NHistory of Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Conflict .
End of the 1919-1925 war of independence and partition
Main articles: Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War .
After a war of independence began in 1912 between the Irish Republican Army and the British government and unionists riots (including Easter Rising ) in the north, London agreed to negotiate with the IRA (including Michael Collins ). London proposed a treaty the Irish . This was realized by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 in which the island was divided into two political entities, each with their institutions:
Northern Ireland, consisting of six counties of Ulster predominantly populated by Protestants;
The Southern Ireland , formed the other 26 counties, mostly Catholics.
This treaty, signed on 6 December 1921 , does not appeal to nationalists and disagreements on the conditions under which it will be at the origin of the civil war that began that year.
In 1922, as provided in the agreements signed with London, the nationalist faction supporter of the Treaty declares the creation of a free state in the southern part, with parliament and ministries, in return for an oath of allegiance to the British crown and belonging to the Commonwealth .
Meanwhile, in the northern part, politicians unionists , supporters of the preservation of the membership of this entity within the UK are brought to power by the majority Protestant population and deprive the right of Catholics vote 4 . The Northern Ireland crossed the xx th century to the rhythm of sectarian clashes and tension between the communities (of 1921 until 1972 ).
It is wise to remember that confit is not between Catholics and Protestants but between royalists and republicans or nationalists and unionists. Indeed, the former are (generally) descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Ireland, and the latter are (mostly) descendants of English and Scottish settlers.
Years 1960-1980, and early growth of the conflict
The first scale protests of the Catholic community, particularly in August 1968 , demanded equal rights and an end to discrimination established by the majority Protestant Unionist: voting rights based on ownership of the means of production are majority owned by Protestants, districting unfair, inequitable allocation of housing, etc.. This movement like this in that the civil rights of black citizens in the United States. But the current Unionist living in these applications a threat to its existence and its interests (justice, police, housing, etc..). The gatherings were banned while police officers (mostly composed of Protestants) repressed increasingly violent demonstrations.
The administration of Northern Ireland was destabilized by violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Derry / Londonderry ( Derry to the nationalists and Londonderry to the unionists), including Bloody Sunday ( 30 January 1972 ), where the commandos parachute British fired on unarmed demonstrators and peaceful. The conflict spread to Belfast . There, Catholic families had to flee their homes that were burned by the police and the Protestant crowd opposed to change ( Ardoyne , north Belfast, 1969 ). Neighborhoods were Catholic nationalists to thank you for Protestant rioters and police. The Irish insurgents armed themselves and began by defending the neighborhood before moving phase offensive. The IRA was reorganized to allow spontaneous defense of his community.
A new concept entered the equation of the conflict: the reunification of the two Irelands. Catholics made ​​it a mantra. While Protestants saw a united Ireland as a threat, especially in the religious (Intervention Vatican ).
In 1969 , London sent the British army to separate the two communities and restore calm. But the soldiers, early perceived by Catholics as protectors, became the instruments of government in place and the troops practiced the same repression than the police. The IRA then turned his activities against the British army. The avowed nationalists became the liberation of Ireland from British rule. Protestant paramilitaries were formed to defend the interests of the people protesting. The Ulster Volunteer Force , the Loyalist Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Association asked to target members of the IRA, the Sinn Fein (political wing of the IRA) and civilians of the Catholic community. Followed a guerrilla-style conflict, modestly called “Troubles” in which explosions, shootings and other acts of war were committed by the various protagonists.
Several attempts to end the conflict were attempted. But they all failed during the years 1970 and 1980 .
The years 1990-2000 peace process
In the 1990s , London secretly agreed to meet with executives to negotiate an IRA cease-fire lasting. Sinn Fein tried to participate in discussions. But it took almost eight years for the party moved to the negotiating table. This allowed the IRA to end the conflict temporarily.
A change of management within parties facilitated the negotiations that culminated in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement (or Belfast Agreement). The agreement between the parties in Northern Ireland and the governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland included: an autonomous parliament in the province guarantees human rights , administrative councils border environmental and tourism, regional languages ​​(the Irish and Ulster Scots ), a British-Irish Council to bring together governments of the British Isles (the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland , the Northern Ireland of Scotland , of Wales , of Jersey , for Guernsey and the Isle of Man ).
The agreement allows the establishment of a system of local government and power sharing between unionists and nationalists. It works without problems, until 2002 . David Trimble then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. On 14 October 2002, the operation of the autonomous parliament was interrupted when a spy scandal broke out of the General Staff of the IRA . This return to the direct control of London takes four years.
In 2006 , new negotiations lead to agreements of St. Andrews that allow the organization of new elections in March 2007 , the resumption of the operation of the assembly on April 7 of that year and eventually setting up the May 8 d a government for the first time involving Ian Paisley , leader of the Democratic Unionist Party . He became premier of Northern Ireland. Deputy Prime Minister Martin Mc Guinness. The two men celebrated the reopening of the Stormont (Northern Irish parliament) on May 29 . Their relationship seems cordial and bodes well for the future of the country.
Policy

