Northern Ireland

For the electoral constituency, see Northern Ireland religious segregation still remain major social problems
(European Parliament constituency).
and sporadic violence has continued.[21]
Northern Ireland has historically been the most industrialised region of Ireland. After declining as a result of the
political and social turmoil of the Troubles,[22] its economy has grown signicantly since the late 1990s. The initial growth came from the "peace dividend" and the links
and increased trade with the Republic of Ireland, continuing with a signicant increase in tourism, investment
and business from around the world. Unemployment in
Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, dropping to
6.1% for JuneAugust 2014 and down by 1.2 percentage points over the year,[23] similar to the UK gure of
6.2%.[24] 58.2% of those unemployed had been unemployed for over a year.

Northern Ireland (Irish:

Tuaisceart ireann[7]
[tuct en]; Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is
a top-level constituent unit of the United Kingdom in
the northeast of Ireland.[8] It is variously described as
a country, province, region, or part of the United
Kingdom, amongst other terms.[9][10][11] Northern
Ireland shares a border to the south and west with
the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was
1,810,863,[4] constituting about 30% of the islands
total population and about 3% of the UKs population.
Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part
of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland
Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved
policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the
British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with
the Republic of Ireland in some areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to put forward
views and proposals with determined eorts to resolve
disagreements between the two governments.[12]

Prominent artists and sports persons from Northern Ireland include Van Morrison, Rory McIlroy, Joey Dunlop,
Wayne McCullough and George Best. Some people from
Northern Ireland prefer to identify as Irish (e.g., poet
Seamus Heaney and actor Liam Neeson) while others
prefer to identify as British (e.g. actor Kenneth Branagh).
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
culture of the United Kingdom. In many sports, the island of Ireland elds a single team, a notable exception
being association football. Northern Ireland competes
separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from
Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or
Ireland at the Olympic Games.

Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was

partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by an act of the British parliament. Unlike Southern Ireland, which would become the Irish Free State
in 1922, the majority of Northern Irelands population
were unionists, who wanted to remain within the United
Kingdom,[13] most of whom were the Protestant descendants of colonists from Great Britain; however, a
signicant minority, mostly Catholics, were nationalists
who wanted a united Ireland independent of British
rule.[14][15][16][17] Today, the former generally see them- 1 History
selves as British and the latter generally see themselves as
Irish, while a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity is
claimed both by a large minority of Catholics and Protes- See also: History of Ireland and Ulster History
The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock
tants and by many of those who are non-aligned.[18]
of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes
For most of the 20th century, when it came into exis- of colonialism in the late 16th century. The Englishtence, Northern Ireland was marked by discrimination controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the
and hostility between these two sides in what First Min- English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance
ister of Northern Ireland David Trimble called a cold made English control fragmentary. Following Irish dehouse for Catholics. In the late 1960s, conict be- feat at the Battle of Kinsale, though, the regions Gaelic,
tween state forces and chiey Protestant unionists on the Roman Catholic aristocracy ed to continental Europe
one hand, and chiey Catholic nationalists on the other, in 1607 and the region became subject to major proerupted into three decades of violence known as the Trou- grammes of colonialism by Protestant English (mainly
bles, which claimed over 3,500 lives and caused over Anglican) and Scottish (mainly Presbyterian) settlers. A
50,000 casualties.[19][20] The 1998 Good Friday Agree- rebellion in 1641 by Irish aristocrats against English rule
ment was a major step in the peace process, including the resulted in a massacre of settlers in Ulster in the context
decommissioning of weapons, although sectarianism and of a war breaking out between England, Scotland and Ire1

HISTORY

Ireland and Britain and unite Irish people of all religions.

Following this, in an attempt to quell sectarianism and
force the removal of discriminatory laws (and to prevent
the spread of French-style republicanism to Ireland), the
government of the Kingdom of Great Britain pushed for
the two kingdoms to be merged. The new state, formed in
1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
was governed from a single government and parliament
based in London.

Cannon on Derry's city walls

Between 1717 and 1775 some 250,000 people from Ulster emigrated to the British North American colonies.[27]
It is estimated that there are more than 27 million ScotchIrish Americans now living in the US.[28]

land fuelled by religious intolerance in government. Victories by English forces in that war and further Protes- 1.1 Partition of Ireland
tant victories in the Williamite War in Ireland toward the
close of the 17th century solidied Anglican rule in Ire- Main article: Partition of Ireland
land. In Northern Ireland, the victories of the Siege of During the 19th century, legal reforms started in the late
Derry (1689) and the Battle of the Boyne (1690) in this
latter war are still celebrated by some Protestants (both
Anglican and Presbyterian).[25][26]

Signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912 in opposition to Home

Rule
Scrabo Tower, County Down

Following the victory of 1691, and contrary to the terms

of the Treaty of Limerick, after the Pope who had
been allied to William of Orange recognised James II
as continuing king of Great Britain and Ireland in place
of William, a series of penal laws was passed by the
Anglican ruling class in Ireland. Their intention was to
materially disadvantage the Catholic community and, to
a lesser extent, the Presbyterian community. In the context of open institutional discrimination, the 18th century
saw secret, militant societies develop in communities in
the region and act on sectarian tensions in violent attacks.
These events escalated at the end of the century following an event known as the Battle of the Diamond, which
saw the supremacy of the Anglican and Presbyterian Peep
o'Day Boys over the Catholic Defenders and leading to
the formation of the Anglican Orange Order. A rebellion in 1798 led by the cross-community Belfast-based
Society of the United Irishmen and inspired by the French
Revolution sought to break the constitutional ties between

18th century continued to remove statutory discrimination against Catholics, and progressive programmes enabled tenant farmers to buy land from landlords. By the
close of the century, autonomy for Ireland within the
United Kingdom, known as Home Rule, was regarded
as highly likely. In 1912, after decades of obstruction
from the House of Lords, Home Rule became a nearcertainty. A clash between the House of Commons and
House of Lords over a controversial budget produced the
Parliament Act 1911, which enabled the veto of the Lords
to be overturned. The House of Lords veto had been the
unionists main guarantee that Home Rule would not be
enacted, because the majority of members of the House
of Lords were unionists. In response, opponents to Home
Rule, from Conservative and Unionist Party leaders such
as Andrew Bonar Law and Dublin-based barrister Sir
Edward Carson to militant working class unionists in
Ireland, threatened the use of violence. In 1914, they
smuggled thousands of ries and rounds of ammunition
from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers
(UVF), a paramilitary organisation opposed to the imple-

1.2

Northern Ireland

mentation of Home Rule.

Unionists were in a minority in Ireland as a whole, but
in the northern province of Ulster they were a very large
majority in County Antrim and County Down, small majorities in County Armagh and County Londonderry and
a substantial minority in the rest of the province.[29] These
four counties, as well as County Fermanagh and County
Tyrone, would later constitute Northern Ireland. Most of
the remaining 26 counties which later became the Republic of Ireland were overwhelmingly majority-nationalist.
During the Home Rule Crisis the possibility was discussed of a temporary partition of these six counties
from the rest of Ireland. In 1914, the Third Home Rule The Coat of Arms of Northern Ireland used between 1924 and
Bill received Royal Assent as the Government of Ireland 1973
Act 1914. However, its implementation was suspended
before it came into eect because of the outbreak of
the First World War, and the Amending Bill to partition Ireland was abandoned. The war was expected to
last only a few weeks but in fact lasted four years. By
the end of the war (during which the 1916 Easter Rising
had taken place), the Act was seen as unimplementable.
Public opinion among nationalists had shifted during the
war from a demand for home rule to one for full independence. In 1919, David Lloyd George proposed a new bill
which would divide Ireland into two Home Rule areas:
twenty-six counties being ruled from Dublin and six being ruled from Belfast. Straddling these two areas would
be a shared Lord Lieutenant of Ireland who would appoint both governments and a Council of Ireland, which
Lloyd George believed would evolve into an all-Ireland Opening of Stormont in 1932
parliament.[30]
Events overtook the government. In the general elecMajestys most dutiful and loyal subjects, the
tion of 1918, the pro-independence Sinn Fin won 73
Senators and Commons of Northern Ireland
of the 105 parliamentary seats in Ireland and unilaterally
in Parliament assembled, having learnt of the
established the First Dil, an extrajudicial parliament in
passing of the Irish Free State Constitution
Ireland. Ireland was partitioned between Northern IreAct 1922, being the Act of Parliament for the
land and Southern Ireland in 1921 under the terms of
ratication of the Articles of Agreement for a
Lloyd Georges Government of Ireland Act 1920[31] durTreaty between Great Britain and Ireland, do,
ing the Anglo-Irish War between Irish republican and
by this humble Address, pray your Majesty
British forces. The war ended on 6 December 1921, with
that the powers of the Parliament and Govthe signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the
ernment of the Irish Free State shall no longer
Irish Free State. Under the terms of the treaty, Northextend to Northern Ireland.[34][35]
ern Ireland would become part of the Free State unless
the government opted out by presenting an address to the Shortly afterwards, the Boundary Commission was estabking, although in practice partition remained in place.[32] lished to decide on the territorial boundaries between the
Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Owing to the outbreak of civil war in the Free State, the work of the com1.2 Northern Ireland
mission was delayed until 1925. Leaders in Dublin expected a substantial reduction in the territory of Northern
Main article: History of Northern Ireland
Ireland, with nationalist areas moving to the Free State.
As expected, the Houses of the Parliament of Northern However the commissions report recommended only that
Ireland resolved on 7 December 1922 (the day after the some small portions of land should be ceded from Northestablishment of the Irish Free State) to exercise its right ern Ireland to the Free State and even that a small amount
to opt out of the Free State by making an address to the of land should be ceded from the Free State to Northern
King.[33] The text of the address was:
Ireland. To prevent argument, this report was suppressed
and, in exchange for a waiver to the Free States obligaMost Gracious Sovereign, We, your
tions to the UKs public debt and the dissolution of the

HISTORY

Council of Ireland (sought by the Government of North- republican front, and the violent reaction to it, proved
ern Ireland), the initial six-county border was maintained to be a precursor to a more violent period.[42] As early
with no changes.
as 1969, armed campaigns of paramilitary groups began,
In June 1940, to encourage the neutral Irish state to join including the Provisional IRA campaign of 19691997
with the Allies, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill which was aimed at the end of British rule in Northindicated to the Taoiseach amon de Valera that the ern Ireland and the creation of a United Ireland, and the
United Kingdom would push for Irish unity, but believ- Ulster Volunteer Force, formed in 1966 in response to
ing that Churchill could not deliver, de Valera declined the perceived erosion of both the British character and
unionist domination of Northern Ireland. The state secuthe oer.[36] The British did not inform the Government
of Northern Ireland that they had made the oer to the rity forces the British Army and the police (the Royal
Ulster Constabulary) were also involved in the violence.
Dublin government, and De Valeras rejection was not
The
British governments position is that its forces were
publicised until 1970.
neutral in the conict, trying to uphold law and order in
The Ireland Act 1949 gave the rst legal guarantee that Northern Ireland and the right of the people of Northern
the region would not cease to be part of the United King- Ireland to democratic self-determination. Republicans
dom without the consent of the Parliament of Northern regarded the state forces as combatants in the conict,
Ireland.
pointing to the collusion between the state forces and the
loyalist paramilitaries as proof of this. The Ballast investigation by the Police Ombudsman has conrmed that
1.2.1 The Troubles
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 been
investigated,[43] 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 IreResponsibility for Troubles-related deaths between 1969 and land. In 1973, Northern Ireland held a referendum to determine if it should remain in the United Kingdom, or be
2001
part of a united Ireland. The vote went heavily in favour
(98.9%) of maintaining the status quo. Approximately
Main article: The Troubles
57.5% of the total electorate voted in support, but only
1% of Catholics voted following a boycott organised by
The Troubles, which started in the late 1960s, consisted the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).[44]
of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence during which 3,254 people were killed[37] with
over 50,000 casualties.[38] From 1969 to 2003 there 1.2.2 Peace process
were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200
bombings or attempted bombings associated with The Main article: Northern Ireland peace process
Troubles.[39] The conict was caused by the disputed status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and The Troubles were brought to an uneasy end by a peace
the discrimination against the Irish nationalist minority by process which included the declaration of ceaseres by
the dominant unionist majority.[40] From 1967 to 1972 most paramilitary organisations and the complete decomthe Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), missioning of their weapons, the reform of the police, and
which modelled itself on the US civil rights movement, the corresponding withdrawal of army troops from the
led a campaign of civil resistance to anti-Catholic dis- streets and from sensitive border areas such as South Arcrimination in housing, employment, policing, and elec- magh and Fermanagh, as agreed by the signatories to the
toral procedures. The franchise for local government Belfast Agreement (commonly known as the "Good Frielections included only rate-payers and their spouses, and day Agreement"). This reiterated the long-held British
so excluded over a quarter of the electorate. While the position, which had never before been fully acknowlmajority of disenfranchised electors were Protestant, but edged by successive Irish governments, that Northern IreCatholics were over-represented since they were poorer land will remain within the United Kingdom until a maand had more adults still living in the family home.[41]
jority of voters in Northern Ireland decides otherwise.
NICRAs campaign, seen by many unionists as an Irish The Constitution of Ireland was amended in 1999 to re-

5
move a claim of the Irish nation to sovereignty over the
whole of Ireland (in Article 2), a claim qualied by an
acknowledgement that Ireland could only exercise legal
control over the territory formerly known as the Irish Free
State.

former top civil servant.[48]

Politicians elected to the Assembly at the 2003 Assembly
election were called together on 15 May 2006 under the
Northern Ireland Act 2006[49] for the purpose 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 step to the
restoration of devolved government.
Following the election held on 7 March 2007, devolved
government returned on 8 May 2007 with Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fin
deputy leader Martin McGuinness taking oce as First
Minister and deputy First Minister, respectively.[50]

2 Politics
First Minister Ian Paisley (DUP), his deputy Martin McGuinness
(Sinn Fin) and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in 2008.

