Unionism, in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and order of government of the Act of Union 1800 which had merged both countries in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (the successor entities being the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State). The term owes its origins to the campaigns by opponents of Irish home rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to prevent the creation of an all-Ireland home rule parliament within the United Kingdom. Because of their desire to maintain the Act of Union as created in 1800, without any system of devolution, they came to be known as Unionists. The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ... This article is about the historical state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1927). ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... This article is about the prior state. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... Look up Devolution in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Some believe that the unionist opposition to home rule was not simply based on a desire for a different structure for governance, but reflected a fundamental difference in perspective, beliefs, definition and culture between Irish Nationalists and Unionists. Whereas Nationalists were predominantly, but not exclusively, Roman Catholic, Unionists were predominantly, but not universally, Protestant. Almost all were descendants of English and Scottish settlers who arrived in the province of Ulster, especially from the Plantation of Ulster, in the early 17th century, onwards. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ...

Sense of Britishness

Irish Unionism is centred on an identification with Britishness, though not necessarily to the exclusion of a sense of Irishness. It originated in Dublin in 1885, and was taken up through Ulster later that same year. Whereas Irish Nationalists believed in the need for separation from the United Kingdom (whether the 19th century concept of Repeal or home rule, or the 20th century desire for complete independence), Unionists believe fundamentally in the need to maintain and deepen the relationship between the various nations of the United Kingdom, expressing a pride in symbols of their Britishness. A definition of their own Britishness does not prevent some Unionists from also perceiving themselves as Irish as well as British; some Unionists, for example former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Member of Parliament Ken Maginnis, openly supports the all-island Irish rugby team. For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... Repeal was a demand by Irish nationalist leader Daniel OConnell for the repeal of the 1801 Act of Union which had merged the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Kenneth Wiggins Maginnis, Baron Maginnis of Drumglass (born January 21, 1938) is a Northern Irish Ulster Unionist politician. ... First international England 7 - 0 Ireland (15 February 1875) Largest win United States 3 - 83 Ireland (10 June , 2000) Worst defeat New Zealand 59 - 6 Ireland (6 June 1992) World Cup Appearances 5 (First in 1987) Best result Quarter Finals, 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003 The Irish rugby union team, as...

A key symbol for unionists is the Union Flag. Unionist areas of Northern Ireland often display one or more symbols, most often the red, white and blue of the Union Flag, to show the loyalty and sense of identity of the community. “Union Jack” redirects here. ...

Loyalism has tended to concern itself with other aspects of Britishness, such as loyalty to the British monarch. While this is the case for many loyalists, and for many unionists also, it is not a defining feature. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Unionism throughout Ireland

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries unionism had supporters throughout Ireland. As late as 1859 the Unionist Irish Conservative Party was predominant, winning more seats than either the Irish Liberal Party or the various Nationalist parties. By the early 20th century however unionism had become predominantly associated with a geographic area covering six of the nine counties of Ulster in which settlers had settled during the Plantation of Ulster. In 1920 the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Government of Ireland Act which partitioned Ireland into two jurisdictions, one of which, Northern Ireland, came to be dominated by the Ulster Unionist Party. Unionism in the newly-independent southern state, known from 1922 as the Irish Free State, declined with many ex-Unionists opting to associate with Nationalist parties such as Cumann na nGaedhael and the Centre Party. Today unionism is largely associated simply with Northern Ireland, though some Unionists remain in what is now the Republic of Ireland (See Southern Irish Unionism/Neo-Unionism below). The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... The Plantation of Ulster was a planned process of colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster during the early 17th century in the reign of James I of England. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the prior state. ... Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... The Centre Party was a political party in the Irish Free State in the early 1930s. ...

Religion

Though both Unionism and Nationalism attracted a number of supporters from outside their main religious faiths (Protestantism for the former, Roman Catholicism for the latter), whereas Nationalism did have a number of Protestant leaders (from Henry Grattan to Theobald Wolfe Tone and Charles Stewart Parnell), Unionism was invariably led by Protestant leaders, with few prominent Catholics involved in the Unionist parties, even if they voted for the parties at election time. The lack of Catholic leadership led to accusations of sectarianism, particularly during the period of Unionist leadership of Northern Ireland (1921–1972), when only one Catholic served in government throughout the period. Dr. G.B. Newe was specially recruited to cabinet from outside the Ulster Unionist Party to boost cross-community relations in the last government under UUP Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner. Ulster Unionist Leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble conceded that Northern Ireland had been a "cold house for Catholics" in the past. Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (July 3, 1746 - June 6, 1820) was a member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. ... Theobald Wolfe Tone, commonly known as Wolfe Tone (June 20, 1763 – November 19, 1798) was a leading figure in the United Irishmen Irish independence movement and is regarded as the father of Irish republicans. ... Charles Stewart Parnell, the uncrowned King of Ireland Charles Stewart Parnell[1] (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish political leader and one of the most important figures in 19th century Ireland and the United Kingdom; William Ewart Gladstone described him as the most remarkable person he had... Sectarianism is an adherence to a particular sect or party or denomination, it also usually involves a rejection of those not a member of ones sect. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland, appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. ... Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick (February 18, 1921 - March 3, 1977) was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1971 until 1972. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... The Lord Trimble William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC (born 15 October 1944), known as David Trimble, is a Northern Irish politician who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. ...

Image File history File links UK_north_ireland. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... This article is about the country. ...

Terminology

The terms Unionist and Loyalist are often used interchangeably, particularly by the media. However, the term 'loyalist' is now often used in recent times to describe extremists who are prepared to break the law to maintain the status quo or whose views are unusually hardline. Most unionists do not describe themselves as loyalists. Strictly speaking, the definition of 'unionist' incorporates everyone who supports the continued union between all parts of the United Kingdom. The term 'loyalist' could therefore be interpreted as either loyalty to the union or loyal to the British Crown. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The British monarch or Sovereign is the monarch and head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen_in_Parliament) legislative power. ...

On the opposite, nationalist, side, the term republican traditionally refers to the more extreme element which in the past advocated violence to achieve its ends (such as Sinn Féin) or those who continue to do so to this day (such as Republican Sinn Féin). Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic, whether as a unitary state, a federal state or as a confederal arrangement. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a political party[2] operating in Ireland. ...

This violence was primarily aimed at the state of Northern Ireland and its residents and security forces, though it has also been aimed at the independent Irish state (from the Irish Free State to the present Republic of Ireland) which has been considered just as illegitimate by various Republican groups, stemming from divisions of the Irish Civil War era. The term nationalist, on the other hand, traditionally describes the more moderate element, which has consistently supported constitutional politics (e.g., the Social Democratic and Labour Party, or SDLP) in order to bring about a United Ireland. Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article is about the prior state. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Development

Home Rule

The political union is symbolised by the Westminster Parliament

Prior to 1912, Unionists wished to see the Act of Union 1800 (which had merged the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801) remain in place. They opposed Irish Home Rule, which mainstream southern Irish nationalists had sought since the 1860s as they thought that a self-governing Irish Parliament voted in by the Catholic majority - that would be dominated by nationalist movement- would be to their economic, social and religious disadvantage, and would move eventually towards total independence, thus threatening their natural British nationality and identity. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1351, 713 KB) The Houses of Parliament, seen across Westminster Bridge. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1351, 713 KB) The Houses of Parliament, seen across Westminster Bridge. ... The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ... This article is about the historical state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1927). ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution 1830. ... // The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA was built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ...

