It is the de facto official language and the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 prohibits the use of languages other than English in legal proceedings. Under the Good Friday Agreement, Irish and Ulster Scots (an Ulster dialect of the Scots language, sometimes known as Ullans), are recognised as "part of the cultural wealth of Northern Ireland".
Some 250,000 Ulster Presbyterians emigrated to the British North American colonies between 1717 and 1775.
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 was led by the United Irishmen; a cross-community republican group founded by Belfast Presbyterians, which sought Irish independence.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed in 1801 and governed from London.
The Liberal government was dependent on Nationalist support, and the Parliament Act 1911 prevented the House of Lords from blocking the bill indefinitely. In response, unionists vowed to prevent Irish Home Rule, from Conservative and Unionist Party leaders such as Bonar Law and Dublin-based barrister Sir Edward Carson to militant working class unionists in Ireland.
However, Home Rule became a near-certainty in 1912 after the Third Home Rule Bill was introduced.
In September 1912, more than 500,000 Unionists signed the Ulster Covenant, pledging to oppose Home Rule by any means and to defy any Irish government.
In 1914, unionists smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers (UVF), a paramilitary organisation formed to oppose Home Rule.
In May 1914, the British government introduced an Amending Bill to allow for 'Ulster' to be excluded from Home Rule.
The crisis was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, and Ireland's involvement in it.
The British government abandoned the Amending Bill, and instead rushed through a new bill, the Suspensory Act 1914, suspending Home Rule for the duration of the war, with the exclusion of Ulster still to be decided. ===Partition of Ireland=== By the end of the war (during which the 1916 Easter Rising had taken place), most Irish nationalists now wanted full independence rather than home rule.
The British government abandoned the Amending Bill, and instead rushed through a new bill, the Suspensory Act 1914, suspending Home Rule for the duration of the war, with the exclusion of Ulster still to be decided. ===Partition of Ireland=== By the end of the war (during which the 1916 Easter Rising had taken place), most Irish nationalists now wanted full independence rather than home rule.
The Union Jack and the former Northern Ireland flag are flown in many loyalist areas, and the Tricolour, adopted by republicans as the flag of Ireland in 1916, is flown in some republican areas.
In the December 1918 general election, the pro-independence Sinn Féin party won the overwhelming majority of Irish seats.
In September 1919, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George tasked a committee with planning another home rule bill.
The British authorities outlawed the Dáil in September 1919, and a guerrilla conflict developed as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began attacking British forces.
Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating a devolved government for the six northeastern counties.
During 1920–22, the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians.
This became known as the Irish War of Independence. Meanwhile, the Fourth Home Rule Bill passed through the British parliament in 1920.
The Act received royal assent that December, becoming the Government of Ireland Act 1920.
King George V addressed the ceremonial opening of the Northern parliament on 22 June. During 1920–22, in what became Northern Ireland, partition was accompanied by violence "in defence or opposition to the new settlement".
In summer 1920, sectarian violence erupted in Belfast and Derry, and there were mass burnings of Catholic property in Lisburn and Banbridge.
It also suggests that "people of Northern Ireland" is preferred to "British" or "Irish", and the term "mainland" should be avoided in reference to Great Britain in relation to Northern Ireland. ====Nationalist==== North of Ireland – used to avoid using the name given by the British-enacted Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Six Counties (na Sé Chontae) – the Republic of Ireland is similarly described as the Twenty-Six Counties.
Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating a devolved government for the six northeastern counties.
It came into force on 3 May 1921, partitioning Ireland and creating Northern Ireland.
A truce between British forces and the IRA was established on 11 July 1921, ending the fighting in most of Ireland.
However, communal violence continued in Belfast, and in 1922 the IRA launched a guerrilla offensive in border areas of Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed between representatives of the British Government and the Irish Republic on 6 December 1921.
Northern Ireland law developed from Irish law that existed before the partition of Ireland in 1921.
Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists and Catholics who wanted a united independent Ireland.
However, communal violence continued in Belfast, and in 1922 the IRA launched a guerrilla offensive in border areas of Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed between representatives of the British Government and the Irish Republic on 6 December 1921.
Under the terms of the treaty, Northern Ireland would become part of the Free State unless the government opted out by presenting an address to the king, although in practice partition remained in place. As expected, the Parliament of Northern Ireland resolved on 7 December 1922 (the day after the establishment of the Irish Free State) to exercise its right to opt out of the Free State by making an address to the King.
Owing to the outbreak of civil war in the Free State, the work of the commission was delayed until 1925.
This proposal was formally considered by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1937 and by the UK Government in 1949 but no change was made. The Province refers to the historic Irish province of Ulster but today is used by some as shorthand for Northern Ireland.
While some individual accusations were unfounded or exaggerated, there are enough proven cases to show "a consistent and irrefutable pattern of deliberate discrimination against Catholics". In June 1940, to encourage the neutral Irish state to join with the Allies, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill indicated to the Taoiseach Éamon de Valera that the United Kingdom would push for Irish unity, but believing that Churchill could not deliver, de Valera declined the offer.
This proposal was formally considered by the Government of Northern Ireland in 1937 and by the UK Government in 1949 but no change was made. The Province refers to the historic Irish province of Ulster but today is used by some as shorthand for Northern Ireland.
No clubs have ever reached the group stage. Despite Northern Ireland's small population, the national team qualified for the World Cup in 1958, 1982 and 1986, making it to the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982 and made it the first knockout round in the European Championships in 2016. ====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.
In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front.
It was the first meeting between the two heads of government since partition. ===The Troubles=== The Troubles, which started in the late 1960s, consisted of about 30 years of recurring acts of intense violence during which 3,254 people were killed with over 50,000 casualties.
Discrimination against nationalists under the Stormont government (1921–1972) gave rise to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. 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, its existence, and the manner in which nationalist anger at it was handled, were a major contributing factor to the Troubles.
It aimed to destabilize Northern Ireland and bring about an end to partition, but ended in failure. In 1965, Northern Ireland's Prime Minister Terence O'Neill met the Taoiseach, Seán Lemass.
From 1967 to 1972 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), which modelled itself on the US civil rights movement, led a campaign of civil resistance to anti-Catholic discrimination in housing, employment, policing, and electoral procedures.
The political unrest went through its most violent phase between 1968 and 1994. In 2007, 36% of the population defined themselves as unionist, 24% as nationalist and 40% defined themselves as neither.
From 1969 to 2003 there were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200 bombings or attempted bombings associated with The Troubles.
Almost 2,000 murals have been documented in Northern Ireland since the 1970s. ==Sport== In Northern Ireland, sport is popular and important in the lives of many people.
From 1967 to 1972 the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), which modelled itself on the US civil rights movement, led a campaign of civil resistance to anti-Catholic discrimination in housing, employment, policing, and electoral procedures.
although the extent to which such collusion occurred is still disputed. As a consequence of the worsening security situation, autonomous regional government for Northern Ireland was suspended in 1972.
The former Northern Ireland flag, 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 official status.
In 1973, Northern Ireland held a referendum to determine if it should remain in the United Kingdom, or be part of a united Ireland.
The highest maximum temperature recorded was at Knockarevan, near Garrison, County Fermanagh on 30 June 1976 and at Belfast on 12 July 1983.
European route E01 runs from Larne through the island of Ireland, Spain and Portugal to Seville. ==Demographics== The population of Northern Ireland has risen yearly since 1978.
No clubs have ever reached the group stage. Despite Northern Ireland's small population, the national team qualified for the World Cup in 1958, 1982 and 1986, making it to the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982 and made it the first knockout round in the European Championships in 2016. ====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.
The highest maximum temperature recorded was at Knockarevan, near Garrison, County Fermanagh on 30 June 1976 and at Belfast on 12 July 1983.
Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, dropping to 6.1% and down by 1.2 percentage points over the year, similar to the UK figure of 6.2%. 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.
No clubs have ever reached the group stage. Despite Northern Ireland's small population, the national team qualified for the World Cup in 1958, 1982 and 1986, making it to the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982 and made it the first knockout round in the European Championships in 2016. ====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.
Since 1987 public houses have been allowed to open on Sundays, despite some opposition. The Ulster Cycle is a large body of prose and verse centring on the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster.
Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s.
The political unrest went through its most violent phase between 1968 and 1994. In 2007, 36% of the population defined themselves as unionist, 24% as nationalist and 40% defined themselves as neither.
The national football team also uses the Ulster Banner as its flag but uses "God Save The Queen" as its anthem. Major Gaelic Athletic Association matches are opened by the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland, "Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldier's Song)", which is also used by most other all-Ireland sporting organisations. Since 1995, the Ireland rugby union team has used a specially commissioned song, "Ireland's Call" as the team's anthem.
The Northern Ireland Assembly (colloquially referred to as Stormont after its location), established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement was a major step in the peace process, including paramilitary disarmament and security normalisation, although sectarianism and segregation remain major social problems, and sporadic violence has continued. The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but declined as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles.
This aspect was also central to the Belfast Agreement which was signed in 1998 and ratified by referendums held simultaneously in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Of the 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), 40 are unionists and 39 are nationalists (the remaining 11 are classified as "other"). ===Governance=== Since 1998, Northern Ireland has had devolved government within the United Kingdom, presided over by the Northern Ireland Assembly and a cross-community government (the Northern Ireland Executive).
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.
These figures were largely unchanged from the 1998 results. People born in Northern Ireland are, with some exceptions, deemed by UK law to be citizens of the United Kingdom.
