ Ulster ”. [ 117 ] many media outlets in the Republic function “ North of Ireland ” ( or merely “ the North ” ), [ 118 ] [ 119 ] [ 120 ] [ 121 ] [ 122 ] vitamin a well as the “ Six Counties ”. [ 123 ] The New York Times has besides used “ the North ”. [ 124 ] Government and cultural organisations in Northern Ireland often use the give voice “ Ulster ” in their championship ; for model, the University of Ulster, the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Orchestra, and BBC Radio Ulster. Although some news bulletins since the 1990s have opted to avoid all contentious terms and use the official list, Northern Ireland, the term “ the North ” remains normally used by broadcast media in the Republic. [ 118 ] [ 119 ] [ 120 ]
trade unionist mural in Belfast
trade unionist
- Ulster, strictly speaking, refers to the province of Ulster, of which six of nine historical counties are in Northern Ireland. The term “Ulster” is widely used by unionists and the British press as shorthand for Northern Ireland, and is also favoured by Ulster nationalists.[125] In the past, calls have been made for Northern Ireland’s name to be changed to Ulster. This proposal was formally considered by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1937 and by the UK Government in 1949 but no change was made.[126]
- The Province refers to the historic Irish province of Ulster but today is used by some as shorthand for Northern Ireland. The BBC, in its editorial guidance for Reporting the United Kingdom, states that “the Province” is an appropriate secondary synonym for Northern Ireland, while “Ulster” is not. It also suggests that “people of Northern Ireland” is preferred to “British” or “Irish”, and the term “mainland” should be avoided in reference to Great Britain in relation to Northern Ireland.[127]
patriot
- North of Ireland – used to avoid using the name given by the British-enacted Government of Ireland Act 1920.
- The Six Counties (na Sé Chontae) – the Republic of Ireland is similarly described as the Twenty-Six Counties.[128] Some of the users of these terms contend that using the official name of the region would imply acceptance of the legitimacy of the Government of Ireland Act.
- The Occupied Six Counties – used by some republicans.[129] The Republic, whose legitimacy is similarly not recognised by republicans opposed to the Belfast Agreement, is described as the “Free State”, referring to the Irish Free State, which gained independence (as a Dominion) in 1922.[130]
- British-Occupied Ireland – Similar in tone to the Occupied Six Counties,[131] this term is used by more dogmatic republicans, such as Republican Sinn Féin,[132] who still hold that the Second Dáil was the last legitimate government of Ireland and that all governments since have been foreign-imposed usurpations of Irish national self-determination.[133]
other
- Norn Iron or “Norniron” – is an informal and affectionate[134] local nickname used to refer to Northern Ireland, derived from the pronunciation of the words “Northern Ireland” in an exaggerated Ulster accent (particularly one from the greater Belfast area). The phrase is seen as a lighthearted way to refer to Northern Ireland, based as it is on regional pronunciation. It often refers to the Northern Ireland national football team.[135]
Geography and climate
ESA Sentinel-2 image of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland was covered by an ice sheet for most of the last frosting age and on numerous previous occasions, the bequest of which can be seen in the extensive coverage of drumlins in Counties Fermanagh, Armagh, Antrim and particularly Down. The centerpiece of Northern Ireland ‘s geography is Lough Neagh, at 151 square miles ( 391 km2 ) the largest fresh water lake both on the island of Ireland and in the british Isles. A second across-the-board lake system is centred on Lower and Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh. The largest island of Northern Ireland is Rathlin, off the north Antrim coast. Strangford Lough is the largest intake in the british Isles, covering 150 km2 ( 58 sq nautical mile ) .
There are significant uplands in the Sperrin Mountains ( an extension of the Caledonian batch belt ) with extensive gold deposits, granite Mourne Mountains and basalt Antrim Plateau, angstrom well as smaller ranges in South Armagh and along the Fermanagh–Tyrone boundary line. none of the hills are specially eminent, with Slieve Donard in the dramatic Mournes reaching 850 metres ( 2,789 foot ), Northern Ireland ‘s highest point. Belfast ‘s most outstanding vertex is Cavehill .
The volcanic action which created the Antrim Plateau besides formed the geometric pillars of the Giant ‘s Causeway on the north Antrim coast. besides in north Antrim are the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Mussenden Temple and the Glens of Antrim .