Main article: Politics in Northern Ireland .

The palace of Stormont , where meeting the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland is a country within the UK, the government headquarters in Stormont and is represented by the Northern Ireland Assembly . The assembly has total control of the business known as “transfer”: (‘transfer matters’: administration of public services, education, health, culture, local industry …), a power on the part reserved matters, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland appointed by London (‘reserved matters’: police, business, aviation …) and no control over external affairs (called excepted Matters of diplomacy, defense, central taxes ) 5 .
108 members ( MLAs ) are elected every five years, using the same constituencies that elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The electorate consists of 1,169,423 6 voting. This includes all citizens over eighteen years, entered in electoral roll. The Assembly elections are held according to a multi-member proportional representation . After the election, a prime minister and deputy prime minister must come together and receive the support of both communities. The first and the Deputy Prime Minister jointly elect ministers, according to the importance of political parties 7 . Currently, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland is Peter Robinson , belonging to the DUP and is accompanied by Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein as Deputy Prime Minister.
Northern Ireland elects 18 Members of Parliament ( MPs ) to the Parliament of the United Kingdom on a total of 649 8 . A deputy is elected for each district, by a simple plurality in a tower .
For the European elections, Northern Ireland is considered a district of the United Kingdom, which elects three deputies. To date, members are Diane Dodds of the DUP , Bairbre de Brún of Sinn Fein and Jim Nicholson of the UUP 9 . These are the only constituencies of the UK which proceed by single transferable vote ballot .
Policy in Northern Ireland is largely guided by religion and national feeling. For example, 55 members of the Assembly are Unionists and 44 Nationalists, reflecting more or less religious division 10 . A survey of Northern Ireland Life and Times shows that 20% of Catholics in Northern Ireland are satisfied that Northern Ireland remains within the UK 11 ; despite this, only 5% said they would vote for Unionist parties or for unlabeled 12 .
Administration
Northern Ireland has six counties traditional, Antrim , Armagh , Derry , Down , Fermanagh and Tyrone but they are not currently considered by the administration. However, they are mentioned on Irish passports: and the ‘county of birth’ was registered. The teams of the GAA are always distributed by county. Finally, they are also mentioned on the cards issued by the government.
Northern Ireland is administered by 26 local councils:
Justice

Main article: Justice in Northern Ireland .
There are three legal jurisdictions in the United Kingdom , England and Wales , the Scotland and Northern Ireland. The law of Northern Ireland is based mainly on common law English, but there are also differences that come from the period of autonomy for Northern Ireland. There are also similarities between the Northern Irish law and the law of the Republic of Ireland , because of the Irish parliament , which had jurisdiction over the whole island of Ireland until 1800 .
The criminal justice system has been completely revised after the signing of the Belfast Agreement . The Government of the United Kingdom , then brought the “Justice Act (Northern Ireland)” 2002 and 2004 is for 13 . Courses in Northern Ireland are administered by the Department of courses in Northern Ireland 14 .
Right now, the most important Court of Northern Ireland is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom , created in October 2009 , with the “Law on the Constitutional Reform 2005″ (Constitutional Reform Act 2005). It makes the “Supreme Court”, which is composed of the “Court of Appeals,” the “High Court” and “Court of the crown 14 . ” Formerly, before the entry into force of the Reform Act of 2005 Constitution in October 2009, the Court was that the most powerful of the “Judicial Commission of the House of Lords . ”
The “Court of appeals” is the most powerful after the House of Lords. It handles appeals from other courts. The “High Court” is divided into three, the “Division of the Judiciary of the Queen” (or king when the monarch is a king), the “Chancery Division” and “Family Division”. The division bench of the Queen is concerned with the law of contract and personal injury. The Chancery Division deals with trade laws, custody, inheritance and guardianship of the land law. It also deals with intellectual property. The “Family Division” handles the divorce law, children and medical treatment. The “Crown Court” deals with serious criminal cases 14 .
At one level below, the “Courts of Counties,” dealing with trial and commercial applications. There are seven County Courts in Northern Ireland. There are also “lessons officer” who deal with minor criminal matters and preliminary hearings on serious criminal cases 14 .
Geography

