Fresh start for English/Irish Relations?

Relations between the UK & Ireland have been strained (to put it mildly) in recent history, going from bad to worse. I'm going to completely avoid the politics of this as terrible crimes have been committed by both sides (some of the English crimes I have only recently heard of as they weren't taught in school).

The peoples of both countries do get on and many English have strong Irish roots (and vice versa). The reason for this post is that the Queen has made a historic official visit to Ireland which I hope will now be a fresh start for us both. Bizarre that having the Queen visit a Country is so symbolic but I quess it is also a way of showing that things have now moved on.

BBC News - Queen on first state visit to Republic of Ireland

BBC News - Queen in Ireland: Royal visit fails to ignite passions

I'm hoping that this is the sign of improved relations for two peoples with a long, but checkered history. Perhaps the significance of this visit is an odd or bizarre thing for Americans to grasp? But hopefully after 100 years of bloodshed (and hundreds of years of English mismanagement previously) things can now only move forward?

 

lol, I'm not getting into any political discussion regarding this! The Scottish issue is a whole new kettle of fish. They have a government of their own and the Scottish National Party (who want devolution) have just had a landslide victory and hope to have a referendum on Scotland going it alone in the next couple of years.

My one concern about things in Scotland is the alarming increase in sectarian violence in recent months - the Celtic (Catholic) v Rangers (Protestant) football violence;

BBC News - Two arrested in Neil Lennon bomb probe
BBC News - Celtic manager Neil Lennon attack suspect in court

 

I agree. The situation in the north is extremely delicate and very complicated as I'm sure you're aware, and thankfully things are moving forward in a positive, albeit slow pace. We must look to the future and hope that we can focus on what draws us together, rather than what pushes us apart.

I do hope it can be resolved peacefully and quickly.

 

No - but the situation is complex, so if going from Eire to UK or vice versa it is easier to take your passport as ID proof as we don't have ID cards. (I have copied the following


Officially, citizens of the UK or Ireland don't need a passport to enter Ireland from the UK, but all other nationalities do. But you need some form of ID to prove you are an Irish or British citizen, and the only form of ID generally accepted are a drivers license or a passport. The drivers license must be a UK or Irish license and you must have been born in the UK or Ireland. This is because the drivers license doesn't state your citizenship, only your place of birth. To use it as evidence of citizenship, you have to have been born in either the UK or Ireland. Technically, only those born in the UK before 1983 can use their license to travel, this is because UK law was changed in 1983 and anyone born after this date is not guarenteed to be a citizen.
In short, you may enter Ireland from the UK without a passport if:

• You are a UK citizen, or
  
• You are an Irish citizen, and
  
• You are born in the UK before 1983 or in Ireland, and
  
• You have a full UK or Irish drivers license

Anyone else needs a passport. If you needed a visa to enter the UK, you need a new Irish visa to enter Ireland.

These rules are enforced in the airports and to a lesser degree in the shipping ports, but hardly at all on the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. When entering the Republic from Northern Ireland, non-UK and Irish citizens (including all EU nationals) are technically required to register their passport at the nearest Garda station (Police station), but this rule is not enforced at all.
Exactly the same rules apply when entering the UK from Ireland. However, there is currently no enforcement even in the airports. The UK government plans to begin enforcing the rules in airports in 2009 and in sea ports by 2012. There is no plan to enforce the rules along Ireland's long land border with the UK.Finally, everyone wishing to enter Ireland (or the UK) from a third country needs a passport (or EU national ID card), including UK and Irish citizens.

 

No such thing as a Scottish passport nor is there an English passport. It's a UK & Northern Ireland passport but probably best described now as a European Union passport.


I believe a similar situation applies to Norway & Sweden.

You can travel freely in Europe but need a passport though no visa is required. It's only UK and Irish citizens that don't need a passport to travel between our countries (subject my post above). It's not jsut travel that is fairly relaxed between the north and south of Ireland. TV channels from both are receiveable in both countries. [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_Ireland]Television in Ireland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] Phoning the South from the North is classed as a normal call, whereas calling Southern Ireland from England is classed as an international call but calling Northern Ireland isn't.

 

Because it wasn't that long ago that we were shooting, bombing and killing each other and peace seemed a long long way away. Memories last a long time (on both sides) and thankfully we're moving forward now as friends and close neighbours.

Perhaps it's only a big deal to those in the UK and Ireland but I thought it might be of interest to those with Irish (or English) roots.