The new 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 the Republic
of Ireland, would only be changed with the agreement
of a majority of voters in each jurisdiction. This aspect was also central to the Belfast Agreement which was
signed in 1998 and ratied by referendums held simultaneously in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. At
the same time, the British Government recognised for the
rst 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.[45] The latter statement was key to
winning support for the agreement from nationalists. It
established a devolved power-sharing government within
Northern Ireland, which 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 Fin at the Assembly (Stormontgate).
The resulting case against the accused Sinn Fin member
collapsed.[46][47]

Main article: Politics of Northern Ireland

2.1 Background
The main 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 unied with the Republic of Ireland, independent from the United Kingdom.
These two opposing views are linked to deeper cultural
divisions. Unionists are predominantly Ulster Protestant,
descendants of mainly Scottish, English, and Huguenot
settlers as 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 Scottish Highlands as well as some converts from Protestantism. Discrimination against nationalists under the Stormont government (19211972) gave rise to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.[51]

While some unionists argue that discrimination was not

just due to religious or political bigotry, but also the result of more complex socio-economic, socio-political and
geographical factors.[52] its existence, and the manner in
which nationalist anger at it was handled, were a major
On 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA declared an end contributing factor to the Troubles. The political unrest
its most violent phase between 1968 and
to its campaign and has since decommissioned what is went through
[53]
1994.
thought to be all of its arsenal. This nal act of decommissioning was performed in accordance with the In 2007, 36% of the population dened themselves as
Belfast Agreement of 1998, and under the watch of the unionist, 24% as nationalist and 40% dened themselves
Independent International Commission on Decommis- as neither.[54] According to a 2015 opinion poll, 70%
sioning and two external church witnesses. Many union- express a long-term preference of the maintenance of
ists, however, remain sceptical. The International Com- Northern Irelands membership of the United Kingdom
mission later conrmed that the main loyalist paramil- (either directly ruled or with devolved government), while
itary groups, the UDA, UVF and the Red Hand Com- 14% express a preference for membership of a united
mando, had decommissioned what is thought to be all of Ireland.[55] This discrepancy can be explained by the
their arsenals, witnessed by a former Archbishop and a overwhelming preference among Protestants to remain

2 POLITICS

a part of the UK (93%), while Catholic preferences are

spread across a number of solutions to the constitutional
question including remaining a part of the UK (47%),
a united Ireland (32%), Northern Ireland becoming an
independent state (4%), and those who don't know
(16%).[56]
Ocial voting gures, which reect 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 unionist parties, 42% vote for nationalist parties and 4% vote other.
Opinion polls consistently show that the election results
are not necessarily an indication of the electorates stance
regarding the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.
Most of the population of Northern Ireland are at least
nominally Christian, mostly Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations. Many voters (regardless of religious
aliation) are attracted to unionisms conservative policies, while other voters are instead attracted to the traditionally leftist Sinn Fin and SDLP and their respective party platforms for democratic socialism and social
democracy.[57]

Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast, seat of the assembly.

utive in the North/South Ministerial Council, which coordinates areas of co-operation (such as agriculture, education and health) between Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland. Additionally, in recognition of
the Irish Governments special interest in Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland and Government of
For the most part, Protestants feel a strong connection
the United Kingdom co-operate closely on non-devolved
with Great Britain and wish for Northern Ireland to rematters through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conmain part of the United Kingdom. Many Catholics howference.
ever, generally aspire to a United Ireland or are less certain about how to solve the constitutional question. In the Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly are by
2015 survey by Northern Ireland Life and Times, 47% of single transferable vote with six representatives (MemNorthern Irish Catholics supported Northern Ireland re- ber of the Legislative Assembly, MLAs) elected from 18
maining a part of the United Kingdom, either by direct parliamentary constituencies. Eighteen representatives
to the lower house of the UK parliament (Members of
rule (6%) or devolved government (41%).
Parliament, MPs) are elected from the same constituenProtestants have a slight majority in Northern Ireland, accies using the rst-past-the-post system. However, not
cording to the latest Northern Ireland Census. The makeall of these take their seats. Sinn Fin MPs, currently
up of the Northern Ireland Assembly reects the appeals
ve, refuse to take the oath to serve the Queen that is reof the various parties within the population. Of the 108
quired before MPs are allowed to take their seats. In adMLAs, 56 are unionists and 40 are nationalists (the redition, the upper house of the UK parliament, the House
maining 12 are classied as other).
of Lords, currently has some 25 appointed members from
Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland itself forms a single
constituency for elections to the European Parliament.

2.2

Governance

Main articles: Elections in Northern Ireland and

Northern Ireland law
Since 1998, Northern Ireland has had devolved government within the United Kingdom. The UK Government
and UK Parliament are responsible for reserved and excepted matters. Reserved matters comprise listed policy
areas (such as civil aviation, units of measurement, and
human genetics) that Parliament may devolve to Northern
Ireland Assembly at some time in the future. Excepted
matters (such as international relations, taxation and elections) are never expected to be considered for devolution.
On all other governmental matters, the Northern Ireland
Executive together with the 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly may legislate for and govern Northern Ireland. Devolution in Northern Ireland is dependent upon
participation by members of the Northern Ireland exec-

The Northern Ireland Oce represents the UK government in Northern Ireland on reserved matters and represents Northern Irelands interests within the UK Government. Additionally, the Republics government also has
the right to put forward views and proposals on nondevolved matters in relation to Northern Ireland. The
Northern Ireland Oce 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 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 important dierences in
law and procedure between Northern Ireland and Eng-

2.4

Alternative names

land and Wales. The body of statute law aecting Northern Ireland reects 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.

2.3

Descriptions

7
is also pointed out as being a problem with using the
term[11][74][75] and is in contrast to England, Scotland, and
Wales.[76]
Many commentators prefer to use the term province,
although that is also not without problems. It can arouse
irritation, 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.[10][70] The BBC style guide is to
refer to Northern Ireland as a province, and use 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: referring to Northern Ireland as being a province
both of the United Kingdom and of the traditional country of Ireland.[74]

There is no generally accepted term to describe what

Northern Ireland is: province, region, country or something else.[9][10][11] The choice of term can be controversial and can reveal the writers political preferences.[10]
This has been noted as a problem by several writers
on Northern Ireland, with no generally recommended Region is used by several UK government agencies and
solution.[9][10][11]
the European Union. Some authors choose this word but
[10][11]
Northern Ireland can
Owing in part to the way in which the United Kingdom, note that it is unsatisfactory.
also
be
simply
described
as
part
of
the UK, including
and Northern Ireland, came into being, there is no legally
[58]
by
UK
government
oces.
dened term to describe what Northern Ireland 'is. There
is also no uniform or guiding way to refer to Northern
Ireland amongst the agencies of the UK government. For
example, the websites of the Oce of the Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom[58] and the UK Statistics Authority describe the United Kingdom as being made up of
four countries, one of these being Northern Ireland.[59]
Other pages on the same websites refer to Northern Ireland specically as a province as do publications of the
UK Statistics Authority.[60][61] The website of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency also refers to
Northern Ireland as being a province[62] as does the website of the Oce of Public Sector Information[63] and
other agencies within Northern Ireland.[64] Publications
of HM Treasury[65] and the Department of Finance and
Personnel of the Northern Ireland Executive,[66] on the
other hand, describe Northern Ireland as being a region
of the UK. The UKs submission to the 2007 United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical
Names denes the UK as being made up of two countries
(England and Scotland), one principality (Wales) and one
province (Northern Ireland).[67]
Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland
has no history of being an independent country or of
being a nation in its own right.[68] Some writers describe the United Kingdom as being made up of three
countries and one province[69] or point out the diculties with calling Northern Ireland a country.[70] Authors writing specically about Northern Ireland dismiss
the idea that Northern Ireland is a country in general
terms,[9][11][71][72] and draw contrasts in this respect with
England, Scotland and Wales.[73] Even for the period covering the rst 50 years of Northern Irelands existence, the
term country is considered inappropriate by some political scientists on the basis that many decisions were still
made in London.[68] The absence of a distinct nation of
Northern Ireland, separate within the island of Ireland,

2.4 Alternative names

Main article: Alternative names for Northern Ireland
Many people inside and outside Northern Ireland use
other names for Northern Ireland, depending on their
point of view. Disagreement on names, and the reading
of political symbolism into the use or non-use of a word,
also attaches itself to some urban centres. The most notable example is whether Northern Irelands second city
should be called Derry or Londonderry.
Choice of language and nomenclature in Northern Ireland
often reveals the cultural, ethnic and religious identity of
the speaker. The rst Deputy First Minister of Northern
Ireland, Seamus Mallon, was criticised by unionist politicians for calling the region the North of Ireland while
Sinn Fin has been criticised in a Dublin newspaper for
referring to the Six Counties.[77]
Those who do not belong to any group but lean towards
one side often tend to use the language of that group.
Supporters of unionism in the British media (notably
The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express) regularly call
Northern Ireland Ulster.[78] Some media outlets in the
Republic use North of Ireland, the North, or (less often) the Six Counties.
Government and cultural organisations in Northern Ireland often use the word Ulster in their title; for example, 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 ocial name,
Northern Ireland, the term the North remains com-

3 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

monly used by broadcast media in the Republic. For

land should be avoided in reference to Great Britain
Northern Irelands second largest city, broadcasting outin relation to Northern Ireland.[82]
lets which are unaligned to either community and broadcast to both use both names interchangeably, often starting a report with Londonderry and then using Derry 2.4.2 Nationalist (usually Catholic)
in the rest of the report. However, within Northern Ire North of Ireland used to avoid using the name
land, print media which are aligned to either ideology
given by the British-enacted Government of Ireland
(the Belfast Telegraph and News Letter are unionist in outAct 1920.
look while the Irish News is nationalist) generally use their
preferred term. British newspapers with unionist lean The Six Counties (Irish: na S Chontae) the
ings, such as The Daily Telegraph, usually use unionist
Republic of Ireland is similarly described as the
language. However the more left-wing Guardian recTwenty-Six Counties.[83] Some of the users of these
ommends in its style guide using Derry and County
terms contend that using the ocial name of the reDerry, and not Londonderry.[79]
gion would imply acceptance of the legitimacy of
The division in nomenclature is sometimes seen in the
the Government of Ireland Act.
names of organisations associated with either side of
the political divide, but there are exceptions. In Gaelic
The Occupied Six Counties used by
games, followed mainly by nationalists, the GAA county
republicans.[84] The Republic, whose legitiis "Derry", but in sports followed mainly by unionists,
macy is similarly not recognised by republicans
clubs tend to avoid the use of Londonderry in favour
opposed to the Belfast Agreement, is described as
of more precise locales (Glendermott Cricket Club) or
the Free State, referring to the Irish Free State,
neutral terms (Foyle Hockey Club). Derry is also used
which gained independence (as a Dominion) in
in the names of both the Church of Ireland and Roman
1922.[85]
Catholic dioceses, and by one of the largest Protestant
fraternal societies, the Apprentice Boys of Derry. There
British-Occupied Ireland Similar in tone to
is no agreement on how to decide on a name. When the
the Occupied Six Counties,[86] this term is used
nationalist-controlled local council voted to rename the
by more dogmatic republicans, such as Republican
city Derry, unionists objected, stating that as it owed
Sinn Fin,[87] who still hold that the Second Dil was
its city status to a Royal Charter, only a charter issued
the last legitimate government of Ireland and that
by the Queen could change the name. The Queen has
all governments since have been foreign-imposed
not intervened on the matter and thus the council is now
usurpations of Irish national self-determination.[88]
called the Derry City Council while the city is still ocially Londonderry. Nevertheless, the council has printed
two sets of stationeryone for each termand its policy 2.4.3 Other
is to reply to correspondence using whichever term the
Norn Iron is an informal and aectionate[89] local
original sender used.
nickname used by both nationalists and unionists to
refer to Northern Ireland, derived from the pronun2.4.1 Unionist (usually Protestant)
ciation of the words Northern Ireland in an exaggerated Ulster accent (particularly one from the
Ulster, strictly speaking, refers to the province of
greater Belfast area). The phrase is seen as a lightUlster, of which six of nine historical counties are in
hearted way to refer to Northern Ireland, based as
Northern Ireland. The term Ulster is widely used
it is on regional pronunciation. Often refers to the
by unionists and the British press as shorthand for
Northern Ireland national football team.[90]
Northern Ireland, and is also favoured by Ulster nationalists.[80] In the past, calls have been made for
Northern Irelands name to be changed to Ulster.
This proposal was formally considered by the Gov- 3 Geography and climate
ernment of Northern Ireland in 1937 and by the UK
Government in 1949 but no change was made.[81]
Main articles: Geography of Ireland and Geography of
The Province refers to the historic Irish province the United Kingdom
of Ulster but today is used by some as shorthand for 3 C isotherm used to distinguish temperate (C) and
Northern Ireland. The BBC, in its editorial guid- continental (D) climates.
ance 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 main-

Northern Ireland was covered by an ice sheet for most of

the last ice age and on numerous previous occasions, the
legacy of which can be seen in the extensive coverage of
drumlins in Counties Fermanagh, Armagh, Antrim and
particularly Down.

