Repartition of Ireland
Encyclopedia
The repartition of Ireland has been suggested as a possible solution to the Troubles
. It implies that the essential problem was that the partition of Ireland
was gerrymandered, and as a result Northern Ireland
contains a large Irish nationalist minority. Much of the nationalist population lives in the south and west of the region, but a significant percentage lives in Belfast
and some smaller communities in the north and east. Whilst unionists constitute a majority of the population in the north and east of the region with some smaller communities in the south and west, eastern areas have a much higher population density, and thus collectively Northern Ireland has a unionist majority. None of these proposals are currently supported by any political party in Ireland.
, while objecting to the partition in principle, argued in particular that County Fermanagh
and County Tyrone
should not be included in the North, as they had a majority nationalist population. John Redmond
also indicated that he would be prepared to accept this option.
The Boundary Commission determined the current border in 1925, although the Irish delegate (Professor Eoin MacNeill
) had resigned from it in protest at its failure to respect the terms of the Treaty. Its decision was not published. The three governments, however, determined another agreement on 6 December 1925 [subject to parilamentary approval] which confirmed the existing boundary of Northern Ireland, along with other matters.
This new agreement was approved by the Dáil (the Dublin parliament) by a vote of 71 to 20.
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Repartition resurfaced as an option with the start of The Troubles. In 1972 the Conservative
MP Julian Critchley
published a pamphlet for the Bow Group
advocating repartition, titled Ireland: A New Partition.
Civil servants in London
prepared a "last ditch" plan in 1974, for possible use in the event of a full scale civil war
which would see Roman Catholic inhabitants of the north east forcibly moved to Fermanagh
, Southern Londonderry
, Tyrone
, South Armagh
and South Down
. Protestant inhabitants in those areas moved into North Down, Antrim
, Northern Londonderry, and North Armagh. The nationalist areas would then have been ceded to the Republic of Ireland
. An alternative plan simply involved "moving individual Catholics from their homes in Northern Ireland to new homes in the Republic". The plan was kept secret at the time and was revealed in 2002. Then in a 2006 essay Garret FitzGerald
, the Irish Foreign Minister in 1974, revealed his government's opinions on repartition or a complete British withdrawal.
In 1986 the economic historian of Queen's University of Belfast
, Liam Kennedy, published a book-length study of repartition called Two Ulsters: A Case for Repartition.
During the late 1980s, repartition was repeatedly proposed by assorted individuals and small groups. It became popular in some sections of the Ulster nationalist
movement, who were keen to establish a state with a large Protestant majority. Conversely, the Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
proposed an enlarged state of Ulster, including all the historic province. This state, were it to have been created, would have had almost equal numbers of nationalists and unionists.
In early January 1994, the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) released a document calling for repartition combined with ethnic cleansing
, with the goal of making Northern Ireland wholly Protestant. The plan was to be implemented should the British Army withdraw from Northern Ireland. The vastly Irish Catholic and nationalist areas would be handed over to the Republic, and those left stranded in the "Protestant state" would be "expelled, nullified, or interned". The story was printed in The Sunday Independent newspaper on 16 January. The "doomsday plan" was based on the work of Liam Kennedy, though he had not proposed ethnic cleansing.
Margaret Thatcher revealed in 1998 that when it became obvious that the Anglo-Irish Agreement
was in trouble, she too had considered repartition, although again she had not pursued the scheme.
A variation on repartition calls for a united Ireland
, with unionist communities able to opt for a degree of self-government or co-operation with Great Britain
. None of these proposals are currently supported by any political party in Ireland.
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. It implies that the essential problem was that the partition of Ireland
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
was gerrymandered, and as a result Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
contains a large Irish nationalist minority. Much of the nationalist population lives in the south and west of the region, but a significant percentage lives in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and some smaller communities in the north and east. Whilst unionists constitute a majority of the population in the north and east of the region with some smaller communities in the south and west, eastern areas have a much higher population density, and thus collectively Northern Ireland has a unionist majority. None of these proposals are currently supported by any political party in Ireland.
