|
Tuaisceart Éireann | |
| Constituent country of United Kingdom | |
|
|
 | |
| Capital | Belfast |
| Government | Devolved constituent country and consociational democracy |
| Monarch | |
| - From 1972 | Elizabeth II |
| First Minister | |
| - From 2008 | Peter Robinson |
| Deputy First Minister | |
| - From 2007 | Martin McGuinness |
| Legislature | Northern Ireland Assembly |
| History | |
| - May 3, 1921 | Government of Ireland Act |
| - March 30, 1972 | Temporary Provisions Act |
| - July 18, 1973 | Northern Ireland Constitution Act |
| - December 9, 1973 | Sunningdale Agreement |
| - April 10, 1998 | Belfast Agreement |
| - July 1, 1998 | Northern Ireland Assembly |
| Area | 13,843 km² |
| Population | |
| - 2001 | 1,685,267 |
| Density | 121.7/km² |
| GDP | 2001 (PPP) |
| - Total | US$ 48 billion |
| - Per capita | US$ 28,500 |
| Currency | Pound sterling |
| NUTS Region | UKN |
 Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland (NI) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Until March 30, 1972 Northern Ireland enjoyed extensive autonomy within the United Kingdom with political institutions that were based on the principle of majority rule.
Following the Northern Ireland Constitution Act on July 18, 1973 there was an attempt to introduce a new set of consensus based political institutions with a Northern Ireland Assembly instead of the previous Parliament of Northern Ireland. The assembly was suspended in 1974 and political power reverted to the government in London. There was another attempt to reopen the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1982, but in 1986 it was suspended again.
Following the Belfast Agreement on April 10, 1998 there has been a renewed effort to run the political institutions and the Northern Ireland Assembly based on a consociataional framework. Despite several suspensions there is a government lead by a First Minister and a Deputy First Minister.
Also Scotland and Wales has their own regional legislatures but England is ruled directly by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the government in London.
Government[]
The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution. The equivalent body of law is based on statute, common law, and "traditional rights." Changes may come about formally through new acts of Parliament, informally through the acceptance of new practices and usage, or by judicial precedents. Although Parliament has the theoretical power to make or repeal any law, in actual practice the weight of 700 years of tradition restrains arbitrary actions.
Executive power rests nominally with the monarch but actually is exercised by a committee of ministers (cabinet) traditionally selected from among the members of the House of Commons and, to a lesser extent, the House of Lords. The prime minister is normally the leader of the largest party in the Commons, and the government is dependent on its support.
Parliament represents the entire country. It legislates for the entire country in matters that are not devolved to the legislatures in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, such as foreign policy, energy policy, immigration and border control, and monetary policy. The devolved legislatures in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have varying degrees of legislative authority over other matters. England does not have its own separate legislative body and Parliament can therefore legislate in all fields for England.
Northern Ireland had its own Parliament and prime minister from 1921 to 1973, when the British Government imposed direct rule in order to deal with the deteriorating political and security situation. From 1973, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, based in London, was responsible for the region, including efforts to resolve the issues that lay behind the "the troubles." By the mid-1990s, gestures toward peace encouraged by successive British and Irish governments and by President Bill Clinton began to open the door for restored local government in Northern Ireland. A Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) cease-fire and nearly 2 years of multiparty negotiations, led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, resulted in the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) of April 10, 1998, which was subsequently approved by majorities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Key elements of the agreement include devolved government, a commitment of the parties to work toward "total disarmament of all paramilitary organizations," police reform, and enhanced mechanisms to guarantee human rights and equal opportunity. The Good Friday Agreement (₳|₩) also called for formal cooperation between the Northern Ireland institutions and the Government of the Republic of Ireland, and it established the British-Irish Council (₳|₩), which includes representatives of the British and Irish Governments as well as the devolved Governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Devolved government was reestablished in Northern Ireland in December 1999, although certain key functions, such as policing and justice powers, remained under Westminster control.