Home Rule would have involved Ireland having its own regional parliament while still remaining in the United Kingdom. This demand, the policy of nationalist leaders such as Isaac Butt. William Shaw, Charles Stewart Parnell, John Redmond and John Dillon, became the aim of the Nationalist Party, also known as the Home Rule League and later the Irish Parliamentary Party. The Home Rule League/Irish Parliamentary Party won the majority of Irish parliamentary seats in the Westminster parliaments from the 1870s until 1914. Isaac Butt (September 6, 1813 - May 5, 1879) was the founder and first leader of a number of parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870 and in 1874 the Home Rule League, subsequently known as the Irish Parliamentary Party. ... Charles Stewart Parnell, the uncrowned King of Ireland Charles Stewart Parnell[1] (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish political leader and one of the most important figures in 19th century Ireland and the United Kingdom; William Ewart Gladstone described him as the most remarkable person he had... John Redmond, MP John Edward Redmond (September 1, 1856 – March 6, 1918) was the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918. ... John Dillon (September 4, 1851 - August 4, 1927) was an Irish nationalist politician. ... The Nationalist Party, an Irish political party, existed under various forms from 1874 to 1978. ... The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish political party which campaigned for home rule for the island of Ireland. ... The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) (commonly called the Irish Party) was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the House of Commons at Westminster within the...

While most Unionists outside Ulster were almost made up of the governing and landowning classes and the minor gentry, Unionism had a broad popular appeal among Protestants of all classes and backgrounds in the North-East which, in contrast to the rest of Ireland, had developed through the Industrial Revolution and had an economy that closely resembled Great Britain. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ...

Various British governments introduced four successive Bills to set up an Irish Home Rule parliament in Dublin. The Irish Home Rule Bill 1886 never made it through the House of Commons but managed to destroy the Liberal Party government, with Whig and Radical elements leaving to form the Liberal Unionist Party in alliance with the Conservative Party. Eventually the two parties merged, calling themselves the Conservative and Unionist Party. Irelands first Home Rule Bill was introduced on 8 April 1886 by Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone. ... Type Lower House Speaker Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Leader Harriet Harman, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader Theresa May, (Conservative) since May 5, 2005 Members 659 Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin... This article is about the historic Liberal Party. ... For the Canadian party see Liberal-Unionist The Liberal Unionists were a British political party that split away from the Liberals in 1886, and had effectively merged with the Conservatives by the turn of the century. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... The new logo of the Conservative Party The Conservative Party is the largest centre right political party in the United Kingdom. ...

The Irish Home Rule Bill 1893 passed in the Commons but succumbed to the veto of the House of Lords. The House of Lords had far more Conservatives than the House of Commons. The Home Rule Act 1914 passed (or at least passed all stages under the Parliament Act, 1911, which curbed the veto power of the Lords) but never came into force, due to the onset of World War I (1914 – 1918). The fourth Bill, known as the Government of Ireland Act 1920, envisaged two Irish home rule states: Southern Ireland which would have had a nationalist majority, and Northern Ireland which would have a much smaller Unionist majority. The 1914 Act also envisioned such a partition as a "temporarily" measure, although how long this temporary solution would continue was left unstated. In the end, only Northern Ireland became a reality, the planned Southern Ireland was superseded by the Irish Free State. In August 1892, William Gladstone was re-elected as Prime Minister and he depended on Irish Parliamentary Party MPs to form a majority. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Home Rule Act of 1914, also known as the (Irish) Third Home Rule Act (or Bill), and formally known as the Government of Ireland Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. ... The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Capital Dublin Head of State King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Head of Government Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Chairman of the Provisional Government from Jan 1922. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

Sir Edward Carson signing the Ulster Covenant

Irish unionists opposed Home Rule for many reasons. Much of their support in southern and western Ireland (the provinces of Munster, Leinster and Connacht) came from landed gentry who feared that a nationalist assembly would introduce property and taxation laws more suitable to a small island than the laws imposed from Westminster, which were designed for a much larger area, the entire United Kingdom. Some also feared that they would experience a similar sort of discrimination that the British monarchy up to 1800 had practised on non-Conformists, namely the Penal Laws, or the more subtle discrimination that followed, although this is hard to credit as Ireland would have remained part of the UK. Others identified strongly with the Crown and British rule, and wished to see both continue unchanged in Ireland. However, one should not presume that Irish unionist support came entirely from the landed gentry, or that all Protestants supported Unionism. Many working-class and middle-class Unionists and some gentrified Catholics supported the maintenance of the union, while many Protestants (most notably Charles Stewart Parnell) supported home rule. Other unionists, particularly in Ulster, had economic fears, suspecting that a nationalist parliament in Dublin, on a predominantly agricultural island, would impose economic tariffs against industry. This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... The Ulster Covenant was signed by hundreds of thousands of men all over Ulster, Ireland, on and before September 28, 1912, in protest of a Home Rule bill introduced in that same year. ... Alternate uses: See Munster (disambiguation). ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom, one of sixteen that share a common monarch; for information about this constitutional relationship, see Commonwealth realm; for information on the reigning monarch, see Elizabeth II. For information about other Commonwealth realm monarchies, as well as other relevant articles, see... Non conformism is the term of KKK ... The Penal laws in Ireland (Irish: Na Péindlíthe) refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that sought to discriminate against majority native Catholic population but also against Protestant dissenters in favour of the established Church of Ireland which recognised the English monarchy as its spiritual... Statue of a coal miner in Charleston, WV, USA. Working class is a term used in academic sociology and in ordinary conversation. ... This article is about the socio-economic class from a global vantage point. ... Charles Stewart Parnell, the uncrowned King of Ireland Charles Stewart Parnell[1] (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish political leader and one of the most important figures in 19th century Ireland and the United Kingdom; William Ewart Gladstone described him as the most remarkable person he had...

For much of the period up until 1920, though the Unionist support base predominated in four of the nine counties of Ulster (where the Protestants outnumbered the Roman Catholics), the Irish Unionist Party's leadership came from the rest of Ireland. Its most prominent leader, the Dublin-born barrister and politician Sir Edward Carson, opposed not merely Home Rule but any attempt to divide Ireland into two. Other southern Unionist leaders included the Earl of Middleton and the Earl of Dunraven. For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... Edward Carson HMSO image The Right Honourable Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson, PC (February 9, 1854 – October 22, 1935) was a leader of the Irish Unionists, a Barrister and a Judge. ... The Partition of Ireland took place in May 1921, following the enactment in December 1920 of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, and was accepted in the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in January 1922 that ended the Anglo-Irish War and the union of the United Kingdom of...

When, following the curbs placed on the power of the House of Lords in 1911 it became clear that home rule would come, Unionists, particularly in parts of Ulster, mounted a campaign that threatened to establish a Provisional Government of Ulster if Home Rule were to come about. They set up the Ulster Volunteers, a militia, and imported 25,000 rifles from Imperial Germany, to defend the Provisional Government should it ever become necessary. This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a Northern Ireland loyalist paramilitary group. ... This article or section should include material from German Monarchy The term German Empire (the translation from German of Deutsches Reich) commonly refers to Germany, from its consolidation as a unified nation-state on January 18, 1871, until the abdication of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II on November 9, 1918. ...

90,000 men had joined by the middle of 1914. Irish Unionism received the support in the period from the 1880s until 1914 from leading mainland Conservative politicians, notably Lord Randolph Churchill and future British prime minister Andrew Bonar Law. Slogans such as "Ulster Will Fight and Ulster Will Be Right" expressed the determination of unionists to oppose Irish Home Rule by whatever means it deemed necessary. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Lord Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. ... Andrew Bonar Law (16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British Conservative Party statesman and Prime Minister. ...

Northern Ireland

The Union Flag represents England, Ireland and Scotland united together

The Ulster Banner - the flag of the former Government of Northern Ireland 1953-72

St. Patrick's Cross represents Ireland in the Union Flag

The creation of Northern Ireland, with a unionist majority, under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, and the later creation of the Irish Free State, in the territory the above Act had called Southern Ireland, separated southern and northern unionists. Unionists were in the majority in four counties (Antrim, Londonderry, Down and Armagh) but insisted on control over the counties of Fermanagh and Tyrone as well. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... “Union Jack” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Northern_Ireland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Northern_Ireland. ... Flag of Northern Ireland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article is about the prior state. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... For other places with similar names, see Londonderry (disambiguation) and Derry (disambiguation). ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Downpatrick Area: 2,448 km² Population (est. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Armagh Area: 1,254 km² Population (est. ... County Fermanagh (Fear Manach in Irish) is often referred to as Northern Irelands Lake District. ... The name Tyrone can refer to: A county in Northern Ireland; see County Tyrone An Earl of Tyrone A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. ...

As these counties had a large land area but were thinly populated compared to the other four, it was felt that the slight dilution of the pro-Union population was worth it for the extra territory. The exclusion of three Ulster counties, Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan from Northern Ireland, and hence the United Kingdom, left Ulster unionists there feeling isolated and betrayed. They established an association to canvass their fellow unionists to reconsider the border, but to no avail. Many assisted in the policing of the new region, serving in the B-Specials, while continuing to live in the Free State. See (external link). WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference G924789 Statistics Province: Ulster County: Population ( ) 2,339 (2006) Website: www. ... For other uses, see Monaghan (disambiguation). ... Look up Cavan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the nine-county Irish province. ... The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) was a reserve force of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. ...

Edward Carson had expressly urged the Northern Ireland Unionist prime minister, Sir James Craig to ensure absolute equality in the treatment of Roman Catholics, to ensure the stability of the new entity. However, discrimination took place although its extent is debated. Basil Brooke, whose son had been kidnapped by Irish republicans and was embittered and suspicious of the Catholic community, called for Protestants to employ only Protestants. Some boundaries demarcated electorates in such a way as to produce Unionist majorities in areas that would otherwise have produced nationalist councillors. However, there was also widespread poverty among Protestants and recovery operations in working class areas after the Belfast Blitz in 1941 revealed that both communities were disadvantaged. Edward Carson HMSO image The Right Honourable Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson, PC (February 9, 1854 – October 22, 1935) was a leader of the Irish Unionists, a Barrister and a Judge. ... James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon (8 January 1871 - 24 November 1940) was a prominent Unionist politician and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough, KG, CBE, MC (June 9, 1888-August 18, 1973) was an Irish Unionist politician. ... The Belfast Blitz was an event that occurred on Easter Tuesday, April 15, 1941, when 200 German Luftwaffe bombers attacked Belfast, Northern Ireland. ...

Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Ulster Unionist Party leader, David Trimble, has admitted that Northern Ireland was a 'cold house of Catholics' for most of the 20th century a process he said the Belfast Agreement must change. Many unionists, particularly in the Democratic Unionist Party, deny that organised discrimination took place and point to the poverty shared by many people in both communities due to wider economic conditions. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Lord Trimble William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC (born 15 October 1944), known as David Trimble, is a Northern Irish politician who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ...

The Troubles

Main article: The Troubles

Ulster Defence Association mural in Shankill, Belfast

By the 1960s, reforms by a moderate new Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill, to create a more equitable society between unionists and nationalists resulted in a backlash led by fundamentalist Protestant preacher-politician, Ian Paisley. There was considerable community tensions in which both sides were responsible. Nationalists launched a Civil Rights movement and serious rioting took place in Derry^[1] and Belfast in 1969. With a collapse in law and order the British government sent troops to Northern Ireland to protect the Catholic community from violence and intimidation. The presence of British troops gave the IRA the opportunity to further involve the mainland British government in the violence and the IRA went about targeting British troops^{[citation needed]} despite the reason for their deployment in the first place. Ultimately this led to the controversial killing of 13 unarmed civilians by the British army Parachute Regiment in Derry on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972) coincided with the emergence of extremist paramilitary groups on both sides^{[citation needed]}. This led to the abolition of the Stormont parliament and government (30 March 1972). For other uses, see Troubles (disambiguation) and Trouble. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 744 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1382 × 1114 pixel, file size: 871 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) UDA mural in Lower Shankill area, Belfast. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 744 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1382 × 1114 pixel, file size: 871 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) UDA mural in Lower Shankill area, Belfast. ... UFF redirects here; they are also the initials of the United Freedom Front, a radical left-wing organisation in the US. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and which aim... Shankill is an area in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the city in Northern Ireland. ... The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland, appointed by the Governor of Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act 1920. ... Terence Marne ONeill, Baron ONeill of the Maine, PC (10 September 1914–12 June 1990) was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. ... Look up fundamentalism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926), styled The Revd and Rt Hon. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Northern Ireland. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Parachute Regiment redirects here, for the Indian regiment, see The Parachute Regiment (India) The Parachute Regiment is the Airborne Infantry element of the British Army. ... For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... For other incidents referred to by this name, see Bloody Sunday. ... is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which existed from June 7, 1921 to March 30, 1972, when it was suspended. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A power-sharing government between moderate nationalists and moderate unionists in 1974 was brought down by the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. This was followed by a plan for rolling devolution through an assembly between 1982 and 1986 but this was boycotted by nationalists. Violence continued throughout this period. The Ulster Workers Council (UWC) Strike was a general strike which took place between Wednesday 15 May 1974 and Tuesday 28 May 1974 in Northern Ireland. ...

After two decades of conflict, a ceasefire and intense political negotiations produced the Belfast Agreement on 10 April 1998 (also known as the "Good Friday Agreement"), which again attempted with mixed success to produce a power-sharing government for Northern Ireland with cross-community support. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) supported the agreement but it was opposed by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and other smaller parties. The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ...