The Constitution of Ireland was amended in 1999 to remove a claim of the "Irish nation" to sovereignty over the entire island (in Article 2). 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.
In another survey, from 1999, 1% of respondents said they spoke it as their main language at home. The dialect spoken in Northern Ireland, Ulster Irish, has two main types, East Ulster Irish and Donegal Irish (or West Ulster Irish), is the one closest to Scottish Gaelic (which developed into a separate language from Irish Gaelic in the 17th century).
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. ====Cricket==== The Ireland cricket team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
In 2000, the telephone numbering system was restructured into an 8 digit scheme with (except for Belfast) the first digit approximately reflecting the county. The county boundaries still appear on Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Maps and the Philip's Street Atlases, among others.
The population in 2011 was 1.8 million, having grown 7.5% over the previous decade from just under 1.7 million in 2001.
4.3% were born elsewhere; triple the amount there were in 2001.
These operate separately under the aegis of the North/South Language Body, which reports to the North/South Ministerial Council. The British government in 2001 ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
These institutions were suspended by the British Government in 2002 after Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) allegations of spying by people working for Sinn Féin at the Assembly (Stormontgate).
From 1969 to 2003 there were over 36,900 shooting incidents and over 16,200 bombings or attempted bombings associated with The Troubles.
Apart from the public sector, another important service sector is tourism, which rose to account for over 1% of the economy's revenue in 2004.
The Irish restriction was given effect by the twenty-seventh amendment to the Irish Constitution in 2004.
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. ====Cricket==== The Ireland cricket team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The resulting case against the accused Sinn Féin member collapsed. On 28 July 2005, the Provisional IRA declared an end to its campaign and has since decommissioned what is thought to be all of its arsenal.
The political unrest went through its most violent phase between 1968 and 1994. In 2007, 36% of the population defined themselves as unionist, 24% as nationalist and 40% defined themselves as neither.
The UK's submission to the 2007 United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names defines the UK as being made up of two countries (England and Scotland), one principality (Wales) and one province (Northern Ireland). Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland has no history of being an independent country or of being a nation in its own right.
A further 4.4% identified as "all other", which are largely immigrants, for example from Poland. A 2008 survey found that 57% of Protestants described themselves as British, while 32% identified as Northern Irish, 6% as Ulster and 4% as Irish.
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.
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. ====Cricket==== The Ireland cricket team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The lowest minimum temperature recorded was at Castlederg, County Tyrone on 23 December 2010. Northern Ireland is the least forested part of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and one of the least forested parts of Europe.
In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's population and about 3% of the UK's population.
The population in 2011 was 1.8 million, having grown 7.5% over the previous decade from just under 1.7 million in 2001.
In 2011, 88.8% of the population were born in Northern Ireland, with 4.5% born elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and 2.9% born in the Republic of Ireland.
Black people of various origins made up 0.2% of the 2011 population and people of mixed ethnicity made up 0.2%. ===Religion=== At the 2011 census, 41.5% of the population identified as Protestant/non-Roman Catholic Christian, 41% as Roman Catholic, and 0.8% as non-Christian, while 17% identified with no religion or did not state one.
83.1% of Protestants identified as "British" or with a British ethnic group (English, Scottish, or Welsh) in the 2011 Census, whereas only 3.9% identified as "Irish".
Renunciation of British citizenship requires the payment of a fee, currently £372. In the 2011 census in Northern Ireland respondents stated that they held the following passports. ===Languages=== English is spoken as a first language by almost all of the Northern Ireland population.
However, in the 19th century, the language was seen as a common heritage, with Ulster Protestants playing a leading role in the Gaelic revival. In the 2011 census, 11% of the population of Northern Ireland claimed "some knowledge of Irish" and 3.7% reported being able to "speak, read, write and understand" Irish.
However, the number speaking it as their main language in their home is negligible, with only 0.9% of 2011 census respondents claiming to be able to speak, read, write and understand Ulster-Scots.
According to a 2015 opinion poll, 70% express a long-term preference of the maintenance of Northern Ireland's membership of the United Kingdom (either directly ruled or with devolved government), while 14% express a preference for membership of a united Ireland.
These were created in 2015, replacing the twenty-six districts which previously existed. Although counties are no longer used for local governmental purposes, they remain a popular means of describing where places are.
No clubs have ever reached the group stage. Despite Northern Ireland's small population, the national team qualified for the World Cup in 1958, 1982 and 1986, making it to the quarter-finals in 1958 and 1982 and made it the first knockout round in the European Championships in 2016. ====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.
It is a full member of the International Cricket Council, having been granted Test status and full membership by the ICC in June 2017.
These sectors "have been mandated to close since 26 December 2020, with a very limited number of exceptions" and many restrictions were continuing into April 2021.
These sectors "have been mandated to close since 26 December 2020, with a very limited number of exceptions" and many restrictions were continuing into April 2021.
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