Anglo-Irish relations
Encyclopedia
British–Irish relations, or Anglo-Irish relations, refers to the relationship between the Government of Ireland (including the Government of the Irish Free State) and the Government of the United Kingdom
since most of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1922 as the Irish Free State
.
Relations between the two states have been influenced heavily by issues arising from the independence of the Irish Free State and the government of Northern Ireland
. These include the outbreak of political violence in Northern Ireland
in 1968 and a desire for and resistance to the reunification of Ireland
arising from the partition of Ireland
in the 1920s. As well as these issues, the high level of trade between the two states, their comparable geographic location as islands off the coast of the European mainland, a long shared history and close cultural and linguistic links, as well as a shared land border, mean political developments in both states often closely follow each other or are tied in some way.
A Common Travel Area
exists between the two states and citizens of both state are accorded the same privileges in each other's jurisdiction as citizens of the other state (with minor exceptions). Two bodies, the British–Irish Council and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly, co-ordinate political discussion between the two states, devolved regions in the UK
and two dependencies of the UK in the region) on matters of mutual interest. Two further trans-national bodies relate specifically to relations between the British and Irish states with respect to Northern Ireland: the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
and the North/South Ministerial Council
.
Both states joined the European Union
(then the European Communities
) in 1973.
Due to their close proximity to each other, there have been relations between the people inhabiting the islands of Ireland
and Great Britain
for as much as we know of their history. A Romano-Briton, Patricius, later known as Saint Patrick
, Christianised Ireland
and, following the fall of the Roman Empire
, missionaries from Ireland re-Christianised Britain.
The expansion of Gaelic
culture into what became known as Scotland
(after the Latin
Scoti
, meaning Gael
s) brought close political and familial ties
between people in Ireland and people in Great Britain, lasting from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century, including a common Gaelic language spoken on both islands. The Norman invasion of Ireland
, subsequent to the Norman conquest of England
, added political ties between Ireland and England
, including a common English language
spoken on both islands.
Over the course of the second millennium AD, the degree of influence and control the English exercised in Ireland fluctuated over the centuries, while Irish influence in Scotland eventually collapsed. After initially covering over two thirds of the island at the end of the 12th century, the area under English control reduced rapidly during the 14th century to the Pale
, an area around the city of Dublin. However, the Tudor conquest, wars and programs of colonisation
of the 16th and 17th centuries brought Ireland securely under English control. However, this was at a cost of great resentment over land ownership
and inequitable laws. Resulting from this, Gaelic ties between Scotland and Ireland withered dramatically over the course of the 17th century, including a divergence in the Gaelic language into two distinct languages.
Secret societies, both opposing and supporting British rule through violent means, developed in the 18th century and several open rebellions were staged, most notably the 1798 Rebellion. Although Ireland gained near-independence from Great Britain in 1782
, the kingdoms of Ireland
and the Great Britain
(which was formed from the kingdoms of England
and Scotland
) were merged in 1801
to form the United Kingdom
.
Although many were content with being a part of the United Kingdom, both violent and constitutional campaigns for autonomy
or independence from Britain throughout the 19th century led to the granting of autonomy to Ireland
(and the "temporary" partition of the island) in 1914. However, the outbreak of World War I
delayed its implementation. During the course of the war, a rebellion in 1916
and the government response to it led to demands for full independence. An election in 1918 returned almost 70% of seats to the pro-independence party Sinn Féin
. The Sinn Féin candidates returned refused to take their seats in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
, set up a parliament in Dublin
, and declared the independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom. A war of independence followed
that ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty
of 1922 and the establishment of the Irish Free State
.
of the United Kingdom for which the Irish Free State would assume responsibility. In response to the first of these issues a commission, the Boundary Commission
, was set up involving representatives from the Government of the Irish Free State, the Government of Northern Ireland
, and the Government of the United Kingdom
which would chair the Commission.
