Download Northern Ireland

Tuaisceart Éireann
Northern Ireland, administrative division of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, situated in the north-eastern portion of the
island of Ireland.
The remaining portion of the island is part of the
Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland constitutes about 17 percent of the
land area of Ireland and has 31 percent of the
island’s population.
 The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. Northern
Ireland’s population is deeply divided along religious
and political lines. The schism between the
Protestant majority and the Roman Catholic minority
extends deep into Northern Ireland’s past and has
strongly influenced the region’s culture, settlement
patterns, and politics
Historical links
 The whole of Ireland was part of the United
Kingdom until 1920, as the British
government—faced with growing violent
resistance—offered limited local government to
Ireland.
 The island was divided into two regions,
Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, both
under the control of the United Kingdom. Each
region was granted the right to elect a local
parliament while maintaining representation in
the British Parliament.
 When local parliamentary elections were held in
1921, the southern Irish parliament refused to
recognize British control.
 As a result, of the original 32 counties of Ireland,
the 6 north-easterly counties became a British
province officially known as Northern Ireland.
 The remaining 26 counties became independent
in 1922 as the Irish Free State (later Eire, and
subsequently the Republic of Ireland).
 Catholics seeking integration with Ireland are
often referred to as republicans or nationalists,
while Protestants who want Northern Ireland to
remain part of the United Kingdom are often called
unionists or loyalists
Political Murals in Northern Ireland
Many buildings in the Catholic and Protestant working-class
neighbourhoods of Belfast, feature political murals.
a mural supporting the republican political party Sinn Fein, left,
and one supporting the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist
paramilitary group, right
 From 1921 to 1972 Northern Ireland had its own regional
parliament that exercised considerable authority over local
affairs.
 The Protestant, unionist majority dominated the parliament,
which made the government unpopular with the Catholic,
nationalist minority. Northern Ireland experienced a nearly
continuous period of violent conflict between these two groups
from the late 1960s through the mid-1990s.
 The violence extended beyond Ireland, as republican
paramilitary groups—in particular the Irish Republican Army
(IRA)—also struck targets in London and elsewhere in
England. The clashes, bombings, and assassinations in this
period were often referred to as “the troubles.”
 In 1972 the British government shut down Northern Ireland’s
regional parliament and governed the region directly from
London. A 1998 accord known as the Good Friday Agreement
restored some powers to a new provincial government.
Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
The so-called Bloody Sunday incident on January 30, 1972, is one of
the most notorious events of the sectarian violence in Northern
Ireland. British troops opened fire on a crowd of civil rights
protesters marching in Londonderry/Derry, killing 13 people.
 The Protestant community often refers to
Northern Ireland as Ulster. Catholics seldom
use this name. For most Catholics the term
Ulster is used only to refer to the historic Irish
province of Ulster, which consisted of the
current six counties and three other counties
that are now in the Republic of Ireland.
Catholics tend to refer to the territory as “the
north of Ireland,” and those of strongly
nationalist views also use the term “the six
counties.”
LAND AND RESOURCES
 The total area of Northern Ireland is 14,160 sq km,
of which 628 sq km is inland water.
 Northern Ireland is bounded on the north and
northeast by the North Channel, on the southeast
by the Irish Sea, and on the south and west by
Ireland. The border with Ireland is 360 km long.
The region’s coastline consists of wide, sandy
beaches, broken by steep cliffs in the north,
northeast, and southeast.
 Near the northernmost point of Northern Ireland is
Giant’s Causeway, an unusual formation of basalt
columns created by the cooling of an ancient lava
flow. Rathlin Island and several smaller islands lie
off the northern coast.
Giant’s Causeway
REGIONS
 The different regions of Northern Ireland
are frequently referred to by the names of
the province’s six traditional Irish
counties, even though they are no longer
the units of local government. These
are—clockwise from the northeast—
Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh,
Tyrone, and Londonderry (Derry).
six traditional Irish
counties
Hillsborough Castle
Enniskillen
Carrickfergus Castle
Scrabo Tower
Londonderry
Newry
Beaghmore Stone Circles
Castlewellan Forest Park
 Rivers and Lakes
 Lough Neagh, in the centre of Northern Ireland, is the
largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, with an area of
396 sq km
 All the region’s counties border it except Fermanagh.