The Lower and Upper River Bann, River Foyle and River Blackwater shape extensive fat lowlands, with excellent arable land besides found in North and East Down, although much of the hill state is borderline and suitable largely for animal farming. The valley of the River Lagan is dominated by Belfast, whose metropolitan area includes over a third of the population of Northern Ireland, with fleshy urbanization and industrialization along the Lagan Valley and both shores of Belfast Lough. The huge majority of Northern Ireland has a moderate maritime climate, ( Cfb in the Köppen climate categorization ) rather besotted in the west than the east, although swarm report is very common across the region. The weather is irregular at all times of the year, and although the seasons are discrete, they are well less pronounce than in inside Europe or the eastern seaside of North America. Average day maximums in Belfast are 6.5 °C ( 43.7 °F ) in January and 17.5 °C ( 63.5 °F ) in July. The highest maximum temperature recorded was 31.4 °C ( 88.5 °F ), registered in July 2021 at Armagh Observatory ‘s weather station. [ 136 ] The lowest minimal temperature recorded was −18.7 °C ( −1.7 °F ) at Castlederg, County Tyrone on 23 December 2010. [ 137 ] Northern Ireland is the least afforest part of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and one of the least afforest parts of Europe. [ 138 ] [ 139 ] Until the end of the Middle Ages, the land was heavily forested with native trees such as oak, ash, hazel, birch, alder, willow, aspen, elm, rowan, yew and Scots ache. [ 140 ] today, only 8 % of Northern Ireland is forest, and most of this is non-native conifer plantations. [ 141 ]
Counties
Northern Ireland consists of six historic counties : County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, [ 142 ] and County Tyrone. These counties are no longer used for local politics purposes ; rather, there are eleven districts of Northern Ireland which have different geographic extents. These were created in 2015, replacing the twenty-six districts which previously existed. [ 143 ] Although counties are nobelium longer used for local governmental purposes, they remain a popular means of describing where places are. They are officially used while applying for an irish passport, which requires one to department of state one ‘s county of parentage. The name of that county then appears in both Irish and English on the passport ‘s information foliate, as opposed to the town or city of birth on the United Kingdom pass. The Gaelic Athletic Association inactive uses the counties as its chief means of organization and fields representative teams of each GAA county. The original system of car registration numbers largely based on counties still remains in use. In 2000, the call numbering system was restructured into an 8 digit scheme with ( except for Belfast ) the first digit approximately reflecting the county. The county boundaries still appear on Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Maps and the Philip ‘s Street Atlases, among others. With their decline in official function, there is much confusion surrounding towns and cities which lie near county boundaries, such as Belfast and Lisburn, which are split between counties Down and Antrim ( the majorities of both cities, however, are in Antrim ). In March 2018, The Sunday Times published its number of Best Places to Live in Britain, including the follow places in Northern Ireland : Ballyhackamore near Belfast ( overall good for Northern Ireland ), Holywood, County Down, Newcastle, County Down, Portrush, County Antrim, Strangford, County Down. [ 144 ]
Cities and major towns
economy
Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most grave industry has since been replaced by services, chiefly the public sector. Seventy percentage of the economy ‘s gross comes from the service sector. apart from the populace sector, another important serve sector is tourism, which rose to account for over 1 % of the economy ‘s tax income in 2004. tourism has been a major growth area since the end of the Troubles. Key tourism attractions include the historic cities of Derry, Belfast and Armagh and the many castles in Northern Ireland. The local economy has seen compression during the Great Recession. The executive wishes to gain tax income powers from London, to align Northern Ireland ‘s corporation tax rate with the that of the Republic of Ireland. As in all of the UK, the economy of Northern Ireland was negatively impacted by the lockdowns and locomotion restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourism and cordial reception diligence was peculiarly hard hit. These sectors “ have been mandated to close since 26 December 2020, with a very limited act of exceptions ” and many restrictions were continuing into April 2021. [ 147 ] Hotels and other accommodations, for exercise, “ closed apart from only for work-related stays ”. [ 148 ] Some restrictions were expected to be loosened in mid April but tourism was expected to remain very limited. [ 149 ]
transport
Northern Ireland has underdeveloped transport infrastructure, with most infrastructure concentrated around Greater Belfast, Greater Derry and Craigavon. Northern Ireland is served by three airports – Belfast International near Antrim, George Best Belfast City integrated into the railway network at Sydenham in East Belfast, and City of Derry in County Londonderry. major seaports at Larne and Belfast carry passengers and freight between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. passenger railways are operated by Northern Ireland Railways. With Iarnród Éireann ( Irish Rail ), Northern Ireland Railways co-operates in providing the articulation Enterprise service between Dublin Connolly and Lanyon Place. The hale of Ireland has a mainline railway net with a gauge of 5 foot 3 in ( 1,600 millimeter ), which is alone in Europe and has resulted in distinct rolling stock certificate designs. The only preserved wrinkle of this gauge on the island is the Downpatrick and County Down Railway, which operates heritage steamer and diesel locomotives. Main railroad track lines linking to and from Belfast Great Victoria Street railroad track station and Lanyon Place railroad track place are :
- The Derry Line and the Portrush Branch.
