English

• The UK is short for The United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
• Countries that make up Great Britain: Wales, Scotland & England
• Northern Ireland is part of the UK but not part of Great Britain
• Capital cities of the countries that make up the UK: Cardiff (Wales), Edinburgh (Scotland), London (Great Britain) & Belfast (Northern Ireland)
• Countries that make up the British Isles: the United Kingdom & the Republic of Ireland
• The shamrock is the national emblem of both Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland
• Saint Patrick's Day (17th March) is an official Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland and is marked by the wearing of the shamrock
• The national flag of the Republic of Ireland consists of:

  • Green: Gaelic tradition of Ireland
  • Orange: William of Orange, symbolizing unionism
  • White: symbolizing striving for peace between them
• Early history of Ireland involved people living in clans or large families with pagan religions (druids)
• From the 5th century BC, Celts moved to Ireland
• From the 5th century onwards, Christianity came to Ireland & replaced pagan religions (Saint Patrick)
• From the 12th century onwards, colonization by the British started with the invasion of English adventurers
• In 1801, the Act of Union joined Ireland to Great Britain
• 1845-1849: The Great Famine reduced the Irish population by 2 million through death and emigration
• 1916: Easter Rising marked the pressure for Irish independence
• 1919-1921: War of Independence led to The Anglo-Irish Treaty dividing Ireland into the south (catholic, independent) and the north (protestant, part of UK)
• 1960's & 1970's: The Troubles in Northern Ireland involved violence and conflict
• 1980's: Violence continued in Northern Ireland
• 1990's: Peace talks began in Northern Ireland
• 1998: Good Friday Agreement was reached, marking the start of peace
• July 2005: IRA announced to end its campaign and use peaceful means to achieve its goals
• March 2007: Elections resulted in a government with Catholics & Protestants
• November 2008: UFF & UDA announced the end of their campaign, and the British army ended its mission in NI that began in 1969
• 17 June 2012: NI's deputy 1st minister & former IRA commander, Martin McGuinness, shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II in Belfast symbolizing reconciliation between the 2 sides
• 24 May 2017: Brexit implications for Ireland and the UK, potential break-up consequences
• April 2019: Journalist Lyra McKee shot during riots in Derry by an extremist group called the New IRA
• Before 1801: Great Britain and Ireland existed separately
• 1801: Act of Union created the United Kingdom of Ireland and Great Britain
• 1921: Anglo-Irish Treaty divided Ireland into the United Kingdom of Britain & NI and The Republic of Ireland
• The song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 reflects disapproval of the situation in Ireland, calls for unity, and denounces people's indifference to tragedies shown on TV