Disagreements over the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty led the Irish government to a view that the Boundary Commission was only intended to award areas within the six counties of Northern Ireland to the Irish Free State. The British government's view was that the border was adjustable in either direction so long as the net balance would benefit the Free State. In the mean time, three years after independence, the Irish government had not yet contributed anything to paying the public debt of the United Kingdom. The report of the Commission was leaked by the press causing embarrassment to the Irish government and spurring protests from both nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland. Eager to avoid conflict, and with other concerns on their mind, the three parties agreed to bury the report, with the agreement that the border would change little, the Irish government would be relieved of their obligation to servicing the UK's public debt and the Council of Ireland
, a mechanism agreed to in the 1922 Treaty to re-unify Ireland by 1970, was abolished.
A further dispute arose in 1930 over the issue of the Irish government's refusal to reimburse the United Kingdom with "land annuities". These annuities were derived from government financed soft loan
s given to Irish tenant farmers before independence to allow them to buy out their farms from landlords (see Irish Land Acts
). These loans were intended to redress the issue of landownership in Ireland
arising from the wars of the 17th century. The refusal of the Irish government to pass on monies it collected from these loans to the British government led to a retaliatory and escalating trade war
between the two states from 1932 until 1938, a period known as the Anglo-Irish Trade War
or the Economic War.
While the UK was less affected by the Economic War, the Irish economy was virtually crippled and the resulting capital flight
reduced much of the economy to a state of barter
. Unemployment was extremely high and the effects of the Great Depression
compounded the difficulties. The government urged people to support the confrontation with the UK as a national hardship to be shared by every citizen. Pressures, especially from agricultural producers in Ireland and exporters in the UK, led to an agreement between the two governments in 1938 resolving the dispute.
Under the terms of resulting Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement
, all duties imposed during the previous five years were lifted but Ireland was still entitled to impose tariffs on British imports to protect new Irish industries. Ireland was to pay a one-off £10 million sum to the United Kingdom (as opposed to annual repayments of £250,000 over 47 more years). Arguably the most significant outcome, however, was the return of so-called "Treaty Ports
", three ports in Ireland maintained by the UK as sovereign bases under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
. The return of these ports facilitated Irish neutrality during World War II
.
Ireland's sudden unilateral declaration of a republic
by removing the remaining duties of the king in 1949 did not result in greatly strained relations. However, it drew a response from the UK government that meant the UK would not grant Northern Ireland to the Irish state without the consent of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. As a consequence of no longer having the king as head of state, Ireland could not remain in the British Commonwealth, although having ceased to attend meetings since 1937.
made a territorial claim on Northern Ireland
, which is internationally recognised as part of the United Kingdom. This was dropped as part of the 1998 Belfast Agreement
, which set in place a series of bodies.
became the British prime minister, he apologised to the Irish people, in an effort to progress the British–Irish relationship to the next stage. The next stage would eventually lead to the Good Friday Agreement, bringing hopes of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland and the amelioration of British–Irish relations, with the setting up of the British–Irish Council and North/South Ministerial Council
.
An estimated 24% or 14 million Britons claim Irish descent.
Meetings of the British Prime Minister and the Irish Taoiseach
are generally referred to as Anglo-Irish Summits.
Queen Elizabeth II made a state visit
to the Republic of Ireland
on 17–20 May 2011. She was the first British monarch
to visit the Republic. One hundred years earlier, as part of his accession tour, her grandfather, King George V, visited Ireland on 8–12 July 1911, when it was still part of the United Kingdom
. The visit was welcomed by the Irish government political parties of Fine Gael
and Labour
, as well as by Fianna Fáil
. Parties such as Sinn Féin
, Éirígí
, the Workers' Party
, the Socialist Party
, People Before Profit Alliance
, the Socialist Workers Party
and the Communist Party
opposed the visit.
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
since most of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1922 as the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
.
Relations between the two states have been influenced heavily by issues arising from the independence of the Irish Free State and the government of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. These include the outbreak of political violence in Northern Ireland
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in 1968 and a desire for and resistance to the reunification of Ireland
United Ireland
A united Ireland is the term used to refer to the idea of a sovereign state which covers all of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The island of Ireland includes the territory of two independent sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland, which covers 26 counties of the island, and the...
arising from the partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
in the 1920s. As well as these issues, the high level of trade between the two states, their comparable geographic location as islands off the coast of the European mainland, a long shared history and close cultural and linguistic links, as well as a shared land border, mean political developments in both states often closely follow each other or are tied in some way.