- The Larne Line
- The Bangor Line
- The Portadown Line
Main motorways are :
- M1 connecting Belfast to the south and west, ending in Dungannon
- M2 connecting Belfast to the north. An unconnected section of the M2 also by-passes Ballymena
Additional short expressway spurs include :
- M12 connecting the M1 to Portadown
- M22 connecting the M2 to near Randalstown
- M3 connecting the M1 (via the A12) and M2 in Belfast with the A2 dual carriageway to Bangor
- M5 connecting Belfast to Newtownabbey
The cross-border road connecting the ports of Larne in Northern Ireland and Rosslare Harbour in the Republic of Ireland is being upgraded as contribution of an EU-funded dodge. european route E01 runs from Larne through the island of Ireland, Spain and Portugal to Seville .
Demographics
| Religion in Northern Ireland – 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | Percent | |||
| Protestant | 41.6% | |||
| Roman Catholic | 40.8% | |||
| No religion/Not stated |
Read more: Willem Dafoe |
16.9% | ||
| Non-Christian religions | 0.8% | |||
2011 census : differences in proportions of those who are, or were brought up, either Catholic or Protestant/Other Christians The population of Northern Ireland has risen annual since 1978. The population in 2011 was 1.8 million, having grown 7.5 % over the previous ten [ 150 ] from just under 1.7 million in 2001. This constitutes just under 3 % of the population of the UK ( 62 million ) and merely over 28 % of the population of the island of Ireland ( 6.3 million ). The population density is 132 inhabitants / km2. Most of the population of Northern Ireland lives concentrated in its five largest cities : Belfast ( capital ), Derry, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Bangor. The population of Northern Ireland is about entirely white ( 98.2 % ). [ 150 ] In 2011, 88.8 % of the population were born in Northern Ireland, with 4.5 % born elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and 2.9 % born in the Republic of Ireland. 4.3 % were born elsewhere ; triple the amount there were in 2001. [ 151 ] Most are from Eastern Europe. The largest colored heathen groups were Chinese ( 6,300 ) and amerind ( 6,200 ). Black people of assorted origins made up 0.2 % of the 2011 population and people of interracial ethnicity made up 0.2 %. [ 152 ]
religion
At the 2011 census, 41.5 % of the population identified as Protestant/non-Roman Catholic Christian, 41 % as Roman Catholic, and 0.8 % as non-Christian, while 17 % identified with no religion or did not express one. [ 152 ] The biggest of the Protestant/non-Roman Catholic Christian denominations were the presbyterian Church ( 19 % ), the Church of Ireland ( 14 % ) and the Methodist Church ( 3 % ). In terms of residential district background ( i.e. religion or religion brought up in ), 48 % of the population came from a Protestant background, 45 % from a Catholic setting, 0.9 % from non-Christian backgrounds, and 5.6 % from non-religious backgrounds. [ 152 ]
citizenship and identity
Map of prevailing national identity in the 2011 census In the 2011 census in Northern Ireland respondents gave their national identity as follows. [ 153 ] [ failed verification ]
| National identity |
All | Religious affiliation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Protestant and other Christian |
Non- Christian |
None | ||
| British | 48.4% | 12.9% | 81.6% | 50.1% | 55.9% |
| Irish | 28.4% | 57.2% | 3.9% | 12.4% | 14.0% |
| Northern Irish | 29.4% | 30.7% | 26.9% | 18.0% | 35.2% |
| English, Scottish, or Welsh | 1.6% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| All other | 3.4% | 4.4% | 1.0% | 29.1% | 7.1% |
respective studies and surveys carried out between 1971 and 2006 have indicated that, in general, most Protestants in Northern Ireland see themselves primarily as british, whereas a majority of Roman Catholics regard themselves primarily as Irish. [ 154 ] [ 155 ] [ 156 ] [ 157 ] [ 158 ] [ 159 ] [ 160 ] [ 161 ] This does not, however, account for the complex identities within Northern Ireland, given that many of the population see themselves as “ Ulster ” or “ Northern Irish ”, either as a primary coil or secondary identity. Overall, the Catholic population is reasonably more ethnically diverse than the more homogeneous Protestant population. 