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WikiPedia Information About Northern IrelandInformation from the WikiPedia.Com Website for Northern Ireland/_TheTownGuide/Index_Layout_Leaders_wiki_Process.xsl {{pp-semi-protected small=yes}} {{About the country}} {{Infobox Country conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland native_name = ''Tuaisceart Éireann Norlin Airlann'' motto = image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png map_caption = {{map caption location=inset - orange) in the United Kingdom (camel region=Europe the European continent region_color=white}} official_languages = English language English (''de facto'') Irish language Irish Ulster Scots{{smallsup 1}} common_name = Northern Ireland capital = Belfast latd=54 latm=35땸 latNS=N longd=5 longm=50ǐ longEW=W largest_city = Belfast demonym = Irish people Irish{{Cite book last = Paul first = Dickson authorlink = Paul Dickson coauthors = title = Labels for Locals: What to Call People from Abilene to Zimbabwe publisher = Merriam-Webster date = 1997 location = Springfield, Massachusetts page = 138 pages = 220 isbn = 9780877796169 quote = Northern Ireland: Northern Irishman and Northern Irishwoman, or the collective Irish and Northern Irish }} People of Northern Ireland Northern Irish{{smallsup 2}} government_type = {{nowrap Constitutional monarchy}} Consociationalism leader_title1 = British monarchy Monarch leader_name1 = Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II leader_title2 = Prime Minister of the United Kingdom leader_name2 = Gordon Brown MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 MP leader_title3 = First Minister and deputy First Minister First Minister leader_name3 = Peter Robinson (politician) Peter Robinson Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007 MLA MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 MP --> leader_title4 = First Minister and deputy First Minister deputy First Minister leader_name4 = {{nowrap Martin McGuinness Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly elected in 2007 MLA}} MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 MP leader_title5 = Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Secretary of State leader_name5 = Shaun Woodward MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 MP sovereignty_type = Establishment established_event1 = {{nowrap Government of Ireland Act 1920 Government of Ireland Act}} established_date1 = 3 May 1921 area_rank = area_magnitude = 1 E10 area_km2 = 13,843 area_sq_mi = 5,345 percent_water = population_estimate = 1,775,000 population_estimate_rank = population_estimate_year = 2009 population_census = 1,685,267 population_census_year = 2001 population_density_km2 = 122 population_density_sq_mi = 315 population_density_rank = ethnic_groups = 99ሇ% White people White (91nj% Northern Ireland born, 8ሇ% other white), 0ሡ% Asian people Asian, 0ሂ% Irish Traveller, 0ሚ% others.{{cite web url=http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk /census/Excel/commissioned_output/EXT20032908c.xls title=Northern Ireland Census 2001 Commissioned Output publisher=NISRA date= 2001 accessdate=8 December 2009}} GDP_PPP = £33ǎ billion GDP_PPP_year = 2002 GDP_PPP_per_capita = £19,603 currency = Pound sterling currency_code = GBP country_code = UKN time_zone = GMT drives_on = left utc_offset = +0 time_zone_DST = BST utc_offset_DST = +1 cctld = .uk{{smallsup 3}} calling_code = +44{{smallsup 4}} footnote1 = Languages in the United Kingdom Officially recognised languages: Northern Ireland has no official language. The use of English has been established through precedent. Irish and Ulster Scots are officially recognised minority languages footnote2 = While Irish and Northern Irish are common demonyms for Northern Ireland, nationality is a complicated issue. See the Northern Ireland#Citizenship and identity Citizenship and identity section below for details footnote3 = .ie, in common with the Republic of Ireland, and also .eu, as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB, but .gb is unused footnote4 = +44 is always followed by 28 when calling landlines. The code is 028 within the UK and 048 from the Republic of Ireland }} '''Northern Ireland''' ({{lang-ga Tuaisceart Éireann}}, Ulster Scots: ''Norlin Airlann'') is Countries of the United Kingdom one of the four countries of the United Kingdom.{{cite web url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/uk_countries.asp title=The Countries of the UK publisher=UK Statistics Authority work=www.statistics.gov.uk - geography - beginners' guide to UK geography date=11 November 2005 accessdate=11 November 2009 archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5lClXN00l archivedate=11 November 2009 quote=The top-level division of administrative geography in the UK is the 4 countries - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. }}{{cite web url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page823 title=countries within a country publisher=The Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom work= Number10.gov.uk date=10 January 2003 accessdate=11 November 2009 archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5lClWk7P7 archivedate=11 November 2009 quote=The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom with a devolved legislative Assembly and a power sharing Executive made up of ministers from four political parties representing different traditions. }} Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a Republic of Ireland-United Kingdom border border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001 2001 UK Census, its