A Common Travel Area
Common Travel Area
The Common Travel Area is a passport-free zone that comprises the islands of Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The area's internal borders are subject to minimal or non-existent border controls and can normally be crossed by Irish and British citizens with only...
exists between the two states and citizens of both state are accorded the same privileges in each other's jurisdiction as citizens of the other state (with minor exceptions). Two bodies, the British–Irish Council and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly, co-ordinate political discussion between the two states, devolved regions in the UK
Devolution
Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...
and two dependencies of the UK in the region) on matters of mutual interest. Two further trans-national bodies relate specifically to relations between the British and Irish states with respect to Northern Ireland: the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
The British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference was established under an Agreement between the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom made on 8 March 1998. It was provided for under Strand Three of the Belfast Agreement...
and the North/South Ministerial Council
North/South Ministerial Council
The North/South Ministerial Council is a body established under the Belfast Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland...
.
Both states joined the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(then the European Communities
European Communities
The European Communities were three international organisations that were governed by the same set of institutions...
) in 1973.
Background
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
for as much as we know of their history. A Romano-Briton, Patricius, later known as Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, Christianised Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and, following the fall of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, missionaries from Ireland re-Christianised Britain.
The expansion of Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
culture into what became known as Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(after the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Scoti
Scoti
Scoti or Scotti was the generic name used by the Romans to describe those who sailed from Ireland to conduct raids on Roman Britain. It was thus synonymous with the modern term Gaels...
, meaning Gael
Gaël
Gaël is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies southwest of Rennes between Saint-Méen-le-Grand and Mauron...
s) brought close political and familial ties
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
between people in Ireland and people in Great Britain, lasting from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century, including a common Gaelic language spoken on both islands. The Norman invasion of Ireland
Norman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
, subsequent to the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, added political ties between Ireland and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, including a common English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
spoken on both islands.
Over the course of the second millennium AD, the degree of influence and control the English exercised in Ireland fluctuated over the centuries, while Irish influence in Scotland eventually collapsed. After initially covering over two thirds of the island at the end of the 12th century, the area under English control reduced rapidly during the 14th century to the Pale
The Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
, an area around the city of Dublin. However, the Tudor conquest, wars and programs of colonisation
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
of the 16th and 17th centuries brought Ireland securely under English control. However, this was at a cost of great resentment over land ownership
Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
The Act for the Settlement of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against participants and bystanders of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest.-Background:...
and inequitable laws. Resulting from this, Gaelic ties between Scotland and Ireland withered dramatically over the course of the 17th century, including a divergence in the Gaelic language into two distinct languages.
Secret societies, both opposing and supporting British rule through violent means, developed in the 18th century and several open rebellions were staged, most notably the 1798 Rebellion. Although Ireland gained near-independence from Great Britain in 1782
Constitution of 1782
The Constitution of 1782 is a collective term given to a series of legal changes which freed the Parliament of Ireland, a Medieval parliament consisting of the Irish House of Commons and the Irish House of Lords, of legal restrictions that had been imposed by successive Norman, English, and later,...
, the kingdoms of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
and the Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
(which was formed from the kingdoms of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
) were merged in 1801
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
to form the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
.
Although many were content with being a part of the United Kingdom, both violent and constitutional campaigns for autonomy
Irish Home Rule Movement
The Irish Home Rule Movement articulated a longstanding Irish desire for the repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 by a demand for self-government within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The movement drew upon a legacy of patriotic thought that dated back at least to the late 17th...
or independence from Britain throughout the 19th century led to the granting of autonomy to Ireland
Home Rule Act 1914
The Government of Ireland Act 1914 , also known as the Third Home Rule Bill, was an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to provide self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.The Act was the first law ever passed by the Parliament of...
(and the "temporary" partition of the island) in 1914. However, the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
delayed its implementation. During the course of the war, a rebellion in 1916
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
and the government response to it led to demands for full independence. An election in 1918 returned almost 70% of seats to the pro-independence party Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
. The Sinn Féin candidates returned refused to take their seats in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, set up a parliament in Dublin
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
, and declared the independence of Ireland from the United Kingdom. A war of independence followed
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
that ended with the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
of 1922 and the establishment of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
.