83.1 % of Protestants identified as “ british ” or with a british cultural group ( English, Scottish, or Welsh ) in the 2011 Census, whereas only 3.9 % identified as “ irish ”. meanwhile, 13.7 % of Catholics identified as “ british ” or with a british cultural group. A promote 4.4 % identified as “ all other ”, which are largely immigrants, for example from Poland. A 2008 review found that 57 % of Protestants described themselves as British, while 32 % identified as Northern Irish, 6 % as Ulster and 4 % as Irish. Compared to a alike survey carried out in 1998, this shows a twilight in the percentage of Protestants identifying as british and Ulster and a rebel in those identify as Northern Irish. The 2008 survey found that 61 % of Catholics described themselves as Irish, with 25 % identify as Northern Irish, 8 % as british and 1 % as Ulster. These figures were largely unchanged from the 1998 results. [ 162 ] [ 163 ] People born in Northern Ireland are, with some exceptions, deemed by UK law to be citizens of the United Kingdom. They are besides, with like exceptions, entitled to be citizens of Ireland. This entitlement was reaffirmed in the 1998 dear Friday Agreement between the british and irish governments, which provides that :
… it is the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as irish or british, or both, as they may indeed choose, and consequently [ the two governments ] confirm that their right to hold both british and irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future switch in the condition of Northern Ireland .
Map of most normally held pass As a solution of the Agreement, the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland was amended. The current give voice provides that people born in Northern Ireland are entitled to be irish citizens on the same basis as people from any other region of the island. [ 164 ] Neither government, however, extends its citizenship to all persons born in Northern Ireland. Both governments exclude some people born in Northern Ireland, in especial persons born without one parent who is a british or irish citizen. The irish restriction was given consequence by the twenty-seventh amendment to the irish Constitution in 2004. The position in UK nationality police is that most of those born in Northern Ireland are UK nationals, whether or not they so choose. Renunciation of British citizenship requires the payment of a fee, presently £372. [ 165 ] In the 2011 census in Northern Ireland respondents stated that they held the be passports. [ 166 ]
| Passport | All usual residents |
Religion or religion brought up in | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Protestant and other Christian |
Other Religions |
None | ||
| No passport | 18.9% | 19.2% | 18.5% | 9.9% | 20.2% |
| United Kingdom | 59.1% | 38.4% | 77.8% | 56.0% | 65.2% |
| Ireland | 20.8% | 40.5% | 4.1% | 10.0% | 7.2% |
| Other | 3.4% | 4.5% | 1.1% | 29.2% | 9.4% |
Languages
English is spoken as a first language by about all of the Northern Ireland population. It is the de facto official language and the Administration of Justice ( Language ) Act ( Ireland ) 1737 prohibits the consumption of languages other than English in legal proceedings. Under the good Friday Agreement, Irish and Ulster Scots ( an Ulster dialect of the Scots language, sometimes known as Ullans ), are recognised as “ separate of the cultural wealth of Northern Ireland ”. [ 167 ] Two all-island bodies for the promotion of these were created under the agreement : Foras na Gaeilge, which promotes the irish lyric, and the Ulster Scots Agency, which promotes the Ulster Scots dialect and culture. These operate individually under the breastplate of the North/South Language Body, which reports to the North/South Ministerial Council. The british government in 2001 ratified the european Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Irish ( in Northern Ireland ) was specified under Part III of the Charter, with a range of specific undertakings in relation back to education, translation of statutes, interaction with public authorities, the consumption of placenames, media access, confirm for cultural activities and early matters. A lower floor of recognition was accorded to Ulster Scots, under Part II of the Charter. [ 168 ]
english
The dialect of English talk in Northern Ireland shows influence from the lowland Scots terminology. [ 169 ] There are purportedly some infinitesimal differences in pronunciation between Protestants and Catholics, for case ; the list of the letter h, which Protestants tend to pronounce as “ aitch ”, as in british English, and Catholics tend to pronounce as “ haitch ”, as in Hiberno-English. [ citation needed ] however, geography is a much more authoritative deciding of dialect than religious background .