population was 1,685,000, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland consists of Counties of Northern Ireland six of the traditional nine counties of the historic Irish Provinces of Ireland province of Ulster. It was Partition of Ireland created as a distinct Administrative geography of the United Kingdom division of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920,Statutory Rules & Orders published by authority, 1921 (No. 533); Additional source for 3 May 1921 date: Alvin Jackson, ''Home Rule - An Irish History'', Oxford University Press, 2004, p198. though its constitutional roots lie in the 1800 Act of Union 1800 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland. For over 50 years it had its own devolved government devolved Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland government and Parliament of Northern Ireland parliament. These institutions were Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972 suspended in 1972 and abolished in 1973. Repeated attempts to restore self-government finally resulted in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 establishment of the present-day Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly operates on consociational democracy principles requiring cross-community support. Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict—The Troubles—between those claiming to represent Nationalists (Ireland) nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and those claiming to represent Unionists (Ireland) unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom,[http://www .uup.org/policy/standing-up-for-northern-ireland/index.php Standing up for Northern Ireland] www.uup.org. Retrieved 2 August 2008. while nationalists wish it to be United Ireland politically reunitedRichard Jenkin, 1997, ''Rethinking ethnicity: arguments and explorations'', SAGE Publicatoins: London: "In Northern Ireland the objectives of contemporary nationalists are the reunification of Ireland and the removal of British government."Peter Dorey, 1995, ''British politics since 1945'', Blackwell Publihsers: Oxford: "Just as some Nationalists have been prepared to use violence in order to secure Irish reunification, so some Unionists have been prepared to use violence in order to oppose it." with the rest of Ireland.{{cite web url=http://www.sinnfein.ie/policies/document/155 title=Strategy Framework Document: Reunification through Planned Integration: Sinn Féin’s All Ireland Agenda archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/2006 0716075752/http://www.sinnfein.ie/policies/document/155 archivedate=16 July 2006}} Sinn Fein, Retrieved 2 August 2008[http://www.sdlp.ie/policy_details.php?id=78 Policy Summaries: Constitutional Issues] SDLP, accessed 2 August 2008 Since the signing of the "Belfast Agreement Good Friday Agreement" in 1998, most of the paramilitary groups involved in the Troubles have ceased their armed campaigns. Due to its unique history, the issue of the symbolism, #Variations in geographic nomenclature name and description of Northern Ireland is complex, and similarly the issue of #Citizenship and identity citizenship and identity. In general, Unionists consider themselves British and Nationalists see themselves as Irish, though these identities are not necessarily mutually exclusive. HistoryHistory of Northern Ireland The Troubles}} ''For events before 1922 see Ulster or History of Ireland'' Image:Carson signing Solemn League and Covenant.jpg thumbnail left Signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912 in opposition to Home RuleThe area that is now Northern Ireland has had a diverse history. From serving as the bedrock of Nine Years War (Ireland) Irish resistance in the era of the Plantations of Ireland plantations of Elizabeth I of England Queen Elizabeth and James I of England James I in other parts of Ireland, it became the subject of major planting of Scotland Scottish and England English settlers after the Flight of the Earls in 1607 (when the Gaels Gaelic aristocracy fled to Catholic Europe). The all-island Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1801) merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 under the terms of the Act of Union 1800 Act of Union, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of Ireland Ireland and Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain merged under a government and parliament based in London. In the early 20th century, Unionists (Ireland) Unionists led by Edward Carson Sir Edward Carson opposed the introduction of Home Rule in Ireland. Unionists (Ireland) Unionists were in a minority on the island of Ireland as a whole, but were a majority in the northern province of Ulster, a very large majority in the counties of County Antrim Antrim and County Down Down, small majorities in the counties of County Armagh Armagh and County Londonderry Londonderry. There were substantial numbers also concentrated in the nationalist-majority counties of County Fermanagh Fermanagh and County Tyrone Tyrone. These six counties later formed Northern Ireland. The clash between the British House of Commons House of Commons and British House of Lords House of Lords over the controversial budget of Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd-George produced the ''Parliament Act 1911'', which enabled the veto of the Lords to be overturned. Given that the Lords had been the unionists' main guarantee that a home rule act would not be enacted, because of the majority of pro-unionist peers in the House, the Parliament Act made Home Rule a more likely prospect. Opponents