2011 Census

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Will alot of these "Northern Irish" become Irish or British as Catholics start to outnumber Protestants, or will the Northern Irish identity grow at the expense of an exclusively Irish or British one.

It is essential for the Irish perspective that those seeing themselves as Irish, Nationalist or Republican welcome immigrants & migrants with open arms, let the bigotry of right wing Loyalism do their bit for a United Ireland.

[Rossfan]

I think you'll find Godhelpus that the burning out of immigrants was confined to Loyalist areas.
Then again they were only continuing with one of their cultural expressions which they've been at for Centuries.

[Milltown Row2]

Does the census let us know the numbers of mixed (Catholic Protestant) marriages?

[armaghniac]

There wouldn't be that many Protestants in Strabane.

In the metropolis, perhaps. But one third of the council area is Protestant. Are these mostly farmers opposing the A5?

[theticklemister]

Does the census let us know the numbers of mixed (Catholic Protestant) marriages?

Why would the people of the north want to know that? All we want to know is who is a protestant or catholic or a nationalist / unionist.

[bennydorano]

I'd say Northern Irish could be sub divided again, into Norn Iron heads and Northern Irish - if u know what i mean.

[Rois]

There wouldn't be that many Protestants in Strabane.

In the metropolis, perhaps. But one third of the council area is Protestant. Are these mostly farmers opposing the A5?

There's a fair few working class Protestants throughout the villages that line the A5 down to Magheramason (including my own fair village of Ballymagorry), Castlederg/Newton and Artigarvan/ Donemana. But there's rarely any bother so no real driver to change the status quo.

[Armaghtothebone]

At what point, if any, could we realistically achieve a Catholic majority?

Methinks you are confusing two separate yet linked things.
I suspect that the no. of practising Catholics is dropping faster than a paedo priests trousers, but those of a catholic/nationalist/ Irish leaning persuasion is increasing.
Is the republic a Catholic country.
In the lifetimes of those like me ( child of the sixties) it has changed beyond recognition. At a guess I suspect abortion on demand will be available before  the end of the decade.

[Armaghgeddon]

From what I have read previously, middle class protestant students are more likely to go to England/Scotland for higher education and obviously the career prospects are much better there than it is here so they will no doubt take residence. Queen's use to be a protestant majority but now has a Catholic majority, in late 1990's it has catholics had 54%. 

In nursery schools, primary and secondary schools Catholics hold a majority of 57.6% while protestants are at 42.2%. Then there are the other religious groups/non-religious groups.

Personally I don't think people who class themselves as Irish feel their identity is under threat in the north but protestants are now feeling there's is.

[seafoid]

From what I have read previously, middle class protestant students are more likely to go to England/Scotland for higher education and obviously the career prospects are much better there than it is here so they will no doubt take residence. Queen's use to be a protestant majority but now has a Catholic majority, in late 1990's it has catholics had 54%. 

In nursery schools, primary and secondary schools Catholics hold a majority of 57.6% while protestants are at 42.2%. Then there are the other religious groups/non-religious groups.

Personally I don't think people who class themselves as Irish feel their identity is under threat in the north but protestants are now feeling there's is.

When Sam was brought to Omagh for the first time in 2003 and the mayor or whatever of the district council gave a speech  he was some class of Unionist  and I was thinking it would be very hard for the crowd of Tyrone supporters to feel their Irish identity was under threat when Peter Canavan was up on stage after winning the all Ireland. But for the unionists they had it all to lose.   

[Applesisapples]

Some interesting points here. The recent flags issue would appear to be more about the disappearance of the unionist majority than any threat to their culture or flag. There will most likely be a Catholic/Nationalist majority in the next 20 years and at that stage the debate about the future of the Island will intensify. It would be helpful in the interim if SF and the SDLP could agree a strategy and an approach to this new dispensation. It has to be said that unlike councils with unionist majorities those with nationalist majorities have taken the sensible no flags route or a civic flag as opposed to the tricolour. I suppose though in the first instance the SDLP would need to get agreement amonst themselves.

[Rossfan]

. There will most likely be a Catholic/Nationalist majority in the next 20 years and at that stage the debate about the future of the Island will intensify. It would be helpful in the interim if SF and the SDLP could agree a strategy and an approach to this new dispensation. .

Never mind SDLP/SF.
What do all on here think is the road to go or what we'll have at the end of the process?

[Applesisapples]

It is quite clear from the tv we watch, the football teams we support and the music we like that culturally we are not a kick in the arse of being clones of our neighbours on the other island. In fact if google is to believed there are more royalists down south than up north. The basis of the settlement is in place, with a British withdrawal being replaced by an Irish takeover...probably slowly and with financial support from Britain. Personnally I believe that Ireland as a whole should rejoin a federal UK or British & Irish Islands.

[seafoid]

Some interesting points here. The recent flags issue would appear to be more about the disappearance of the unionist majority than any threat to their culture or flag. There will most likely be a Catholic/Nationalist majority in the next 20 years and at that stage the debate about the future of the Island will intensify. It would be helpful in the interim if SF and the SDLP could agree a strategy and an approach to this new dispensation. It has to be said that unlike councils with unionist majorities those with nationalist majorities have taken the sensible no flags route or a civic flag as opposed to the tricolour. I suppose though in the first instance the SDLP would need to get agreement amonst themselves.

NI catholics would need to think about developing an economy that pays for itself.
Same as the relations in the South really

[AQMP]

Some interesting points here. The recent flags issue would appear to be more about the disappearance of the unionist majority than any threat to their culture or flag. There will most likely be a Catholic/Nationalist majority in the next 20 years and at that stage the debate about the future of the Island will intensify. It would be helpful in the interim if SF and the SDLP could agree a strategy and an approach to this new dispensation. It has to be said that unlike councils with unionist majorities those with nationalist majorities have taken the sensible no flags route or a civic flag as opposed to the tricolour. I suppose though in the first instance the SDLP would need to get agreement amonst themselves.

NI catholics would need to think about developing an economy that pays for itself.
Same as the relations in the South really

Jaysus, we can do the impossible, miracles are a bit more difficult.

In reality the border and the "two state" solution are here to stay for the foreseeable future, that's what we voted for in the GFA.  I see myself as an Irish person who lives in N Ireland, the same way as there are Irish people who live in England, USA, Germany etc.  I don't live in the Republic but that doesn't make me any less (or more) Irish than someone from Ballyshannon, Cork or Dublin.  There is this place called Ireland that is made up of two parts.  I'm comfortable with that and if the guy next door sees himself as British well that's OK.  In principle I'm for a "United Ireland" and I would have an emotional rather than practical attachment to that ideal.  However it's not something I think about every day and I'm unsure what a UI would actually look like. 

To answer Rossfan's point, I can see the two parts of Ireland becoming closer over the next 10-15 years.  Areas like the postal system, the phone system, and there is a consultation going on at the moment to allow kids in southern border areas to go to school in the north and vice versa.  There will IMO be close practical cooperation.  There will be more interaction between the politicos either side of the border in areas like agriculture and fisheries etc.  There is an AI Tourism initiative and there are moves afoot for an AI food processing cooperation.  That's the way I think things will go in the short to medium term.  I wouldn't like to speculate what things might be like in 30 years.