Hares Gap, Mourne Mountains

Kppen climate types of Northern Ireland

The Giants Causeway, County Antrim

The volcanic activity which created the Antrim Plateau

also formed the eerily geometric pillars of the Giants
Causeway on the north Antrim coast. Also in north
Antrim are the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Mussenden
Temple and the Glens of Antrim.
Lough Neagh

The centrepiece of Northern Irelands geography is

Lough Neagh, at 151 square miles (391 km2 ) the largest
freshwater lake both on the island of Ireland and in the
British Isles. A second extensive lake system is centred on
Lower and Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh. The largest
island of Northern Ireland is Rathlin, o the north Antrim
coast. Strangford Lough is the largest inlet in the British
Isles, covering 150 km2 (58 sq mi).
There are substantial uplands in the Sperrin Mountains
(an extension of the Caledonian mountain belt) with extensive gold deposits, granite Mourne Mountains and
basalt Antrim Plateau, as well as smaller ranges in South
Armagh and along the FermanaghTyrone border. None
of the hills are especially high, with Slieve Donard in the
dramatic Mournes reaching 850 metres (2,789 ft), Northern Irelands highest point. Belfasts most prominent peak
is Cavehill.

Marble Arch Caves

The Lower and Upper River Bann, River Foyle and River
Blackwater form extensive fertile lowlands, with excellent
arable land also found in North and East Down, although
much of the hill country is marginal and suitable largely

10

4 ECONOMY

for animal husbandry.

The valley of the River Lagan is dominated by Belfast,
whose metropolitan area includes over a third of the population of Northern Ireland, with heavy urbanisation and
industrialisation along the Lagan Valley and both shores
of Belfast Lough.
The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The
weather is unpredictable at all times of the year, and
although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably
less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern
seaboard of North America. Average daytime 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 30.8 C (87.4 F) at Knockarevan,
near Garrison, County Fermanagh on 30 June 1976 and
at Belfast on 12 July 1983.[91] The lowest minimum temperature recorded was 18.7 C (1.7 F) at Castlederg,
County Tyrone on 23 December 2010.[92]

3.1

Counties

tion page, as opposed to the town or city of birth on the

United Kingdom passport. The Gaelic Athletic Association still uses the counties as its primary means of organisation and elds representative teams of each GAA
county. The original system of car registration numbers
largely based on counties still remains in use. In 2000,
the telephone numbering system was restructured into an
8 digit scheme with (except for Belfast) the rst digit approximately reecting the county.
The county boundaries still appear on Ordnance Survey
of Northern Ireland Maps and the Phillips Street Atlases,
among others. With their decline in ocial use, there
is often 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).

4 Economy
Main articles: Economy of Northern Ireland and
Transport in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial econ-

Main article: Counties of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland consists of six historic counties: County
Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry,[93] County Tyrone.
These counties are no longer used for local government
purposes; instead there are eleven districts of Northern
Ireland which have dierent geographical extents. These
were created in 2015, replacing the twenty-six districts
which previously existed.[94]

Goliath crane of Harland & Wol in Belfast.

omy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and

textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced
by services, primarily the public sector. Government subsidies account for 20% of the economys revenue.

Mussenden Temple, County Londonderry

Seventy percent of the economys revenue comes from

the service sector. Apart from the public sector, another
important service sector is tourism, which rose to account
for over 1% of the economys revenue 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. More recently, the economy has beneted from major investment by many large multi-national
corporations into high tech industry. These large rms
are attracted by government subsidies and the skilled
workforce in Northern Ireland.

Although counties are no longer used for local governmental purposes, they remain a popular means of describing where places are. They are ocially used while applying for an Irish passport, which requires one to state
ones county of birth. The name of that county then appears in both Irish and English on the passports informa- The local economy has seen contraction during the Great

11
Recession. In response, the Northern Ireland Assembly
has sent trade missions abroad. The Executive wishes
to gain taxation powers from London, in order to align
Northern Irelands corporation tax rate with the unusually low rate of the Republic of Ireland.

Transport

M2 connecting Belfast to the north. An unconnected

section of the M2 also by-passes Ballymena
M22 connecting the M2 to near Randalstown
M3 connecting the M1 and M2 in Belfast with the
A2 dual carriageway to Bangor
M5 connecting Belfast to Newtownabbey

Main article: Transport in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has underdeveloped transport infras-

The cross-border road connecting the ports of Larne in

Northern Ireland and Rosslare Harbour in the Republic
of Ireland is being upgraded as part of an EU-funded
scheme. European route E01 runs from Larne through
the island of Ireland, Spain and Portugal to Seville.

6 Demographics
Main articles: Demography of Northern Ireland, People
of Northern Ireland, and Religion in Northern Ireland
The population of Northern Ireland has risen yearly since
An NIR C3K railcar

tructure, 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 sea ports at Larne and Belfast carry passengers and
freight between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Passenger railways are operated by Northern Ireland Railways. With Iarnrd ireann (Irish Rail), Northern Ireland
Railways co-operates in providing the joint Enterprise
service between Dublin Connolly and Belfast Central.
The whole of Ireland has a mainline railway network with 2011 census: dierences in proportions of those who are, or were
a gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), which is unique in Europe brought up, either Catholic or Protestant
and has resulted in distinct rolling stock designs. Main
railway lines linking to and from Belfast Great Victoria
1978. The population in 2011 was 1.8 million, having
Street railway station and Belfast Central are:
grown 7.5% over the previous decade[95] from just under
1.7 million in 2001. This constitutes just under 3% of the
The Derry Line and the Portrush Branch.
population of the UK (62 million) and just over 28% of
the population of the island of Ireland (6.3 million).
The Larne Line
The population of Northern Ireland is almost entirely
white (98.2%).[95] In 2011, 88.8% of the population were
born in Northern Ireland, with 4.5% born in Britain, and
The Portadown Line
2.9% born in the Republic of Ireland. 4.3% were born
elsewhere; triple the amount there were in 2001.[96] Most
Main motorways are:
are from Eastern Europe and Baltic states. The largest
M1 connecting Belfast to the south and west, ending non-white ethnic groups were Chinese (6,300) and Indian
(6,200). Black people of various origins made up 0.2% of
in Dungannon
the 2011 population and people of mixed ethnicity made
M12 connecting the M1 to Portadown
up 0.2%.[97]
The Bangor Line

12

6.1

6 DEMOGRAPHICS

Religion

In the 2011 census, 41.5% of the population identied as belonging to Protestant or other non-Roman
Catholic Christian denominations. The biggest of these
denominations were the Presbyterian Church (19%), the
Church of Ireland (14%) and the Methodist Church (3%).
The largest single denomination is the Roman Catholic
Church, to which 41% of the population belonged. 0.8%
identied with non-Christian religions or philosophies,
while 17% identied with no religion or did not state
one.[97] In terms of community background (i.e. religion or religion brought up in), 48% of the population
came from a Protestant background, 45% from a Catholic
background, 0.9% from non-Christian backgrounds, and
5.6% from non-religious backgrounds.[97]

6.2

Citizenship and identity

Further information: British nationality law and Irish nationality law

In the 2011 census in Northern Ireland respondents gave

all other, which are largely immigrants, for example

from Poland.
A 2008 survey found that 57% of Protestants described
themselves as British, while 32% identied as Northern
Irish, 6% as Ulster and 4% as Irish. Compared to a similar 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 gures were largely unchanged from the 1998 results.[109][110]
People born in Northern Ireland are, with some exceptions, deemed by UK law to be citizens of the United
Kingdom. They are also, with similar exceptions, entitled
to be citizens of Ireland. This entitlement was rearmed
in the 1998 Good 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 so choose, and accordingly [the two governments] conrm that their right to hold both
British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both
Governments and would not be aected by any
future change in the status of Northern Ireland.

Map of predominant national identity in the 2011 census

their national identity as follows.[100]

Several 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.[101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108]
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 as a primary or secondary identity. Overall, the
Catholic population is somewhat more ethnically diverse
than the more homogeneous Protestant population. Fully
83.1% of Protestants identied as British or with a
British ethnic group (English, Scottish, or Welsh) in the
2011 Census, whereas only 3.9% identied as Irish.
Meanwhile, 13.7% of Catholics identied as British or
with a British ethnic group; a further 4.4% identied as

Map of most commonly held passport

As a result of the Agreement, the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland was amended. The current wording provides that people born in Northern Ireland are entitled to
be Irish citizens on the same basis as people from any
other part of the island.[111]
Neither government, however, extends its citizenship to
all persons born in Northern Ireland. Both governments
exclude some people born in Northern Ireland, in particular persons born without one parent who is a British or
Irish citizen. The Irish restriction was given eect by the
twenty-seventh amendment to the Irish Constitution in
2004. The position in UK nationality law is that most of

6.3

Languages

13

those born in Northern Ireland are UK nationals, whether 6.3.1 English

or not they so choose. Renunciation of British citizenship
requires the payment of a fee, currently 229.[112]
Main article: Mid-Ulster English
In the 2011 census in Northern Ireland respondents stated
that they held the following passports.[113]
The dialect of English spoken in Northern Ireland shows
inuence from the lowland Scots language.[116] There are
supposedly some minute dierences in pronunciation between Protestants and Catholics, the best known of which
6.3 Languages
is the name of the letter h, which Protestants tend to pronounce as aitch, as in British English, and Catholics
Main article: Languages of Northern Ireland
tend to pronounce as haitch, as in Hiberno-English.
English is spoken as a rst language by almost all of the
However, geography is a much more important determinant of dialect than religious background.
6.3.2 Irish

Approximate boundaries of the current and historical

English/Scots dialects in Ulster. South to north, the colour
bands represent Hiberno-English, South-Ulster English, MidUlster English and the three traditional Ulster Scots areas. The
Irish-speaking Gaeltacht is not shown.

Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in

Irish in the 2011 census

Northern Ireland population. It is the de facto ocial language and the Administration of Justice (Language) Act Main articles: Irish language in Northern Ireland and
(Ireland) 1737 prohibits the use of languages other than Ulster Irish
English in legal proceedings.
The Irish language (Irish: an Ghaeilge), or Gaelic, is a
Under the Good Friday Agreement, Irish and Ulster
[117]
It was spoken predomiScots (an Ulster dialect of the Scots language, some- native language of Ireland.
nantly throughout what is now Northern Ireland before
times known as Ullans), are recognised as part of the
cultural wealth of Northern Ireland.[114] Two all-island the Ulster Plantations in the 17th century and most place
names in Northern Ireland are anglicised versions of a
bodies for the promotion of these were created under the
Gaelic
name. Today, the language is often associated
Agreement: Foras na Gaeilge, which promotes the Irish
with
Irish
nationalism (and thus with Catholics). Howlanguage, and the Ulster Scots Agency, which promotes
ever,
in
the
19th century, the language was seen as a comthe Ulster Scots dialect and culture. These operate sepamon
heritage,
with Ulster Protestants playing a leading
rately under the aegis of the North/South Language Body,
Gaelic
revival.
role
in
the
which reports to the North/South Ministerial Council.
The British government in 2001 ratied the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Irish (in
Northern Ireland) was specied under Part III of the
Charter, with a range of specic undertakings in relation to education, translation of statutes, interaction with
public authorities, the use of placenames, media access,
support for cultural activities and other matters. A lower
level of recognition was accorded to Ulster Scots, under
Part II of the Charter.[115]

In the 2011 census, 11% of the population of Northern Ireland claimed some knowledge of Irish[95] and
3.7% reported being able to speak, read, write and understand Irish.[95] In another survey, from 1999, 1% of
respondents said they spoke it as their main language at
home.[118]
The dialect spoken in Northern Ireland, Ulster Irish, has
two main types, East Ulster Irish and Donegal Irish (or
West Ulster Irish),[119] is the one closest to Scottish Gaelic

14

7 CULTURE

(which developed into a separate language from Irish

Gaelic in the 17th 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 very similar to the dialect of Argyll, the part of
Scotland nearest to Ireland. And those dialects of Armagh and Down were also very similar to the dialects of
Galloway.
Use of the Irish language in Northern Ireland today is politically sensitive. The erection by some district councils
of bilingual street names in both English and Irish,[120] invariably in predominantly nationalist districts, is resisted
by unionists who claim that it creates a chill factor and
thus harms community relationships. Eorts by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate for
some ocial uses of the language have failed to achieve
the required cross-community support, and the UK government has declined to legislate. There has recently been
an increase in interest in the language among unionists in
East Belfast.[121]
6.3.3