to Home Rule, from Conservative Party (UK) Conservative Party leaders like Andrew Bonar Law to militant unionists in Ireland, threatened the use of violence, producing the Larne Gun Running incident in 1914, when they smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for the Ulster Volunteers. The prospect of civil war in Ireland loomed. {{NIPMs}} Image:Royal Irish Rifles ration party Somme July 1916.jpg thumb right Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme In 1914, the ''Third Home Rule Act,'' which contained provision for a ''temporary'' partition, received the Royal Assent. Its implementation was suspended for the duration of the intervening First World War, which was expected to last only a few weeks, but, in fact, lasted four years. By the end of the war, the Act was seen as dead in the water, with public opinion in the majority nationalist community having moved from a demand for home rule to independence. David Lloyd George in 1919 proposed a new bill which would divide Ireland into two Home Rule areas, twenty-six counties being ruled from Dublin, six being ruled from Belfast, with a shared Lord Lieutenant of Ireland appointing both executives and a Council of Ireland, which Lloyd George believed would evolve into an all-Ireland parliament. {{cite book last=Pilkington first=Colin authorlink=Colin Pilkington title=Devolution in Britain Today publisher=Manchester University Press year=2002 page=75 isbn=0719060761 }} The island of Ireland was partitioned in 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920.Northern Ireland became a distinct region of the United Kingdom, by Order in Council on 3 May 1921 (Statutory Rules & Orders published by authority (SR&O) 1921, No. 533). Its constitutional roots remain the Act of Union 1800 Act of Union, two complementary Acts, one passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, the other by the Parliament of Ireland. Six of the nine Ulster counties (four with a unionist majority, two with a nationalist majority){{cite web url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/h1918.htm first=Nicholas last=Whyte year=2006 title=The Irish Election of 1918 work=Northern Ireland Elections publisher=ARK Northern Ireland location=Belfast dateaccessed=10 January 2010}} in the north-east formed Northern Ireland and the remaining three counties (including County Donegal, which had a large Protestant minority and was the most northern county in all of Ireland) joined those of Leinster, Munster and Connacht to form Southern Ireland. Whilst Southern Ireland had only a brief existence between 1921 and 1922, a period dominated by the Anglo-Irish War and its aftermath, Northern Ireland was to continue on. Image:Anglo-Irish Treaty signatures.gif thumbnail left Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Northern Ireland provisionally became an autonomous part of the Irish Free State on 6 December 1922. However, as expected, the Parliament of Northern Ireland chose, under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, to opt out of the Irish Free State the following day.On 7 December 1922 (the day after the establishment of the Irish Free State) the Parliament of Northern Ireland Parliament resolved to make the following address to the George V of the United Kingdom King so as to opt out of the Irish Free State: ''”Most Gracious Sovereign, We, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Senators and Commons of Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, having learnt of the passing 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 longer extend to Northern Ireland"''. Source: [http://stormontpapers.ahds.ac.uk/ stormontpapers/pageview.html?volumeno=2&pageno=1145#bak-2-1149 Northern Ireland Parliamentary Report, 7 December 1922] and [http://www.national archives.ie/topics/anglo_irish/dfaexhib2.html Anglo-Irish Treaty, sections 11, 12] Shortly after Northern Ireland had exercised its ''opt out'' of the Irish Free State, a Irish Boundary Commission Boundary Commission was established to decide on the territorial boundaries between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Though leaders in Dublin expected a substantial reduction in the territory of Northern Ireland (with nationalist border areas moving to the Free State), the Boundary Commission decided against this; in fact the unpublished report had recommended that land should be ceded from Southern Ireland to Northern Ireland. To prevent argument, this report was suppressed, and the initial 6-county border was approved by the Dáil in Dublin on 10 December 1925 by a vote of 71 to 20.< ref>[http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0013/D�.html Dáil Éireann - Volume 13 - 10 December 1925] In June 1940, to encourage the Irish state to join with the Allies of World War II Allies, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill indicated to the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera that the United Kingdom would push for United Ireland Irish unity, but believing that Churchill could not deliver, de Valera declined the offer."Anglo-Irish Relations, 1939–41: A Study in Multilateral Diplomacy and Military Restraint" in ''Twentieth Century British History'' (Oxford Journals, 2005), ISSN 1477-4674 (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 Ireland Act 1949'' gave the first legal guarantee to the Parliament of Northern Ireland Parliament and Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland Government that Northern Ireland would not cease to be part of the United Kingdom without consent of the majority of its citizens. The Troubles, starting in the late 1960s, consisted of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern Ireland's Irish nationalism nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and Unionist (Ireland) unionist community (principally Protestant) during which 3,254 people were killed.Malcolm Sutton’s book, “Bear in Mind These Dead: An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland 1969 - 1993. The conflict was caused by the disputed status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and the discrimination against the nationalist minority by the dominant unionist majority.