irish
percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2011 census The irish linguistic process ( irish : an Ghaeilge ), or Gaelic, is a native speech of Ireland. [ 170 ] It was spoken predominantly throughout what is nowadays Northern Ireland before the Ulster Plantations in the seventeenth hundred and most set names in Northern Ireland are anglicise versions of a gaelic appoint. today, the lyric is frequently associated with irish nationalism ( and frankincense with Catholics ). however, in the nineteenth century, the lyric was seen as a common inheritance, with Ulster Protestants playing a lead character in the Gaelic revival. [ 171 ] In the 2011 census, 11 % of the population of Northern Ireland claimed “ some cognition of irish ” [ 150 ] and 3.7 % reported being able to “ speak, read, write and understand ” Irish. [ 150 ] In another survey, from 1999, 1 % of respondents said they spoke it as their chief lyric at home plate. [ 172 ] The dialect spoken in Northern Ireland, Ulster Irish, has two chief types, East Ulster Irish and Donegal Irish ( or West Ulster Irish ), [ 173 ] is the one close to Scottish Gaelic ( which developed into a separate terminology from irish Gaelic in the seventeenth century ). Some words and phrases are shared with Scots Gaelic, and the dialects of east Ulster – those of Rathlin Island and the Glens of Antrim – were identical exchangeable to the dialect of Argyll, the part of Scotland nearest to Ireland. And those dialects of Armagh and Down were besides very alike to the dialects of Galloway. Use of the irish terminology in Northern Ireland today is politically sensible. The erection by some zone councils of bilingual street names in both English and Irish, [ 174 ] constantly in predominantly nationalist districts, is resisted by unionists who claim that it creates a “ frisson factor ” and frankincense harms community relationships. Efforts by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate for some official uses of the language have failed to achieve the want cross-community support, and the UK politics has declined to legislate. There has recently been an increase in matter to in the language among unionists in East Belfast. [ 175 ]
Ulster Scots
share of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2011 census Ulster Scots comprises varieties of the Scots terminology spoken in Northern Ireland. For a native English speaker, “ [ Ulster Scots ] is relatively accessible, and even at its most intense can be understand reasonably well with the help of a glossary. ” [ 176 ] Along with the irish linguistic process, the good Friday Agreement recognised the dialect as separate of Northern Ireland ‘s unique culture and the St Andrews Agreement recognised the want to “ enhance and develop the Ulster Scots language, inheritance and culture ”. [ 177 ] approximately 2 % of the population title to speak Ulster Scots. [ 178 ] however, the act speaking it as their main speech in their home is negligible, [ 172 ] with only 0.9 % of 2011 census respondents claiming to be able to speak, read, write and understand Ulster-Scots. 8.1 % professed to have “ some ability ” however. [ 150 ]
sign languages
The most common sign speech in Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland Sign Language ( NISL ). however, because in the past Catholic families tended to send their deaf children to schools in Dublin [ citation needed ] where Irish Sign Language ( ISL ) is normally used, ISL is distillery common among many older deaf people from catholic families. irish Sign Language ( ISL ) has some determine from the french family of sign speech, which includes american Sign Language ( ASL ). NISL takes a boastfully component from the british family of sign terminology ( which besides includes Auslan ) with many borrowings from ASL. It is described as being related to Irish Sign Language at the syntactic level while much of the dictionary is based on british Sign Language ( BSL ). [ 179 ] As of March 2004 the british Government recognises only british Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as the official sign languages used in Northern Ireland. [ 180 ] [ 181 ]
culture
Northern Ireland shares both the culture of Ireland and the culture of the United Kingdom. Parades are a outstanding feature of Northern Ireland society, [ 182 ] more then than in the rest of Ireland or in Britain. Most are held by Protestant fraternities such as the Orange Order, and Ulster loyalist marching bands. Each summer, during the “ parade season ”, these groups have hundreds of parades, pack of cards streets with british flags, bunting and specially-made arches, and light large towering bonfires in the “ eleventh Night ” celebrations. [ 183 ] The biggest parades are held on 12 July ( The Twelfth ). There is frequently tension when these activities take station near Catholic neighbourhoods, which sometimes leads to violence. [ 184 ] Since the end of the Troubles, Northern Ireland has witnessed rising numbers of tourists. Attractions include cultural festivals, musical and artistic traditions, countryside and geographic sites of interest, public houses, welcoming cordial reception and sports ( specially golf and fishing ). Since 1987 public houses have been allowed to open on Sundays, despite some opposition. The Ulster Cycle is a large body of prose and verse concentrate on the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now easterly Ulster. This is one of the four major cycles of Irish mythology. The cycle centres on the reign of Conchobar mac Nessa, who is said to have been king of Ulster around the first century. He ruled from Emain Macha ( nowadays Navan Fort near Armagh ), and had a fierce competition with queen Medb and king Ailill of Connacht and their ally, Fergus mac Róich, early king of Ulster. The foremost hero of the cycle is Conchobar ‘s nephew Cúchulainn, who features in the epic prose/poem An Táin Bó Cúailnge ( The Cattle Raid of Cooley, a casus belli between Ulster and Connaught ) .
