Northern Ireland had a cruel birth. Original caption: Map of the partition of Ireland; the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories; Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland in 1921. In particular, the idea that a separate unionist state was initially imagined or even accepted in “Ulster” persists even to this day. Telling the story of “Northern Ireland” or the “Irish Republic” was made easier by omitting these complications. While this conciliatory attitude towards the past and the northern state in general would prove futile, the sense that peace could only be protected by disregarding the past has lingered.

Source: The Irish Times February 23, 2021 06:00 UTC