The Good Friday Agreement provides for a 108-member elected Assembly, overseen by a 12-minister Executive Committee (cabinet) in which unionists and nationalists share leadership responsibility. Northern Ireland elects 18 representatives to the Westminster Parliament in London. However, the five Sinn Fein members of Parliament, who won seats in the last election, follow an abstentionist policy in which they refuse to take their seats, although they do maintain offices and perform constituency services. Progress has been made on each of the key elements of the Good Friday Agreement. Most notably, a new, more-representative police service has been instituted, and PIRA and the other main republican and loyalist paramilitary groups have decommissioned their weapons. However, a small number of splinter republican groups continue to oppose the peace process and engage in violence, particularly against the police, U.K. military, and the justice sector. Disagreements over the implementation of elements of the agreement and allegations about PIRA's continued engagement in paramilitary activity troubled the peace process for several years. In October 2002, Northern Ireland's devolved institutions were suspended amid allegations of IRA intelligence gathering at Stormont, the seat of Northern Ireland's government. Assembly elections scheduled for May 2003 were postponed. Elections were held in November 2003, but the Assembly remained suspended. Finally, in 2007, the parties signed the St. Andrews Agreement, which paved the way for the Northern Ireland Government to stand up and for the devolution of powers to Belfast to occur. Responsibility for police and justice issues in Northern Ireland were the last component of devolution to take place; the transfer of these powers from London to Belfast occurred on April 12, 2010, having been provided for by the signing of the Hillsborough Agreement on February 4, 2010. The United States remains firmly committed to the peace process in Northern Ireland and to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements, which it views as the best means to ensure lasting peace. The United States has condemned all acts of terrorism and violence, perpetrated by any group.[1]
Politics[]
The major political parties in Northern Ireland are the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party. The UUP and SDLP are centrist Unionist and Nationalist parties, respectively, while Sinn Fein is strongly Republican and the DUP is strongly Unionist. The Alliance Party is the only non-sectarian party.
Since June 2008, Northern Ireland's First Minister has been DUP party leader Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister has been Martin McGuinness, who is a Sinn Féin member of the British Parliament and a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The DUP, UUP, Sinn Féin, and SDLP currently make up the power-sharing executive. The next Northern Ireland Assembly election will be held in May 2011.[2]
Good Friday Agreement[]
The conflict in Northern Ireland stems from a history of British rule, historical animosity between Catholics and Protestants, and the various armed and political attempts to unite Northern Ireland with the rest of the island. "Nationalist" and "Republican" groups seek a united Ireland, while "Unionists" and "Loyalists" want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. After decades of violence by both Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries, most notably the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the British and Irish Governments negotiated a PIRA ceasefire in 1994, which was followed by the landmark Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
The GFA established a power-sharing executive and assembly to serve as the devolved local government of Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly has 108 elected members. The power-sharing executive is led by a first minister and deputy first minister, one each from the largest unionist and nationalist parties, and an 11-minister executive. The GFA also provided for both Ireland and the U.K. to accept that Northern Ireland could become part of Ireland if a majority (north and south) so voted in the future. The GFA provided a blueprint for "normalization," to include reduction in the numbers and role of armed forces, devolution of police and justice authorities, and guarantees of human rights and equal opportunity for all individuals. The agreement was approved in a 1998 referendum by 71% of Northern Ireland voters and 95% of Irish voters.[3]
Music[]
The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is Northern Ireland's only full-time symphony orchestra and is well renowned in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1966, it has existed in its present form since 1981, when the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra was disbanded. The music school of Queen's University is responsible for arranging a notable series of lunchtime and evening concerts, often given by renowned musicians which are usually given in The Harty Room at the university (University Square).
There are many Traditional Irish bands playing throughout the city and quite a few music schools concentrate on teaching Traditional music. Well known city centre venues would include Kelly's Cellars, Maddens and the Hercules bar. Famous artists would include The McPeakes, Brian Kennedy and the band 9Lies.
Musicians and bands who have written songs about or dedicated to Belfast: U2, Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Simple Minds, Elton John, Rogue Male, Katie Melua, Boney M, Paul Muldoon, Stiff Little Fingers, Nanci Griffith, Glenn Patterson, Orbital, James Taylor, Fun Boy Three, Spandau Ballet, The Police, Barnbrack, Gary Moore, Neon Neon, Toxic Waste, Energy Orchard, and Billy Bragg.
Further in Belfast the Oh Yeah Music Centre is located (Cathedral Quarter), a project founded to give young musicians and artists a place where they can share ideas and kick-start their music careers as a chance to be supported and promoted by professional musicians of Northern Ireland's music-scene.
Belfast has a longstanding underground club scene which was established in the early 1980s.