Upper and Lower Lough Erne, in Fermanagh, are the only
other major freshwater lakes. Belfast Lough, Carlingford
Lough, Strangford Lough, and Lough Foyle are the largest
sea inlets.
 The major river of Northern Ireland is the Bann, which rises
in the Mourne Mountains and flows northward through
Lough Neagh to become a wide and navigable waterway
to the sea.
 The Foyle flows north to the sea at the port city of
Londonderry (Derry), forming the border with Ireland for
part of its length. The Lagan flows northeast to the sea at
Belfast.
Lough Neagh
 Area 388 sq km
 The largest freshwater lake in the British Isles
 Recreation, bird watching, eel fishing, sand
dredging
Enniskillen Castle on the Erne River
.
Climate
 Northern Ireland’s climate is temperate, with warm
winters and cool summers. In January the average
daily temperature is around 4°C, and in July it is
about 15°C. Annual precipitation is about 1,100
mm (42 in)
 Spring is normally the driest season. Overcast
skies are the norm: Average daily hours of clear
skies range from less than two from November to
January to around six in May and June. Northern
Ireland tends to be breezy, and gales are common
in spring and fall.
POPULATION
 The total population
of Northern Ireland is
1,710,300 (2004).
The overall
population density is
121 persons per sq
km.
 Belfast is the capital and largest city of
Northern Ireland. Almost half of the province’s
population lives in the greater Belfast area.
Founded on the sandy mouth of the Lagan
River in 1613 by settlers from Britain, Belfast
took its name from Beal Feirsde (Irish for “the
mouth of the sandbank”). Belfast remained a
small trading port until about 1800. It
subsequently became a major industrial city,
growing from about 20,000 people at the
beginning of the 1800s to a peak of 443,671 in
1951.
City Hall, Belfast
Panorama of Belfast, taken from
a tower of Queen's University.
 Northern Ireland’s second largest city,
Londonderry (Derry), is much smaller.
Derry (Irish Doire, for “place of the oaks”), a
small community centred around a 6thcentury abbey, was rebuilt by British settlers
in 1613, and the official name of the city
became Londonderry. This name was never
fully accepted or used by Catholics, who in
general still refer to the city as Derry. The city
is therefore often referred to in books and
other text sources as Londonderry/Derry
Armagh
 The only other urban centre designated as a city is
Armagh, which is actually a small town. Armagh owes
its prominence to its historic role as the centre of
Christianity in Ireland and the home of both the
Catholic and Anglican primates of all Ireland.
 Major towns include the market centres of Coleraine
(headquarters of the University of Ulster), Dungannon,
Enniskillen, Omagh, and Strabane; the ports of Larne
and Newry; and the historic linen manufacturing towns
of Ballymena, Lurgan, and Portadown.
Armagh is the
ecclesiastical capital of
Ireland and has been an
important religious
centre since the days of
Saint Patrick
the rolling countryside
of the southern part of
the Armagh District
Language
 Almost all residents of Northern Ireland speak English. Only
a tiny percentage speak Irish, a Gaelic language, except in
remote upland areas in the Glens of Antrim, the Mourne
Mountains, and the Sperrin Mountains, where Irish is more
widely spoken.
 The Catholic and nationalist community has tended to
become more enthusiastic about learning Irish as a second
language during periods of heightened political activity—for
example, from 1900 to 1920 and from 1970 to the present
day.
 Recent government policies and the expansion of university
education have encouraged mutual respect for the two
cultural traditions in the province. This has boosted the Irish
language movement, as well as the rise in popularity of
Ulster-Scots, or Ullans, among the Protestant community
Way of Life and Social
Issues
 Northern Ireland’s Catholic and Protestant communities are both
predominantly conservative in their social and religious outlook.
Church attendance remains high, although it has been falling in recent
years. Catholic and Protestant attitudes on matters of sexual morality
and abortion are notably similar. Divorce levels are low in comparison
to those in the rest of the United Kingdom. The proportion of mixed
Catholic-Protestant marriages has risen recently but remains only a
small percentage of all marriages.

