Since the partition of 1920, the people of Northern Ireland have remained steadfast in their determination to retain their individual cultural and political identities, even at the cost of lasting peace. Many continue to defend the lines that define their differences, whether ideological divisions across the chambers of Parliament or actual streets marking the end of one culture and the beginning of the next. Generally speaking, the 950,000 Protestants are Unionists, who want the six counties of Northern Ireland to remain in the UK; the 650,000 Catholics tend to identify with the Republic of Ireland, not Britain, and many are Nationalists, who wish the six counties to be part of the Republic. The more extreme, and generally working-class, members of either side are known as Loyalists and Republicans, respectively; these groups traditionally have tended to prefer defending their turf with rocks and gas bombs. In 1998, the world felt a stirring of optimism with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent opening of the Assembly in Belfast, but continued tensions over disarmament and political victories by hardliners have kept peace out of reach. For more information about Ireland before the break between the North and the Republic in 1920, see Life and Times.
Ireland’s struggle with English occupiers began in earnest when King Henry II arrived in AD 1171, heralding the involvement of England in Irish affairs. In the following centuries, the English took ...more
The economy grew, but bigotry festered along with the nationalist community’s resentment at their forced unemployment and lack of political representation. In 1966, for fear of this resentment, Protestant ...more
On August 31, 1994, the IRA announced a “complete cessation of military activities.” Then on October 13, 1994, the Combined Loyalist Military Command, speaking on behalf of all Loyalist paramilitary ...more
The 1997 Marching Season gave Mo Mowlam, the British government’s Northern Ireland Secretary, a rough introduction to her new job. The Orange Order started their festivities a week early in Portadown ...more
In December 1999 a power-sharing government was formed under the leadership of Trimble and Mallon, but the IRA’s hidden weapon caches remained a central point of tension and threatened the collapse ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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