Anglo-Irish relations
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| Republic of Ireland | United Kingdom |
Anglo-Irish relations is a term traditionally used to describe the diplomatic and governmental relationships between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the two Irish states that have existed since 1922, namely the Irish Free State (1922–1937) and Ireland (1937–present).
The usage of the term has been reflected in some legal treaties signed by both states, namely the
- Anglo-Irish Treaty (1922)
- Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985).
Meetings of the British Prime Minister and the Irish Taoiseach are generally referred to as Anglo-Irish Summits.
Since the 1990s the synonym British-Irish relations has also begun to be used.
[edit] History
Due to close proximity to each other there have been relations between British and Irish peoples for millennia. The Romans (who occupied Britain) for instance maintained a trading post near the location of modern Dublin. During the Dark Ages Ireland was critical to the re-Christianisation of Britain.
With the Hiberno-Norman invasions of Ireland the two islands' destinies became ever more entwined and for the majority of the second millennium AD Ireland's relation with England varied between large areas of the island being under direct control to a dangerous threat under strong continental influence. For much of the millennium however English rule was kept to The Dublin Pale with the rest of the island being ruled over by various local rulers and descendants of the original Norman invaders, some of whom did pay nominal homage to the English monarch.
With the Act of Union Ireland joined the United Kingdom as it's third constituent kingdom. Irish Independence was a fairly major political issue in Britain over the late 19th and early 20th century eventually the third home rule act was passed in 1914 however World War 1 delayed it's implementation causing extremist elements in Ireland to take a more violent route to independence resulting in the Irish War of Independence. Relations at first were shaky with events such as the Anglo-Irish Trade War. Ireland also remianed neutral during World War Two, refusing to allow Britain to use its important territorial ports which were a door to the Atlantic. These events led to a cooling in relations between the two nations and Ireland further stampted its independence when it withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1949. Eventually friendly terms were restored.
Though an independent country for most of the 20th century Ireland remained well under Britain's sphere of influence often following the UK in many enterprises such as EU entry and decimalisation. The Troubles were a major event of this period during which both governments co-operated to combat terrorism.
The late 70s saw the beginning of Ireland's breaking away from British influence. This included Ireland deciding to join the Euro currency even when Britain refused to do so. The countries remain close today, however.
[edit] See also
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