Many people believe that the decades of political violence
strengthened the women’s movement in Northern Ireland. Women
often came to the forefront of political life to demand peace and an end
to terrorism. Two Belfast women jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1976 for working to reconcile Northern Ireland’s religious
communities.
 Sports are popular in Northern Ireland. In the Catholic
community Gaelic football and hurling are popular
among men, and camogie (a sport similar to hurling) is
popular among women. Among Protestants popular
games are rugby union football, cricket, and field
hockey. Association football (soccer) and golf are
popular games in both Catholic and Protestant
communities.
 The Catholic-Protestant segregation extends to
Northern Irish society in general. Urban residential
neighbourhoods are highly segregated.
 Protestants hold higher-status jobs more frequently
and Catholics are somewhat more likely to be unskilled
or unemployed. The Fair Employment Commission
(originally the Fair Employment Agency) has statutory
powers to investigate cases of alleged discrimination
and patterns of ethnic imbalance in all but the very
smallest companies.
ECONOMY
 The economy has revived in recent years as major
British retailing chains have moved into the
province, and the tourism industry has begun to
achieve its full potential. Most of Northern Ireland’s
import and export trade is with other parts of the
United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland is the
next most important trading partner.
 Most farms in Northern Ireland are small.
Historically they began as tenant farms owned by
the landlords of large estates. Agriculture in
Northern Ireland largely revolves around livestock
production—cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry are the
main animals raised. Barley is the most important
crop, followed by potatoes and oats.
Sheep Grazing on a Hillside
Agriculture dominates the economy of Northern Ireland outside the
heavily industrialized cities of Belfast and Derry. The climate of
Northern Ireland, with its frequent rain and high humidity, is not
conducive to extensive farming but provides rich pasture for sheep and
cattle
GOVERNMENT
 Northern Ireland is part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, which is a parliamentary monarchy
and an electoral democracy. The province is
represented by 18 members in the British
Parliament's House of Commons. Voting age
in the United Kingdom is 18.
 The head of Northern Ireland is the British
Monarch {currently Queen Elizabeth II}
Northern Ireland
Assembly
 Established under the terms of the Good
Friday Agreement.
 Often has been suspended since its
establishment.
 Consists of 108 members.
 Of the 108 members, 59 are Unionists and 42
are Nationalist.
 The Assembly is based on the principle of
power-sharing.
Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland
 The British cabinet
minister.
 The office was
created in 1972.
 The Secretary of State
resides in
Hillsborough Castle.
Subdivisions
1.Provinces {Ulster}
2.Traditional counties.
3.Districts of Northern Ireland.
Districts of Northern
Ireland
1. Antrim
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ards
Armagh
Ballymena
Ballymoney
Banbridge
Belfast
Carrickfergu
s
9. Castlereagh
10. Coleraine
11. Cookstown
12. Craigavon
13. Derry
14. Down
15. Dungannon and
South Tyrone
16. Fermanagh
17. Larne
18. Limavady
19. Lisburn
20. Magherafelt
21. Moyle
22. Newry and Mourne
23. Newtownabbey
24. North Down
25. Omagh
26. Strabane
City status
 City status in the United Kingdom is granted by
the British monarch.
 The status does not apply automatically on the
basis of any particular criteria.

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Currently there are five cities in Northern Ireland:
Armagh
Belfast
Derry/Londonderry
Lisburn
Newry
 Ulster Fry -bacon, eggs, sausages, the
farl form of soda bread, potato bread,
tomato
 Irish Breakfast –Ulster fry +black pudding,
mushrooms, beans
Traditionally fried in lard
 Farls-term used for roughly triangular flat
breads and cakes, made by cutting a
round into four pieces.
Symbolism
 There is no longer an official Flag of
Northern Ireland, it was abolished 1972
 Unionists tend to use the Union Flag or
The Flag of Northern Ireland (The Ulster
Banner, Red Hand Flag), while nationalist
the Flag of Ireland or Flag of
Ulster.
 The national anthem, God Save The Queen or
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
 Saint Patrick (17th March)