The two Irelands - POPULATION, POPULATION

In the south there are the Mourne Mountains, including Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland's highest peak (852 m).

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, is stilI

a part of the UK.

One third of the population lives in and around the capital, Belfast, which is also the most important port and industrial and commercial centre.

Most of Northern Ireland's trade is  with Great Britain. Some parts of the region (those not close to Belfast) bave remained mainly rural.

Northern Ireland's traditional activities -ship-building, linen manufacturing and agriculture - have declined and in 1991 unemployment was the highest in Britain.

Tourism plays an important role in the  economy and Northern Ireland has a

strong cultural tradition: songs, dances, literature and festivals keep the tradition

alive. It has its own Arts Council and there are orchestras, theatre, ballet and Opera companies. The lrish language (Irish Gaelic) is studied at secondary school.

POPULATION

Northern Ireland has a population of one and a half million. Two thirds of the population are descendants of Scottish or English settlers who crossed to north-east Ireland mainly in the 17th century. They are mostly Protestants and the vast majority want to remain in the, United Kingdom. They calI themselves Unionists or Loyalists. The remaining minority are Irish in origin - they are Catholics and many of them favour political union with the Republic of Ireland. They calI themselves Nationalists. There is stilI a high degree of segregation; there are Catholic and Protestant areas in the main towns, the children go to segregated schools, there are Catholic and Protestant pubs, shops, clubs, taxis etc.

ElRE or THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

Eire makes up four-fifths ofthe island of lreland.

The capitaI is Dublin and the other rnajor cities include Cork, Limerick and GaIway. The longest river is the Shannon (370 km) and the highest peak is Carrantuohill (1,040 rn).

Eire is a unitary republic with a president who is elected by the people every seven years. The national parliarnent consists of the President and two Houses: the Senate (Seanad) and the House of Representatives (Dàil). The President is Head of State but has little executive power.

HISTORY

The first invaders of Ireland were the Gaels and the Celts (5th cent. B.C.).

In the 5th cent. A.D., St Patrick (the Patron Saint of Ireland) brought Christianity to the island. Seven hundred years later the Anglo- Normans came, bringing the English systern of law and governrnent.

It was Henry VIII who really began to colonise the country. He declared himself King of Ireland, confiscated lrish lands and sent many Protestant English and Scots to settle there, particularly in the north-east (Uster). The native lrish never accepted these people, mainly because of religious differences. They rebelled constantly. In 1601, under Elizabeth I, the Irish were defeated and Ireland was governed by the English Parliament. In 1800 the Act of Union brought Ireland under direct British rule but the Irish continued to rebel. At last, in 1918, the first Irish Parliament (Dàil) was established and three years later the Irish Free State was founded. A referendum was held in Ulster and the majority of the people there (Protestants) voted to remain in the U.K

In 1949 the Republic of Ireland officially came into existence, six years later Ireland became a member of the United Nations and in 1973 joined the EEC.

POPULATION

The population of Eire is 3,500,000. Over the centuries many Irish have emigrated to the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. (In fact, there are more Irish people in North America than in Ireland itself)

The economy is mainly based on agriculture, fishing and tourism although the electronics industry is in expansion (Microsoft, for example, has its European headquarters in Dublin).

Trading within the EU has made the country less dependent economically on the United Kingdom.

THE IRISH PRQBLEM

After many years of trou- bles in Northern Ireland between the Catholic minority and the Protestant majority, peace seems close at hand. The IRA (Irish Republican Army)  at last agreed to a cease- fire; their political wing, Sinn Fein, was recently given full parliamentary rights; and Eire's Prime Minister has had talks with the British Government in the hope of finding a solution. Meanwhile British troops continue to remain in the area, supposedly keeping the peace.

Exercises