Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom borderThe Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, sometimes referred to as the Irish border or British–Irish border, runs for from Lough Foyle in the north-west of Ireland to Carlingford Lough in the north-east, separating the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland. Border markings are inconspicuous, in common with many inter-state borders in the European Union.
Ulster loyalismUlster loyalism is a strand of Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland (and formerly all of Ireland) within the United Kingdom, and oppose a united Ireland independent of the UK. Unlike other strands of unionism, loyalism has been described as an ethnic nationalism of Ulster Protestants and "a variation of British nationalism".
The TroublesThe Troubles (Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "irregular war" or "low-level war". The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann ˈt̪ɣuəʃcəɾɣt̪ɣ ˈeːɾjən̪ɣ; Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, its population was 1,903,100, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland.
BelfastBelfast (ˈbɛlfæst , -fa:st ; from Béal Feirste bjeːlɣ ˈfjɛɾɣ(ə)ʃtjə, meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 10th-largest primary urban area in the United Kingdom and the second-largest city in Ireland. The population of the Belfast metropolitan area was 671,559 in 2011, the City of Belfast had a population of 293,298 and the Belfast Local Government District had a population 345,418 .