Ulster Scots

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.[95]
6.3.4 Sign languages
Main articles: Northern Ireland Sign Language, Irish
Sign Language, and British Sign Language
The most common sign language 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 where Irish Sign Language (ISL) is commonly used. ISL is still common
among many older deaf people from Catholic families.
Irish Sign Language (ISL) has some inuence from the
French family of sign language, which includes American
Sign Language (ASL). NISL takes a large component
from the British family of sign language (which also
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 lexicon is based
on British Sign Language (BSL)[125] and American Sign
Language.
As of March 2004 the British Government recognises
only British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as the
ocial sign languages used in Northern Ireland.[126][127]

7 Culture
Main article: Culture of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland shares both the culture of Ireland and

Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in

Ulster Scots in the 2011 census

Main article: Ulster Scots dialects

Ulster Scots comprises varieties of the Scots language
spoken in Northern Ireland. For a native English speaker,
"[Ulster Scots] is comparatively accessible, and even at its
most intense can be understood fairly easily with the help
of a glossary.[122]
An Orange march
Along with the Irish language, the Good Friday Agreement recognised the dialect as part of Northern Irelands the culture of the United Kingdom. Those of Catholic
unique culture and the St Andrews Agreement recognised background tend to identity more with Irish culture, and
the need to enhance and develop the Ulster Scots lan- those of Protestant background more with British culguage, heritage and culture.[123]
ture. This has caused the two communities to become
Approximately 2% of the population claim to speak Ul- pillarised.
ster Scots.[124] However, the number speaking it as their Parades are a prominent feature of Northern Ireland
main language in their home is negligible,[118] with only society,[128] more so than in the rest of Ireland or

15
in Britain. Most are held by Protestant fraternities
such as the Orange Order, and Ulster loyalist marching bands. Each summer, during the marching season,
these groups have hundreds of parades, deck streets with
British ags, bunting and specially-made arches, and light
large towering bonres.[129] The biggest parades are held
on 12 July (The Twelfth). There is often tension when
these activities take place near Catholic neighbourhoods,
which sometimes leads to violence.[130]

painted red-white-blue or green-white-orange, depending on whether local people express unionist/loyalist or

nationalist/republican sympathies.[133]
The ocial ag is that of the state having sovereignty
over the territory, i.e. the Union Flag.[134] The former
Northern Ireland ag, also known as the "Ulster Banner"
or Red Hand Flag, is a banner derived from the coat of
arms of the Government of Northern Ireland until 1972.
Since 1972, it has had no ocial status. The Union Flag
and the Ulster Banner are used exclusively by unionists.
UK ags policy states that in Northern Ireland, The Ulster ag and the Cross of St Patrick have no ocial status
and, under the Flags Regulations, are not permitted to be
own from Government Buildings.[135][136]

Since the end of the Troubles, Northern Ireland has witnessed rising numbers of tourists. Attractions include
cultural festivals, musical and artistic traditions, countryside and geographical sites of interest, public houses,
welcoming hospitality and sports (especially golf and shing). Since 1987 public houses have been allowed to open The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Church of Ireon Sundays, despite some opposition.
land have used the Saint Patricks Saltire or Cross of St
The Ulster Cycle is a large body of prose and verse cen- Patrick. This red saltire on a white eld was used to reptring on the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is resent Ireland in the ag of the United Kingdom. It is still
now eastern Ulster. This is one of the four major cy- used by some British army regiments. Foreign ags are
cles of Irish mythology. The cycle centres on the reign also found, such as the Palestinian ags in some nationalof Conchobar mac Nessa, who is said to have been king ist areas and Israeli ags in some unionist areas.[137]
of Ulster around the 1st century. He ruled from Emain
The United Kingdom national anthem of "God Save the
Macha (now Navan Fort near Armagh), and had a erce Queen" is often played at state events in Northern Irerivalry with queen Medb and king Ailill of Connacht
land. At the Commonwealth Games and some other
and their ally, Fergus mac Rich, former king of Ulster. sporting events, the Northern Ireland team uses the UlThe foremost hero of the cycle is Conchobars nephew
ster Banner as its agnotwithstanding its lack of oCchulainn.
cial statusand the Londonderry Air (usually set to lyrics
as Danny Boy), which also has no ocial status, as its
national anthem.[138][139] The national football team also
7.1 Symbols
uses the Ulster Banner as its ag but uses God Save The
Queen as its anthem.[140] Major Gaelic Athletic AssoSee also: Northern Ireland ags issue
Northern Ireland comprises a patchwork of communi- ciation matches are opened by the Irish national anthem,
"Amhrn na bhFiann (The Soldiers Song)", which is also
used by most other all-Ireland sporting organisations.[141]
Since 1995, the Ireland rugby union team has used a specially commissioned song, "Irelands Call" as the teams
anthem. The Irish national anthem is also played at
Dublin home matches, being the anthem of the host
country.[142]
Northern Irish murals have become well-known features
of Northern Ireland, depicting past and present events and
documenting peace and cultural diversity. Almost 2,000
murals have been documented in Northern Ireland since
the 1970s.

8 Sport
The logo for the Northern Ireland assembly is based on the ower
of the ax plant.[131]

Main article: Sport in Northern Ireland

ties whose national loyalties are represented in some areas

by ags own from agpoles or lamp posts. The Union
Jack and the former Northern Ireland ag are own in
many loyalist areas, and the Tricolour, adopted by republicans as the ag of Ireland in 1916,[132] is own in
some republican areas. Even kerbstones in some areas are

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 whole
island.[143] The most notable exception is association
football, which has separate governing bodies for each
jurisdiction.[143]

16

8.1
8.1.1

8 SPORT

Field sports
Association football

8.1.2 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 Celtic League and European
Cup. It won the European Cup in 1999.
In international 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.
8.1.3 Cricket
The Ireland cricket team is an associate member of the
International Cricket Council. It participated in 2007
Cricket World Cup and qualied for the Super 8s and did
the same in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20.
Ireland are current champions of ICC Intercontinental
Cup. One of Irelands regular international venues is
Stormont in Belfast.
8.1.4 Gaelic games
Gaelic games include Gaelic football, hurling (and
camogie), 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 branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association that is responsible for the nine counties
of Ulster, which include the six of Northern Ireland.

George Best, Northern Irish international footballer and 1968

Ballon d'Or

The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising

body for association football in Northern Ireland, with the
Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) responsible for
the independent administration of the three divisions of
national domestic football, as well as the Northern Ireland
Football League Cup. NIFL clubs are semi-professional
i.e. part-time or amateur.
The highest level of competition within Northern Ireland
is the NIFL Premiership, with the NIFL Championship
below. However, the best Northern Irish players tend to
play for clubs in the English or Scottish leagues with fulltime professional clubs.
There is also an all-island tournament, the Setanta Sports
Cup, which includes six NIFL Premiership teams and six
teams from the Republics League of Ireland Premier Division.
Despite Northern Irelands small population, the national
team qualied for the World Cup in 1958, 1982 and 1986,
making it to the quarter-nals in 1958 and 1982.

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.
Recent successes for Northern Ireland teams include
Armagh's 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship win and Tyrone's wins in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

8.2 Golf
Perhaps Northern Irelands most notable successes in professional sport have come in golf. Northern Ireland has
contributed more major champions in the modern era
than any other European country, with three in the space
of just 14 months from the U.S. Open in 2010 to The
Open Championship in 2011. Notable golfers include
Fred Daly (winner of The Open in 1947), Ryder Cup
players Ronan Raerty and David Feherty, leading European Tour professionals David Jones, Michael Hoey (a
winner on Tour in 2011) and Gareth Maybin, as well as
three recent major winners Graeme McDowell (winner
of the U.S. Open in 2010, the rst European to do so
since 1970), Rory McIlroy (winner of four majors) and

8.5

Rugby league

17

8.5 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 annually in the
Amateur Four Nations competition (since 2002) and the
St Patricks Day Challenge (since 1995).

9 Education
Prominent Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy

Main article: Education in Northern Ireland

Unlike most areas of the United Kingdom, in the last

Darren Clarke (winner of The Open in 2011).[144][145]

Northern Ireland has also 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.
The Golng Union of Ireland, the governing body for
mens and boys amateur golf throughout Ireland and
the oldest golng union in the world, was founded in
Belfast in 1891. Northern Irelands 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
Queens University Belfast
Digest magazines top-rated course outside the United
States).[146][147]
year of primary school many children sit entrance examinations for grammar schools.

8.3

Snooker

Integrated schools, which attempt to ensure a balance in

enrolment between pupils of Protestant, Roman Catholic
and other faiths (or none), are becoming increasingly popular, although Northern Ireland still has a primarily de
facto religiously segregated education system. In the primary school sector, forty schools (8.9% of the total number) are integrated schools and thirty-two (7.2% of the
total number) are Irish language-medium schools.

Northern Ireland has produced two world snooker champions; Alex Higgins, who won the title in 1972 and 1982,
and Dennis Taylor, who won in 1985. The highestranked Northern Ireland professional on the world circuit presently is Mark Allen from Antrim. The sport is
governed locally by the Northern Ireland Billiards and The main universities in Northern Ireland are Queens
Snooker Association who run regular ranking tourna- University Belfast and Ulster University, and the distance
ments and competitions.
learning Open University which has a regional oce in
Belfast.

8.4

Motor sports

Although Northern Ireland lacks an international automobile racecourse, two Northern Irish drivers have nished inside the top two of Formula One, with John
Watson achieving the feat in 1982 and Eddie Irvine
doing the same in 1999. The largest course and the
only MSA-licensed track for UK-wide competition is
Kirkistown.[148]

10 Media and communications

The BBC has a division called BBC Northern Ireland with
headquarters in Belfast. As well as broadcasting standard UK-wide programmes, BBC NI produces local content, including a news break-out called BBC Newsline.
The ITV franchise in Northern Ireland is Ulster Television (UTV). The state-owned Channel 4 and the privately

18

12

REFERENCES

11 See also
Outline of Northern Ireland
Outline of the United Kingdom

12 References
[1] Northern Ireland Census 2011 Output. NISRAcensus/.
2011. Retrieved 2 November 2013.

Broadcasting House, Belfast, home of BBC Northern Ireland

[2] The Countries of the UK. Oce for National Statistics. Oce for National Statistics (United Kingdom). Retrieved 7 July 2015.
[3] Population Clock Northern Ireland (an assumption of
population change after 30 June 2014)". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved
4 December 2015.

owned Channel 5 also broadcast in Northern Ireland and

access is also available to satellite and cable services.[149]
All Northern Ireland viewers must obtain a UK TV licence to watch live television transmissions.
RT, the national broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland,
is available over the air to most parts of Northern Ireland via reception overspill[150] and via satellite and cable.
Since the digital TV switchover, RT One, RT2 and the
Irish-language channel TG4, are now available over the
air on the UKs Freeview system from transmitters within
Northern Ireland.[151] Although they are transmitted in
standard denition, a Freeview HD box or television is
required for reception.
As well as the standard UK-wide radio stations from the
BBC, Northern Ireland is home to many local radio stations, such as Cool FM, CityBeat, and Q102.9. The BBC
has two regional radio stations which broadcast in Northern Ireland, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle.
The Belfast Telegraph is the leading newspaper, and UK
and Irish national newspapers are also available. There is
a range of local newspapers such as the News Letter and
the Irish News.[152]
Northern Ireland uses the same telecommunications
and postal services as the rest of the United Kingdom at standard domestic rates and there are no mobile roaming charges between Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.[153][154] People in Northern Ireland who live close
to the border with the Republic of Ireland may inadvertently switch over to the Irish mobile networks, causing
international roaming fees to be applied.[155] Calls from
landlines in Northern Ireland to numbers in the Republic
of Ireland are charged at the same rate as those to numbers in Great Britain, while landline numbers in Northern
Ireland can similarly be called from the Republic of Ireland at domestic rates, using the 048 prex.[156]

[4] Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (December 2012). Census 2011 Key Statistics for Northern Ireland (PDF). Retrieved 14 January 2013.
[5] Eurostat. Regional GDP - GDP per capita in the EU in
2014 (PDF).
[6] Ian, Cullen,. Regional Gross Value Added (Income Approach) - Oce for National Statistics. line feed character in |title= at position 45 (help)
[7] Tuaisceart ireann. [Link]. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
[8] Northern Ireland. Encyclopdia Britannica. Retrieved
11 October 2015.
[9] S. Dunn; H. Dawson (2000), An Alphabetical Listing of
Word, Name and Place in Northern Ireland and the Living Language of Conict, Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press,
One specic problem - in both general and particular
senses - is to know what to call Northern Ireland itself:
in the general sense, it is not a country, or a province,
or a state - although some refer to it contemptuously as
a statelet: the least controversial word appears to be jurisdiction, but this might change.
[10] J. Whyte; G. FitzGerald (1991), Interpreting Northern
Ireland, Oxford: Oxford University Press, One problem
must be adverted to in writing about Northern Ireland.
This is the question of what name to give to the various
geographical entities. These names can be controversial,
with the choice often revealing ones political preferences.
... some refer to Northern Ireland as a 'province'. That usage can arouse irritation particularly among nationalists,
who claim the title 'province' should be properly reserved
to the four historic provinces of Ireland-Ulster, Leinster,
Munster, and Connacht. If I want to a label to apply to
Northern Ireland I shall call it a 'region'. Unionists should
nd that title as acceptable as 'province': Northern Ireland
appears as a region in the regional statistics of the United
Kingdom published by the British government.