1920 to 1969
The idea was first mooted at the time the border was drawn up. Some Irish republicans, including Cahir HealyCahir Healy
Cahir Healy was an Irish politician.Born in Mountcharles in County Donegal, he became a journalist working on various local papers. He joined Sinn Féin on its foundation in 1905. He later campaigned against the inclusion of County Fermanagh and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, arguing that they...
, while objecting to the partition in principle, argued in particular that County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
and County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
should not be included in the North, as they had a majority nationalist population. John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
also indicated that he would be prepared to accept this option.
The Boundary Commission determined the current border in 1925, although the Irish delegate (Professor Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill was an Irish scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. MacNeill is regarded as the father of the modern study of early Irish medieval history. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers...
) had resigned from it in protest at its failure to respect the terms of the Treaty. Its decision was not published. The three governments, however, determined another agreement on 6 December 1925 [subject to parilamentary approval] which confirmed the existing boundary of Northern Ireland, along with other matters.
This new agreement was approved by the Dáil (the Dublin parliament) by a vote of 71 to 20.
1969 to 1980
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Julian Critchley
Julian Critchley
Sir Julian Michael Gordon Critchley was a British Conservative Party politician.Born in Islington, the son of a distinguished neurosurgeon, as a boy Critchley was brought up in Swiss Cottage, north London, and Shropshire, where he attended preparatory school, and later Shrewsbury School...
published a pamphlet for the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
advocating repartition, titled Ireland: A New Partition.
Civil servants in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
prepared a "last ditch" plan in 1974, for possible use in the event of a full scale civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
which would see Roman Catholic inhabitants of the north east forcibly moved to Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Southern Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, South Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
and South Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. Protestant inhabitants in those areas moved into North Down, Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Londonderry, and North Armagh. The nationalist areas would then have been ceded to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. An alternative plan simply involved "moving individual Catholics from their homes in Northern Ireland to new homes in the Republic". The plan was kept secret at the time and was revealed in 2002. Then in a 2006 essay Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald
Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...
, the Irish Foreign Minister in 1974, revealed his government's opinions on repartition or a complete British withdrawal.
1980 to 1998
Pollsters have rarely asked the population of Northern Ireland about their attitudes to repartition but it was asked twice in the early 1980s. In June 1981 and February 1982 the percentages of Protestants agreeing to repartition was 9% and 8%; the percentages for Catholics were 22% and 24%.In 1986 the economic historian of Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
, Liam Kennedy, published a book-length study of repartition called Two Ulsters: A Case for Repartition.
During the late 1980s, repartition was repeatedly proposed by assorted individuals and small groups. It became popular in some sections of the Ulster nationalist
Ulster nationalism
Ulster nationalism is the name given to a school of thought in Northern Irish politics that seeks the independence of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom without becoming part of the Republic of Ireland, thereby becoming an independent sovereign state separate from England, Scotland and Wales...
movement, who were keen to establish a state with a large Protestant majority. Conversely, the Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
The Ulster Movement for Self-Determination was a minor political movement in Northern Ireland that sought independence for Northern Ireland.The UMSD was formed in 1986, after emerging from the Ulster Clubs...
proposed an enlarged state of Ulster, including all the historic province. This state, were it to have been created, would have had almost equal numbers of nationalists and unionists.
In early January 1994, the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) released a document calling for repartition combined with ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
, with the goal of making Northern Ireland wholly Protestant. The plan was to be implemented should the British Army withdraw from Northern Ireland. The vastly Irish Catholic and nationalist areas would be handed over to the Republic, and those left stranded in the "Protestant state" would be "expelled, nullified, or interned". The story was printed in The Sunday Independent newspaper on 16 January. The "doomsday plan" was based on the work of Liam Kennedy, though he had not proposed ethnic cleansing.
Margaret Thatcher revealed in 1998 that when it became obvious that the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
was in trouble, she too had considered repartition, although again she had not pursued the scheme.
A variation on repartition calls for a united Ireland
United Ireland
A united Ireland is the term used to refer to the idea of a sovereign state which covers all of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The island of Ireland includes the territory of two independent sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland, which covers 26 counties of the island, and the...
, with unionist communities able to opt for a degree of self-government or co-operation with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. None of these proposals are currently supported by any political party in Ireland.