Symbols
[185] The logo for the Northern Ireland forum is based on the flower of the flax plant. Northern Ireland comprises a patchwork of communities whose national loyalties are represented in some areas by flags flown from flagpoles or lamp posts. The Union Jack and the former Northern Ireland flag are flown in many loyalist areas, and the Tricolour, adopted by republicans as the pin of Ireland in 1916, [ 186 ] is flown in some republican areas. even kerbstones in some areas are painted red-white-blue or green-white-orange, depending on whether local people express unionist/loyalist or nationalist/republican sympathies. [ 187 ] The official flag is that of the submit having sovereignty over the territory, i.e. the Union Flag. [ 188 ] The former Northern Ireland flag, besides known as the “ Ulster Banner “ or “ crimson Hand Flag ”, is a streamer derived from the coating of arms of the Government of Northern Ireland until 1972. Since 1972, it has had no official status. The Union Flag and the Ulster Banner are used entirely by unionists. UK sag policy states that in Northern Ireland, “ The Ulster flag and the Cross of St Patrick have no official condition and, under the Flags Regulations, are not permitted to be flown from Government Buildings. ” [ 189 ] [ 190 ] The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Church of Ireland have used the Saint Patrick ‘s Saltire or “ Cross of St Patrick ”. This bolshevik st on a white field was used to represent Ireland in the flag of the United Kingdom. It is still used by some british army regiments. Foreign flags are besides found, such as the palestinian flags in some patriot areas and Israeli flags in some trade unionist areas. [ 191 ] The United Kingdom national anthem of “ God Save the Queen “ is much played at state events in Northern Ireland. At the Commonwealth Games and some other sporting events, the Northern Ireland team uses the Ulster Banner as its flag—notwithstanding its miss of official status—and the Londonderry Air ( normally set to lyrics as Danny Boy ), which besides has no official status, as its national anthem. [ 192 ] [ 193 ] The Northern Ireland national football team besides uses the Ulster Banner as its flag but uses “ God Save The Queen ” as its hymn. [ 194 ] Major Gaelic Athletic Association matches are opened by the national hymn of the Republic of Ireland, “ Amhrán na bhFiann ( The Soldier ‘s sung ) ”, which is besides used by most other all-Ireland frolic organisations. [ 195 ] Since 1995, the Ireland rugby union team has used a specially commissioned song, “ Ireland ‘s Call “ as the team ‘s anthem. The irish home anthem is besides played at Dublin home matches, being the anthem of the host country. [ 196 ] Northern Irish murals have become long-familiar features of Northern Ireland, depicting past and award events and documenting peace and cultural diverseness. Almost 2,000 murals have been documented in Northern Ireland since the 1970s .
sport
In Northern Ireland, sport is popular and important in the lives of many people. Sports tend to be organised on an all-Ireland basis, with a single team for the unharmed island. [ 197 ] The most celebrated exception is association football, which has discriminate governing bodies for each legal power. [ 197 ]
Field sports
The Irish Football Association ( IFA ) serves as the organising torso for association football in Northern Ireland, with the Northern Ireland Football League ( NIFL ) creditworthy for the independent administration of the three divisions of home domestic football, ampere well as the Northern Ireland Football League Cup. The highest level of competition within Northern Ireland are the NIFL Premiership and the NIFL Championship. however, many players from Northern Ireland compete with clubs in England and Scotland. NIFL clubs are semi-professional or Intermediate. NIFL Premiership clubs are besides eligible to compete in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League with the league champions entering the Champions league second modify attack and the 2nd placed league closer, the european play-off winners and the irish Cup winners entering the Europa League irregular modify turn. No clubs have ever reached the group stage. Despite Northern Ireland ‘s small population, the Northern Ireland national football team qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, 1982 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup, making it to the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982 and made it the first hard polish in the european Championships in 2016 .