Post-independence
Immediate issues arising from Irish independence and partition of the island were the settlement of an agreed border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, and the amount of public debtGovernment debt
Government debt is money owed by a central government. In the US, "government debt" may also refer to the debt of a municipal or local government...
of the United Kingdom for which the Irish Free State would assume responsibility. In response to the first of these issues a commission, the Boundary Commission
Boundary Commission (Ireland)
The Irish Boundary Commission was a commission which met in 1924–25 to decide on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland...
, was set up involving representatives from the Government of the Irish Free State, the Government of Northern Ireland
Government of Northern Ireland
The Government of Northern Ireland is, generally speaking, whatever political body exercises political authority over Northern Ireland. A number of separate systems of government exist or have existed in Northern Ireland....
, and the Government of the United Kingdom
Government of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Government is the central government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers...
which would chair the Commission.
Disagreements over the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty led the Irish government to a view that the Boundary Commission was only intended to award areas within the six counties of Northern Ireland to the Irish Free State. The British government's view was that the border was adjustable in either direction so long as the net balance would benefit the Free State. In the mean time, three years after independence, the Irish government had not yet contributed anything to paying the public debt of the United Kingdom. The report of the Commission was leaked by the press causing embarrassment to the Irish government and spurring protests from both nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland. Eager to avoid conflict, and with other concerns on their mind, the three parties agreed to bury the report, with the agreement that the border would change little, the Irish government would be relieved of their obligation to servicing the UK's public debt and the Council of Ireland
Council of Ireland
The Council of Ireland may refer to one of two councils, one established in the 1920s, the other in the 1970s.-Council of Ireland :...
, a mechanism agreed to in the 1922 Treaty to re-unify Ireland by 1970, was abolished.
A further dispute arose in 1930 over the issue of the Irish government's refusal to reimburse the United Kingdom with "land annuities". These annuities were derived from government financed soft loan
Soft loan
A soft loan is a loan with a below-market rate of interest. This is also known as soft financing. Sometimes soft loans provide other concessions to borrowers, such as long repayment periods or interest holidays. Soft loans are usually provided by governments to projects they think are worthwhile...
s given to Irish tenant farmers before independence to allow them to buy out their farms from landlords (see Irish Land Acts
Irish Land Acts
The Land Acts were a series of measures to deal with the question of peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by the government of the United Kingdom between 1870 and 1909...
). These loans were intended to redress the issue of landownership in Ireland
Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
The Act for the Settlement of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against participants and bystanders of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest.-Background:...
arising from the wars of the 17th century. The refusal of the Irish government to pass on monies it collected from these loans to the British government led to a retaliatory and escalating trade war
Trade war
A trade war refers to two or more states raising or creating tariffs or other trade barriers on each other in retaliation for other trade barriers...
between the two states from 1932 until 1938, a period known as the Anglo-Irish Trade War
Anglo-Irish Trade War
The Anglo-Irish Trade War was a retaliatory trade war between the Irish Free State and the United Kingdom lasting from 1932 until 1938...
or the Economic War.
While the UK was less affected by the Economic War, the Irish economy was virtually crippled and the resulting capital flight
Capital flight
Capital flight, in economics, occurs when assets and/or money rapidly flow out of a country, due to an economic event and that disturbs investors and causes them to lower their valuation of the assets in that country, or otherwise to lose confidence in its economic...
reduced much of the economy to a state of barter
Barter
Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a...
. Unemployment was extremely high and the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
compounded the difficulties. The government urged people to support the confrontation with the UK as a national hardship to be shared by every citizen. Pressures, especially from agricultural producers in Ireland and exporters in the UK, led to an agreement between the two governments in 1938 resolving the dispute.
Under the terms of resulting Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement
Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement
The Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement was signed on 25 April 1938 by Ireland and the United Kingdom. It aimed to resolve the Anglo-Irish Trade War which had been on-going from 1933....
