The national flag of the Republic of Ireland is a tricolour of green, white and orange. The green represents the older gaelic population, while the orange represents  the Protestants who arrived later. The white in the centre represents peace between the two. The shamrock is the Irish floral emblem.

Eire covers four-fifths of Ireland. Its population is 3,500,000 (three and a half million). The capital of Eire is Dublin. Eire, or the Republic of Ireland, became independent from the United Kingdom in 1922.

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, lies in the north-east of Ireland, but it is part of the United Kingdom. It is a country of beautiful landscapes and consists of six counties: Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. It is the smallest country in the U.K. with a population of 1,500,000 (one and a half million).The capital and largest city is Belfast. The country has rich green countryside, 300 miles of magnificent coastline, superb mountains and lakes. County Down is where S. Patrick began the conversion of the Irish to Christianity. Off the north coast is the strange landscape of the Giant’s  Causeway, an amazing mass of huge basalt columns stretching into the sea.

The successful hit song by the Irish group U2 “Sunday, bloody Sunday” commemorates January 30th, 1972 when 13 Catholic civilians were killed by British soldiers during a demonstration in Londonderry

  THE IRISH QUESTION

Northern Ireland lives under the constant threat of civil war. The fighting is between Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants.

This conflict began during the 17th century, when many English and Scottish Protestants were settled in Ireland by English monarchs  and became the most poweful element in the country.The full union of Ireland with G.B. took place in 1801 and the Protestants became the rulers of Ireland.

 In 1921, after  fierce fighting, Britain gave Ireland  independence and the 26 southern counties became the “Irish Free State”, and in 1949 it became the “Republic of Ireland” or EIRE, while the six northern counties, which were mainly Protestant, became an integral part of the U.K., called ULSTER.

 In ULSTER  Protestants dominated  Catholics so they began to demonstrate in 1968 for civil rights and they attacked the Protestants: There was a lot of violence and the British Army, was sent there to keep peace, but this only made the situation worse.

The Catholic IRA ( Irish Republican Army) organized a campaign of terrorism demanding union with the Republic, while the Protestants want to remain part of the U.K.

Nowadays Catholics and Protestants go on living separately, but something is changing and the recent agreements between Dublin and London may bring about a solution.