Belfast has a strong jazz tradition, with venues such as MAC and The Waterfront Hall showing jazz music and Scott's Jazz Club. The Belfast Jazz Orchestra, Brian Kennedy and Gareth Dunlop have gained international recognition for their innovative and soulful music. Inspired by jazz, and going on to form Them, is Van Morrison, who took tenor saxophone and music reading lessons from tenor saxophonist George Cassidy. Morrison and Them have gone on to inspire bands themselves, such as U2, Oasis and The Pretenders. Them have won multiple awards, including Grammy's for their songs, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Rock scene of Belfast has flourished over the years, in the 2000s, Oppenheimer found success, as well as long time band Stiff Little Fingers. Guitarist Vivian Campbell, has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992. He has also worked with White Snake, Sweet Savage, Shadow King, Riverdogs and Thin Lizzy.
Geography & Climate[]
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.
The centrepiece of Northern Ireland's 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, off 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 Fermanagh–Tyrone border. None of the hills are especially high, with Slieve Donard in the dramatic Mournes reaching 850 metres (2,789 ft), Northern Ireland's highest point. Belfast's most prominent peak is Cavehill.
The volcanic activity which created the Antrim Plateau also formed the geometric pillars of the Giant's Causeway on the north Antrim coast. Also in north Antrim are the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Mussenden Temple and the Glens of Antrim.
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 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 Moat Park, located in Dundonald, East Belfast, has a playpark, the River Enler flowing through it and a historical motte (motte and bailie) known as the moat hill. The moat hill is the centrepiece of the park, built in the 12th century by the Anglo-Normans. The castle that once sat on the motte no longer exists. Steps were built in the 1960's for residents to gain access. It offers panoramic views of Dundonald, where Stormont, Ulster Hospital, Scrabo Tower, Moat Playing Fields and St Elizabeth's Church and graveyard are visible.
The vast majority of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification) rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is very common 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 31.4 °C (88.5 °F), registered in July 2021 at Armagh Observatory's weather station. The lowest minimum temperature recorded was −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) 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 countries in Europe. Until the end of the Middle Ages, the land was heavily forested. Native species include deciduous trees such as oak, ash, hazel, birch, alder, willow, aspen, elm, rowan and hawthorn, as well as evergreen trees such Scots pine, yew and holly. Today, only 8% of Northern Ireland is woodland, and most of this is non-native conifer plantations.
Counties[]
Northern Ireland consists of six historic counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, and County Tyrone.
These counties are no longer used for local government purposes; instead, there are eleven districts of Northern Ireland which have different geographical extents. 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. They are officially used while applying for an Irish passport, which requires one to state one's county of birth. The name of that county then appears in both Irish and English on the passport's information 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 fields representative teams of each GAA county. The original system of car registration numbers largely based on counties remains in use. 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. With their decline in official 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).
In March 2018, The Sunday Times published its list of Best Places to Live in Britain, including the following places in Northern Ireland: Ballyhackamore near Belfast (overall best for Northern Ireland), Holywood, County Down, Newcastle, County Down, Portrush, County Antrim, Strangford, County Down.
Cities and major towns[]
| Cities and towns by population | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Belfast City Hall, October 2010 (01).JPG
Belfast File:Guildhall, Derry, August 2010.JPG Derry |
# | Settlement | Population | Metro
population |
File:Lisburn Market House.JPG
Lisburn File:Newry Townhall - geograph.org.uk - 1476695.jpg Newry | |
| 1 | Belfast | 334,420 | 671,559 | |||
| 2 | Derry | 84,750 | 237,000 | |||
| 3 | Lisburn | 71,403 | ||||
| 4 | Greater Craigavon | 68,890 | ||||
| 5 | Newtownabbey | 66,120 | ||||
| 6 | Bangor | 62,650 | ||||
| 7 | Ballymena | 30,590 | ||||
| 8 | Newtownards | 28,860 | ||||
| 9 | Newry | 28,080 | ||||
| 10 | Carrickfergus | 27,640 | ||||
Monarch
- Elizabeth II (₩) (March 30, 1972 - )
First Minister
- Peter Robinson (₩) (June 5, 2008 - )
Deputy First Minister
- Martin McGuinness (₩) (May 8, 2007 - )
Nation
Ireland (British)
British Polities in Ireland
- Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (1649-1660)
- Kingdom of England: Kingdom of Ireland (1541-1801)
- Ireland (1801-1921)
- Southern Ireland (1921-1922)
- Northern Ireland (1921-1972)
- Treaty Ports (1922-1938)
