Unionists (Ireland) - Unionists (Ireland) In the Irish context, Unionists form a group of largely (though not exclusively) Protestant people in Ireland, of all classeses, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, under which the Northern Ireland provincial state created in that latter Act remains part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Prior to 1921, Irish Unionists wished to see the Act of Union (which in 1801 had merged the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) remain in place. They opposed Irish Home Rule, which mainstream Irish nationalistss had demanded since the 1870s. Home Rule would have involved Ireland, while still remaining.
Ireland - Ireland The Island of Ireland is the second-largest island in Europe. It lies on the west side of the Irish Sea, across from Great Britain. The island of Ireland, named Hibernia by the Romans, is 485km (301 miles) from North to South and 275km (171 miles) from East to West. Central lowlands are framed by hillier areas. The River Shannon, which runs from North-East to South-West, is the longest river, and there are a large number of lakes, of which Lough Neagh is the largest. For more detailed information see: Geography of Ireland. Politically, the island of Ireland is currently divided into: the Republic of Ireland, capital - Dublin, also referred to as 'the Republic'; Northern Ireland, capital - Belfast, also referred to controversially as the.
Ireland in the 20th Century - Ireland in the 20th Century Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 20th Century Ireland 2 1901-1910 3 1911-1920 4 1921-1930 5 1931-1940 6 1941-1950 7 1951-1960 8 1961-1970 9 1971-1980 10 1981-1990 11 1991-2000 20th Century Ireland 1901-1910 1901 Centenary year of the Act of Union. Edward VII is proclaimed King of Ireland in a state ceremony in Dublin. Members of the Irish Yeomanry return home from fighting in South Africa. The Irish census shows the population of Ireland to be 4,459,000. The All-Ireland Champions are London (hurling) and Dublin (football) 1902 Archbishop Croke, patron of the GAA, dies at the age of 78. Waterford City confer the freedom of the city on John Redmond. The centenary of the Christian Brothers is celebrated. The UK Liberal Party.
History of Northern Ireland - History of Northern Ireland The area now known as Northern Ireland has had a diverse history. From being the bedrock of Irish nationalism in the era of the plantations of Queen Elizabeth and James I in other parts of Ireland, it became itself the source of major planting of Scottish settlers from the Flight of the Earls (when the native governing and military nationalist elite left en masse) onwards. Today, Northern Ireland is a diverse patchwork of community rivalries, represented in Belfast by whole communities flying the tricolour of Irish republicanism or the Union Flag, the symbol of their British identity, while even the kerbstones in less affluent areas are painted green, white and orange or red, white and blue, depending on whether a community is nationalist/republican or.
Government of Ireland Act (1920) - Government of Ireland Act (1920) The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (also known as the Fourth Home Rule Act or in terms of strict accuracy the Better Government of Ireland Act) was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to provide for Irish home rule. (Three earlier Bills had been introduced, in 1886, 1893 and 1914. Only the latter was passed, but it never came into force, due to the First World War and then the Easter Rising in 1916.) The Act, introduced by the Government of David Lloyd George, provided for two partitioned Irish home rule states, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Their creation was a compromise produced by the British Government when faced with the demand by Irish nationalists for home rule and the.
Flag of Ireland - Flag of Ireland Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Irish tricolour with its three equal vertical bands of Green (hoist side), White and Orange is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland. It was first used by Irish nationalists in 1848 during the 'Young Ireland' rebellion. It was designed to represent the nationalist, (green) and unionist (orange) populations on the island of Ireland, living together in peace, peace symbolised by white (the French tricolour has a similar symbolism). Contrary to myth, however, it was not the actual flag of the Easter Rising, which was in fact a green flag with the words 'Irish Republic' written in orange, with white shadowing. (This flag is on display in the Kildare Street branch of the National Museum, Dublin.) The tricolour in.
Flag of Northern Ireland - Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland currently has no own flag. The Union Jack is used instead. From 1953 to 1973 Northern Ireland used a flag showing a red St. George's cross on white (like the Flag_of_England), with a crowned white six-pointed star showing a red hand. As this flag is associated with the unionists, it has no chance of being reintroduced. Republicans use the Irish national flag..