{{Citation needed date=June 2009}} The violence was characterised by the armed campaigns of paramilitary groups, including the Provisional IRA campaign 1969-1997 Provisional IRA campaign of 1969-1997 which was aimed at the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and the creation of a new "all-Ireland", "thirty-two county" Irish Republic, and the Ulster Volunteer Force, formed in 1966 in response to the perceived erosion of both the British character and Unionist (Ireland) unionist domination of Northern Ireland. The state security forces — the British Army and the police (the Royal Ulster Constabulary) - were also involved in the violence. The British government's point of view is that its forces were neutral in the conflict, trying to uphold law and order in Northern Ireland and the right of the people of Northern Ireland to democratic self-determination. Irish republicans regarded the state forces as "combatants" in the conflict, alleging The_Troubles#Collusion_between_security_forces_and_loyalist_paramilitaries collusion between the state forces and the loyalist paramilitaries as proof of this. The "Ballast" investigation by the Police Ombudsman has confirmed that British forces, and in particular the RUC, did collude with loyalist paramilitaries, were involved in murder, and did obstruct the course of justice when such claims had previously been investigated,[http://www.policeombud sman.org//Publicationsuploads/BALLAST%20PUBLIC%20STATEMENT%2022-01-07%20FINAL%20VERSION.pdf The Ballast report]: "...the Police Ombudsman has concluded that this was collusion by certain police officers with identified UVF informants." although the extent to which such collusion occurred is still hotly disputed. As a consequence of the worsening security 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 form of government there should be within Northern Ireland. In 1973, Northern Ireland referendum, 1973 Northern Ireland held a referendum to determine if it should remain in the United Kingdom, or be part of a united Ireland. The vote went heavily in favour (98Ǖ%) of maintaining the status quo with approximately 57Ǒ% of the total electorate voting in support, but only 1% of Catholics voted following a boycott organised by the SDLP.[http://n ews.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/9/newsid_2516000/2516477.stm BBC ON THIS DAY 9 1973: Northern Ireland votes for union] Recent historyNorthern Ireland peace process}} {{NIFMs}} The Troubles were brought to an uneasy end by a Northern Ireland peace process peace process which included the declaration of ceasefires by most paramilitary organisations and the complete decommissioning of their weapons, the reform of the police, and the corresponding withdrawal of army troops from the streets and from sensitive border areas such as South Armagh and Fermanagh, as agreed by the signatories to the Belfast Agreement (commonly known as the "Good Friday Agreement"). This reiterated the long-held British position, which had never before been fully acknowledged by successive Irish governments, that Northern Ireland will remain within the United Kingdom until a majority votes otherwise. Bunreacht na hÉireann, the constitution of the Irish state, was amended in 1999 to remove a claim of the "Irish nation" to sovereignty over the whole of Ireland (in Article 2), a claim qualified by an acknowledgement that Ireland could only exercise legal control over the territory formerly known as the Irish Free State. The new Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland Articles 2 and 3, added to the Constitution to replace the earlier articles, implicitly acknowledge that the status of Northern Ireland, and its relationships within the rest of the United Kingdom and with Ireland, would only be changed with the agreement of a majority of voters in both jurisdictions (Ireland voting separately). This aspect was also central to the Belfast Agreement which was signed in 1998 and ratified by referenda held simultaneously in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. At the same time, the British Government recognised for the first time, as part of the prospective, the so-called "Irish dimension": the principle that the people of the island of Ireland as a whole have the right, without any outside interference, to solve the issues between North and South by mutual consent.