Main article: Geography of Ireland .
Northern Ireland was covered by glaciers during the majority of the last ice age and during cold periods earlier. We find traces visible in many drumlins in Counties Fermanagh , Armagh , Antrim and particularly in the Down 15 . The centerpiece of the geography of Northern Ireland is Lough Neagh , with 392 square kilometers in area, is the largest lake of fresh water for British Isles 16 . Another group of lakes is centered on the Upper and Lower Lough Erne in Fermanagh. The largest island dependent on Northern Ireland is Rathlin , off the side of Antrim . The largest bay in the British Isles is Strangford Lough , with 58 km ² .

The Giant’s Causeway , in Antrim
The Sperrin Mountains have significant heights (which are an extension of the folded mountains of the Caledonian chain ). The latter contains significant deposits of gold 17 . It is also possible to find also in the granite mountains of Mourne and the basalt plateau of Antrim , and within smaller chains in the south of Armagh and Fermanagh on the border and Tyrone . The hills are low, the Slieve Donard in the Mourne is highest with 848 m 18 . The highest peak in Belfast ‘s Cave Hill . The volcanic activity that is causing the Antrim Plateau also formed the Giant’s Causeway on the North Antrim coast. In North Antrim, are also the bridge cord Carrick-a-Rede , the Mussenden Temple and the Glens of Antrim .
The Upper and Lower River Bann and the Blackwater River form fertile lowlands and cultivated extensively. There are even good farmland in the north and east of Down, but most of the hills can only be exploited for the breeding of animals . The humid climate and deforestation in the XVI th and XVII th centuries have created many grasslands in the region.
Valley River Lagan is dominated by Belfast. Its metropolitan area includes a third of the population of Northern Ireland. It is heavily industrialized along the Lagan Valley and both sides of Lake Belfast.
The climate of Northern Ireland is mild and maritime, wetter in the west than the east, but the presence of cloud cover is common throughout the region. The weather is unpredictable throughout the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are less pronounced than on continental Europe or eastern North America . The temperature average maximum in Belfast is 6.5 ° C in January and 17.5 ° C in July. The highest temperature recorded was 30.8 ° C to Knockarevan in Fermanagh 30 June 1976 and in Belfast on 12 July 1983. The lowest was -17.5 º to Magherally, in Down the 1 st January 1979.
Economy

Main article: Economy of Northern Ireland .
Before the independence of a part of the island, the northeast was virtually the only region with industries, the rest of the island for the most part living in the agricultural sector. After separation, the government eccentric Stormont pursued a policy of free trade and tax cuts. With this, the economy of Northern Ireland could achieve a small steady growth each year. Simultaneously, the government pursued a policy of economic discrimination against the community Catholic . Access to work was easy for Protestants and made ​​more complex for Catholics. This resulted in an unemployment rate higher in the latter community 19 . The major industries were shipbuilding , industrial textiles and rope making. During the 1950s , economic growth in Northern Ireland was higher than in Ireland .
During the 1950s, the government socialist British introduced a policy of welfare state , providing access to all the right to education and health care. With this policy, many Catholics in Northern Ireland were trained they would never otherwise have had. From that moment, a class of educated Catholics called for civil rights and economic. The Protestant ruling class refused to consider these claims, which has inflamed the situation. Before the amplification of the claims, the government introduced direct London.