19

[11] D. Murphy (1979), A Place Apart, London: Penguin

Books, Next - what noun is appropriate to Northern Ireland? 'Province' won't do since one-third of the province
is on the wrong side of the border. 'State' implies more
self-determination than Northern Ireland has ever had and
'country' or 'nation' are blatantly absurd. 'Colony' has
overtones that would be resented by both communities and
'statelet' sounds too patronizing, though outsiders might
consider it more precise than anything else; so one is left
with the unsatisfactory word 'region'.
[12] Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland; Government of Ireland (1998),
Northern Ireland Peace Agreement (The Good Friday
Agreement)

[25] Bank holidays.

November 2010.

Archived from the original on 22

[26] Lundys Day: Thousands attend 'peaceful' Londonderry

parade. BBC News.
[27] Thernstrom, Stephan (1980). Harvard encyclopedia of
American ethnic groups. Harvard University Press. p.
896. ISBN 0-674-37512-2. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
[28] Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America.
[Link]. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
[29] Gwynn, Stephen (2009) [1923]. The birth of the Irish
Free State. The History of Ireland. Macmillan. ISBN
978-1-113-15514-6.

[13] Standing up for Northern Ireland. Ulster Unionist Party.

Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2
August 2008.

[30] Pilkington, Colin (2002). Devolution in Britain Today.

Manchester University Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-7190-60761.

[14] Richard Jenkin, 1997, Rethinking ethnicity: arguments

and explorations, SAGE Publications: London: In
Northern Ireland the objectives of contemporary nationalists are the reunication of Ireland and the removal of
British government.

[31] 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,
two complementary Acts, one passed by the Parliament
of Great Britain, the other by the pre-1801 Parliament of
Ireland.

[15] Peter Dorey, 1995, British politics since 1945, Blackwell

Publishers: Oxford: Just as some Nationalists have been
prepared to use violence in order to secure Irish reunication, so some Unionists have been prepared to use violence
in order to oppose it.

[32] Martin, Ged (1999). The Origins of Partition. In Anderson, Malcolm; Bort, Eberhard. The Irish Border: History, Politics, Culture. Liverpool University Press. p. 68.
ISBN 0853239517. Retrieved 19 October 2015.

[16] Strategy Framework Document: Reunication through

Planned Integration: Sinn Fins All Ireland Agenda.
Archived from the original on 16 July 2006. Sinn Fin.
Retrieved 2 August 2008.

[33] Gibbons, Ivan (2015). The British Labour Party and the
Establishment of the Irish Free State, 1918-1924. Palgrave
Macmillan. p. 107. ISBN 1137444088. Retrieved 19
October 2015.

[17] Policy Summaries: Constitutional Issues. Social Democratic and Labour Party. Archived from the original on 18
June 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2008.

[34] The Stormont Papers - View Volumes.

[18] Which of these best describes the way you think of yourself?". Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. 2014.
Retrieved 24 March 2016.

[35] Anglo-Irish Treaty, sections 11, 12.

[Link]. 6 December 1921. Retrieved 7 August
2013.

[19] CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths.

[36] Anglo-Irish Relations, 193941: A Study in Multilateral

Diplomacy and Military Restraint in Twentieth Century
British History (Oxford Journals, 2005), ISSN 1477-4674

[20] CAIN: Northern Ireland Society - Security and Defence.

[37] Malcolm Suttons book, Bear in Mind These Dead: An

Index of Deaths from the Conict in Ireland 19691993.

[21] The troubles were over, but the killing continued. Some
of the heirs to Irelands violent traditions refused to give
up their inheritance."Jack Holland: Hope against History:
The Course of Conict in Northern Ireland. Henry Holt
& Company, 1999, p. 221; ISBN 0-8050-6087-1

[38] BBC - History - The Troubles - Violence.

[22] McCourt, Malachy (2004). History Of Ireland. New

York: MJF Books, Fine Communications. p. 324. ISBN
978-1-60671-037-1.
[23] Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Investment: Full
Economic Overview, 15 October 2014 Archived 7
November 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
[24] Larry Elliott. UK unemployment rate falls to lowest level
since 2008 nancial crisis. the Guardian.

[39] CAIN: Northern Ireland Society - Security and Defence.

[40] The Cameron Report Disturbances in Northern Ireland
(1969)". [Link]. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
[41] History of sectarianism in NI, [Link]; accessed
27 May 2015.
[42] Richard English, The Interplay of Non-violent and Violent Action in Northern Ireland, 196772, in Adam
Roberts and Timothy Garton Ash (eds.), Civil Resistance
and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present, Oxford University Press,
2009; ISBN 978-0-19-955201-6, pp. 7590.

20

[43] The Ballast report: "...the Police Ombudsman has concluded that this was collusion by certain police ocers
with identied UVF informants.
[44] 1973: Northern Ireland votes for union. BBC News. 9
March 1973. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
[45] 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.
[46] Securocrat sabotage exposed.
[47] Bear in Mind These Dead.
[48] UDA conrm guns decommissioned BBC news; retrieved 29 January 2014
[49] Northern Ireland Act 2006 (c. 17)". [Link]. Retrieved 16 June 2010.

12

REFERENCES

[60] Example: "'Normalisation' plans for Northern Ireland unveiled. Oce of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2009. or
26 January 2006. Oce of the Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
[61] Example: Oce for National Statistics (1999), Britain
2000: the Ocial Yearbook of the United Kingdom, London: The Stationery Oce or Oce for National Statistics (1999), UK electoral statistics 1999, London: Oce
for National Statistics
[62] The Population of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland
Statistical Research Agency. Retrieved 11 November
2009.
[63] Example: Background Northern Ireland. Oce of
Public Sector Information. Archived from the original on
6 January 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009. or Acts
of the Northern Ireland Assembly (and other primary legislation for Northern Ireland)". Oce of Public Sector
Information. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
[64] Fortnight, 1992 Missing or empty |title= (help)

[50] (BBC)
[51] Professor John H. Whyte paper on discrimination in
Northern Ireland. [Link]. Retrieved 16 June
2010.
[52] CAIN website key issues discrimination summary.
[Link]. 5 October 1968. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
[53] 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).
[54] Ark survey, 2007. Answer to the question Generally
speaking, do you think of yourself as a unionist, a nationalist or neither?"". [Link]. 17 May 2007. Retrieved
16 June 2010.
[55] Answers to the question Do you think the long-term policy for Northern Ireland should be for it (one of the following)"
[56] NILT survey, 2015. Answers to the question Do you
think the long-term policy for Northern Ireland should be
for it to [one of the following"], [Link]; accessed 27
May 2015.

[65] David Varney December (2007), Review of Tax Policy in

Northern Ireland, London: Her Majestys Stationery Ofce
[66] Department of Finance and Personnel (2007), The European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern
Ireland, Belfast: Northern Ireland Executive
[67] United Kingdom (2007), Report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (PDF), Report by Governments on the Situation in their Countries on
the Progress Made in the Standardization of Geographical
Names Since the Eight Conferences, New York: United
Nations, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March
2009, retrieved 29 October 2011
[68] A. Aughey & D. Morrow (1996), Northern Ireland Politics, London: Longman
[69] P. Close; D. Askew; Xin X. (2007), The Beijing Olympiad:
The Political Economy of a Sporting Mega-Event, Oxon:
Routledge
[70] Global Encyclopedia of Political Geography, 2009
[71] M Crenshaw (1985), An Organizational Approach to the
Analysis of Political Terrorism, Orbis, 29 (3)

[57] NI Life and Times Survey 2009: NIRELND2.

[Link]. 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2010.

[72] P Kurzer (2001), Markets and moral regulation: cultural

change in the European Union, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press

[58] countries within a country. The ocial site of the Prime

Ministers Oce. 2003. Archived from the original on 9
September 2008.

[73] J Morrill, ed. (2004), The promotion of knowledge: lectures to mark the Centenary of the British Academy 1992
2002, Oxford: Oxford University Press

[59] The Countries of the UK. Beginners Guide to UK Geography. UK Statistics Authority. 11 November 2005.
Archived from the original on 11 November 2009. The
top-level division of administrative geography in the UK
is the 4 countriesEngland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

[74] F. Cochrane (2001), Unionist Politics and the Politics of

Unionism Since the Anglo-Irish Agreement, Cork: Cork
University Press
[75] W. V. Shannon (1984), K.; nbsp; M. Cahill, eds., The
American Irish Revival: A Decade of the Recorder, Associated Faculty Press

21

[76] R. Beiner (1999), Theorizing Nationalism, Albany: State

University of New York Press

[93] Many Nationalists use the name County Derry.

[77] [Link] (2 July 1998). Sunday Independent article on Mallon and the use of Six Counties"". The Irish
Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2010.

[94] New 'super councils begin work in Northern Ireland.

The Irish Times. 1 April 2015.

[78] Peterkin, Tom (31 January 2006). Example of Daily

Telegraph use of Ulster in text of an article, having used
Northern Ireland in the opening paragraph. The Daily
Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
[79] The Guardian style guide. The Guardian. UK. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2010.

[95] Census Key Stats bulletin (PDF). NISRA. 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
[96] NI migrant population triples in decade, says study.
BBC News. 26 June 2014.
[97] Census 2011

[98]
[80] Examples of usage of this term include Radio Ulster,
Ulster Orchestra and RUC; political parties such as the
Ulster Unionist Party'; paramilitary organisations including the Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Volunteer [99]
Force; and political campaigns such as "Ulster Says No"
and "Save Ulster from Sodomy".
[100]

Statistical Classication and Delineation of Settlements

(PDF). Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
February 2005.
Part of Belfast metropolitan area
Census 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2014.

[81] Parliamentary Reports of the Parliament of Northern Ire- [101] Breen, R., Devine, P. and Dowds, L. (editors), 1996:
land, Volume 20 (1937) and The Times, 6 January 1949;
ISBN 0-86281-593-2. Chapter 2 'Who Wants a United
C.M. 1(49) - UK Cabinet meeting held on 12 January
Ireland? Constitutional Preferences among Catholics and
1949. C.M. 1(49). See also Alternative names for
Protestants by Richard Breen (1996), in, Social Attitudes
Northern Ireland
in Northern Ireland: The Fifth Report Retrieved 24 August 2006; Summary: In 19891994, 79% Protestants
[82] Editorial Policy, Guidance Note. BBC. n.d. Retrieved
replied British or Ulster, 60% of Catholics replied
20 April 2012. The term province is often used synIrish.
onymously with Northern Ireland and it is normally appropriate to make secondary references to the province."
[83] Sinn Fin usage of Six Counties"". [Link]. 14 August 1969. Retrieved 16 June 2010.

[102] Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1999; Module:

Community Relations, Variable:NINATID Summary:
72% of Protestants replied British. 68% of Catholics
replied Irish.

[84] Brendan O'Brien (1999). "The Long War: The IRA and
Sinn Fin". Syracuse University Press. p. 167.
[103] Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. Module:
Community Relations. Variable:BRITISH. Summary:
[85] Examples of usage by the United States-based extreme
78% of Protestants replied Strongly British.
republican Irish Freedom Committee"". [Link]. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
[104] Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1999; Module:
Community Relations, Variable:IRISH Summary: 77%
[86] Andrew Sanders (2011). "Inside the IRA: Dissident Repubof Catholics replied Strongly Irish.
licans and the War for Legitimacy". Edinburgh University
Press. p. 114.
[105] Institute of Governance, 2006 National identities in the
[87] Robert William White (2006). "Ruair Brdaigh: The
Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary". Edinburgh
University Press. p. 163.
[88] John Horgan (2011). "Terrorism Studies: A Reader".
Routledge. p. 174.
[89] How much do you know about 'Norn Iron'?, British Embassy Ashgabat
[90] Taylor, Daniel; Murray, Ewan; Hytner, David; Burnton,
Simon; Glendenning, Barry (9 September 2013). World
Cup qualiers: 10 talking points from the weekends action. [Link]. UK: Guardian Media Group.
Retrieved 9 September 2013.
[91] Northern Ireland: climate. Met Oce. Retrieved 14
June 2015.

UK: do they matter?" Brieng No. 16, January 2006; Retrieved from IoG_Brieng (PDF). Archived from the
original (PDF) on 22 August 2006. (211 KB) on 24 August 2006. Extract: Three-quarters of Northern Irelands
Protestants regard themselves as British, but only 12 per
cent of Northern Irelands 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 [Link]
from attitude surveys are in Demographics and politics of
Northern Ireland.
[106] L219252024 Public Attitudes to Devolution and National Identity in Northern Ireland. University of York
Research Project 20022003.