[h ttp://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-12-15/Debate-1.html Parliamentary debate]: "The British government agree that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively, to exercise their right of self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish." The latter statement was key to winning support for the agreement from nationalists and republicans. It also established a devolved power-sharing government within Northern Ireland where the government must consist of both 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 case against the accused Sinn Féin member collapsed. On 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA declared an end to its campaign and has since decommissioned what is thought to be all of its arsenal. This final act of decommissioning was performed in accordance with the Belfast Agreement of 1998, and under the watch of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning and two external church witnesses. Many unionists, however, remain sceptical. This IRA decommissioning is in contrast to Loyalist paramilitaries who have so far refused to decommission many weapons. It is not thought that this will have a major effect on further political progress as political parties linked to Loyalist paramilitaries do not attract significant support and will not be in a position to form part of a government in the near future. Sinn Féin, on the other hand, with their (real and perceived) links to militant republicanism, are the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland. Politicians elected to the Assembly at the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2003 2003 Assembly Election were called together on 15 May 2006 under the Northern Ireland Act 2006 [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060017_en_1 Northern Ireland Act 2006 (c. 17)] for the purpose of electing a First Minister of Northern Ireland and a Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and choosing the members of an Executive (before 25 November 2006) as a preliminary step to the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland. Following the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007 election held on 7 March 2007, devolved government returned to Northern Ireland on 8 May 2007 with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin deputy leader Martin McGuinness taking office as First Minister and Deputy First Minister, respectively.(BBC) The current First Minister is Peter Robinson, having taken over as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Government and politicsElections in Northern Ireland Politics of Northern Ireland}} Image:Stormont Parliamentary Building 01.JPG thumb 200px Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland) Parliament Buildings in Stormont, Belfast Stormont, Belfast, seat of the assembly Northern Ireland has devolution devolved government within the United Kingdom. There is a Northern Ireland Executive together with the 108 member Northern Ireland Assembly to deal with devolved matters with the UK Government and UK Parliament responsible for reserved matters. Elections to the Assembly are by single transferable vote with 6 representatives elected for each of the 18 List of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland Westminster constituencies. It is also an Northern Ireland (European Parliament constituency) electoral region of the European Union. Northern Ireland elects 18 Members of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons; not all take their seats, however, as the Sinn Fein MPs (currently five) refuse to take the oath to serve the Queen that is required of all MPs. The Northern Ireland Office represents the UK government in Northern Ireland on reserved matters and represents Northern Irish interests within the UK government. 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, separate from English law England, Wales and Scots law Scotland.{{PDFlink [http://assets.cambridge.org/052178/2600/sample/0521782600ws.pdf pdf file] 64ǒ KB}} "For the purposes of the English conflict of laws, every country in the world which is not part of England and Wales is a foreign country and its foreign laws. This means that not only totally foreign independent countries such as France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover, the other parts of the United Kingdom—Scotland and Northern Ireland—are foreign countries for present purposes, as are the other British Islands, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey." ''Conflict of Laws'', JG Collier, Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall and lecturer in Law, University of Cambridge Image:Northern-irland-religions-1991.png thumb Communities in Northern Ireland - 1991 census {{Politics of Northern Ireland}} The main political divide in Northern Ireland is between Unionists or Loyalists who wish to see Northern Ireland continue as part of the United Kingdom and Irish Nationalist Nationalists or Irish republicanism Republicans who wish to see Northern Ireland join the rest of Ireland, independent from the United Kingdom. These two opposing views are linked to deeper cultural divisions. Unionists are overwhelmingly Protestantism Protestant, descendants of mainly Scotland Scottish, England English, Wales Welsh and Huguenot settlers as well as indigenous (ecology) indigenous Irishmen who had converted to one of the Protestant denominations. Nationalists are predominantly Catholic and descend from the population predating the settlement, with a minority from Scottish Highlanders as well as some converts from Protestantism. Discrimination against nationalists under the Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland) Stormont government (1921–1972) gave rise to the nationalist Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association civil rights movement in the 1960s. Whyte paper on discrimination in Northern Ireland] Some Unionists argue that any discrimination was not just because of religious or political bigotry, but also the result of more complex socio-economic, socio-political and geographical fac tors.