A crane of Harland and Wolff in Belfast .
Civil unrest has strongly influenced the direction of the economy. The violent campaign of the IRA was also an economic war . Indeed, she took the savings target for Northern Ireland and Great Britain , to make it economically impossible to management of Northern Ireland by the British government, or at least, to the Northern Ireland an unprofitable investment for London. The first consequence was that the economy was badly affected. The windows of banks were subject to assaults, business leaders were murdered, etc.. The investment will eventually stop, and unemployment began to reach heights.
With the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the conflict ended, the economy is well taken. The investment income, unemployment has fallen sharply, the economy returned to normal. An economic transfer of heavy industry was held to services. For example, heavy industry company Harland and Wolff has languished while the tourism sector grew with vitality. In 2008, a conference of American investors in Belfast was held to encourage businessmen from the United States to invest in Northern Ireland. However, Northern Ireland still has the lowest level of GDP of the United Kingdom , and still receives subsidies from London 20 .
Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Northern Ireland .
The population of Northern Ireland in 2004 was 1,710,300 inhabitants. Most of the population has Irish ancestry or UK, and virtually the entire population is of European origin, although there are small communities of immigrants. During prehistory, Northern Ireland was inhabited by tribes of Culture Neolithic . Subsequently, the Celts invaded the island and set up their language and culture, without much mixing with the indigenous population. Ireland was invaded several times during the following centuries, especially by the Vikings and the Normans , who have left no imprint on the culture very marked. The main English invasions were, from the thirteenth century . North of Ireland, the English and Scottish settlers immigrated to Ulster, thanks to the creation of the plantation of Ulster in the reign of Jacques I st of England . This event has strongly influenced the local population, and the majority of Northern Irish is now recognized as British.
Religion

Community Map of Northern Ireland according to the 2001 census.
The vast majority of Northern Ireland considers itself Christian . In the census of 2001 , 85.9% of the population declared itself Christian. The majority are Protestant , 45.6% according to the census, of which 20.7% Presbyterian , 15.3% owned by the Church of Ireland Anglican. 40.3% identify themselves as Catholic , no religion 13.9% and 0.3% belong to other faiths.
The religion is often seen as a way of displaying its membership in either nationalist or unionist communities, because the majority is Catholic nationalists and unionists are mainly Protestants. According to one survey, 85% of Protestants would prefer the Northern Ireland remains British, while 50% of Catholics would like the reunification of the island. Identities tend to become more complex now, because of the overall trend in the decline of religion.
The legislation has changed dramatically, and guarantees at present the theoretical equality between the two religions 21 , because the discrimination of Catholics by the Protestant majority has profoundly marked the history of Northern Ireland.
Nationality and the constitutional question
The Northern Irish population is rather divided between those who consider themselves Irish and those who consider themselves British. There are a range of positions between these extremes. Those who consider themselves Irish are predominantly Catholic, and those who say the British are mostly Protestants. Many investigations have confirmed this trend 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 .
The majority of Protestants want to remain in the UK. Among Catholics, half want reunification, a minority supports the status quo, and many people have no particular opinion. Despite this, only 7% of Catholics say they would vote for unionist parties or unlabeled 29 .
Within Northern Ireland, 40% of the population is defined as “unionist”, 22% is defined as “nationalist” (for reunification), and 35% do not belong to either of these two currents 30 .
All Northern Irish have the right to be citizens of the Republic of Ireland or the UK , right recognized by the signing of the Good Friday Agreement .
Language
Like most cultural affairs in Northern Ireland, the issue of language is controversial and complex. Almost all of Northern Ireland speak English , but the use of Irish is promoted by nationalists. In nationalist neighborhoods, the street signs are often bilingual Irish-English. Recognition and official use of Irish is part of regular nationalist grievances.
The attraction for the Irish is not limited to nationalists. Some unionists and practice the language to criticize Sinn Fein to make an issue of differentiation. The first organization dedicated to the promotion of Irish was the Gaelic League , founded in Dublin in 1893 . At its inception, the movement was open to both Irish communities, the former chief, Douglas Hyde , was a Protestant. Over time, the nationalists have inserted into the goals of the organization to support the establishment of an Irish republic. From that moment, the use of Irish has been seen as an act of nationalism.

Signaling trilingual in English , Irish and Scots in Northern Ireland
According to the 2001 census, 10% of the population is a little Irish and 4.7% can “speak, read, write and understand 31 “. According to another survey, 1% of the population speak Irish at home 32 . There are 32 schools Gaelic speakers in Northern Ireland, representing 7.3% of the total.
Coexists with a dialect Irish, Ulster Scots , whose employment is still controversial. Some deny the Ulster Scots the status of language and dialect , and argue that it is a construction of the Unionists intended to compete with the Irish. Some consider it a separate language, a dialect other. According to the linguist Aodán Poilín Mac, “While most people argue that Ulster Scots is a dialect or variant of Scots , some argue that this is a different language from Scots. The arguments that support the Ulster Scots is a language, formed when the status of Scots was debated, are so strange that it is unlikely to have a linguistic legitimacy. ” 33 According Póilín, “the Ulster Scots is, for someone whose mother tongue is English, very accessible and in some cases, easy to understand with a glossary” 33 . The St. Andrews Agreement states that it is necessary to improve and develop the heritage language and culture of the Ulster Scots.
According to a survey, 2% of the population speak Ulster Scots 34 , but nobody said speaking at home (0%) 32 . There are nowadays being of Ulster Scots in universities 35 .
Two sign languages ​​coexist in Northern Ireland. The most common is the British Sign Language , but it seemed normal to the nationalists to send their children to study in Dublin , including St. Joseph’s Institute for Deaf Boys and St. Mary’s Institute for Deaf Girls, there is also a Irish Sign Language chiefly prevalent in nationalist communities. According to the website of the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, there are 3500 users of BSL and ISL 1500 of 36 . The two languages ​​are unrelated, the British Sign Language from the British family and Irish sign language being derived from the French family.
There are also minority languages ​​in Northern Ireland made ​​by immigrants, such as the Chinese and Polish .
Culture

Main article: Culture of Northern Ireland .
The culture of Northern Ireland is a mix between that of Ireland, and Great Britain. Because of the divisions between the two communities, it seems that there are two cultures that exist in parallel. However there are institutions where they intermingle smoothly.
Arts
The cinema of Northern Ireland has not produced many films. The film industry remains mostly in the shadow of the United Kingdom and of Ireland . However this film has had particular success with films like The Mighty Celt , Man About Dog and Bloody Sunday , the last two films have been directors of the Republic of Ireland and the United States , respectively. There are Northern Ireland Screen encourage the production, rental and film production in Northern Ireland 37 . Movies of Northern Ireland often deal with issues of conflict in Northern Ireland. However, the director of Northern Ireland’s most famous remains Kenneth Branagh , director of Dead Again and Hamlet . He also recently starred in Valkyrie .
Best known are its players. Liam Neeson and Stephen Rea were both nominated for Oscars film , Stephen Boyd won a Golden Globe Award . Other prominent players are Ciarán Hinds , Bronagh Gallagher , Patrick Magee and Siobhán Nic Cionnaith . There are all over the island the Irish Academy of Film and Television (IFTA), whose objective, the “stimulation of the production work original and creative and encouragement towards excellence by means of recognition, training and direction in the film and television. » 38
Northern Ireland is much better known for its musicians for its directors. Van Morrison is one of the most influential singers, it is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame . Snow Patrol has sold more than 7 million records worldwide. Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland. Other famous singers and bands are from Northern Ireland: Stiff Little Fingers , Ash and The Divine Comedy .
Except Western music, traditional Irish music is also well known and popular in Northern Ireland. Irish music is an integral part of the Celtic tradition. She is known for its fast rhythms, those used jigs and reels . There is also a strong tradition of music Scots of Ulster . This is most evident during the marching season in Northern Ireland . This style of music is based on a walking pace. The instrument best known is the Lambeg drum .
In the field of literature, Northern Ireland, like the rest of Ireland, has a strong tradition. Seamus Heaney won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Other Northern Irish writers are CS Lewis , Brian Friel and Flann O’Brien . The literature of Gaelic Ireland has greatly influenced the writing of people of Northern Ireland, the writers took part in the Gaelic literary revival. The Scotia has also played a significant influence on writers “Scots” of Ulster . Later, the literature of “Scots” Ulster has diversified. As in other artistic fields, the conflict has greatly influenced the writers of Northern Ireland.
Folklore
Main article: Folklore of Ireland .
Folklore in Northern Ireland is the same as that of the Irish Republic. While much of Irish mythology did not undergo conversion to Christianity, but many stories have been modified in part, to satisfy Christianity. Which have remained divided into four “cycles”, the Ulster Cycle , the Mythological Cycle , the Fenian Cycle and the Historical Cycle . Many stories are not included in a cycle but involve these characters-called cycles.
Irish folklore tells the story of Ireland from the earliest invasions of the island. According to the texts, Ireland was invaded several times by different peoples and gods. The texts speak of the history of the Gaelic people. And they tell the exploits of gods and heroes who came from Ireland as the Tuatha Dé Danann , Cúchulainn and the Fianna . More recent instruments also tell the history of Irish kings généaologies. The stories tell wonderful stories of long journeys to a different world or across the seas and oceans of our globe. Other stories do not talk about heroes but rather locals quite ordinary and typical local events.
Gastronomy
Northern Ireland shares many culinary traditions with the rest of Ireland. For example, the frequent use of potatoes and sheep is also common in Northern Ireland. The traditional meal for people in Northern Ireland was potatoes with cabbage and a piece of meat when they had money.
Traditionally, farmers get up at 6 am to milk cows and work on the farm, so they ate a little bit to get up, but the most important meal was at noon, when they had eaten an Ulster fry , the fried best known of Northern Ireland. This consisted of slices of sausage, eggs, bread pudding, bread, potatoes and tomatoes, a variant of a full breakfast . The cheddar Coleraine him was often consumed as snacks before bed.
Sport
According to attendance figures 39 , the Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Northern Ireland. In terms of popularity on soccer is also very popular, but these are the games of the Premier League who are the most watched on television. Followed by the hurling and rugby . The other sports a strong presence in Northern Ireland are the hockey , the basketball , the cricket , the Gaelic handball , etc..
Gaelic football is organized on a basis that includes all of Ireland. All the traditional counties of Northern Ireland are all represented in the competitions held across the island of Ireland. This is Gaelic football teams that Northern Ireland has the best results with Tyrone GAA twice winner of the League of Ireland Gaelic football in recent years.
In hurling, teams of Northern Ireland have more difficulty competing with the traditional teams stronger. Only Antrim GAA has a team capable of competing with teams from Cork or Kilkenny.

Windsor Park , the stadium of the team Northern Ireland football and Linfield FC
Like other constituent nations of the United Kingdom, The Football Northern Ireland has its own structure. Since the independence of the State of Ireland, has its own football federation recognized by FIFA . The Northern Ireland is a minor nation in world football even though she participated in some phases of the final World Cups of 1958 and 1986 , she reached the quarterfinals. This is the smallest region that have played in quarter-finals of the world cup. The national championship has twelve professional teams since 1890 . The football club is ranked as the 49 th place (at 21 July 2009 ) at European level. it is dominated by the two club Belfast Linfield FC and Glentoran FC . All the best players play in the English and Scottish leagues.
Rugby, just like the Gaelic sports, has a transnational organization bringing together the state of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Players then play Northern Ireland in the colors of the island of Ireland united. the Team Ireland rugby union is one of the best teams in the world, placed in the top level of the world after the International Rugby Board and winner of the 2009 Six Nations in achieving the Grand Slam. The IRFU has existed since 1880 . The Ulster team which includes Northern Ireland and other Ulster counties competing in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup . Ulster won the European Cup in 1998 – 1999 .
In ice hockey , the Belfast Giants of the Northern Ireland compete for the Elite League, League of British ice hockey , competition they have won twice, the last victory dating back to season 2005 – 2006 .
In Criket also the basis of the organization is transnational. The qualification of Ireland in the World Cup Cricket , as it has eliminated Pakistan is exemplary.
For the Olympics , thanks to an agreement between the Irish and British Olympic committees and with the permission of the International Olympic Committee , athletes from Northern Ireland have the opportunity to choose the nation they will defend the colors, the United Kingdom or Ireland .
Hymns
Northern Ireland does not have a national anthem but In Derry / Londonderry Air is played when Northern Ireland is participating in certain sporting events. Officially, God Save the Queen , the anthem of the United Kingdom, is also the anthem of Northern Ireland, but he is seen as a partisan unionist song. The Irish rugby team, which includes the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, uses a specially composed anthem, Ireland’s Call , but also sings the national anthem of the Republic, Amhrán na bhFiann , when you play Dublin .
Belfast

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Belfast

Top: cityscape. Middle: Ulster Museum , Victoria Square, Great Victoria Street and Albert Clock. Bottom left: Belfast City Hall. Bottom right: Harland and Wolff .

Location of the municipality
Administration
Name Irish Beal Feirste
Country UK
Nation Northern Ireland
County Antrim
Status City ( 1888 )
Mayor ( Mayor )
Current term of office Niall Ó Donnghaile ( Sinn Fein )
2011 -
Website Consult
Geography
Coordinates 54 ° 35 ’46 “North
5 ° 54 ’50 “West
Area 115 km ²
Other Information
Population 268 300 inhabitants. (2008)
Density 2333 inhab. / Km ²
Currency: Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus
Belfast ( Beal Feirste in Irish ) is the principal city of Northern Ireland and the Irish province of Ulster , with a population of 268,300 inhabitants in 2008 (about 750,000 including the suburbs). It is the seat of government in Northern Ireland, and the chief town of County Antrim . Since 1888, has officially Belfast city status .
Summary [ hide ]
1 Etymology
2 Geography
3 History
3.1 Belfast Celtic
3.2 Belfast UK
3.3 World War II
3.4 The time of the “Troubles”
3.5 The return of peace
4 Culture
4.1 Monuments
4.2 Museums
5 Tourism
5.1 Personalities linked to the city
5.2 Music
6 Sports
7 Transportation
7.1 Metro
7.2 NI Railways
7.3 Ulsterbus
7.4 Road Network
7.5 Airports
7.6 Harbour Station
8 Twin
9 Notes and references
10 See also
10.1 Bibliography
10.2 Filmography
10.3 Related
10.4 External Links
Etymology

The name “Belfast” originates from the Irish Beal Feirste , which means “the mouth of the Farset” the Farset is a tributary of the Lagan River, which runs through Belfast.
Geography

Cavehill , a basaltic hill overlooking the city.

River Lagan in Belfast.
Belfast is located on the northeast coast of the island of Ireland . The city is surrounded by a series of hills, including Cavehill . It lies at the western end of Belfast Lough and at the mouth of the Lagan , making this site a prime location for the establishment of a shipbuilding industry. When the RMS Titanic was built in 1911-1912, Harland and Wolff is the largest shipyard in the world 1 .
In 1994 , a threshold is built on the Lagan to raise the level of the river and drown marshes that definitely gave their name to the city two (the name Belfast means the sandbank at the mouth of the river).
History

Belfast Celtic
The site of Belfast has been occupied since the Bronze Age , and you can find the ruins of fortifications dating from the Iron Age , and the famous Ring of Giant ( Giant’s Ring ).
Belfast UK [ change ]
At the beginning of xvii th century Belfast has been occupied by settlers English and Scottish , according to a plan that developed by Arthur Chichester, which has not failed to create tensions with the indigenous people who rebelled in 1641 . The Huguenots French there are also established to make trade flax .
It was at the Belfast Titanic , the largest cruise ship in the world at the time, was built by the shipyard Harland and Wolff between 1909 and 1911. Belfast has the largest drydock in the world, and the giant cranes of the shipyard of Harland and Wolff dominate the skyline. Belfast was historically the most important industrial city in Ireland .
World War II
During the Second World War , Belfast was one of the largest cities in the UK to be bombed by German forces. Basically, the British government had estimated that Northern Ireland would be safe from bombing due to its distance from Germany, and thus the island was not protected against the attack: few shelters were built and some guns that had Dublin were sent to England to protect it. Belfast was targeted because of its importance to the shipbuilding and aerospace. It’s Easter Sunday, a Tuesday, April 15, in 1941 , that two hundred of the German Luftwaffe bombers attacked the town, including working-class neighborhoods and shipyards. This bombing killed about a thousand people and made several wounded, leaving about 100,000 homeless. It was, after London, one of the largest bombing in the history of the United Kingdom [ref. required] .
The time of “Troubles”

Mural in a Unionist area.
Belfast became the center of the Protestant Irish, and the capital of Northern Ireland in 1922 .
For much of its history, the city was torn by religious and political divisions between Republicans , mostly Catholic and unionists , mostly Protestants . These divisions led to the Civil War ( disorders ) that occurred between the 1960s and 1990s . The city was thus divided into sectors de facto Republican Catholics, strongholds of the Provisional IRA (mainly in the west, and Ardoyne in north), and Protestant unionists (especially in the north ( Shankill Road ) and the is). Belfast has lived for 30 years between attacks (on Bloody Friday in 1972 is one of the best known), riots, and lived under tight British army. More than half of the 3500 deaths of the conflict were in the city.
The return of peace
Currently, the center of Belfast is reborn following investments of the Laganside Corporation, a public company. London had commissioned from 1989 to the revitalization of downtown and the area around the Lagan River, which crosses the city, creating homes, offices and commerce infrastructure and leisure. The process of peace and security (police stations, surveillance cameras) help, the center is again a place particularly lively, where bars, restaurants and clubs are multiplying.
Nevertheless, tensions remain in the periphery, especially north of the city. Riots broke out sporadically around interfaces and “peacelines” or peace walls that separate communities. For community workers, these incidents did not necessarily politically motivated, but are rather the fact that young people are bored. Some observers even call them “recreational rioting.”
Culture

