Northern Ireland

American

noun

a political division of the United Kingdom, in the NE part of the island of Ireland. 5,238 sq. mi. (13,565 sq. km). Belfast.

Northern Ireland British

noun

that part of the United Kingdom occupying the NE part of Ireland: separated from the rest of Ireland, which became independent in law in 1920; remained part of the United Kingdom, with a separate Parliament (Stormont), inaugurated in 1921, and limited self-government; scene of severe conflict between Catholics and Protestants, including terrorist bombing from 1969; direct administration from Westminster from 1972; assembly and powersharing executive established in 1998–99 following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, suspended in 2002, and reinstated 2007. Capital: Belfast. Pop: 1 702 628 (2003 est). Area: 14 121 sq km (5452 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Northern Ireland Cultural

Political division of the United Kingdom, located in northeastern Ireland. (See Ulster.)

Discover More

The Irish Republican Army (IRA), a nationalist organization dedicated to the unification of Ireland, has staged terrorist attacks on British troops in Northern Ireland, as well as other random terrorist attacks in Britain.

Demands for equal civil and economic rights by the Catholic minority, beginning in the late 1960s, led to a renewal of violence between Catholics and Protestants.

Northern Ireland was created in 1920, when Britain established separate parliaments for the parts of Ireland dominated by Protestants and by Roman Catholics. The Protestant portion remained in union with Britain.

A peace accord reached on Good Friday, 1998, provided for the restoration of home rule, which Britain had suspended in 1972 when it assumed direct control of Northern Ireland. By the terms of this accord, both Britain and the Republic of Ireland agreed to give up their constitutional claims on Northern Ireland. Voters in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approved the accord later in 1998. The failure of the IRA to disarm threw this accord into jeopardy until recently. There is now reasonable hope for a settlement.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An actor who stars in the BBC Northern Ireland police drama Hope Street, has said he is entering the "last stages" of his life.

From BBC

The deputy first minister for Northern Ireland virtually attended a briefing with senior UK government security advisers about the situation in the region, alongside the first ministers of Scotland and Wales on Saturday.

From BBC

The deputy first minister has said a registration scheme is likely to be launched for people from Northern Ireland living in the Middle East.

From BBC

The cloud in Scotland and Northern Ireland should break later in the night.

From BBC

"What matters now in Northern Ireland is action, designating MPAs is not the end but the starting place for ensuring our protected areas are properly managed, monitored and enforced."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023