[92] Met Oce: UK climate: December 2010. Met Oce. [107] Northern Ireland: Constitutional Proposals and the ProbJanuary 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January
lem of Identity, by J. R. Archer The Review of Politics,
2011.
1978

22

12

REFERENCES

[108] Joseph Ruane and Jennifer Todd. Chapter 7 > A changed [128] Parades and Marches - A Summary of the Issue. Conict
Irish nationalism? The signicance of the Belfast AgreeArchive on the Internet (CAIN).
ment of 1998 (PDF).
[129] Bryan, Dominic. Orange Parades: The Politics of Ritual,
[109] Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 2008; Module:
Tradition and Control. Pluto Press, 2000. p.130
Community Relations, Variable:IRISH". [Link]. 17
[130] NI talks issues explained: ags, parades, the past and
May 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
welfare reform. BBC News, 12 December 2014.
[110] Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, 1998; Module:
Community Relations, Variable:IRISH". [Link]. 9 [131] Northern Ireland Assembly Information Oce.
Northern Ireland Assembly logo. [Link].
May 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
Retrieved 13 November 2010.
[111] Department Of the Taoiseach. [Link]. Re[132] Alan O'Day, ed. (1987), Reactions To Irish Nationalism,
trieved 16 June 2010.
1865-1914, London: Hambledon Press, With the Rising
[112] UK Border Agency website. [Link].
of 1916 a break took place in national symbolism which
6 April 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
was most visibly manifested in the national ag and the anthem which the young Irish nation accepted. The demise
[113] Census 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
of the Parliamentary Party stands in direct parallel to the
just as rapidly diminishing power of its symbols. The
[114] The Agreement (PDF). (204 KB)
green ag and 'God save Ireland' began to be discredited
[115] Council of Europe Charter monitoring report, 2010
as symbols of constitutional nationalism and, instead, the
(PDF). Retrieved 7 August 2013.
symbols of revolutionary nationalism gained popularity as
the majority of the Irish people identied itself with the
[116] Markku Filppula (2005). Dialects across borders. John
political aims of the Easter revolutionaries. The use of
Benjamins Publishing Co, Amsterdam. p. 90. Retrieved
symbols made apparent that the occurrences of 1916 ini2 January 2011.
tiated a new epoch in Irish history much in the same as
the Union of 1801 and the Famine of 18458 did.
[117] Ryan, James G. (1997). Irish Records: Sources for Family
and Local History. Flyleaf Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0916489-76-2.
[118] Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES Survey: What is the
main language spoken in your own home?
[119] Frequently-Asked Questions about the Irish Language.
Ultach. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
[120] The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions)
(Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (No. 759 (N.I. 5))

Both the national ag and the national anthem of presentday Ireland drive origins directly from the Rising. At rst
it still appeared as if the revolutionaries would take over
the old symbols because on the roof of their headquarters,
the Dublin General Post Oce, a green ag with the harp
was hoisted next to the republican tricolour although with
the inscription 'Irish Republic'. Even 'Got save Ireland'
was sung by the revolutionaries during Easter week. But
after the failure of the Rising and the subsequent executions of the leading revolutionaries the tricolour and 'The
Soldiers Song' became more and more popular as symbols of the rebellion.

[121] Keenan, Dan (9 January 2014). Loyalists line up to learn

cpla focail at language classes in heart of east Belfast. [133] Vandals curbed by plastic edging BBC News, 25 November 2008.
Irish Times. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
[122] Aodan Mac Poilin, 1999, Language, Identity and Politics [134] Statutory Rule 2000 No. 347. [Link]. Retrieved
7 August 2013.
in Northern Ireland in Ulster Folk Life Vol. 45, 1999
[123] St Andrews Agreement (PDF). Archived from the orig- [135] The Union Flag and Flags of the United Kingdom House
of Commons Library, 3 June 2008.
inal (PDF) on 4 November 2006. (131 KB)
[124] Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES Survey: Do you your- [136]
self speak Ulster-Scots?
[137]
[125] Janzen, Terry (2005). Topics in Signed Language Interpreting: Theory And Practice. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 256 & 265. ISBN 90272-1669-X. OCLC 60742155. Retrieved 22 June 2008. [138]
[126] Sign Language. Department of Culture, Arts and
Leisure. Retrieved 22 June 2008.

Northern Irish ags from the World Flag Database.

Dowd, Vincent (17 June 2010). Israel and the Palestinians: The Irish connection. BBC News. Retrieved 25 July
2014.
Sport, Nationalism and Globalization: European and
North American Perspectives by Alan Bairner (ISBN 9780791449127), p. 38

[139] Sport, Sectarianism and Society in a Divided Ireland by

[127] Paul Murphy announces recognition for sign language.
John Sugden and Alan Bairner (ISBN 978-0718500184),
Northern Ireland Oce. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 22
p60
June 2008. I am pleased to announce formal recognition
for both British and Irish Sign Languages in Northern Ire- [140] [Link]: Northern Ireland, Latest News. Archived
from the original on 10 December 2005.
land.

23

[141] John Sugden & Scott Harvie (1995). Sport and Community Relations in Northern Ireland 3.2 Flags and Anthems. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
[142] Peter Berlin (29 December 2004). Long Unsung Teams
Live up to Anthems: Rugby Union. International Herald
Tribune via HighBeam Research. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
the band played Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and Die Stem for the
Springboks and Soldiers Song, the national anthem that
is otherwise known as Amhran na bhFiann, and Irelands
Call, the teams ocial rugby anthem.

Brian E. Barton, The Government of Northern Ireland, 19201923 (Athol Books, 1980)
Paul Bew, Peter Gibbon and Henry Patterson The
State in Northern Ireland, 192172: Political Forces
and Social Classes, Manchester (Manchester University Press, 1979)
Tony Geraghty (2000). The Irish War. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-7117-4.

[143] How do other sports in the island cope with the situation?
The Herald, 3 April 2008

Robert Kee, The Green Flag: A History of Irish

Nationalism (Penguin, 19722000), ISBN 0-14029165-2

[144] Gagne, Matt (20 June 2010). Northern Irelands Graeme

McDowell wins U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, ends European losing streak. Daily News. New York. Retrieved
29 June 2010.

Osborne Morton, Marine Algae of Northern Ireland

(Ulster Museum, Belfast, 1994), ISBN 0-90076128-8

[145] Lawrence Donegan at Congressional (20 June 2011). US

Open 2011: Remarkable Rory McIlroy wins by eight shots
| Sport. The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 23 August 2011.

Henry Patterson, Ireland Since 1939: The Persistence of Conict (Penguin, 2006), ISBN 978-184488-104-8

[146] Redmond, John (1997). The Book of Irish Golf. Pelican

Publishing Company. p. 10.
[147] The Best Of The Rest: A World Of Great Golf. Golf
Digest. 2009. p. 2. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
[148] Kirkistown, motor racing circuit. Retrieved 12 May
2013.
[149] Freeview on Divis TV transmitter | [Link] independent free digital TV advice. [Link]. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
[150] Over forty years of Irish TV History. Irish TV. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
[151] RT and TG4 on Freeview HD in Northern Ireland.
Advanced Television. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 23
August 2011.
[152] Northern Ireland Newspapers. [Link].
Retrieved 23 August 2011.
[153] Royal Mail Customer Service Oering help and advice. .[Link]. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
[154] BT in Northern Ireland | At home.
[Link]. Retrieved 23 August 2011.

Btnorthernire-

[155] Southgate Amateur Radio Club. Comreg and Ofcom publish rst report on cross-border telecoms issues.
[Link]. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
[156] Calling Northern Ireland - Use the 048 code to call xedline numbers. Commission for Communications Regulation. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

13

Further reading

Jonathan Bardon, A History of Ulster (Blacksta

Press, Belfast, 1992), ISBN 0-85640-476-4

P. Hackney (ed.) Stewarts and Corrys Flora of the

North-east of Ireland 3rd edn. (Institute of Irish
Studies, Queens University of Belfast, 1992), ISBN
0-85389-446-9(HB)

14 External links
Northern Ireland Executive (Northern Ireland
devolved government)
Northern Ireland Oce (UK central government)
Discover Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Tourist
Board)
Geographic data related to Northern Ireland at
OpenStreetMap

24

15

15
15.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Northern Ireland Source: [Link] Contributors: AxelBoldt, Brion VIBBER,