Unionism in Northern Ireland today

British identity in Northern Ireland is expressed in a number of different ways through passive everyday preferences (some of which can be a combination of British and Irish) such as choice of newspaper or sports team, participation in a locally developed unionist culture or electoral support for unionist political parties and candidates. It is only through elections that unionism can be statistically analysed but surveys have studied trends of support for the union within the province's population.

Unionism and religious background

While some commentators regularly use the religious terms 'Catholic' and 'Protestant' interchangeably with 'nationalist' and 'unionist' in Northern Ireland, this is a simplification. Not all Catholics support nationalist causes, for example. The Ulster Unionist Party has some Roman Catholic members, including Sir John Gorman, who was one of its most respected MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2003. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... Sir John Reginald Gorman CVO CBE MC DL was between 1998 and 2003 an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for North Down, and one of the few Roman Catholics to be elected as a Unionist representative in Northern Ireland. ... A Member of the Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many Roman Catholics served in the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and now serve in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and in the British armed forces, despite opposition, threats and attacks from Irish republicans. Though this does not nessacarily mean that they would describe themselves as unionist. Just as several nationalists were members of the RIC there were several nationalist members of the RUC. The current leader of the SDLP, Mark Durkan's father was a nationalist Catholic serving in the RUC. Today despite 50:50 quotas of Catholic to Protestans a substantial number of the PSNI's Catholic officers are Catholic Poles and therefore not native Northern Irish citizens with historical affiliation to the question of Unionsim/Nationalism as was intended. The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... The Police Service of Northern Ireland (Irish: Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart na hÉireann) is the police service that covers Northern Ireland. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and an air force. ...

One of the strangest situations in Northern Ireland is that the Protestant fundamentalist leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Rev. Ian Paisley, claims to attract some Catholic votes in his constituency at elections to the House of Commons. That may be a personal quirk, due to his reputation as a constituency MP. However, his party, the DUP, has never had any openly Catholic members. Fundamentalist Christianity, or Christian fundamentalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by conservative evangelical Christians, who, in a reaction to modernism, actively affirmed a fundamental set of Christian beliefs: the inerrancy of the Bible, Sola Scriptura, the... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926), styled The Revd and Rt Hon. ...

The nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), meanwhile, has often attracted sympathetic Protestants, some of whom have been elected. Sinn Féin has also has some Protestant members and elected officials.^{[citation needed]}. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ...

Northern Ireland has an increasing number of citizens who are neither Catholic or Protestant. Increasingly, the trend has been to ignore the question of religion, particularly as the numbers of practising church-goers, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, have been in decline. This led to a new question on the census form, asking residents to describe their religious background as well.

This decline does not mean that nationalists and unionists have equal numbers. Polls taken over the years have suggested that as many as one in three Catholics could be considered Unionists, regardless of what political party they may vote for at election times, although this percentage seems very high, and contradicts Sinn Féin's recent ascendance.

Furthermore, a strong decline in the Roman Catholic birth rate may slow down or even reverse the growth in the Catholic population. However, that may be balanced in turn by an increased rate of emigration of young Protestants, often to study and then work in Britain. How these changes will affect the long-term number of Protestants and Catholics is hard to assess. Recent influxes of immigrants from outside the British Isles are also having a signicicant effect on the demographic balance although it is too early to assess the long term effect of this.

The rapid pace of economic growth in the Republic of Ireland in recent years If felt by many to closed the economic gap between Ireland and the UK and hence weakened the economic case for Unionism. Although many Unionists insist that the Irish economic boom is exaggerated and there are still clear economic benefits from being part of the UK the worlds fourth largest economy, though Northern Ireland constitutes a negligable amount, and should it leave the UK's status as the fourth largest economy globally would remain unchanged. Cartoon of the Celtic Tiger. ...

While southern Unionism predominantly (though not exclusively) originated in Church of Ireland circles and the upper-middle to upper classes, northern unionism remains and has been predominantly (though not exclusively) associated with the working and middle classes and predominantly Presbyterian. Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

Political Unionism

Northern Ireland currently has a number of pro-union political parties, the largest of which is the traditionalist Democratic Unionist Party led by Ian Paisley, followed by the more moderate Ulster Unionist Party led by Reg Empey. Both parties are active across Northern Ireland. This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926), styled The Revd and Rt Hon. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... Sir Reg Empey, MLA and Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...

On a smaller level, the Progressive Unionist Party, which is political wing of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) paramilitary group, attracts some support in the greater Belfast area, while the UK Unionist Party is centred on North Down and the United Unionist Coalition is a loose grouping of independent candidates across the province. The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) are a small political party from Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) is a Loyalist group in Northern Ireland. ... The UK Unionist Party (UKUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The United Unionist Coalition, also known as the United Unionist Assembly Party, was formed by a collection of unionist members of the Northern Ireland Assembly who were elected as independent unionists in 1998. ...

The pluralist Conservative Party (officially named the Conservative and Unionist Party) also organises in the province. While the Alliance Party supports the status quo position of Northern Ireland, it does not define itself as Unionist. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), is a political party operating in Northern Ireland. ...

Moderate unionists who support the principle of equal citizenship between Northern Ireland and Great Britain have campaigned for mainstream British political parties to organise and contest elections in the province. Equal citizenship pressure groups have included the Campaign for Equal Citizenship (CEC), Labour Representation Campaign, Democracy Now and, currently, Labour - Federation of Labour Groups. Momentum for this concept picked up after the Conservative Party Conference voted in favour of working in Northern Ireland in 1989. The Conservatives currently have one councillor on Down District Council, who was elected as an Ulster Unionist. No Conservative has been elected in Northern Ireland since the early 1990s. Labour - Federation of Labour Groups is the formally registered name of a collection of political organisations in Northern Ireland who aspire to become part of the Labour Party of Great Britain. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Down District Council is a Local Council in County Down in Northern Ireland. ...

Under legal pressure from local trade unionists, Labour accepted members from the province in October 2002 [6] and in September 2006 agreed to organise through a forum [7]. The Liberal Democrats have a branch in Northern Ireland but do not contest elections [8]. The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Pro-union parties and independents contest elections and represent their constituents at a number of different levels. There is a unionist presence at election time in all parliamentary constituencies. A Unionist win is a virtual certainty in ten constituencies: The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ... Type Lower House Speaker Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Leader Harriet Harman, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader Theresa May, (Conservative) since May 5, 2005 Members 659 Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin... Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP) Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP) Gérard Onesta (Greens – EFA) Edward McMillan-Scott (ED) Mario Mauro (EPP) Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES) Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE) Mechtild... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ... Northern Ireland is divided into 18 Parliamentary constituencies - 4 Borough constituencies in Belfast and 14 County constituencies elsewhere. ...

