This is not a political site, so Northern Ireland is of course geographically part of both the island of Ireland and the British Isles. But of course it has an ugly past, with many people killed as part of ‘the troubles’. But today it’s more peaceful, and home to some of the most stunning natural scenery on earth.
Northern Ireland is a small land mass area with coasts on both the Irish Sea (facing northwest England) and the Atlantic Ocean (facing the USA). The largest city by far is Belfast, followed by much smaller cities like the walled city of Londonderry, and the area has a strong history of shipbuilding (alas one ship built here was the doomed Titanic).
Full of mountains and lakes, it’s like of like a ‘mini Switzerland’ once you leave the city, and is mostly known for Giant’s Causeway, ancient volcanic rocks with many legends. Voted as one of Europe’s greatest natural wonders, the 40,000 rocks are named after Giant Fionn and Giant Benandonner, who after being separated to stop them fighting (one lived on the Irish coast, the other on the Scottish coast) built a bridge to try to start a fight! And the nearby Lough Neagh was apparently formed when Giant Fionn scooped earth to throw at his Scottish fiend – obviously these guys did not get on! Oxford Island Nature Reserve nearby offers lots of walking and wildlife-watching.
Just like southern Ireland, Northern Ireland is home to many artists, writers and musicians. Irish poet Seamus Heaney was from Londonderry, and other Northern Ireland exports are footballer George Best, singer Van Morrison and actor/director Sir Kenneth Branagh.
Donegal is in southern Ireland, but only because it was left out of the ‘northern Ireland’ boundary, due to nearly everyone being Catholic. The most famous residents to come out of this county make up the Irish band Clannad (you’ll likely know that their sister is the popular singer Enya).
what caused ‘the troubles’ in Northern Ireland?
You’ll likely know that the war in northern Ireland stemmed from some people from southern Ireland wishing to reclaim Northern Ireland. But some people wanted to remain as part of the UK. It also tended to be religious (Catholics vs Protestants). The war exploded in the late 1960s, after the British military tried to stop unrest of the minority Catholics not having equal access to jobs and housing. The war left over 3000 people dead and tens of thousands more injured.
However the situation goes back way beyond that. In 1921, Catholics wanted to break free from British rule (the UK also ruled over Ireland). But after successfully claiming back their land, there remained a small area in the north to be overseen by UK (Protestant rule) which is why the country is still split today.
Over 25 years ago, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, and has led to (almost) peaceful relations since then. This is a power-sharing agreement between loyalists and nationalists, although Sinn Féin MPs still don’t sit in the Houses of Parliament, as they don’t wish to swear allegiance to King Charles, as they don’t recognise Westminster as ruling over Northern Ireland. At the last election, the party became the largest in Northern Ireland, but any talk of reunification with Ireland is bound to be more peaceful, otherwise power-sharing will likely continue.
the Green Party of Northern Ireland
We often hear of the different main political parties in Northern Ireland, who thankfully now get on far better than in days of old. But the media does not really focus on the Green Party of Northern Ireland, which is more concerned about preserving nature and wildlife in this beautiful area of the world, than squabbling over political borders. It’s also the only political party in Northern Ireland, to publish all donations over £500.
Its leader Mal O’Hara was recently elected to as a senator (the upper house of Parliament) in the Irish Republic, and was also a Belfast councillor. Before that, he worked in the community and voluntary sector for 20 years. The party also has several local councillors across Northern Ireland.
Just as in England, there is huge problems right now in Northern Ireland with the quality of fresh water, and appeals for greater legislation to prevent pollution and sewage output. One local triathlon recently had to be cancelled, as a major lake was clogged with toxic blue-algae. Lack of habitat and pesticide use has also been blamed for the huge reduction in populations of Northern Ireland’s birds of prey, including rare hen harriers. Northern Ireland has over 400 members of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, who are all doing their bit to help local birds and wildlife.
Northern Ireland has its own ‘RSPCA’
USPCA is Northern Ireland’s version of our RSPCA, where people can report cruelty and find help to rescue injured wildlife, or simply get involved in making life better for animals across Northern Ireland. It also shows how to register pets (for better results of finding lost pets) and offers discounted vet care for people on low incomes.
why the Northern Trade Deal ignores locality
You may remember in the dying days of Boris Johnson’s premiership, about the arguments over the Northern Ireland Trade Deal, following Brexit. In a nutshell, it caused anger as it meant that rather than free trade, Northern Ireland (with its violent political history) would have to go through border checks and tariffs, in order to import or export items like milk, eggs and meat. But this included from not just Europe but Australia and New Zealand.
Any locavore would tell you that the way to create peaceful communities is to restore locality – locally grown organic food (with better animal welfare) in walkable communities using locally-owned credit unions for banking etc. The arguments also forgot the welfare of the animals themselves (live transport from Australia to the Middle East of sheep and goats is a huge political issue the other side of the world, with many animals dying of heat, or arriving to be slaughtered after a long stressful journey). The sooner we move away from economic growth to communities that feed themselves (rather than rich EU bankers) the better for people, people, animals and the planet.