Mav, The Anome, Tarquin, Ed Poor, Andre Engels, Eob, Paul~enwiki, Oliverkroll, SJK, GrahamN, Camembert, Fonzy, Hephaestos,
Olivier, Renata, Leandrod, Rbrwr, Edward, Erik Zachte, Paul Barlow, Tridesch, Jtdirl, MartinHarper, Hoshie, Blacklite, Menchi, Ixfd64,
Cyde, Paul Benjamin Austin, Bagpuss, Delirium, Minesweeper, Looxix~enwiki, Ahoerstemeier, Snoyes, Angela, Nichtich~enwiki, Jdforrester, Kwekubo, Andres, Jiang, Kaihsu, Scanos, The Tom, Timwi, Lfh, Daniel Quinlan, Fuzheado, Bjh21, Wik, DJ Clayworth, Pedant17,
Tpbradbury, Astrotrain, Maximus Rex, Morwen, Andrew Yong, Warofdreams, Jusjih, Flockmeal, Finlay McWalter, Francs2000, Chuunen Baka, Robbot, Owain, Chrism, RedWolf, Romanm, Modulatum, Big Jim Fae Scotland, Henrygb, Timrollpickering, CdaMVvWgS,
Wereon, SoLando, Mattaschen, Davidcannon, Alan Liefting, Crculver, DocWatson42, Marnanel, Andy, Seabhcan, Cobaltbluetony, Lee J
Haywood, Wighson, Orangemike, MSGJ, Mark Richards, Peruvianllama, Everyking, Curps, Alison, Maucaus, DO'Neil, Iota, Ikari, Jason
Quinn, Zoney, Djegan, Gzornenplatz, VampWillow, Markredmond, Wwhyte, Bobblewik, Deus Ex, Neilc, Stevietheman, Thewikipedian,
Gadum, Keith Edkins, Ruy Lopez, Geni, Vanished user svinet8j3ogifm98wjfgoi3tjosfg, Formeruser-81, Beland, Joeblakesley, McDonald1985, SamH, Sh~enwiki, Jiggar, Ryano, Lesgles, Domino theory, Kaldari, OwenBlacker, Thincat, Necrothesp, Talrias, Arcturus,
Cynical, Grunners, Beginning, Neutrality, Joyous!, Ukexpat, Expatkiwi, JohnArmagh, Sarcelles, Picapica, Demiurge, Adashiel, Trevor
MacInnis, Canterbury Tail, Kingal86, Sdrawkcab, Jayjg, PZFUN, Freakofnurture, Ultratomio, Alexrexpvt, Paullisa, Discospinster, Guanabot, Pak21, Supercoop, Frehorse, Cnyborg, Smyth, Dave souza, Ahkond, Triskaideka, Quiensabe, Gerry Lynch, Rannphirt anaithnid
(old), Bender235, Closeapple, Brian0918, CanisRufus, MBisanz, El C, Kwamikagami, QuartierLatin1968, Kross, ThierryVignaud, C1k3,
AdamH, Mqduck, Cap, Adambro, Jonathan Drain, Kbradnam, Filiocht, Dpaajones, JW1805, Vystrix Nexoth, Rockhopper10r, Jerryseinfeld, Cavrdg, Man vyi, Nev, Darrylxxx, Sam Korn, Haham hanuka, Pearle, StuartCarter, Gsklee, Rye1967, Autopilots, Red Winged
Duck, Dillonstars, Honeycake, Alansohn, Anthony Appleyard, SnowFire, Qwghlm, Buaidh, Interiot, Arthena, CR7, AntsWiki, Lectonar,
Garethhamilton, Walkerma, Sponge, Cjnm, WikiParker, Benson85, Deacon of Pndapetzim, KapilTagore, Max Naylor, Jess Cully, Redvers,
Nightstallion, Feline1, Dan100, Antifamilymang, Tfz, Tariqabjotu, Zntrip, Pcpcpc, Stemonitis, Thryduulf, Angr, Boothy443, Starblind,
Woohookitty, Gccwang, Henry Williams, Daniel Case, Miaow Miaow, Bo, Pol098, Je3000, Ardfern, MONGO, Lapsed Pacist, Kelisi,
Jacottier, LIU, Al E., Colin Watson, Bluemoose, Laurel Bush, Zzyzx11, Wayward, Jdorney, Wikipedian231, Nearside, Bretagne 44, Jimgawn, Mandarax, RichardWeiss, Rnt20, Graham87, Aughavey, Kbdank71, Niall O'Siochain, FreplySpang, Island, Canderson7, Rjwilmsi,
Mayumashu, Angusmclellan, Tim!, Sparten, Terence Gunning, Red King, Lugnad, Tangotango, Alexmc, Vegaswikian, Funnyhat, SeanMack, MapsMan, Ucucha, DirkvdM, Yamamoto Ichiro, Titoxd, FlaBot, Pollywolly, Cauleyower, Ian Pitchford, Ground Zero, Nihiltres,
Cherubino, MacRusgail, Hottentot, Mark83, RexNL, Str1977, Malhonen, Darranc, Coolhawks88, Escobar600ie, Its-is-not-a-genitive,
Chobot, Metropolitan90, Guliolopez, Bgwhite, Gwernol, Cornellrockey, EamonnPKeane, YurikBot, Wavelength, Sceptre, Hairy Dude,
Spleodrach, Osioni, TodorBozhinov, Phantomsteve, Billmo, RussBot, JimboJim, Red Slash, Hauskalainen, Lofty, Ivirivi00, Splash, Pigman, Padraig, GusF, Stephenb, Million Little Gods, Gaius Cornelius, Vincej, Havok, Absolutadam802, Keithgreer, NawlinWiki, Wiki
alf, BGManofID, Guy Hatton, Obarskyr, Veledan, Jerry warriner, Welsh, Phoenix79, Bastun, Lexicon, Johndarrington, Rbarreira, JAJ,
RL0919, Jonto, Ewanduy, Mysid, Wangi, Blowdart, Jpeob, Fenian Swine, Joshurtree, Wknight94, Bob247, Donnyhutton, Jkelly, Superdude99, Zzuuzz, Jonnyt, Thebdogg, Barryob, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, Closedmouth, Strangelyb, Rms125a@[Link],
Jogers, Wonton 27, Denzell393, GraemeL, Rande M Sefowt, Red Jay, Smurrayinchester, Kelly617, Windyjarhead, Ningyou, Mais oui!,
Curpsbot-unicodify, Ajuk, RunOrDie, SCVirus, Kungfuadam, Ief, Erudy, RG2, AssistantX, GrinBot~enwiki, CrniBombarder!!!, Eog1916,
AndrewWTaylor, Luk, KevinP, Sardanaphalus, Scolaire, SmackBot, Gibsocol, Cubs Fan, David Kernow, Prodego, 7segment, WikiuserNI,
Unyoyega, Pgk, Rrius, Bazza 7, Jfg284, KocjoBot~enwiki, Big Adamsky, Patrickneil, Setanta747 (locked), WookieInHeat, Eskimbot, Traditional unionist, Feebtlas, Andrew L (2005), Hmusseau, Nil Einne, TharkunColl, Rueckk, SmartGuy Old, Thegue, Donama, Hmains,
Desiphral, Cs-wolves, Jibbajabba, Jcc1, Rakela, Gold heart, Bjmullan, Rmt2m, Thumperward, Greatgavini, Hibernian, Deli nk, Bazonka,
Ronald James, CSWarren, El Gringo, BorisG, Colonies Chris, GoodDay, Manmonkey, Marco79, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Nalbaugh, Jahiegel, Theneedforspeed, Alphathon, Cripipper, Chlewbot, OrphanBot, Ww2censor, Kittybrewster, Addshore, Threeafterthree,
Stevenmitchell, MartinRobinson, Fuhghettaboutit, Jezerfetnae, Nc2005, Valenciano, Jiddisch~enwiki, Rick deckard, Lcarscad, MartinCollin, Maelnuneb, Kotjze, Irishtimes, -frosty-, Rkevlihan, Vina-iwbot~enwiki, Rockpocket, Irish Lad, BlackTerror, Ohconfucius, Will
Beback, Synthe, Chwech, SashatoBot, Andrewrabbott, ArglebargleIV, Harryboyles, BrownHairedGirl, NotMuchToSay, Zahid Abdassabur, Derry Boi, Kuru, John, Stevenmc, J 1982, Fergus mac Rich, Ocee, DivineIntervention, Calum Macisdean, Snowie, Regan123,
Shlomke, JorisvS, Green Giant, Gnevin, Mabuska, Ckatz, Bless sins, Astuishin, BBX, SAISer, AxG, SirFozzie, Jhamez84, Samhook,
Check182, Peter Horn, Andrwsc, MTSbot~enwiki, Skinsmoke, Paukrus, Hu12, Fasach Nua, DwightKingsbury, Rofti, Pauric, Parsleyij,
OnBeyondZebrax, Eopsid, Iridescent, Culnacreann, Joseph Solis in Australia, Beano ni, JoeBot, Ro2000, Theoldanarchist, Leaky caldron, Breezyok, Octane, WildIrishman, Renegade78, Pattie216, Gil Gamesh, Justadding, Seamus2602, Eluchil404, Redtitan, Wikidude1,
Tawkerbot2, Zampafan, Devourer09, SkyWalker, J Milburn, MitchHebner, Macca7174, Andygray110, JF Mephisto, CmdrObot, Ale jrb,
TysK, Scohoust, BeenAroundAWhile, Erik Kennedy, Baiji, R9tgokunks, GHe, FlyingToaster, Simply south, Tomster2006, NIwebber,
Ken Gallager, Funkydread100, FilipeS, M Byrne, Jim236, AndrewHowse, Michfan2123, Cydebot, Danrok, John McCarthy, Kanags,
Rpogge, NornIron, Misenus, Chuggsymalone, Gogo Dodo, Scales67, Red Director, JFreeman, Fluy999, Weggie, Corpx, Scroggie, Coolguy22468, Andy2639, SimsHsia, Soetermans, Julian Mendez, UKVillages, Kozuch, ErrantX, Princess saz, Lo2u, PamD, Tewapack, JamesAM, Jon C., Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Daa89563, Tommy23, Cory Liu, Barticus88, Jepeel, SchutteGod, LeeG, Jmg38, Osborne, Memty Bot,
SeNeKa, N5iln, Dom0803, Simonll, Marek69, JSmith60, SGGH, Malarious, Second Quantization, The Proesor, Wouldn'tyouliketoknow,
Dermo69, Tsumo9, Wikinorthernireland, TRiG, Northumbrian, AntiVandalBot, Majorly, Luna Santin, Obiwankenobi, Opelio, Just Chilling, Kbthompson, GerardMcGarry, Random user 8384993, Spencer, Mutt Lunker, MonaghanLad1916, Qwerty Binary, Ghmyrtle, Eamonnca1, Mikenorton, DagosNavy, Fennessy, JAnDbot, GSTQ, MER-C, [Link], Matthew Fennell, MelForbes, Cyclonius, Janejellyroll,
Redking7, Sophie means wisdom, Andonic, Sarah777, Who is like God?, Coolavokig, Rothorpe, WildlifeAnalysis, Joshua, .anacondabot, Joebengo, Kuifjeenbobbie, Magioladitis, Fitnr, Hroulf, Pedro, VoABot II, AuburnPilot, Wikidudeman, Clueless, Pathetic and very
Annoying, MastCell, JNW, Vintagekits, Swpb, Sarahj2107, May8mike, Kibblesworth, Taibhdhearc, Schwarzbichler, Steven Walling, Avicennasis, Midgrid, Starsimon, Snowded, Conor G, Jump o duck, Sammalin, Petesy71, Cpl Syx, Spellmaster, Exiledone, Lionsh0, Glen,
DerHexer, ZincBelief, Pan Dan, Dkriegls, WLU, Patstuart, El Zoof, Duckkayak, XClyn, Barbara Wainscott, Candlewicke, Somethingoranother, Hdt83, MartinBot, Matt Lewis, Emailaddressasusername, Keith D, R'n'B, Kateshortforbob, CommonsDelinker, AlexiusHoratius,
AgarwalSumeet, Jmccormac, Diarmaid, Wiki Raja, ArmsHeldOut, [Link], DrKay, Peter Clarke, Spathaky, MVillani1985, Numbo3,
Derryquinn, Zzzyyy, Guilherme Paula, Unknownserv, Cop 663, Balsa10, IPetronius, Nimafade, Ajmint, Jemo06, Abhijitsathe, LordAnubisBOT, Mappase, Skier Dude, AntiSpamBot, MarcusAnniusCatiliusSeverus, NewEnglandYankee, SmilesALot, Bobianite, Flatterworld,
Biofoundationsoanguage, Juliancolton, Cometstyles, Dn9ah, Allinclusive~enwiki, DH85868993, Bladed, Dulcorne, The-mother-of-all-

15.2

Images

25

calculators, Bonadea, Wikimandia, Oisin1, Andy Marchbanks, HighKing, Gibmetal77, Sandy Scott, [Link], RJASE1, Highelds,
BadtoGood, Starwars10, Signalhead, Black Kite, Hugo999, Gaillimh, G2bambino, UnicornTapestry, VolkovBot, One Night In Hackney,
Varag, Gottago, Je G., NOidentity, AlnoktaBOT, The Wonky Gnome, QuackGuru, Philip Trueman, Paulturtle, TXiKiBoT, [Link],
Mosdefau2, MOTORAL1987, Asarla, Zackurrry, Krazytea, Arthur7171, Drestros power, Qxz, Anna Lincoln, Lradrama, Vinders, JhsBot, Supperdinner, Mckbiker, Bleaney, Psyche825, PDFbot, Domer48, Captainbeecher, Happyhandsclub48484, SLNR, JW112, Busesireland, Mr.Kennedy1, BigDunc, Usergreatpower, Haseo9999, Cadbury123, Tomster91, Synthebot, Thegestapo, Huubiedub, Akg1212,
Pablomakaveli, Panelcourt~enwiki, Usualcoast, Kierandineen, Dmcq, Monty845, Dogs rock the casbah, AlleborgoBot, Lord Bingham of
Cornhill, Apollo Crua, StephenDickey, Sim0n20, Unknown Unknowns, Munci, EmxBot, Red Hurley, Thunderwing, Demmy, Flowertime66, SieBot, Leviathanshane, Coee, Lughlamhfhada, Aaronsc, Duprees62, Ashwinosoft, Gerakibot, SE7, RJaguar3, Triwbe, Srushe,
AlexWaelde, Wilson44691, Le Pied-bot~enwiki, Thisisnotatest, Iantaylor102, CutOTies, Moonraker12, Cameron, Davejblair1608, Rickboe885, Lightmouse, Tombomp, Neeeeedstepss, Ripp4r, Thephizz, Upernavik, Hobartimus, SimonTrew, Bobjohanson5, Int21h, BenoniBot~enwiki, COBot, MichiganCharms, LonelyMarble, Magicsails, WikiLaurent, Ursul pacalit de vulpe, Jza84, Pinkadelica, Scottbelldhs,
Scalpfarmer, Alastairmckelvey, EPadmirateur, Mx. Granger, [Link], Elassint, ClueBot, Morningstar1814, Fribbler, Traveler100,
PipepBot, Richtig27, Snigbrook, Malpass93, Celtic hackr, Kotniski, The Thing That Should Not Be, NoGringo, RashersTierney, Welcome
To My Jungle, Northern Irish, Woolters, 4theChildren, Markreidyhp, Niceguyedc, Blanchardb, Parkwells, Tuaisceartireann, David C
Minor, Crazytown07, Cirt, Rockfang, 718 Bot, Cardinal 1962, DragonBot, Detroiterbot, Catsh Jim and the soapdish, Alexbot, Jusdafax,
Rubn Mar, Howard Alexander, Ottre, Gtstricky, Fishiehelper2, MorrisRob, Stampede1961, Marc-Olivier Pag, Tyler, MickMacNee,
Arjayay, Dn9ahx, Staighre, Vendeka, Hans Adler, Fergseanruar, Eastcote, ChrisHodgesUK, Laura Spence, Bald Zebra, Bboy14, Kovispoju96, Thingg, Redrocketboy, Aitias, Samantha555, Joyyurikotaylor, IJA, BlueDevil, MelonBot, SoxBot III, Goodvac, DumZiBoT,
XLinkBot, Kattadactyl, Thailander, Emmette Hernandez Coleman, Rror, Marcanderson1988, Little Mountain 5, Rockybiggs, Skarebo,
TFOWR, Alexius08, Tameamseo, Cradel, ZooFari, Good Olfactory, Lemmey, Crispness, Wikipire, Jack forbes (renamed), Addbot,
Jafeluv, Eireabu, Bulletpimp, Mspence835, SpellingBot, Mojomama, Jeanne boleyn, Chris magz, Kman543210, Douglas the Comeback
Kid, Mjsa, Jim10701, Daicaregos, The C of E, Nanometre, Debresser, Favonian, CelticSeimi, JamieTheFoool, LinkFA-Bot, Deputydaz,
Organic Cabbage, 93gregsonl2, Fone4My, Lubik, Setanta747, AgadaUrbanit, Tassedethe, Numbo3-bot, Ciaranmcq89, Flappychappy,
Tide rolls, SeanHanna1991, Lightbot, Pureditor, Thebiggnome, Rojypala, Contributor777, Heyheyheyhey903, Drog lad, Pointer1, Luckasbot, Yobot, O Fenian, Mooretwin, Hohenloh, Northcoastni, Nallimbot, Gavin Lisburn, Minnesotatwins15, Filastin, Titaniumviper, Unplugged At Night, Eric-Wester, MacTire02, Smart51, Bility, AnomieBOT, Redrolly, Austino10, Isko1901, Battleroyale96, Jim1138, IRP,
Elramer, Hadrian89, Ovlem, BenKing18, Shoneen, Edit Legend, AdjustShift, DDubliner, ThatsGrand, Kingpin13, Yocoop01, Yellow
Evan, Bosonic dressing, Paddypc, Dendlai, Tempac, JazMc, Roadnote, Daftpunkfan4lyf, Chromenano, Danno uk, Citation bot, SitNGo,
Jamiemaloneyscoreg, ArthurBot, Quebec99, LilHelpa, Jchthys, Jerseyan111, Xqbot, TomB123, Jersay, Linburats, Unctions Unit, Night w,
Titch Tucker, Jbruin152, Capricorn42, , Fmph, Anoderate1, Bihco, Bigryy, Rexham, Tc847, Yman88, Anna Frodesiak, BritishWatcher, Bread & Butter, [Link], Dconn433, Timotheus7, LevenBoy, Fattonyni, GrouchoBot, Rownon, Mikeleigh20, Xavierized,
Ricky Oliver, XF5000, Adventureducky, OBO7, Fld300b, Headhitter, Timok5, Rmingod, Sabrebd, Sillyjun, Eckerslike, Tomtomtoo, Doulos Christos, Moxy, Sjac89, Karl304, Prezbo, A. di M., Sesu Prime, Dougofborg, Haldraper, Alssa1, Sheno1gunner, Ireland rules, Mysticshade, McN1316, FrescoBot, MarshVeld, Reddev87, IrishMonarchist, Dogposter, Tobby72, MusicInTheHouse, Van Speijk, Izzedine,
Haeinous, HJ Mitchell, GreenStork, Bambuway, Aspuds, United Irish 100%, Alanedwards1984, Aogouguo, Pshent, Redrose64, Rickboe85,
AnOicheGhealai, Tra, Jonesey95, [Link], Calmer Waters, Trk Svarisi, Curlyrunai, Seandelaney2, Moonraker, Megs&rara, Jorgicio, Lars Washington, Jaguar, AMacR, SpaceFlight89, Fixer88, Cmpj, Davymurph, Ulster and proud, DSVFLA12, Wingman555, TRBP,
The Inquisador, Gasta220, Nora lives, Blaise28, Bewitched fan 2k, MarkJMIE, Shovelyjoe, Abc518, Loubear1, TobeBot, ArchiveCarrickfergus, , Karyasuman, TheoloJ, Gaius Octavius Princeps, NorthernCounties, Banhtrung1, LukeM212, Ardmacha, TDSDOS,
Andrewnn2009, Diannaa, CoolWig, Nascar1996, Tbhotch, Sheodred, Oweyson, Andrea105, RjwilmsiBot, Chipmunkdavis, Countrymanho, 07bargem, Rctycoplay, Steve03Mills, Georg huegel, Northern Arrow, EmausBot, Whatswrongwithyou, Josephscullion, John of
Reading, Sky4t0k, WikitanvirBot, Surlydu50, Philtweir, Ovidcaput, Laurel Lodged, CoincidentalBystander, Mo ainm, Jim Michael,
Dcirovic, 07dhokiad, BigMattyO, Triton Rocker, ZroBot, IrishBriton, Iaki Salazar, Stevieboyni82, Whiteguru, Elektrik Shoos, H3llBot,
Unreal7, Cbowsie, Brocach, Neddy1234, Sjamesg, Andattaca2010, , SnackerViking, Senjuto, Hbni, Tigerdoom, Mentibot, Rangoon11, ChuispastonBot, Sammonica, Phoebus de Lusignan, Belfastshane, Armenia81, McDowney, Whoop whoop pull up, Davey2010,
Renklauf, 1964fagan, 72Volt, Aberdonian99, Ireland3000, Fred DeSoya, Atmospherica, Loginnigol, Owen4004, Porsche-one, John Hendo,
Frietjes, Aaron9890, Twillisjr, Hazhk, Castncoot, Costesseyboy, Helpful Pixie Bot, O Murchadh, Gob Lofa, Lowercase sigmabot, BG19bot,
Murry1975, LukeSproule, Keivan.f, Flix11, George Ponderevo, JAU123, Tolea93, PhnomPencil, HIDECCHI001, RL1991, Marcocapelle,
ComhairleContaeThirnanOg, Compfreak7, Montalban, CitationCleanerBot, The Almightey Drill, Ronanmurphy98, Ernio48, Havantshire,
Aaron-Tripel, RGloucester, Rrhallmark, Lommaren, BattyBot, Josh3536, IkbenFrank, Cyberbot II, Patrickk97, Brownsfan16, Harshhussey, Assassin20X, Dude1830, Megasean0, San culottes, 99801155KC9TV, Smalleditor, Dexbot, Greentide, Reverend Mick man34,
Pama73, Jonny Nixon, Stevenbfg, MWright96, Scholarly Breeze, RyanVentura100, Miles Creagh, Leemon2010, Elevatorrailfan, Dubhlad, Haxz.999, Rob984, Frenchmalawi, Corcrin, AlwynJPie, Soredo, Anwilliams1992, Lindenhurst Liberty, Kenicky92, Eagle3399,
Martin344, Kind Tennis Fan, Drchriswilliams, Noyster, AbelM7, Ecorr1, Azertopius, Monkbot, American Starkiller, SkateTier, Pollo
Negro, Zacwill, EEEEEE1, Hopeful2014, Polemicista, UglowT, Elementsofnature, Sigehelmus, Asher-of-Locksley, Warner REBORN,
IWJXB, A320.b744, Julietdeltalima, Sarr Cat, MacMorrow Mr, Eimukas22, Rude-boy-wayne, KasparBot, RMS52, CUA 27, PowerUnblocked, Tridek Sep, BushelCandle, Logicalgenius3, Hshinn, Paulwa66, InternetArchiveBot, AsianHippie, AmeriMike, Jawn, Apairofpears, GreenC bot, U5117629, ToodHall, TheBelfastEditor, Bender the Bot, Melinalosangeles, Maclife3191 and Anonymous: 1365