Rugby union
The six counties of Northern Ireland are among the nine governed by the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union, the governing body of rugby union in Ireland. Ulster is one of the four professional provincial teams in Ireland and competes in the United Rugby Championship and european Cup. It won the european Cup in 1999. In external competitions, the Ireland national rugby union team ‘s recent successes include four Triple Crowns between 2004 and 2009 and a Grand Slam in 2009 in the Six Nations Championship .
cricket
The Ireland cricket team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is a full member of the International Cricket Council, having been granted Test status and full membership by the ICC in June 2017. The side competes in Test cricket, the highest level of competitive cricket in the external arena, and are one of the 12 full-member countries of the ICC. Ireland men ‘s side has played in the Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup and has won the ICC Intercontinental Cup four times. The women ‘s side has played in the Women ‘s World Cup. One of the men ‘s side ‘s regular international venues is Stormont in Belfast .
gaelic games
gaelic games include Gaelic football, lunge ( and camogie ), Gaelic handball and rounders. Of the four, football is the most popular in Northern Ireland. Players play for local clubs with the best being selected for their county teams. The Ulster GAA is the ramify of the Gaelic Athletic Association that is creditworthy for the nine counties of Ulster, which include the six of Northern Ireland. These nine county teams participate in the Ulster Senior Football Championship, Ulster Senior Hurling Championship, All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. holocene successes for Northern Ireland teams include Armagh ‘s 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship acquire and Tyrone GAA ‘s wins in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2021 .
golf
possibly Northern Ireland ‘s most luminary successes in professional frolic have come in golf. Northern Ireland has contributed more major champions in the advanced era than any early european nation, with three in the quad of just 14 months from the U.S. Open in 2010 to The Open Championship in 2011. luminary golfers include Fred Daly ( winner of The Open in 1947 ), Ryder Cup players Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty, leading european Tour professionals David Jones, Michael Hoey ( a five-time achiever on the go ) and Gareth Maybin, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as three recent major winners Graeme McDowell ( winner of the U.S. Open in 2010, the beginning european to do so since 1970 ), Rory McIlroy ( achiever of four majors ) and Darren Clarke ( achiever of The Open in 2011 ). [ 198 ] [ 199 ] Northern Ireland has besides contributed several players to the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team, including Alan Dunbar and Paul Cutler who played on the victorious 2011 team in Scotland. Dunbar besides won The Amateur Championship in 2012, at Royal Troon. The Golfing Union of Ireland, the governing body for men ‘s and male child ‘s amateurish golf throughout Ireland and the oldest golfing union in the global, was founded in Belfast in 1891. Northern Ireland ‘s golf courses include the Royal Belfast Golf Club ( the earliest, formed in 1881 ), Royal Portrush Golf Club, which is the only course outside Great Britain to have hosted The Open Championship, and Royal County Down Golf Club ( Golf Digest magazine ‘s top-rated course outside the United States ). [ 200 ] [ 201 ]
snooker
Northern Ireland has produced two world snooker champions ; Alex Higgins, who won the deed in 1972 and 1982, and Dennis Taylor, who won in 1985. The highest-ranked Northern Ireland professional on the world lap presently is Mark Allen from County Antrim. The sport is governed locally by the Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association who run regular rank tournaments and competitions .
Motorsport
Motorcycle race
Motorcycle race is a particularly popular sport during the summer months, with the main meetings of the season attracting some of the largest push to any outdoor sporting event in the whole of Ireland. [ 202 ] Two of the three major international road race meetings are held in Northern Ireland, these being the North West 200 [ 203 ] and the Ulster Grand Prix. In addition race on purpose built circuits take place at Kirkistown and Bishop ‘s Court, [ 204 ] whilst smaller road race meetings are held such as the Cookstown 100, the Armoy Road Races [ 205 ] and the Tandragee 100 [ 206 ] all of which form separate of the Irish National Road Race Championships [ 207 ] and which have produced some of the greatest motorcycle racers in the history of the fun, notably Joey Dunlop .
Motor race
Although Northern Ireland lacks an international car racetrack, two Northern Irish drivers have finished inside the top two of Formula One, with John Watson achieving the feat in the 1982 Formula One season and Eddie Irvine doing the same in 1999 Formula One season. The largest course and the only Motor Sports Association -licensed lead for UK-wide contest is Kirkistown Circuit. [ 208 ]
Rugby league
The Ireland national rugby league team has participated in the Emerging Nations Tournament ( 1995 ), the Super League World Nines ( 1996 ), the World Cup ( 2000 and 2008 ), european Nations Cup ( since 2003 ) and Victory Cup ( 2004 ). The Ireland A rugby league team compete per annum in the Amateur Four Nations rival ( since 2002 ) and the St Patrick ‘s Day Challenge ( since 1995 ) .
Ice ice hockey
The Belfast Giants have competed in the Elite Ice Hockey League since the 2000–01 season and are the exclusive Northern Irish team in the league. The team ‘s roll has featured Northern Irish born players such as Mark Morrison, Graeme Walton and Gareth Roberts among others. [ 209 ] Geraldine Heaney, an Olympic aureate medalist and one of the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, competed internationally for Canada but was born in Northern Ireland. [ 210 ] Owen Nolan, ( born 12 February 1972 ) is a canadian former professional frosting field hockey player born in Northern Ireland. He was drafted 1st overall in the 1990 NHL Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. [ 211 ]
professional wrestling
In 2007, after the blockage of UCW ( Ulster Championship Wrestling ) which was a wrestle promotion, PWU formed, standing for Pro Wrestling Ulster. The wrestle promotion features championships, former WWE superstars and local freelancer wrestlers. Events and IPPV ‘s throughout Northern Ireland. [ 212 ]
education
Unlike most areas of the United Kingdom, in the last class of primary school, many children sit entrance examinations for grammar schools. Integrated schools, which attempt to ensure a balance in registration between pupils of Protestant, Roman Catholic and other faiths ( or none ), are becoming increasingly democratic, although Northern Ireland still has a chiefly de facto scrupulously segregated education system. In the primary school sector, 40 schools ( 8.9 % of the total number ) are integrated schools and 32 ( 7.2 % of the sum number ) are Gaelscoileanna ( irish language-medium schools ). The independent universities in Northern Ireland are Queen ‘s University Belfast and Ulster University, and the distance learning Open University which has a regional agency in Belfast .
wildlife
356 species of nautical algae have been recorded in the northeast of Ireland. As Counties Londonderry, Antrim and Down are the merely three counties of Northern Ireland with a shoreline this will apply to all Northern Ireland. 77 species are considered rare having been recorded rarely. [ 213 ]
Media and communications
The BBC has a division called BBC Northern Ireland with headquarters in Belfast and operates BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland. a well as broadcasting criterion UK-wide programmes, BBC NI produces local anesthetic content, including a news break-out called BBC Newsline. The ITV franchise in Northern Ireland is UTV. The state-owned Channel 4 and the privately owned Channel 5 besides broadcast in Northern Ireland. Access is besides available to satellite and cable services. [ 214 ] All Northern Ireland viewers must obtain a UK television license to watch live television receiver transmissions or use BBC iPlayer. RTÉ, the national broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland, is available over the air out to most parts of Northern Ireland via reception overspill of the Republic ‘s Saorview service, [ 215 ] or via satellite and cable. Since the digital television receiver switchover, RTÉ One, RTÉ2 and the Irish-language transmit TG4, are nowadays available over the air on the UK ‘s Freeview arrangement from transmitters within Northern Ireland. [ 216 ] Although they are transmitted in standard definition, a Freeview HD box or television is required for reception. a well as the standard UK-wide radio stations from the BBC, Northern Ireland is home to many local radio stations, such as Cool FM, Belfast CityBeat, and Q102.9. The BBC has two regional radio receiver stations which broadcast in Northern Ireland, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle. Besides the UK and Irish national newspapers, there are three independent regional newspapers published in Northern Ireland. These are the Belfast Telegraph, The Irish News and The News Letter. [ 217 ] According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations ( UK ) the average daily circulation for these three titles in 2018 was :
Northern Ireland uses the lapp telecommunication and postal services as the rest of the United Kingdom at standard domestic rates and there are no mobile roll charges between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. [ 220 ] [ 221 ] People in Northern Ireland who live close to the bound with the Republic of Ireland may unwittingly switch over to the Irish mobile networks, causing international roll fees to be applied. [ 222 ] Calls from landlines in Northern Ireland to numbers in the Republic of Ireland are charged at the lapp rate as those to numbers in Great Britain, while land line numbers in Northern Ireland can similarly be called from the Republic of Ireland at domestic rates, using the 048 prefix. [ 223 ]
See besides
Notes
References
far reading
Read more: Ex on the Beach (British series 6)
Coordinates :