Constitution of Ireland - Constitution of Ireland The constitution of Ireland (Irish language: Bunreacht na hÉireann, pronounced bun-rockt na hair-inn) is the constitution of Éire, also known since 1949 as the Republic of Ireland. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 The Drafting of Bunreacht na hÉireann 2 Structure of the Bunreacht 2.1 Transitory Provisions 3 The Bunreacht's Main Innovations 4 'Myths' about the Bunreacht 4.2 Catholicism 4.3 Northern Ireland 4.4 A republic 4.5 Women 5 Constitutional amendments since 1937 5.6 Transitory Provisions amendments 5.7 Rejected proposed amendments 5.8 National Emergency 6 Judicial review 7 See Also 8 Footnote 8.9 Recommended Reading 9 Copies of Bunreacht na hÉireann The Drafting of Bunreacht na hÉireann It was the work of Eamon de Valera, President of the Executive Council (prime minister) of the Irish Free.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the British cabinet minister who has responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. The office was created following the suspension, then abolition, of the home rule Northern Ireland Stormont parliament in 1972-3. The post of Secretary of State in effect fills two roles under the previous Stormont regime; the nominal head of the Northern Ireland executive, the Governor of Northern Ireland (the representative of Queen Elizabeth II) and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State resides in Hillsborough Castle, the previous residence of the Governor and the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State presided over an administration of 'ministers', attached to the Northern Ireland Office. Members of the.
Southern Ireland - Southern Ireland Southern Ireland was the twenty-six county state created in the Government of Ireland Act, 1920. This Act formally partitioned the island of Ireland into two states, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Both were given bicameral parliaments and separate executives. Two links joining both states were provided for; a single Lord Lieutenant, the representative of the King, was to be the source of executive authority in both states, while a Council of Ireland was provided, in the hope that it would become an embryonic all-Ireland Parliament. The Government of Ireland Act, also known as the Fourth Home Rule Act was intended to provide a solution to the problem that had bedevilled Irish politics since the 1880s, namely the conflicting demands of Irish unionists and Irish nationalists..
Parliament of Northern Ireland - Parliament of Northern Ireland The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, which existed from 1921 (when the first parliament assembled) to 1972, when it was suspended. (It was subsequently abolished under the Constitution of Northern Ireland Act 1973). The Parliament of Northern Ireland was bicameral, consisting of a Senate (26 seats, including 2 ex-officio - Lord Mayor of Belfast & Mayor of Londonderry) House of Commons of Northern Ireland (52 seats) Initially parliament met in Belfast City centre, before moving to its purpose-built parliament building in the Belfast suburb of Stormont in 1932, hence the nickname given to the system of government in Northern Ireland, Stormont. The British monarch was initially represented as head of state by.
Politics of Ireland - Politics of Ireland Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Government 2 Northern Ireland 3 Miscellaneous 4 Related topics Government The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign, independent, democratic state with a parliamentary system of government. The President of Ireland, who serves as chief of state in a largely ceremonial role, is elected for a 7-year term and can be re-elected only once. In carrying out certain constitutional powers and functions, the president is aided by the Council of State, an advisory body. On the Taoiseach's (prime minister's) advice, the president also dissolves the Dáil Éireann (lower house of Parliament. The Upper house, the Senate (Seanad Éireann) is not dissolved. Its term expires naturally after a set period after the holding of a Dáil dissolution.) A president may "in.
Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland Northern Ireland, a region of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, lies in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It covers 14,139 km² (5,459 square miles), and has a population of 1,685,267 (April 2001). The capital is Belfast. Northern Ireland Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Overview 2 Geographic Nomenclature 3 History 3.1 Early 20th century 3.2 Late 20th century 3.3 After the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement 4 Demographics 5 Languages 6 Towns and villages 7 Places of interest 8 Recommended Reading List Overview The Government of Ireland Act 1920, enacted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland parliament, set up Northern Ireland as a separate political entity in 1921. Faced with divergent demands from Irish nationalists and Unionists over.