15.2

Images

File:'Titanic_Quarter'_development,_Abercorn_Basin,_Belfast_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1378153.jpg Source:
[Link]
[Link]/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/%27Titanic_Quarter%27_development%2C_Abercorn_Basin%2C_Belfast_-_geograph.org.
uk_-_1378153.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: From [Link] Original artist: Ross
File:Approaching_Seahill_station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_243422.jpg Source: [Link]
b6/Approaching_Seahill_station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_243422.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: From [Link] Original artist: Aubrey Dale
File:BBC_Northern_Ireland_Belfast.jpg Source: [Link]
[Link] License: Public domain Contributors: Own work (own photo) Original artist: Man vyi
File:BIThumbMap_NI.png Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA
3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ras52

26

15

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

File:Belfast_(455),_October_2009.JPG Source: [Link]

October_2009.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ardfern
File:CIMG1495_ScraboHorizView.JPG
Source:
[Link]
[Link] License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Guliolopez (Wikipedia:en:User:Guliolopez)
File:Cannon_on_Derry_City_Walls_SMC_2007.jpg Source: [Link]
Derry_City_Walls_SMC_2007.jpg License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: SeanMack
File:Carson_signing_Solemn_League_and_Covenant.jpg Source: [Link]
Solemn_League_and_Covenant.jpg License: ? Contributors:
National Archives of Ireland archive image page [Link] linked from [1]
Original artist:
Unknown
File:Causeway-code_poet-[Link] Source: [Link] License:
CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: [Link] Original artist: code poet on ickr.
File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Northern_Ireland.svg Source:
[Link]
of_Northern_Ireland.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: <a href='//[Link]/' data-x-rel='nofollow'><img alt='W3C'
src='[Link]
%28green%[Link]' width='88' height='30' style='vertical-align: top' srcset='[Link]
thumb/1/1a/Valid_SVG_1.1_%28green%[Link]/132px-Valid_SVG_1.1_%28green%[Link]
1.5x,
[Link]
org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Valid_SVG_1.1_%28green%[Link]/176px-Valid_SVG_1.1_%28green%[Link]
2x'
data-le-width='91' data-le-height='31' /></a>iThe source code of this SVG is <a data-x-rel='nofollow' class='external text'
href='//[Link]/check?uri=https%3A%2F%[Link]%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%3AFilepath%2FCoat_of_Arms_
of_Northern_Ireland.svg,<span>,&,</span>,ss=1#source'>valid</a>.
Original artist: User:Palomca/attribution
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: PD Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:English_dialects_in_Ulster_contrast.png Source:
Ulster_contrast.png License: GFDL Contributors:

[Link]

Irish English Resource Centre Original artist: Asarla (original map - see here)
Stickinsect2 (modied colors - see here)
File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Source: [Link] License: PD Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Flax_flowers.jpg Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: D. Gordon E. Robertson
File:George_best_1976.jpg Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA
3.0 nl Contributors: Nationaal Archief Fotocollectie Anefo Original artist: NL-HaNA, ANEFO / neg. stroken, 1945-1989
File:Hare{}s_Gap_-_geograph.org.uk_-_66827.jpg Source:
[Link]
Gap_-_geograph.org.uk_-_66827.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: From [Link] Original artist: Brian Hesketh
File:Lough_Neagh_-_geograph.org.uk_-_488526.jpg Source: [Link]
-_geograph.org.uk_-_488526.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: From [Link] Original artist: HENRY CLARK
File:Map_of_Celtic_Nations.svg Source: [Link] License:
CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Map_of_those_with_some_ability_in_Irish_in_the_2011_census_in_Northern_Ireland.png Source: [Link]
org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Map_of_those_with_some_ability_in_Irish_in_the_2011_census_in_Northern_Ireland.png License: CC
BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Made myself from a publically available shapele on the NISRA website and an excel le of numerical data
on the Northern Ireland neighbourhood site Original artist: SkateTier
File:Map_showing_the_percentage_of_people_aged_3+_claiming_to_have_some_ability_in_Ulster_Scots_in_the_2011_
[Link] Source: [Link]
claiming_to_have_some_ability_in_Ulster_Scots_in_the_2011_census.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Made myself from a
publically available shapele on the NISRA website and an excel le of numerical data on the Northern Ireland neighbourhood site Original
artist: SkateTier
File:Marble_Arch_Caves_-_Skreen_Hill_streamway.jpeg Source: [Link]
Arch_Caves_-_Skreen_Hill_streamway.jpeg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Flickr: DSC02631 Original artist: Neil Rickards
File:Most_common_nationality_2011.png
Source:
[Link]
nationality_2011.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: SkateTier
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC-BYSA-3.0 Contributors: Own work { Original artist: Adrian O' Neill (wuser10)
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: Public domain Contributors: Created by Mal 14:43, 28 February 2006 (UTC) (Feb 2006). Original artist: Setanta747 (locked) at English Wikipedia
File:NI_koeppen.png Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Adam Peterson
File:Northern_Ireland_in_the_UK_and_Europe.svg Source:
[Link]
Ireland_in_the_UK_and_Europe.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: This le was derived from Blank map of Europe (with disputed
regions).svg: <a href='//[Link]/wiki/File:Blank_map_of_Europe_(with_disputed_regions).svg' class='image'><img
alt='Blank map of Europe (with disputed regions).svg' src='[Link]

15.3

Content license

27

of_Europe_%28with_disputed_regions%[Link]/50px-Blank_map_of_Europe_%28with_disputed_regions%[Link]'
width='50'
height='38' srcset='[Link]
[Link]/75px-Blank_map_of_Europe_%28with_disputed_regions%[Link] 1.5x, [Link]
thumb/a/a7/Blank_map_of_Europe_%28with_disputed_regions%[Link]/100px-Blank_map_of_Europe_%28with_disputed_regions%
[Link] 2x' data-le-width='680' data-le-height='520' /></a>
Original artist: Blank map of Europe (with disputed regions).svg: maix?
File:Opening_of_the_new_Northern_Ireland_Parliament_Buildings.jpg
Source:
[Link]
commons/5/53/Opening_of_the_new_Northern_Ireland_Parliament_Buildings.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: November 16,
1932 Original artist: National Library of Ireland on The Commons
File:Predominant_passport_held_northern_ireland.png
Source:
[Link]
Predominant_passport_held_northern_ireland.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Made myself from a publically available
shapele on the NISRA website and an excel le of numerical data on the Northern Ireland neighbourhood site Original artist: SkateTier
File:Religion_or_religion_brought_up_in.png Source: [Link]
brought_up_in.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Made myself from a publically available shapele on the NISRA website and an
excel le of numerical data on the Northern Ireland neighbourhood site Original artist: SkateTier
File:Rory_McIlroy_at_the_Memorial_Golf_Tournament.jpg Source: [Link]
McIlroy_at_the_Memorial_Golf_Tournament.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: [Link]
5842867852/in/photostream/ Original artist: Ed (supergolfdude)
File:Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom_(HM_Government).svg Source:
[Link]
commons/1/1a/Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_United_Kingdom_%28HM_Government%[Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Sodacan
File:Scottish_and_Northern_Ireland_Ministers.jpg Source: [Link]
Northern_Ireland_Ministers.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Scotland and Northern Ireland Original artist: Scottish Government
File:Speaker_Icon.svg Source: [Link] License: Public domain Contributors: No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Original artist: No machine-readable
author provided. Mobius assumed (based on copyright claims).
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BY 2.0
Contributors: [Link] Original artist: [Link]
photos/robertpaulyoung/
File:Troubles_deaths_by_perpetrator.png Source:
[Link]
[Link] License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: IrishBriton
File:Ulster_Covenant_Commemoration_Parade,_Belfast,_September_2012_(010).JPG Source:
[Link]
wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ulster_Covenant_Commemoration_Parade%2C_Belfast%2C_September_2012_%28010%[Link] License:
CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Ardfern
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:Bastique, User:Ramac et al.
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: This is a cropped version of Image:[Link]. Original artist: Vectorized by Simon 01:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
Updated by Time3000 17 April 2007 to use ocial Wikinews colours and appear correctly on dark backgrounds. Originally uploaded by
Simon.
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: Public domain
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Rei-artur
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License:
CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Snorky
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: AleXXw
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC BYSA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Dan Polansky based on work currently attributed to Wikimedia Foundation but originally
created by Smurrayinchester

15.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0