• East Antrim
• North Antrim
• South Antrim
• Belfast North
• Belfast East
• North Down
• Lagan Valley
• East Londonderry
• Strangford
• Upper Bann

Twenty peers in the House of Lords owe their peerages to a direct connection with Northern Ireland [10], usually through a political party. Of these eight Ulster Unionists (sitting as Cross-benchers) three DUP, two Conservative two Labour and one Liberal Democrat and the rest independent. As well as the two Unionist MEPs in the European Parliament, DUP MP Nigel Dodds is also an alternate member of the UK Parliament delegations to the Council of Europe and Western European Union [11] and Unionists also participate in the EU Committee of the Regions [12]. East Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. ... South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Belfast North is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Belfast East is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Lagan Valley is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... East Londonderry is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Strangford is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... A cross-bencher is a member of the British House of Lords who is not aligned to any particular party. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP) Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP) Gérard Onesta (Greens – EFA) Edward McMillan-Scott (ED) Mario Mauro (EPP) Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES) Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE) Mechtild... Nigel Alexander Dodds, OBE (born August 20, 1958) is a barrister and Northern Ireland unionist politician. ... Anthem Ode to Joy (orchestral)  ten founding members joined subsequently observer at the Parliamentary Assembly observer at the Committee of Ministers  official candidate Seat Strasbourg, France Membership 47 European states 5 observers (Council) 3 observers (Assembly) Leaders  -  Secretary General Terry Davis  -  President of the Parliamentary Assembly Rene van der Linden...  â€¢  â€¢  â€¢ Membership 10 member states 6 associate member states 5 observer countries 7 associate partner countries Establishment Treaty of Brussels  -  Signed 17 March 1948  The Western European Union (WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization, established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 with the... The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an institution of the European Union created by the Treaty of Maastricht. ...

Unionist candidates stand for election in most district electoral areas (small areas which make up district councils) in Northern Ireland. Exceptions, in 2005, were Slieve Gullion in South Armagh, Upper and Lower Falls in Belfast, Shantallow, Northland and Cityside in Derry - all of which are strongly nationalist. Likewise, nationalist parties and candidates did not contest some areas in North Antrim, East Antrim, East Belfast, North Down and the Strangford constituency which are strongly unionist and therefore unlikely to return a candidate. This article is about the city in Northern Ireland. ... For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. ... East Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Belfast East is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Strangford is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

Local government in Northern Ireland is not entirely divided on nationalist-unionist lines and the level of political tension within a council depends on the district that it represents and its direct experience of the Troubles.

Future elections

Strategically, South Belfast and Fermanagh and South Tyrone will be the key target seats for unionism in the next general election, but previous experience indicates that neither seat can be won without an electoral pact between the DUP and the UUP. Both seats were lost, in 2001 and 2005 respectively, due to a divided Unionist vote. Creation 1922 MP Alasdair McDonnell Party Social Democratic and Labour Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Castlereagh EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Fermanagh & South Tyrone is a Parliamentary Constituency in the British House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... The next United Kingdom general election must be held on or before 3 June, 2010. ...

Unionism and Republicanism

Some unionists are British republicans. There is no accurate statistical information available for how much actual support exists for the current monarchy, or an alternative British republic within unionism. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that, while support for the monarchy amongst unionists is not perhaps as universal as is commonly assumed, the attitude among unionists who don't support the monarchy is mainly one of indifference rather than outright hostility towards the institution. The British republican movement is a movement in the United Kingdom which seeks to remove the British monarchy and replace it with a republic with an elected head of state. ... This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom, one of sixteen that share a common monarch; for information about this constitutional relationship, see Commonwealth realm; for information on the reigning monarch, see Elizabeth II. For information about other Commonwealth realm monarchies, as well as other relevant articles, see...

Many unionists express loyalty to the monarchy and three members of the current Royal Family hold titles with roots in Northern Ireland: The Duke of York (Baron Killyleagh), The Earl of Ulster and Baron Downpatrick. This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom, one of sixteen that share a common monarch; for information about this constitutional relationship, see Commonwealth realm; for information on the reigning monarch, see Elizabeth II. For information about other Commonwealth realm monarchies, as well as other relevant articles, see... HRH The Prince Andrew, the current Duke of York For the nursery rhyme see The Grand Old Duke of York. ... The title of Earl of Ulster has been created several times in the Peerages of Ireland and the United Kingdom. ... Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V of the United Kingdom. ...

Previous royal Irish titles included Lord of Ireland, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Earl of Athlone and Baron Arklow. The Queen is still technically Sovereign of the Order of St. Patrick, the highest Irish order of chivalry, and the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is an officer in the College of Arms, London. All other royal links with Ireland were broken as the Republic of Ireland gained its independence and Irish peerages disappeared when the House of Lords was reformed. Ireland in the century prior to the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169 is probably best described as a national kingdom lacking a settled monarchy, the kingship being disputed by three regional dynasties. ... The title Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was granted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. ... The title of Earl of Athlone has been created three times. ... Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British royal families. ... The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is an order of chivalry associated with Ireland. ... Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is one of the senior Officers of Arms of the College of Arms, and the junior of the two provincial Kings of Arms. ... The entrance of the College of Arms. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Peerage of Ireland the term used for those peers created by British monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

Southern Irish Unionism/Neo-Unionism

See Also "Unionism throughout Ireland" above Image File history File links Acap. ...

After 1890 and particularly during the period from the start of the First World War to the mid 1920s the number of Unionists in what is now the Republic of Ireland declined to a point where their numbers were widely regarded as almost insignificant. This is attributed to a number of factors. “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

1. World War I: A higher rate of participation in World War I amongst Irish Unionists than among Nationalists (who were split on the issue of Irish participation in World War I) combined with the very high casualty rate amongst Irish regiments in the conflict. (Note: military conscription did not apply in Ireland)
2. Irish war of Independence: An alleged campaign of murder and ethnic cleansing in parts of the country, by some members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) of Protestants and Unionists particularly during and after the Anglo-Irish War, particularly in Cork where the Protestant community was largely working class. The Cork Protestant community was famous for being unrepentantly Loyalist and became a target for an equally fanatical Republican movement. Cork Loyalists were set a part from Protestants in the rest of the country due to their large concentrated numbers and that fact they were in the most part working-class, unlike the richer Protestants in Dublin. However their numbers were not large enough to defend themselves or to make a large stand like Protestants in Ulster. Many simply migrated or were forced into migration. There is disagreement among historians whether such murders were part of a widespread organised campaign or just a handful of isolated incidents.
3. Emigration: Large numbers Unionists leaving the Republic (voluntarily or otherwise) in the years before and after Irish independence mainly for Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Canada.
4. Assimilation: Many of those remaining to some degree underwent a gradual process of Cultural assimilation into Irish society and culture. This was encouraged by the Free State government and was largely accepted as it was generally perceived that the issue of Unionism had (as far as the South was concerned) become "a lost cause" also during the Irish Civil War most Unionists found themselves supporting the Pro-treaty government (if only as "the lesser of two evils"). -On the other hand to some extent the process of assimilation had begun even prior to Irish independence with many Protestants playing leading roles in the Irish Nationalist and Gaelic revival movements.
5. Intermarriage and the Ne Temere decree: The decline in the numbers of Unionists reflected the decline in the Protestant Population in the Republic (Unionists were/are largely, though not exclusively Protestant) Much of which was down to the fact that In most areas of the Free state Protestants were a small minority of the population and the widespread practice of bringing children of mixed (Protestant/Roman Catholic) marriages up as Roman Catholics (often because of community/family pressure and the Ne Temere decree).