Northern Ireland Assembly - Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly is a 108 member legislative body for Northern Ireland that sits at Stormont with powers devolved to it from the Westminster parliament. It is created as a power sharing body, so that every party is represented in the executive body of the assembly in numbers according to their numerical strength in the assembly as a whole. The assembly was created as part of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and the first election to it was held on June 25, 1998. The initial executive was headed by David Trimble as First Minister. On December 2, 1999 the United Kingdom devolved political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive. [1] The assembly was suspended on October 14, 2002 as.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 1998 - Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 1998 The first elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on June 25, 1998. The result was (first preference votes only) - Party Votes Vote % Seats Social Democratic and Labour Party 177,963 21.99% 24 Ulster Unionist Party 172,225 21.28% 28 Democratic Unionist Party 145,917 18.03% 20 Sinn Féin 142,858 17.65% 18 Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 52,636 6.50% 6 UK Unionist Party 36,541 4.52% 5 Independent Unionists 24,339 3.00% 3 Progressive Unionist Party 20,634 2.55% 2 Northern Ireland Women's Coalition 13,019 1.61% 2 See also: Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003.
Northern Ireland Unionist Party - Northern Ireland Unionist Party The Northern Ireland Unionist Party (NIUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. The NIUP was formed in January 1999 as a splinter party from the UK Unionist Party (UKUP). This split was caused by disagreement between the five UKUP members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Four of the members diagreed with UKUP leader Robert McCartney's policy of resigning from the Assembly should Sinn Féin become part of the power sharing executive. The four other assembly members, Cedric Wilson, Patrick Roche, Norman Boyd and Roger Hutchinson disagreed with McCartney, wanting to remain in the Assembly to challenge unionists in favour of the Belfast Agreement. McCartney disciplined these members in their absence, and in response they left the UKUP and formed the.
List of political parties in Northern Ireland - List of political parties in Northern Ireland Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in recent years it has a quite distinct political scene from the rest of the state as two of the major British political parties do not contest elections there, whilst the third, the Conservative Party, has received miniscule support in recent elections. Some parties, such as Sinn Féin, the Green Party and the Workers' Party are organised on an all Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland specific parties and these on the whole predominate. The distinction between "Unionist", "Nationalist/Republican" and "Other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position.
James Craig - 1940) was a prominent Unionist politician and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. James Craig was born in Belfast, the son of wealthy whiskey distiller. He was educated in Scotland and after working as a stockbroker he served with the British Army in the Boer War. On his return to Ireland he became Member of Parliament for East Down from 1906-1918. And from 1918-1921 he represented Mid-Down. Craig rallied the Protestant opposition to Irish Home Rule in Ulster before the First World War, organising the Ulster Volunteer Force. He succeeded Edward Carson as leader of the Northern Unionists in February 1921 became prime minister of Northern Ireland in June of the same year. He was created a baronet in 1918 and a viscount in 1927. Craig still held the post.
Jeffrey Donaldson - 1998 Donaldson was part of the Ulster Unionist's negotiating team for the Good Friday Agreement, however he walked out of the delegation at the end of the negotiations in protest at some of the arrangements. Subsequently he was excluded from standing in 1998 for the new Northern Ireland Assembly. Donaldson became the leading anti-agreement figure in the Ulster Unionists and led several challenges to the party leader, David Trimble, all of which failed. In November 2003 Donaldson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly despite being in strong disagreement with the official position of the party. Following the electoral success of the rival Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003, in which the DUP won more seats than the UUP, Donaldson called for Trimble's immediate resignation. When the.
Joseph Chamberlain - William Ewart Gladstone in 1880. In the run-up to the 1885 general election a series of articles was published in the Fortnightly Review, written by some of Chamberlain's associates under his close direction. Chamberlain wrote the preface for the collected volume, called the Radical Programme. It called for land reform, more direct taxation, free public education, the disestablishment of the Church, universal male suffrage, and more protection for trade unions. This became the basis of the "unauthorised programme" which Chamberlain put forward during the election campaign. The Liberals won the election, but fell just short of an overall majority against the Conservatives and the Irish Nationalists led by Charles Stewart Parnell. Gladstone offered the Irish a Home Rule deal, which Chamberlain opposed as a matter of principle; he believed that Ireland.
