When was Northern Ireland Formed?

When was Northern Ireland formed? — The early history

The history of Ireland and Northern Ireland can be traced back long before its formation in 1921. To get to the heart of the history of Northern Ireland, we must go all the way back to 1167, with the Anglo-Norman intervention in Ireland. This is a pivotal point in history, as it is the first time that England properly established itself in Ireland. The mixing between the Irish and English was not all aggressive, but there was a distinct divide between the two.

During the reign of Henry VIII, specifically during his split from Rome, things got more heated in Ireland as religion became a huge part of Irish politics. Following this, in 1534, there was a show of rebellion against the British Crown as Lord Offaly, the heir to Kildare, headed a catholic revolt against the Protestant English King in Ireland. The revolt was unsuccessful, though. It was quickly squashed and all of those involved were killed. This sparked a pattern of revolts in Ireland against English rule, but none were overly successful.

Throughout the reign of Elizabeth I, a range of plantations were established across Ireland, which heightened the tensions between the two countries even further. These plantations were created by confiscating land from Irish Landowners and giving them to colonists from England, Scotland, and Wales. These plantations continued to be put in place, the last of them being established while Oliver Cromwell was in power in the 1650s. These plantations were not just offensive to the Irish landowners, but they completely changed the structure of the population in Ireland. Large communities of English Protestants began to form, who were in opposition to the Roman Catholic Irish inhabitants.

Whilst Oliver Cromwell was in power, violence, and conflict in Ireland were rife. Cromwell instigated a number of gruesome battles in the country, which resulted in many deaths on both sides.

By the end of the seventeenth century, the Catholic population of Ireland was extremely marginalised, and the conflict between the Protestants and Catholics was worse than ever. This culminated in the Battle of the Boyne, in 1690, in which the Catholic King, James II, was defeated by the Protestant King, William III. This battle solidified the Protestants as the dominant side in Ireland and led to further oppression of Irish Catholics. This oppression involved lands being taken away, restricted rules in terms of education and the right to bear arms, the removal of Catholic clergy members, and more. The outraged Irish Catholic community began a reform movement, which marks the first real sight of Irish nationalism.

The penal laws oppressing the Irish Catholics were eventually relaxed a bit, but the persecution continued. Conflicts and rebellions continued in the years to come, with the Protestant and Catholic populations of Ireland constantly at odds.

The already tenuous relationship between England and Ireland was worsened by the potato famine in 1840. The British government’s reaction to the potato famine was relaxed and ultimately unhelpful, despite the fact that it was devastating the Irish population. By 1851, the population in Ireland had dropped by around 2 million as a result of deaths, disease, and emigration. The response to this in Ireland was an even stronger desire to get rid of English rule.

Keep reading to discover a brief timeline of the history of Northern Ireland!

When was Northern Ireland formed? — The early 20th century

By the time the 20th century rolled around, the climate in Ireland was much changed. A range of groups formed in the country, all aimed at maintaining the native Irish culture through various pastimes and the Gaelic language. Not everyone in Ireland was in favour of Independent Irish rule, however, as many opposed it both within Parliament and outside of it. The Protestant population of Ulster, in particular, were eager to keep their ties with Britain.

Armies of supporters rose up on both sides. Protestants, who were largely known as unionists, established the Ulster Volunteer Force and Catholics, who were known as nationalists, set up the Irish Volunteers. Home Rule became more imminent and, as a result, the unionists began to campaign for Ulster to be excluded from the rest of Ireland.

The Easter Rising of 1916 was a huge milestone in the history of Irish nationalism. The rising ended in a British victory, with the leaders of the rebellion being rounded up and executed. However, this made martyrs of the Irish rebels and spurred the nationalists on even more.

Further development

On the 21st of January 1919, the Dáil Éireann was established. The Dáil Éireann was an Irish Assembly formed by 73 Sinn Féin candidates who were elected for government but refused to attend Westminster. This heightened tensions even further, and conflict soon broke out.

This violence couldn’t be maintained for much longer, and so the Government of Ireland Act was passed in May 1921. This Act split the Ireland of Ireland into the North and South divide that we have today. The six, largely Protestant counties in Ulster became a part of the North, and the remaining 26 counties became a part of the South. The South was thereby known as the ‘Irish Free Zone’, which had its own dominion status within the British Commonwealth. It still did not have full independence, however, as this would not be granted until 1937.

In 1937, the Constitution was put in place, which abolished the Irish Free State and Eire, which means Ireland, was established as an independent, sovereign state.

The Troubles

It is impossible to discuss the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland without touching on the Troubles. The Troubles is the name given to the civil war in Northern Ireland that began in the 1960s between loyalists and republicans.

Whilst the majority of the people living in Northern Ireland were Protestants, there were still a large number of Catholics living there. As a minority, the Catholic community was oppressed in the North, which led to many campaigns for the end of the partition of Ireland. Those campaigning for the end of partition were known as republicans, and those in favour of maintaining British rule were known as loyalists.

The majority of people on both sides of this conflict did not support the use of violence in furthering their respective campaigns. However, some did see the need for violence, and a bloody civil war broke out in Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army was the paramilitary group that formed on the republican side, and the Ulster Volunteer Force fought on the loyalist side.

In total, around 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, with thousands more injured. The entire population was traumatised by the years of violence and unrest. The war raged on and, by the 1990s, it was clear that fighting was not going to bring about a solution.

The Good Friday Agreement, which is also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on the 10th of April 1998 and brought an end to the majority of the violence of the Troubles. This agreement was a huge step towards peace in Northern Ireland. The agreement had a range of different terms and conditions, and also created a number of different institutions between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Whilst the Good Friday Agreement did end a lot of the violence in Northern Ireland, the country is still not entirely at peace. Northern Ireland is currently in a period known as ‘The Peace Process’. Political negotiations are continuing to take place, and there has been a ceasefire between the main republican and loyalist paramilitary organisations. Perhaps most notably, the Good Friday Agreement gave the power for the direct rule of Northern Ireland to a locally elected government.

A brief timeline of the history of Northern Ireland

Here are some of the key events involved in the timeline of the history of Northern Ireland:

The history of Ireland and Northern Ireland - Where do they stand now?

So, we’ve explored the convoluted, violent and complicated history of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but where does that leave us? Where do these two countries stand today?

The island of Ireland is made up of two separate countries: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign country, meaning that it is ruled entirely by its own independent government. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, is part of the United Kingdom. Although it is part of the collection of countries that make up the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland does still have its own government, which has a set of legal powers that allows it to operate independently of the government of the United Kingdom on certain matters.

This political setup is all thanks to a number of referendums that took place towards the end of the 1990s. From 1997 to 1998, referendums, which are public votes, were held in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales determining that the United Kingdom would transfer a number of powers to the national parliaments in each of its comprising countries. As a result of this, the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly were all established and given official responsibility for certain ‘devolved’ matters in 1999.

So, whilst it is part of the United Kingdom and subject to its government on many matters, including foreign affairs, defence and social security, Northern Ireland’s local politicians still make key decisions on how the country is governed.

Teaching resources about Northern Irish history

Are you looking for high-quality resources to supplement your teaching of the history of Ireland and Northern Ireland? Then, we've got just what you need! Explore when Northern Ireland was formed, the political climate in Ireland and Northern Ireland and much more with our range of handy teacher-made resources:

• Northern Ireland 1921-2021 Differentiated Comprehension Activity
• Good Friday Agreement Differentiated Reading Comprehension Activity
• Northern Ireland 1921-2021 PowerPoint