Some Unionists in the south simply adapted and began to associate themselves with the new southern Irish regime of W. T. Cosgrave and Cumann na nGaedhael. On January 19, 1922, leading Unionists held a meeting and unanimously decided to support fully the government of the new Free State. Many gained appointment to the Irish Free State Senate, including the Earl of Dunraven as a Senator when Thomas Westropp Bennett an Anglo-Irish Catholic was Cathaiorleach (pronounced 'ka-here-loch'). One Unionist political family, the Dockrells, joined and became TDs (MPs) over a number of generations for Cumann na nGaedhael and its successor party, Fine Gael (the governing party in the 1920s, the main opposition from 1932 onwards). Ethnic cleansing refers to various policies or practices aimed at the displacement of an ethnic group from a particular territory in order to create a supposedly ethnically pure society. ... This article is about the historical army of the Irish Republic (1919–1922) which fought in the Irish War of Independence 1919–21, and the Irish Civil War 1922–23. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the extra-legal Irish parliament... Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is an intense process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are absorbed into an established, generally larger community. ... This article is about the prior state. ... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... For the Gaelic resurgence to overthrow English supremacy in the 14th-16th century, see: Gaelic resurgence. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Ne Temere (literally meaning not rashly in Latin) is a decree (named for its opening words) of the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Council declaring invalid any marriage of a Roman Catholic or any person who has ever been a Roman Catholic, unless contracted before a qualified Roman Catholic priest... ... Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the prior state. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, usually referred to as Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ; approximate English translation: Family/Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland with a membership of over 34,000, and is the largest opposition party in...

However since the late 1920s there have been few actual Unionists elected to the Dáil or Senate. The Dublin borough of Rathmines had a unionist majority up to the late 1920s, when a local government re-organisation abolished all Dublin borough councils. Rathmines (Ráth Maonais in Irish) is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. ...

Having lost their privileged status, most Irish Unionists simply withdrew from public life. The number of Protestants declined in the Irish Free State and in its successor state, the Republic of Ireland. IRA attacks in the 1920s drove away many who assisted the British in the Anglo-Irish War, in the process burning many historic homes as reprisals for the Crown forces' destruction of the homes and property of republicans, suspected or actual. This article is about the prior state. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Succession of states. ... Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the Irish Republican Army in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and opponents of the Treaty. ... An Irish War of Independence memorial in Dublin The Anglo-Irish War (also known as the Irish War of Independence) was a guerrilla campaign mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army under the proclaimed legitimacy of the First Dáil, the extra-legal Irish parliament... Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent republic, whether as a unitary state, a federal state or as a confederal arrangement. ...

Others had suffered disproportionately in World War I, losing their sons and heirs on the bloodied fields of Flanders and the Somme. Some that remained became victims of the Roman Catholic Church's Ne Temere decree imposed by Pope Pius X, which required Catholics in mixed marriages to ensure that all children of the marriage were brought up to follow the Roman Catholic Church. This decree contributed greatly to the religious divide in Ireland, and is still in force, but not followed as much as before, and Protestants have greater options nowadays, even in southern Ireland. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Flanders (disambiguation). ... Somme is a French département, named after the Somme River, located in the north of France. ... Ne Temere (literally meaning not rashly in Latin) is a decree (named for its opening words) of the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Council declaring invalid any marriage of a Roman Catholic or any person who has ever been a Roman Catholic, unless contracted before a qualified Roman Catholic priest... Pope St. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ...

As a result, many eligible Protestant women, who because of the deaths of Protestant men in World War I were denied the availability of Protestant husbands, either married Catholics or remained unmarried, either way ending the Protestant family line. This reversed an earlier trend of Catholics becoming Protestant to avoid discrimination.

Furthermore, land reform from the 1870s to the 1900s broke up many of the large estates. Protestant families, who had owned most of the land, saw it returned to their largely Catholic tenantry. Many chose in the 1920s to use their compensation money to settle in Britain, often in other estates they owned there.-1...

In addition, the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland from 1871 by an Act of Parliament led that Church to sell many of its estates and bishops' palaces, in the process laying off many Protestant workers who themselves then moved away. (Previously, the Church had had considerable wealth thanks to tithes (mandatory taxes) which the local Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodist communities had to pay to the (Anglican) Church of Ireland. The loss of this money underlined the economic vulnerability of the Church of Ireland.) The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... A tithe (from Old English teogoþa tenth) is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a (usually) voluntary contribution or as a tax or levy, usually to support a Jewish or Christian religious organization. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ...

However, it is widely (though not universally) accepted that little evidence of widespread discrimination against Protestants in the Irish Free State/Éire exists. The first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde (1938 – 1945), and the fourth, Erskine Hamilton Childers (1973-74), belonged to the Church of Ireland, though Childers was one of only two senior Irish politicians to attend Hyde's Church of Ireland funeral. Mary Robinson, nee Mary Bourke, the seventh President has both Catholic and Protestant branches in her family, and is married to a Protestant, Nicholas Robinson, although her children were raised as Roman Catholics and her parents boycotted her wedding. Map of Éire Éire (pronounced ) is the Irish name for Ireland. ... Official Seal of the President of Ireland The President of Ireland (Irish: ) [uːəxt̪ˠəɾaːn̪ˠ n̪ˠə heːɼən̪ˠ] is the head of state of the Republic of Ireland. ... Douglas Hyde (Irish name Dubhghlas de hÍde) (17 January 1860 - 12 July 1949) was an Irish language scholar who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. ... Erskine Hamilton Childers (Irish: ; 11 December 1905 – 17 November 1974), the son of Robert Erskine Childers (author of The Riddle of the Sands), served as the fourth President of Ireland from 1973 until his death in 1974. ... The Church of Ireland (Irish: ) is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating seamlessly across the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. ... For the poet, see Mary Robinson (poet). ...

Leading ex-Unionists like the Earl of Granard and the Provost of Trinity College Dublin gained appointment to the President of Ireland's advisory body, the Council of State. The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... The Council of State is the name of an organ of government in many states, and especially in republics. ...

Satellite view of the United Kingdom

Some people draw a distinction between membership of the "Unionist tradition" (those with a strong cultural or ethnic identification with Britain) and actually advocating Unionism as a political philosophy. There is also a distinction drawn between "Partitionist" Unionism (i.e., not desiring a United Ireland) and Neo-Unionism (the aspiration for Southern Ireland to reunify with Britain). The extent of support for which is widely regarded as negligible. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2781x4052, 1644 KB) Satellite image of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2002. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2781x4052, 1644 KB) Satellite image of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2002. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Southern Irish Unionists are sometimes referred to as "Anglo-Irish", an often incorrect term as many Irish of English descent were staunch nationalists, for example Wolfe Tone, Casement etc (or sometimes in the case of Ulster "Scots-Irish" or in America, "Scotch-Irish") or (often disparagingly) "West British". Anglo-Irish was a term used historically to describe a ruling class inhabitants of Ireland who were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy[1], mostly belonging to the Anglican Church of Ireland or to a lesser extent one of the English dissenting churches, such as the Methodist church. ... West Briton (Irish: Seoinín) (adjective West British) is a derogatory term for an Irish person who is alleged by the user of the term to have sympathies towards Britain. ...