Monuments

The town hall.
The town hall (“City Hall”), the work of Alfred Brumwell Thomas (1868-1948), dating from 1903 , Queen’s University ( 1849 ) and other construction-style Victorian or Edwardian are decorated with many statues. One can also find two other towering buildings housing banks: Ulster Bank ( 1860 ) and Northern Bank ( 1769 ).
Museums
Not worth rushing into history museums: in Belfast, the episodes of the Civil War were written on the walls. And poorly healed scars of Troubles now attract tourists. Each year there are over three million to participate in one of the many “tricks” devoted to this war. With the main attraction, these “murals” partisan frescoes covering the walls of the houses or walls that separate, even today, Protestants and Catholics .
Tourism

Since the first coalition government elected in 1999, and the cease-fire from the IRA in 2005, tourism is a booming sector in Belfast. In ten years, the number of visitors increased from 1.5 million to over $ 9 million in 2011.
Personalities linked to the city
Eric Bell , musician (guitarist).
Gerry Adams , leader of Sinn Fein .
George Best , footballer
Kenneth Branagh , author
Gerry Conlon , one of four accused of Guildford: Guildford Four .
James Galway , musician
Martin Galway , composer
Alexander Henry Haliday , entomologist
Chaim Herzog , President of Israel
Clive Staples Lewis , writer
Gary Lightbody , singer
Gary Moore , singer
Van Morrison , singer
Stephen Rea , actor.
Osborne Reynolds , engineer
William Thomson , a scientist
Robert McLiam Wilson , writer
Owen Nolan , player of ice hockey
Dave Finlay , professional wrestler
Music
Belfast is also the subject of a song by Simple Minds , entitled Belfast Child .
A song by Boney M. is called Belfast . Georgian-born singer Katie Melua , who lived in Belfast from 1993 to 1998, he also pays tribute to the album Call off the Search .
French singer Renaud talks about the economic crisis in his song Belfast mill from her album Molly Malone Irish Ballad .
The singer Van Morrison , born in Belfast, wrote a song called Cyprus Avenue (Present in the album Astral Weeks ), a real city street.
And a U2 song.
Sports

The city has many clubs in soccer including Linfield FC , ​​the club having won the most number of times in his world championship home, Glentoran FC , ​​Cliftonville FC , ​​Crusaders FC , ​​Donegal Celtic . The top football league is well known in the region to promote clubs and Protestant Protestant regions in important decisions, a great example being the expulsion of Derry City FC, who are a Catholic area of Derry. They then joined the League of Ireland First Division in the Republic of Ireland.
In addition, the city hosts the team ice hockey for the Belfast Giants and the rugby team of Ulster (winner of the European Cup in 1999), Munster and Exeter.
Transportation

The public transport company in Northern Ireland is the Translink which consists of three main services, the Metro, NI Railways, Ulsterbus and. The Metro operates the bus system of Great Belfast, while NI Railways provide some commuter rail.
Metro
The bus network Translink Metro (formerly Citybus) consists of 12 main lines, with several other lines. The network map and plans of the lines are here
NI Railways
The NIR operates three principal lines of railway in Belfast, which includes all commuter services:
to Bangor
to Portadown (via Lisburn , and continuation to casual Newry )
to Larne (via Carrickfergus )
The two lines are:
to Dublin (with Iarnród Éireann )
to Derry / Londonderry
The main station is the Belfast Central (terminus for mainline). The nearest station to the city center is the Great Victoria Street, where also the bus station (Europa Bus Centre). The schedules are here .
Ulsterbus
The Ulsterbus provides road links to almost every city in Northern Ireland and to many across the Irish border, from Belfast (Europa Bus Centre in the city center, Laganside Bus Centre and east of downtown).
In recent years, there are also private bus companies, such as the Aircoach (which offers a service to Dublin, via the Dublin Airport )
Road network
The three major arteries are:
M1 – To the south and west.
M2 – Towards the north and northwest
M3/A2 – Eastbound ( highway at first, but divided highway for most).
There is also a Boulevard Bypass , the A55.
Airports
Belfast has two airports, the Belfast International Airport and 20 miles (approximately 30 km ) from downtown, and the George Best Belfast City Airport to 3.2 km from downtown.
Harbour Station
Three sea routes, to Stranraer (in Scotland ) to Liverpool (in England ), and towards the Isle of Man .