Northern Ireland

Introduction

Northern Ireland is a part of the U. Kingdom in the north-East of the island of Ireland.

Geography:

Northern Ireland shares bored with Republic of Ireland to the South and West.

    The centerpiece of Northern Ireland’s geography is Lough Neagh, (391 km2) the largest freshwater lake both on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. A second extensive lake system in centered on Lower and Upper Lough Erne Fermanagh. None of the hills is especially high, with Slieve Donard in the dramatic Mourns reaching 849 meters (2,785ft), Northern Ireland’s highest point.

     The whole of Northern Ireland has temperate climate, rather wetter in the West than the East. Cloud cover is persistent across the region.

Politics:

Since 1998, Northern Ireland has developed government within the U. Kingdom. The UK Government and UK Parliament are responsible for reserved and excepted matters. On all other matters, the Northern Ireland Executive together with the 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly may legislate and govern for Northern Ireland

History:

Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter inter-communal conflict-the Troubles- which was caused by divisions between Nationalists, who see themselves as Irish and are predominantly Roman Catholic, and Unionists, who see themselves as British and are predominantly Protestant. (Additionally, people from both sides of the community may describe themselves as Northern Irish.) Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the U. Kingdom, while nationalists want reunification with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule.

The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16^th century. The English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made Engilsh control fragmentary. Following Irish defeat at the Battle of Kinsale, though, the region´s Gaelic, Roman Catholic aristocracy fled to continental Eurpe in 1607 and the region became subject to major programmes of colonialism by Protestant English (mainly Anglican) and Scottish(mainly Presbyterian) settlers. There was a rebellion in 1641 by Irish aristocrats against English rule.

The Troubles:

The Troubles, starting in the late 1960s, consisted of about thirty years of recurring acts of intense violence between elements of Northern Ireland´s nationalist community (principally Roman Catholic) and unionist community(principally Protestant), during which 3,254 people were killed. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) and pro-British paramilitary forces participated in these attacks.

Peace process

The Troubles were brought to an end by a peace process which included the declaration of ceasefires by most paramilitary organisations and the complete decommissioning of their weapons, the reform of the police, and the corresponding withdrawal of army troops from the streets and from sensitive border areas; from 1998 and on.

Population:

The population in 2010 was estimated to be just under 1.8 million. It is almost entirely white (99.15%). The largest non-white ethnic groups are Asians with 0.4% (of which Chinese accounted for 60.7%, Indian for 23% and Pakistani for 9.8% of the total). Black people of various origins accounted for 0.06% of the population and people of mixed ethnicity accounted for 0.2%.

Language

English is spoken as a first language by almost all of the Northern Ireland population. Two all-island bodies for the promotion of local languages were created: the Ulster Scots Agency, which promotes the Ulster Scots dialect and culture, and Foras na Gaeilge, which promotes the Irish language.

Culture

Nothern Ireland’s reputation improved after the Peace Process, so high numbers of tourists visit it every year. Attractions include cultural festivals, musical and artistic traditions, countryside and geographical sites of interest, public houses, welcoming hospitality and sports (especially golf and fishing).

Sports

Popular sports include football, rugby, cricket, golf, Gaelic games (Gaelic football, hurling, handball and rounders) and snooker. Football is the most popular in Northern Ireland. The video shows a game of rounders.