[http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/discrimination/sum.htm CAIN website key issues discrimination summary] Whatever the cause, the existence of discrimination, and the manner in which Nationalist anger at it was handled, was a major contributing factor which led to the long-running conflict known as the Troubles. The political unrest went through its most violent phase between 1968 and 1994.Lord Scarman, "Violence and Civil Disturbances in Northern Ireland in 1969: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry" Belfast: HMSO, Cmd 566. (known as the ''Scarman Report'') The population of Northern Ireland was estimated as being 1,759,000 on 10 December 2008.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7775349.stm BBC NEWS UK Northern Ireland NI's population passes 1ቃm mark] In the 2001 census, 45ǒ% of the population identified as belonging to Protestant denominations (20Ǔ% Presbyterian Church in Ireland Presbyterian, 15Ǐ% Church of Ireland), 40Ǐ% identified as Catholic, 0Ǐ% identified with non-Christian religions and 13Ǖ% identified with no religion.[http://www.nisrane w.nisra.gov.uk/census/Excel/KS07a%20DC.xls Northern Ireland Census 2001, Table KS07a: Religion] In terms of community background, 53Ǎ% of the Northern Irish population came from a Protestant background, 43ǔ% came from a Catholic background, 0ǐ% from non-Christian backgrounds and 2Ǔ% non-religious backgrounds.< ref>[http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census/Excel/KS07b%20DC.xls Northern Ireland Census 2001, Table KS07b: Community background: religion or religion brought up in][http:/ /news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2590023.stm BBC News: Fascination of religion head count] The population is forecast to pass the 1ǔ million mark by 2011.[h ttp://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/population/projections/popproj06.pdf Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency population projections] As of 2007, 36% of the population define themselves as Unionist (Ireland) Unionist, 24% as Irish Nationalism Nationalist and 40% define themselves as neither. [http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Political_Attitudes/UNINATID.html Ark survey, 2007. Answer to the question "Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a unionist, a nationalist or neither?"] According to a 2007 opinion poll, 66% express long term preference of the maintenance of Northern Ireland's membership of the United Kingdom (either direct rule directly ruled or with Devolution devolved government), while 23% express a preference for membership of a united Ireland.[http://www.ark& #46ac.uk/nilt/2007/Political_Attitudes/NIRELND2.html Answers to the question "Do you think the long-term policy for Northern Ireland should be for it [one of the following]" This discrepancy can be explained by the overwhelming preference among Protestants to remain a part of the UK (89%), while Catholic preferences are spread across a number of solutions to the constitutional question including remaining a part of the UK (39%), a united Ireland (47%), Northern Ireland becoming an independent state (6%), and those who "don't know" (7%).[http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Political_Attitudes/NIRELND2.html Ark survey, 2007. Answers to the question "Do you think the long-term policy for Northern Ireland should be for it to [one of the following]" Official voting figures, which reflect views on the "national question" along with issues of candidate, geography, personal loyalty and historic voting patterns, show 54% of Northern Ireland voters vote for Pro-Unionist parties, 42% vote for Pro-Nationalist parties and 4% vote "other". Opinion polls consistently show that the election results are not necessarily an indication of the electorate's stance regarding the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Most of the population of Northern Ireland are at least nominally Christian. The ethno-political loyalties are allied, though not absolutely, to the Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations and these are the labels used to categorise the opposing views. This is, however, becoming increasingly irrelevant as the Irish Question is very complicated. Many voters (regardless of religious affiliation) are attracted to Unionism's National conservatism conservative policies, while other voters are instead attracted to the traditionally leftist, nationalist Sinn Féin and Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and their respective party platforms for Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy. For the most part, Protestants feel a strong connection with Great Britain and wish for Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Many Catholics however, generally aspire to a United Ireland or are less certain about how to solve the constitutional question. In the 2007 survey by Northern Ireland Life and Times, 39% of Northern Irish Catholics supported Northern Ireland remaining a part of the United Kingdom, either by direct rule (4%) or devolved government (35%).