Ireland-lsc01523

Bing: Ireland

"Ireland" - Google News

How My Family Fell in Love With Ireland’s Grand Hotels, Falconry, and the World’s Best Bread and Butter - Travel + Leisure
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland record hottest days of the year as UK-wide heatwave peaks - Sky News
Ireland weather: Status Yellow warning in place as temperatures soar across the country - The Irish Times
UK weather: Heatwave peaks at 33C as whole country swelters - BBC
Ireland will regret its anti-Israel boycott - The Hill
Northern Ireland’s Orange Bands Should Stop Marching - Bloomberg
Police Investigate Burning of Migrant-Boat Effigy in Northern Ireland as a Hate Crime - The New York Times
'Challenging' Eleventh Night for Northern Ireland Fire Service - BBC
In pictures: Eleventh Night bonfires across Northern Ireland - The Irish Times

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Ireland

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<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/cibolojim/">ShutterNut...</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibolojim/54651051588/" title=""><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54651051588_3174ec773f_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="" /></a></p>

<p> Please be aware... I am no stamp expert. Titles are from recognition - what I was told - or a quick search. Your polite comments or corrections are always welcome.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/cibolojim/">ShutterNut...</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibolojim/54650813981/" title="HUNGARY 1945 Reconstruction 500p"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650813981_9187909b96_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="HUNGARY 1945 Reconstruction 500p" /></a></p>

<p> Please be aware... I am no stamp expert. Titles are from recognition - what I was told - or a quick search. Your polite comments or corrections are always welcome.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/cibolojim/">ShutterNut...</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibolojim/54651130320/" title=""><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54651130320_67c6de4cc9_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="" /></a></p>

<p> Please be aware... I am no stamp expert. Titles are from recognition - what I was told - or a quick search. Your polite comments or corrections are always welcome.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/misshlp/">MissHLP</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/misshlp/54650687619/" title="The Gardens of Malahide Castle"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650687619_b7af9b6076_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="The Gardens of Malahide Castle" /></a></p>

<p>The gardens of Malahide Castle in Dublin, Ireland</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/misshlp/">MissHLP</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/misshlp/54650747185/" title="The Abbey at Malahide Castle"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650747185_4a2c770132_m.jpg" width="189" height="240" alt="The Abbey at Malahide Castle" /></a></p>

<p>Ruins of the abbey at Malahide Castle in Dublin, Ireland</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/misshlp/">MissHLP</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/misshlp/54650639084/" title="Hooded Crow"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650639084_bd9cbc272e_m.jpg" width="240" height="132" alt="Hooded Crow" /></a></p>

<p>A hooded crow in Phoenix Park in Dublin</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/tedavisphotography/">tedavisphotography</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedavisphotography/54649401162/" title="Hore Abbey"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649401162_45948a017b_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="Hore Abbey" /></a></p>

<p> Co. Tipperary, Republic of Ireland<br />
<br />
Hore Abbey (also Hoare Abbey, sometimes known as St Mary's) is a ruined Cistercian monastery near the Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.<br />
<br />
'Hore' is thought to derive from 'iubhair' – yew tree. The former Benedictine abbey at Hore was given to the Cistercians by Archbishop David Mac Cerbaill (in 1270), who later entered the monastery, and was buried there in 1289. He endowed the Abbey generously with land, mills and other benefices previously belonging to the town.<br />
<br />
Hore Abbey is distinctive among Irish Cistercian monasteries in that the cloister lies to the north. The siting of the Abbey, with the Rock of Cashel close by to the north, may explain this departure from the usual arrangement. <br />
<br />
(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey</a>)</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/tedavisphotography/">tedavisphotography</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tedavisphotography/54650487158/" title="Hore Abbey"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650487158_96e73b06e4_m.jpg" width="177" height="240" alt="Hore Abbey" /></a></p>

<p> Co. Tipperary, Republic of Ireland<br />
<br />
Hore Abbey (also Hoare Abbey, sometimes known as St Mary's) is a ruined Cistercian monastery near the Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.<br />
<br />
'Hore' is thought to derive from 'iubhair' – yew tree. The former Benedictine abbey at Hore was given to the Cistercians by Archbishop David Mac Cerbaill (in 1270), who later entered the monastery, and was buried there in 1289. He endowed the Abbey generously with land, mills and other benefices previously belonging to the town.<br />
<br />
Hore Abbey is distinctive among Irish Cistercian monasteries in that the cloister lies to the north. The siting of the Abbey, with the Rock of Cashel close by to the north, may explain this departure from the usual arrangement. <br />
<br />
(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey</a>)</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/firehuse999/">firehouse.ie</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/firehuse999/54650278035/" title="Playing On The Grass - Kaiser and Saxon"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54650278035_976af89a06_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Playing On The Grass - Kaiser and Saxon" /></a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/projectkevin/">projectkevin</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectkevin/54649857039/" title="Couple's picnic"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649857039_f021dc31f8_m.jpg" width="240" height="119" alt="Couple's picnic" /></a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/202230401@N06/">stevedecorating</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/202230401@N06/54649897435/" title="White Panther Martial Arts Club"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649897435_fcdb900a66_m.jpg" width="240" height="164" alt="White Panther Martial Arts Club" /></a></p>

<p>Fighters working in White Panther Martial Arts upstairs gym.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/seanhorn/">sean | photos</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/seanhorn/54648738692/" title="East Ireland Countryside"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54648738692_87b6ca0922_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="East Ireland Countryside" /></a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/202230401@N06/">stevedecorating</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/202230401@N06/54649580451/" title="White Panther Martial Arts Club"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649580451_02ca716799_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="White Panther Martial Arts Club" /></a></p>

<p>Fighters working in White Panther Martial Arts upstairs gym.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/189825526@N08/">photocles</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/189825526@N08/54649620178/" title="All-seeing eye"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649620178_f3d15333a1_m.jpg" width="175" height="240" alt="All-seeing eye" /></a></p>

<p>Galway</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54649549290/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649549290_6ec8a411b2_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54648387842/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54648387842_c6c2016d64_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54649475333/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649475333_11007c8514_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54648387952/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54648387952_274be04b95_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54649475528/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649475528_2c6e9b2b1e_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/photoshopnogo/">millicand@rocketmail.com</a> posted a photo:</p>

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/photoshopnogo/54649475478/" title="Northern Ireland 2009."><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54649475478_81ae913357_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Northern Ireland 2009." /></a></p>

<p>Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).<br />
<br />
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. As was intended by unionists and their supporters in Westminster, Northern Ireland had a unionist majority, who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom; they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Britain. Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists (generally Catholics) who wanted a united independent Ireland. Today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a significant minority from all backgrounds.<br />
<br />
The creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition. During The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922), the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians. More than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics. For the next fifty years, Northern Ireland had an unbroken series of Unionist Party governments. There was informal mutual segregation by both communities, and the Unionist governments were accused of discrimination against the Irish nationalist and Catholic minority. In the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front. This unrest sparked the Troubles, a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others. 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.<br />
<br />
The economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland at the time of partition, but soon began to decline, exacerbated by the political and social turmoil of the Troubles. Its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, but dropped back down to below 10% in the 2010s, similar to the rate of the rest of the UK. 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. In many sports, there is an All-Ireland governing body or team for the whole island; the most notable exception is association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games.</p>

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