, all duties imposed during the previous five years were lifted but Ireland was still entitled to impose tariffs on British imports to protect new Irish industries. Ireland was to pay a one-off £10 million sum to the United Kingdom (as opposed to annual repayments of £250,000 over 47 more years). Arguably the most significant outcome, however, was the return of so-called "Treaty Ports
Treaty Ports (Ireland)
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deep water Treaty Ports at Berehaven, Queenstown and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom as sovereign bases in accordance with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 6 December 1921...
", three ports in Ireland maintained by the UK as sovereign bases under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
. The return of these ports facilitated Irish neutrality during World War II
Irish neutrality during World War II
The policy of Irish neutrality during World War II was adopted by Dáil Éireann at the instigation of Éamon de Valera, its Taoiseach upon the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and maintained throughout the conflict. De Valera refrained from joining either the Allies or Axis powers...
.
Ireland's sudden unilateral declaration of a republic
Republic of Ireland Act
The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 is an Act of the Oireachtas which declared the Irish state to be a republic, and vested in the President of Ireland the power to exercise the executive authority of the state in its external relations, on the advice of the Government of Ireland...
by removing the remaining duties of the king in 1949 did not result in greatly strained relations. However, it drew a response from the UK government that meant the UK would not grant Northern Ireland to the Irish state without the consent of the Parliament of Northern Ireland. As a consequence of no longer having the king as head of state, Ireland could not remain in the British Commonwealth, although having ceased to attend meetings since 1937.
Northern Ireland
From 1937 until 1998, the Constitution of IrelandConstitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
made a territorial claim on Northern Ireland
Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland
Article 2 and Article 3 of the Constitution of Ireland were adopted with the constitution as a whole on 29 December 1937, but completely revised by means of the Nineteenth Amendment which took effect on 2 December 1999...
, which is internationally recognised as part of the United Kingdom. This was dropped as part of the 1998 Belfast Agreement
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
, which set in place a series of bodies.
Post-1998 (Good Friday Agreement)
For a long time, many Irish people had sought some sort of recognition from the British government for the immense loss of life in Ireland during the Famine caused by the policy of the then British government in increasing Irish food exports to Britain while the population starved to death. When Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
became the British prime minister, he apologised to the Irish people, in an effort to progress the British–Irish relationship to the next stage. The next stage would eventually lead to the Good Friday Agreement, bringing hopes of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland and the amelioration of British–Irish relations, with the setting up of the British–Irish Council and North/South Ministerial Council
North/South Ministerial Council
The North/South Ministerial Council is a body established under the Belfast Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland...
.
An estimated 24% or 14 million Britons claim Irish descent.
Meetings of the British Prime Minister and the Irish Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
are generally referred to as Anglo-Irish Summits.
Queen Elizabeth II made a state visit
Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of Ireland
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh made a state visit to the Republic of Ireland from 17 May to 20 May 2011, at the invitation of the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese....
to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
on 17–20 May 2011. She was the first British monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
to visit the Republic. One hundred years earlier, as part of his accession tour, her grandfather, King George V, visited Ireland on 8–12 July 1911, when it was still part of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The visit was welcomed by the Irish government political parties of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
and Labour
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
, as well as by Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
. Parties such as Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, Éirígí
Éirígí
-External links:*...
, the Workers' Party
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
, the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Party is a socialist political party active in Ireland. It is a member of the Committee for a Workers' International .Formerly known as Militant Tendency, then Militant Labour, it adopted the name The Socialist Party in 1996. From their foundation in 1972 until the 1980s, members of...
, People Before Profit Alliance
People Before Profit Alliance
The People Before Profit Alliance is an Irish political party formed in October 2005. It is active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.-Overview:It was established by the Socialist Workers Party...
, the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Workers Party is an Irish Trotskyist political party.-Foundation and growth:The SWP was originally founded in 1971 as the Socialist Workers Movement by supporters of the International Socialists of Britain living in Northern Ireland, who had previously been members of People's...
and the Communist Party
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
opposed the visit.
See also
- Anglo-IrishAnglo-IrishAnglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
- Irish community in BritainIrish community in BritainIrish people in Great Britain are members of the Irish diaspora who reside in Great Britain, the largest island and principal territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland....
- Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of IrelandQueen Elizabeth II's visit to the Republic of IrelandQueen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh made a state visit to the Republic of Ireland from 17 May to 20 May 2011, at the invitation of the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese....