An overview of Irish history for the outsider, as Brexit and a possible hard Border nears
In the years between 1969 and 1994, 3,500 people lost their lives.
Two things ended the Border as a physical obstacle. The first was the introduction of the European Single Market in 1993 which ended all customs controls between member states of the European Union. The second was the end of the Troubles. The agreement sought to reconcile the twin identities of being British and Irish. It gave the right to anybody born on the island of Ireland to become a citizen of Ireland. It also enshrined the principle of consent – that a united Ireland could not come about until a majority in Northern Ireland wanted it.
Fortunately, though, the Good Friday Agreement has kept the peace and the people of Ireland have enjoyed two decades without the sickening daily routine of murder and mayhem. Now, to all intents and purposes, the Border is invisible. Only a change in road signs from kilometres in the Republic to miles in the North and the absence of bilingual signage in Northern Ireland denotes that the Border has been crossed.This has led to a normalisation of the Border. Thanks to better roads, Dublin and Belfast are less than a two-hour car journey apart.
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