Partition: How and Why Ireland was Divided

Partition: How and Why Ireland was Divided by Ivan Gibbons

Ireland was one of the earliest British colonies. It is close to England and had been tightly integrated into Great Britain. However, there is also an ocean gap and a different (mostly Catholic culture.) Conflicts in Ireland had become a drain on British resources and various attempts were made at granting autonomy. However, Ireland was not unified. The north was mostly protestant, while the remainder was overwhelmingly Catholic. Both parts of Ireland wanted greater autonomy. However, the northerners wanted to remain part of Britain, while the southerners wanted full independence. Resolving this conflict proved to be difficult. The English public was also becoming tired of the conflict in Ireland. As a compromise, Britain drew a border and gave the two parts of Ireland separate control. There remained various conflicts and civil wars. After World War I, a complete boundary commission was set up to fix the boundary. They went through detailed analysis and moved certain areas around. However, this was pretty much ignored and the boundary remained as is. There has been an understanding that Northern Ireland could join with Ireland whenever the public voted for it, however, they have remained part of the UK.

Today, Ireland is an independent country, member of the EU and not a member of the Commonwealth. Northern Ireland is part of the UK and not a member of the EU, but in a special situation that allows free movement of goods to the EU. Northern Ireland is becoming more Catholic. However, Northern Ireland continues to receive significant financial assistance from Britain. Joining with the Republic of Ireland would result in the loss of tens of thousands of government jobs. Northern Ireland have a bit of both worlds, being able to be part of Ireland and the UK. Ireland was one of the first of the European powers "geographic partitionings". The impact is still felt.

The book focuses on the partition. The resultant civil wars and unneeded deaths are mentioned in passing. The focus is instead on the politics and process that lead to the partition. It feels that something is lacking, but does make for a much more readable book on the event it is covering.