[http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2007/Political_Attitudes/NIRELND2.html NI Life and Times Survey - 2007: NIRELND2] Protestants have a slight majority in Northern Ireland, according to the latest Northern Ireland Census. The make-up of the Northern Ireland Assembly reflects the appeals of the various parties within the population. Of the 108 Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland) MLAs, 55 are Unionists and 44 are Nationalists (the remaining nine are classified as "other"). Citizenship and identityBritish nationality law and Irish nationality law}} As part of the United Kingdom, people from Northern Ireland are British citizens. They are also entitled to Irish citizenship by birth which is covered in the 1998 Belfast 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 so choose, and accordingly [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 change in the status of Northern Ireland.'' As a result of the Agreement, the Constitution of Ireland[http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/?docID=243 Department Of the Taoiseach] was amended so that people born in Northern Ireland are entitled to be Irish nationality law Irish citizens on the same basis as people from any other part of the island of Ireland. Neither government, however, extends its citizenship to all persons born in Northern Ireland. Both governments exclude some people born in Northern Ireland (e.g. certain persons born in Northern Ireland neither of whose parents is a UK or Irish national). The Irish restriction was given effect by the Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland Twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution in 2004. Several studies and surveys performed between 1971 and 2006 have indicated that, in general, Protestants in Northern Ireland see themselves primarily as 'British', whereas Roman Catholics regard themselves primarily as 'Irish'.Breen, R., Devine, P. and Dowds, L. (editors), 1996: ISBN 0-86281-593-2. Chapter 2 [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/research/nisas/rep5c2.htm 'Who Wants a United Ireland? Constitutional Preferences among Catholics and Protestants' by Richard Breen (1996), in, Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The Fifth Report] Retrieved 24 August 2006; Summary: In 1989—1994, 79% Protestants replied "British" or "Ulster", 60% of Catholics replied "Irish."[http://www&# 46ark.ac.uk/nilt/1999/Community_Relations/NINATID.html Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1999; Module:Community Relations, Variable:NINATID] Summary:72% of Protestants replied "British". 68% of Catholics replied "Irish ".[http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/1999/Community_Relations/BRITISH.html Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. Module:Community Relations. Variable:BRITISH.] Summary: 78% of Protestants replied "Strongly British."[http://www.a rk.ac.uk/nilt/1999/Community_Relations/IRISH.html Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1999; Module:Community Relations, Variable:IRISH] Summary: 77% of Catholics replied "Strongly Irish."Institute of Governance, 2006 ''"National identities in the UK: do they matter?"'' Briefing No. 16, January 2006; Retrieved from {{PDFlink {{cite web url=http ://www.institute-of-governance.org/forum/Leverhulme/briefing_pdfs/IoG_Briefing_16.pdf title=IoG_Briefing archiveurl=http://web&# 46archive.org/web/20060822152404/http://www 6institute-of-governance.org/forum/Leverhulme/briefing_pdfs/IoG_Briefing_16.pdf archivedate=22 August 2006}} 211 KB}} on 24 August 2006. Extract:"Three-quarters of Northern Ireland’s Protestants regard themselves as British, but only 12 per cent of Northern Ireland’s Catholics do so. Conversely, a majority of Catholics (65%) regard themselves as Irish, whilst very few Protestants (5%) do likewise. Very few Catholics (1%) compared to Protestants (19%) claim an Ulster identity but a Northern Irish identity is shared in broadly equal measure across religious traditions."''Details from attitude surveys are in Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland.'' [http://www.esrcsocietytoda y.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Plain_English_Summar ies/governance_and_citizenship/structure/index32.aspx?ComponentId=17242&SourcePageId=11746 L219252024 - Public Attitudes to Devolution and National Identity in Northern Ireland] University of York Research Project 2002-2003 Northern Ireland: Constitutional Proposals and the Problem of Identity, by J. R. Archer The Review of Politics, 1978{{PDFlink {{cite web url=http://www.u cd.ie/spire/text%20files/todd-achangedirishnationalism.pdf title= Chapter 7 > A changed Irish nationalism? The significance of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 archiveurl=http://web 6archive.org/web/20070510015756/http://www. ucd.ie/spire/text+files/todd-achangedirishnationalism.pdf archivedate=10 May 2007}} 131 KB}} A changed Irish nationalism? The significance of the Belfast Agreement of 1998, by Joseph Ruane and Jennifer Todd This does not however, account for the complex identities within Northern Ireland, given that many of the population regard themselves as "Ulster" or "Northern Irish", either primarily, or as a secondary identity. A 2008 survey found that 57% of Protestants described themselves as British, while 32% identified as Northern Irish, 6% as Ulster and 4% as Irish. Compared to the same survey carried out in 1998 this shows a fall in the percentage of Protestants identifying as British and Ulster, and a rise in those identifying as Northern Irish. The 2008 survey found that 61% of Catholics described themselves as Irish, with 25% identifying as Northern Irish, 8% as British and 1% as Ulster. These figures were largely unchanged from the 1998 result s.