The study of Irish history from a Unionist perspective is known in The Republic of Ireland as revisionist history, although some Catholic writers are regarded as revisionists, such as Kevin Myers and Eoghan Harris Indeed a (Southern) Irish Unionist is as likely to be Catholic (or of "other"/no religion) as Protestant. In Parson Weems Fable (1939) Grant Wood takes a sly poke at a traditional hagiographical account of George Washington Historical revisionism has both a legitimate academic use and a pejorative meaning. ... Kevin Myers (born Leicester, 30 March 1947) is an Irish journalist and commentator. ... Senator Eoghan Harris is an Irish politician and a sometimes controversial and outspoken newspaper columnist and polemicist. ...

However, many historians have come to view that the accepted and traditional view of the history of the British Isles, particularly that of the history of the Gaels, was already subject to historical revisionism (for example, in the Book of the Taking of Ireland, known as The Book of Invasions). Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish race from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages. ...

While Southern Unionists in many ways identify with their Northern counterparts one respect in which they differ is describing themselves as "Irish Unionists". Some Northern Unionists no longer like to regard themselves as Irish at all because, while the term may be geographically correct, it is often perceived as being synonymous with Gaelic culture and Irish Nationalist views (with which Ulster Unionists ipso facto do not identify) and prefer the term Ulster Unionist. Southern Unionists however contend that "Irish” does not necessarily imply "Gaelic” and the term "Ulster Unionist" is both geographically incorrect (part of Ulster is in the Republic of Ireland) and excludes Unionists from the other three Irish provinces (Leinster, Munster and Connaught).^{[citation needed]} “Gael” redirects here. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... Statistics Area: 24,607. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ...

Today, the Reform Movement, the Irish Unionist Alliance, and the Loyal Irish Union are active Irish Unionist or Neo-Unionist organisations in the Republic of Ireland. The Reform Movement is an organisation in the Republic of Ireland which seeks modify what it feels are outdated and extremist elements of Irish nationalism. ...

References

See also

Unionism in Northern Ireland

• Catholic Unionist
• The Border
• Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland
• Government of Ireland Act 1920
• The News Letter
• Scots-Irish
• Ulster Loyalist

A Catholic Unionist is either a Roman Catholic in Northern Ireland who supports continuing ties between Northern Ireland and Great Britain or a Roman Catholic from the Republic of Ireland who supports Ireland rejoining the United Kingdom. ... A map of Ireland showing the Republic of Ireland-United Kingdom border. ... // Population 1,685,267 Place of birth Northern Ireland: 1,534,268 (91. ... An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (this is its official short title; the formal citation is 10 & 11 Geo. ... The News Letter is one of Northern Irelands main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. ... Scots-Irish (also called Ulster Scots) is a Scottish ethnic group that historically resided in Ireland which ultimately traces its roots back to settlers from Scotland, and to a lesser extent, England. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Unionists (Ireland). ...

Southern/Neo-Unionism

• Act of Union 1800
• 1918 Irish General Election
• Anglo-Irish
• Donegal Progressive Party
• National League Party
• Stan Gebler Davies
• Ireland Act 1949
• Irish Unionist Alliance
• Loyal Irish Union
• Language Freedom Movement
• Reform Movement
• West Brits

The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain (itself a merger of England and Wales and Scotland under the Act of Union 1707) to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. ... The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. ... Anglo-Irish was a term used historically to describe a ruling class inhabitants of Ireland who were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy[1], mostly belonging to the Anglican Church of Ireland or to a lesser extent one of the English dissenting churches, such as the Methodist church. ... The National League Party was a political party in Ireland. ... The Ireland Act 1949 is a UK Act of Parliament which was intended to deal with the consequences of the then recently passed Republic of Ireland Act 1948 as passed by the Irish parliament (Oireachtas). ... The Irish Unionist Alliance (Irish: An Comhortas Aontachtóirí Éireannach) is a small Irish Unionist organisation set up to explore the the potential for building a sustainable unionist movement[1] in the Republic of Ireland. ... Founded in 1966, the Language Freedom Movement was an organization dedicated to the opposition of the state-sponsored Gaelic Revival of the Irish language in the Republic of Ireland. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... West Briton (Irish: Seoinín) (adjective West British) is a derogatory term for an Irish person who is alleged by the user of the term to have sympathies towards Britain. ...

Wider interests

• Commonwealth
• European Union
• Falkland Islands
• Gibraltar
• The Scots-Irish in North America
• Scottish Unionism

The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total... Scots-Irish (formerly Scotch-Irish) is a term used to describe inhabitants of the USA and Canada of Scots-Irish (particularly Ulster-Scots) descent, who formed distinctive communities and had distinctive social characteristics. ... Unionism in Scotland is the belief in that Scotland should remain in the United Kingdom in its present structure as a union between its main constituent countries. ...

Unionist political parties

Contemporary

• Conservative Party (1830-)
• Ulster Unionist Party (UUP 1905-)
• Democratic Unionist Party (DUP 1971-)
• Progressive Unionist Party (PUP 1979-)
• UK Unionist Party (UKUP 1995-)
• United Unionist Coalition (UUC 1998-)

Historic The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... This article is about the political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) are a small political party from Northern Ireland. ... The UK Unionist Party (UKUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The United Unionist Coalition, also known as the United Unionist Assembly Party, was formed by a collection of unionist members of the Northern Ireland Assembly who were elected as independent unionists in 1998. ...

• Irish Conservative Party (mid 19th century)
• Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society (1836-1859)
• Irish Unionist Party (late 19th century / early 20th century)
• Ulster Unionist Labour Association (1917-c.1974)
• Northern Ireland Labour Party (1922-1987)
• Ulster Liberal Party (c.1929-c.1985)
• Ulster Progressive Unionist Association (1938-c.1943)
• Commonwealth Labour Party (1942-1947)
• Protestant Unionist Party (1966-1971)
• Ulster Constitution Party (early 1970s)
• Loyalist Coalition (1973)
• Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party (1973-1978)
• Volunteer Political Party (1974)
• United Ulster Unionist Council (1974-1977)
• Unionist Party of Northern Ireland (1974-1981)
• United Ulster Unionist Party (1977-1984)
• Ulster Popular Unionist Party (1980-1995)
• Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party (1981-1989)
• Ulster Democratic Party (1989-2001)
• Northern Ireland Unionist Party (1999-2003)

