Why Great Britain own's North Ireland & how?

Question

Hi I want to know why Great Britain own's North Ireland?

Answer 1

royal adam, you ask a question yet when i look back at your history of answers you fully understand the situation in ulster, the last thing the people of ulster need is a bitchy needling mixer like you.

Answer 2

Until recently, the Irish constitution laid claim to the whole island, not just what we think of as the Republic. Nowadays it belongs to the EU like everything else, so the issue is less important.

In any case, politics and economics is dominated by globalisation.

You're not likely to get a straight answer from anyone, but basically, what is now the British government has claimed Ireland for centuries. In the seventeenth century, Scots were encouraged to move to the North in order to consolidate that claim. After various events which made the British unpopular such as the Famine, the Irish fought for freedom, which they got in a deal at the end of the First World War, but the concentration of Protestants in the North meant they felt more affinity with the British government than the rest of the country did. However, the majority of people who live in the six counties of Ulster belonging to the UK would not be a majority if the other three counties traditionally included in the province of Ulster were included. On the other hand, there is a closer cultural and religious connection in the six counties than elsewhere in the island of Ireland between the Ulster protestants and the British mainland.

I think the answer would be to regionalise the whole of the British Isles, introduce proper national governments in each area and have some kind of overarching international federation between all of them, so that Britain and Ireland no longer exist as national entities.

Answer 3

A little bit of history in the answer. When the 32 counties of Ireland sought their independence after 1916, the country was split in to two parts, the 26 counties in the south became Eire, now called the Republic of Ireland with their own government in Dublin. At the same time the 6 counties in the north chose to remain British and became Northern Ireland with a government in Belfast. At the time of separation, around 25 to 33% of the residents of Northern Ireland were unhappy with this situation, prefering a united Ireland against the wishes of around 67 to 75% of the people living in N.Ireland.
The birth rate of the minority group expanded much more rapidly than the majority group, so in time at least 2 counties in the north would have voted for a change. At least one group tried to settle this by the use of force in recent years.
I have deliberately keep religion out of this because to my mind here in England we are lucky to have both living alongside one another in peace.

Answer 4

Great Britain doesn't own Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is one of the constituents that forms a greater country, the United Kingdom.

It just so happens that Great Britain consists of three of those constituents, the fact that Northern Ireland is on a different land mass doesn't make it anything of a possession.

Northern Ireland still remains a part of the United Kingdom mainly because a majority of its population with to remain so. While sizable, the people who wish to join the Republic of Ireland are a minority.

Answer 5

It does not own Northern Ireland, but Northern Ireland is part of the UK. Northern Ireland presently has its own Government - much in the same way as Scotland has its own Government.

This is a question that people have been killing each other over since 1166 when the Normans invaded Ireland - although the English (Brits!) get the blame for it. LOL

Answer 6

We've done this one so many times The Union Flag, popularly known as the *Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is the British flag. It is called the Union Flag because it symbolises the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is made up up of the individual Flags of three of the Kingdom's countries all united under one Sovereign - the countries of 'England, of 'Scotland' and of 'Northern Ireland' (since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom). As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it could not be included on the flag.

Answer 7

Very Short account of a very complex history:

It goes back in time to when Northern Ireland was settled by Scottish Protestants who went to that area to settle and grow flax, a plant used in the linen industry before cotton was in use.

They followed the protestant religion that believes the head of the royal family, king or queen is the head of their religion, after defeating the army of King James under their King William of Orange, the are was a heartland of loyalty to the Royal family and Great Britain.

After numerous attempts by Catholic Nationalists over many years the old Irish Republican Army managed to gain 26 Southern Counties, in 1920, as a Free State under their control and not under the control of the UK. Part of the Peace Plan involved 6 Northern counties mainly Protestant to remain in the United Kingdom.

Immediately after the Irish Nationalists had 26 counties the Irish Civil War broke out and infighting between the Nationalist political factions prevented any attempt to attack Northern Ireland.

In 1968 a campaign by the new Irish Republican Terrorist Army including bombing campaigns against the U.K. failed to force the U.K. into giving in to their demands for a 32 county Ireland, the new "I R A", received no official backing from the Southern Government and failed to receive support from the Irish public and were declared a terrorist organization.

In turn there were Protestant terror groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force who felt the British Government were not doing enough to counter the threat posed by the Nationalist Terror Groups.

After nearly 40 years of terrorist attacks the two main terror groups and the Irish & British Governments agred to a peace process and a weapons decommissioning scheme which is currently in place.
There will always remain a few die hard Republicans who still believe the only way to get their demands met is with the bullet and bomb, to finance their way of life it appears that the "freedom fighters" are getting into the drugs dealing business to raise money in the North and South of Ireland.

Answer 8

The six counties of Northern Ireland are part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Ireland was split in two in 1921/22 following some bloody fighting between Irish Republicans and the British army.

It does not "belong" to Great Britain, and neither does Britain "lay claim" to it. It is part of our country.

In spite of the Republic of Ireland wanting the island of Ireland (Eire) to be re-united as a single country, the fact is that if this happened, the Republic would be economically destroyed! They (the Republic) are quite happy with the "status quo"! It relieves them of supporting the North, and it gives the Irish something to moan about !!

Answer 9

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, and far as I know, they wish to remain that way. Did you know that all those born in Ireland, whether it be Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland, are eligible to serve in the military in the UK?

Answer 10

Hi, the British, or ENGLISH, wanted all of Ireland for their own. After years of fighting, GB kept Northern Ireland, but Southern Ireland remained independent, with their own currency and laws.

Answer 11

They don't own it , they have claim to it as part of a deal to give Independence to the 26 other counties of Ireland , the same deal caused civil war in Ireland , See if you can get to see the movie Michael Collins for a simple version of events