The Good Friday deal deferred the issue of Irish unity to the future
Time was needed to heal old wounds. Then came Brexit
FOR IRISH nationalists, the border that has sliced through the island of Ireland since 1921 is a scar of British colonialism. For unionists, it delineates Northern Ireland’s distinct British identity. The two sides settled into an uneasy peace after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Then came Brexit, and an awkward fix in the form of the Northern Ireland protocol, designed to avoid inflaming the old dispute. Now some hope, and others fear, that it will strengthen the all-island economy and speed political reunification. The reality is more complicated—and more fraught.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “So close, so far”
Britain April 2nd 2022
From the April 2nd 2022 edition
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