The people of Northern Ireland are "all persons born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence," under the Belfast Agreement.
In Northern Ireland, national identity is complex and diverse. The three most common identities are British, Northern Irish and Irish. Most people of Protestant background consider themselves British, while a majority of people of Catholic background consider themselves Irish. This has origins in the 17th century Plantation of Ulster, when mainly-Catholic Ulster was colonized by Protestant settlers from Great Britain.
In the early 20th century, most Ulster Protestants and Catholics saw themselves as Irish, although Protestants tended to have a much stronger sense of Britishness. With the onset of the Home Rule Crisis and events that followed, Protestants gradually began to abandon Irish identity, as Irishness and Britishness became more and more to be seen as mutually exclusive. In 1968 – just before the onset of the Troubles – 39% of Protestants described themselves as British and 20% described themselves as Irish, while 32% chose an Ulster identity. By 1978, following the worst years of the conflict, there had been a large shift in identity amongst Protestants, with the majority (67%) now calling themselves British and only 8% calling themselves Irish. This shift has not been reversed. Meanwhile, the majority of Catholics have continued to see themselves as Irish.
It features a plaque unveiled this month, marking the centenary since the founding of NorthernIreland... The DUP is still the largest group in the Northern Ireland Assembly ... Last time around, Sinn Féin ended just one seat behind and further slide in DUP support could see an Irish republican becoming the first minister of Northern Ireland.
According to people on the call, among the issues that were raised from the US side was concern about unilateral action by the British government, both in relation to the NorthernIrish protocol, and reports that British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland would be given legal protection through new legislation at Westminster.
“The lunchtime meeting, which was scheduled some time ago, is expected to cover the response to Covid-19, a range of issues relevant to peace and stability in NorthernIreland and the broader British-Irish relationship.”.
DrewHarris has said he wants to speak enough Irish to open and close public occasions like the garda graduations with a bit of the “first national language”. However, few rank and file gardaí appear ready to emulate the former deputy head of the NorthernIreland police, who grew up in a unionist community, and never learned Irish.
Despite his opposition to the Irish Sea border, the Agriculture Minister’s officials were heavily involved in building its infrastructure ... Despite the Irish Sea border, Sir Jeffrey remains optimistic about the Union. In NorthernIreland’s centenary year, republicans still have “no plan to achieve their goal” of Irish unity.