The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century. ... The Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society was an Irish political movement based in Dublin which was linked to the Irish Conservatives, the main political party in Ireland until 1859. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP) is a political party in Northern Ireland representing the unionist community, and was the party of government in Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. ... The Ulster Unionist Labour Association was an association of trade unionists founded in 1917, aligned with the Ulster Unionists in Northern Ireland. ... The Northern Ireland Labour Party was a political party which operated from 1924 until 1987. ... The Ulster Liberal Party was the Northern Ireland branch of the UK Liberal Party. ... The Ulster Progressive Unionist Association was a political group which was founded in 1938 and was active in Northern Ireland for a few years thereafter. ... The Commonwealth Labour Party was a minor political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Protestant Unionist Party (PUP) were a political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. ... The Ulster Constitution Party was an Unionist political party in Northern Ireland active in the early 1970s, formed by two councillors on Belfast City Council. ... The Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party, also known as the Vanguard Ulster Progressive Party (and several variations of word order), was a unionist political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1973 and 1978. ... The Volunteer Political Party was a political party formed in Northern Ireland in 1974 by members of the then recently legalised Ulster Volunteer Force under the leadership of Ken Gibson. ... The United Ulster Unionist Council (also known as the United Ulster Unionist Coalition) was a body that sought to bring together the Unionists opposed to the Sunningdale Agreement in Northern Ireland. ... The Unionist Party of Northern Ireland was a political party founded by Brian Faulkner in September 1974. ... The United Ulster Unionist Party was a political party which existed in Northern Ireland between 1977 and 1982. ... The Ulster Popular Unionist Party was a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party (ULDP) was a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) were a small unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland. ... The Northern Ireland Unionist Party (NIUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ...

Resources

Articles

• Anonymous (2005) Obelus.org "Ulster Unionism: dead but not gone"
• Coulter, J. (2005) Open Republic "Revolutionary Unionism"
• Hastings, M. (2005) The Guardian "The last writhings of a society left beached by history"
• Langhammer, M. (2005) The North Belfast News "Analysis of the Malaise in Protestant Heartlands."
• Peacocke, D. (2003) The Observer "A job to be done"
• Christopher D (2006) "The fate of Cork unionists 1919-1921"
• Wheatcroft, G. (1998) New Statesman "Ethnic cleansing in the Free State - Protestants in the Republic of Ireland"

Books and reports

• Alcock, A. (1994) Understanding Ulster (chap 2) The Unloved, Unwanted Garrison - The Unionist Community in Northern Ireland. Lurgan : Ulster Society
• Buckland, Patrick Irish Unionism I: The Anglo-Irish and the New Ireland, 1885-1922, Dublin: 1972.
• Buckland, Patrick Irish Unionism II: Ulster Unionism and the Origins of Northern Ireland, 1886-1922, Dublin: 1973.
• Farrington, C. (2006) Ulster Unionism and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Cochrane, F. (1997) Unionist Politics and the Politics of Unionism since the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Cork : Cork University Press.
• Fealty, M., Ringland, T. & Steven D. (2003) A Long Peace? The Future of Unionism in Northern Ireland
• Jackson, Alvin Colonel Edward Sanunderson: Land and Loyalty in Victorian Ireland, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Jackson, Alvin The Ulster Party: Irish Unionists in the House of Commons, 1884-1911, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
• McCartney, R. (2001) Reflections on Liberty, Democracy and The Union. Dublin : Maunsel.
• McDonald, H. (2000) Trimble. Bloomsbury.
• Porter, N. (1996) Rethinking Unionism: an alternative vision for Northern Ireland. Blackstaff : Belfast.
• Shirlow, P. & McGovern, M. (1997) Who Are The People?Unionism, Protestantism and Loyalism in Northern Ireland. Pluto : London
• Walker, G. (2004) A History of the Ulster Unionist Party. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Manifestos

The following Unionist parties have contested at least one election in Northern Ireland since 2001 and produced online manifestos (all PDF format):

Conservative and Unionist Party

• Westminster 2001
• Assembly 2003
• Westminster 2005

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

• Westminster 2001
• Assembly 2003
• Westminster 2005

Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)

• Assembly 2003

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

• Westminster 2001
• Assembly 2003
• Westminster 2005

Speeches

• Donaldson, J. (2004) The Bruges Group "The European Union - an Unionist/Ulster perspective"
• HM The Queen (2002) Golden Jubilee Address to the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Robinson, P. (2006) The Planter and The Gael
• Trimble, D. (1998) Nobel Peace Prize
• Trimble, D. (2001) Conservative Party Conference

Websites

Analytical

Analytical sites do not necessarily imply support for political causes:

• Act of Union 1800 Archive
• British Council : website on Anglo-Irish relationships
• Cadogan Group
• Devolution and Constitutional Change Project
• Irish Association
• Ulster Covenant 1913 Archive

Cultural

Lambeg Drum competition in Tyrone on 12 July

Cultural sites do not necessarily imply support for political causes:
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x409, 31 KB)lambeg drum competition at coagh, county tyrone 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x409, 31 KB)lambeg drum competition at coagh, county tyrone 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

• Apprentice Boys of Derry
• Belfast Newsletter
• Belfast Proms in the Park
• Glasgow Rangers Football Club (largely unionist following)
• Independent Orange Order
• Orange Order
• Royal Black Institution
• Ulster Scots Agency
• Ulster Society

Integrationist (with Great Britain)

• British Republic Campaign
• Conservative Party in Northern Ireland
• Friends of the Union (archive)
• Labour in Northern Ireland Campaign

Legal

A number of Acts of Parliament and other laws provide a legal framework for the union:

• Act of Union 1800
• Government of Ireland Act 1920
• Ireland Act 1949
• Northern Ireland Act 1998
• Memorandum of Understanding (Devolution)
• Concordat between NIO and Northern Ireland Executive

Political parties

• Conservative and Unionist Party
• Democratic Unionist Party
• Progressive Unionist Party
• Ulster Unionist Party

Southern Ireland/Neo-Unionist

• Border Minority Group
• Dublin Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club
• Irish Unionist Alliance
• Loyal Irish Union
• Reform Movement
• Trinity College Unionist Association (archive)

Structural

Some official agencies and organisations at a national level have developed specific structural links as part of the union. These links reflect the responsibilities of the agency or organisation to the citizens of Northern Ireland and the other UK regions. However, they do not indicate support for political unionism as the UK Civil Service is regulated by strict laws on impartiality. In addition, Northern Ireland is nowadays part of a web of co-operative links with the Republic of Ireland (north-south), the whole British Isles (east-west), the European Union and the United States. Northern Ireland (Irish: , Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a constituent country of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article describes the archipelago in north-western Europe. ...

Ceremonial

• Privy Council
• The Queen

Central Government

• 10 Downing Street
• Government Internet Portal
• Government News Network (GNN)
• Northern Ireland Office
• Scotland Office
• Wales Office

Co-operation

• North-South Ministerial Council
• British Isles Council
• Office of the Northern Ireland Executive, Brussels
• Northern Ireland Bureau, Washington DC

Devolution

• Northern Ireland Assembly
• Northern Ireland Executive
• Northern Ireland Internet Portal
• Scottish Executive
• Scottish Parliament
• Welsh Assembly

Parliament

• Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
• Northern Ireland Grand Committee 2005/2006
• Scottish Affairs Committee
• Welsh Affairs Committee
• Welsh Grand Committee 2005/2006