[http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2008/Community_Relations/NINATID.html Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 2008; Module:Community Relations, Variable:IRISH][http://www& #46ark.ac.uk/nilt/1998/Community_Relations/NINATID.html Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1998; Module:Community Relations, Variable:IRISH] Demography of Northern IrelandDemography of Northern Ireland}} The population of Northern Ireland has increased annually since 1978. EthnicityWhite: 1,670,988 (99ሇ%) ** Northern Ireland born: 91nj% ** Other United Kingdom UK or Republic of Ireland born: 7ǎ% ** Irish Traveller: 1,710 (0ሂ%) * Asian: 6,824 ** Overseas Chinese Chinese: 4,145 (0ሑ%) ** Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin Indian: 1,567 (0ሁ%) ** Pakistani: 666 (0ᇼ%) ** Bangladeshi: 252 (0ᇹ%) ** Other Asian: 194 (0ᇹ%) * Black people Black: 1,136 ** Black African: 494 (0ᇻ%) ** Black Caribbean: 255 (0ᇺ%) ** Other Black: 387 (0ᇺ%) * Other ethnic groups: 1,290 (0ሀ%) * Mixed: 3,319 (0ሌ%) Symbols used in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland flags issue}} Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg thumb left 150px The Union Flag (also known as the ''Union Jack'') represents the United Kingdom. This is the only flag with official status in Northern Ireland Image:Ulster banner.svg 150px thumb {{FIAV historical}}Flag of Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland (also known as the Ulster Banner; no official status in Northern Ireland since 1972) left Image:Flag of Ireland.svg thumb left 150px Flag of Ireland (also known as the ''Tricolour''; no official status in Northern Ireland) Image:Northern Ireland coat of arms.png 150px thumb left Former Governmental Coat of Arms of Northern Ireland 1925-72 right Northern Ireland comprises a patchwork of communities whose national loyalties are represented in some areas by flags flown from lamp posts. The Union Flag and the former Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Flag are flown in some loyalist areas, and the Tricolour, adopted by republicans as the flag of Ireland in 1848, is flown in some republican areas. Even curb (road) kerbstones in some areas are painted red-white-blue or green-white-orange (or gold), depending on whether local people express unionist/loyalist or nationalist/republican sympathies. 347] The Northern Ireland flag was previously the former Governmental Northern Ireland banner (also known as the "Ulster Banner" or "Red Hand Flag"). It was based on the arms of the former Parliament of Northern Ireland, and was used officially by the Government of Northern Ireland and its agencies between 1953 and 1972. Since 1972, it has had no official status. UK flags policy states that in Northern Ireland: ''The Ulster flag and the Cross of St. Patrick have no official status and, under the Flags Regulations, are not permitted to be flown from Government Buildings.'' [http://www.parliament 6uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04474.pdf The Union Flag and Flags of the United Kingdom] House of Commons Library, 3 June 2008 The Union Flag and the Ulster Banner are mainly used by Unionists.[http://flags.net/NOIR.htm Northern Irish flags from the World Flag Database] The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Church of Ireland have used the Flag of St. Patrick#Saint Patrick's Flag Flag of St. Patrick. It was used to represent Ireland when the whole island was part of the UK and is used by some British army regiments. Foreign flags are also found, such as the Palestinian territories Palestinian flags in some Nationalist areas and Israeli flags in some Unionist areas. This is also true during matches with Scottish teams. The United Kingdom national anthem of "God Save the Queen" is often played at state events in Northern Ireland. At some cross-community events, however, the "Londonderry Air" (also known as "Danny Boy") may be played as a neutral substitute.{{Citation needed date=December 2008}} At the Commonwealth Games, the Northern Ireland team uses the Ulster Banner as its flag and "Danny Boy" / "A Londonderry Air" is used as its national anthem. The Northern Ireland national football team Northern Ireland football team also uses the Ulster Banner as its flag but uses "God Save The Queen" as its national anthem.{{cite web url=http ://www.fifa.com/en/organisation/confederati ons/associationdetails/0,1483,NIR,00.html?countrycode=NIR title=FIFA.com: Northern Ireland, Latest News archiveurl=http://web.ar chive.org/web/20051210203557/http://www.fif a.com/en/organisation/confederations/associationdetails/0,1483,NIR,00.html?countrycode=NIR archivedate=10 December 2005}} Major Gaelic Athletic Association matches are opened by the Republic of Ireland national anthem, "Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldier's Song)", which is also used by some other all-Ireland sporting organisations.{{cite web url=http://cain.ulst& #46ac.uk/csc/reports/sugdenharvie/sugdenharvie95-3.htm title=Sport and Community Relations in Northern Ireland 3ǎ Flags and anthems author=John Sugden and Scott Harvie year=1995 accessdate=26 May 2008 }} Since 1995, the Ireland rugby union team has used a specially commissioned song, "Ireland's Call" as the team's anthem. The Republic of Ireland national anthem is also played at Dublin home matches as a courtesy to the host country.{{cite news quote=the band played ''Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika'' and ''Die Stem'' for the Springboks and ''Soldier's Song,'' the national anthem that is otherwise known as ''Amhran na bhFiann,'' and ''Ireland's Call,'' the team's official rugby anthem. url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103809383.html author=Peter Berlin publisher=International Herald Tribune via HighBeam Research date=29 December 2004 accessdate=26 May 2008 title=Long unsung teams live up to anthems: Rugb |
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