Northern Ireland

American  

noun

1. a political division of the United Kingdom, in the NE part of the island of Ireland. 5,238 sq. mi. (13,565 sq. km). Belfast.

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Northern Ireland British  

noun

1. that part of the United Kingdom occupying the NE part of Ireland: separated from the rest of Ireland, which became independent in law in 1920; remained part of the United Kingdom, with a separate Parliament (Stormont), inaugurated in 1921, and limited self-government; scene of severe conflict between Catholics and Protestants, including terrorist bombing from 1969; direct administration from Westminster from 1972; assembly and powersharing executive established in 1998–99 following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, suspended in 2002, and reinstated 2007. Capital: Belfast. Pop: 1 702 628 (2003 est). Area: 14 121 sq km (5452 sq miles)

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Northern Ireland Cultural  

1. Political division of the United Kingdom, located in northeastern Ireland. (See Ulster.)

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The Irish Republican Army (IRA), a nationalist organization dedicated to the unification of Ireland, has staged terrorist attacks on British troops in Northern Ireland, as well as other random terrorist attacks in Britain.

Demands for equal civil and economic rights by the Catholic minority, beginning in the late 1960s, led to a renewal of violence between Catholics and Protestants.

Northern Ireland was created in 1920, when Britain established separate parliaments for the parts of Ireland dominated by Protestants and by Roman Catholics. The Protestant portion remained in union with Britain.

A peace accord reached on Good Friday, 1998, provided for the restoration of home rule, which Britain had suspended in 1972 when it assumed direct control of Northern Ireland. By the terms of this accord, both Britain and the Republic of Ireland agreed to give up their constitutional claims on Northern Ireland. Voters in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approved the accord later in 1998. The failure of the IRA to disarm threw this accord into jeopardy until recently. There is now reasonable hope for a settlement.

Example Sentences

Edwards is one of thousands of people across Northern Ireland who work in shops and have to deal with the threat of shoplifting or anti-social behaviour.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

Scotland and Northern Ireland will avoid the worst of the heat but will still reach the low to mid-20s Celsius.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Students from Northern Ireland who are studying away from home can borrow up to £8,132 in 2025-26, rising to £8,352 in 2026-27.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland also found out who they will be playing for a place at the World Cup.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026

They were “Scotch-Irish”—that is, from the lowlands of Scotland, the northern counties of England, and Ulster in Northern Ireland.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell