Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border

The Republic of Ireland-United Kingdom border, also referred to as The Irish border, or (in Ireland) as The Border, is the international boundary between the north-east part of Ireland, Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the rest of Ireland, which forms the Republic of Ireland.

The Border runs for a total of 360 km (224 miles) from Lough Foyle on the northern edge of the island of Ireland to Carlingford Lough in the east on the Irish Sea. The only land frontier between the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is one of the most inconspicuous and open borders anywhere in Europe, if not the world.

History

The Border was created in 1920 by the British Parliament's Government of Ireland Act, legislating for Home Rule in Ireland, albeit with separate parliaments for the north-east (where support for Home Rule was in the minority) and the rest of the country. This partitioned Ireland (until then one of four home nations forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) into Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Originally intended as an internal United Kingdom frontier, the Border effectively became an international frontier on 6 December 1922 upon the transfomation of Southern Ireland into the Irish Free State. Initially created as a Dominion, the Irish Free State was largely independent of the United Kingdom from its creation, with this status being formalised by the adoption of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 and the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1949.

A boundary commission was to draw a border between the two jurisdictions, based on the demographic makeup in the north of Ireland (including the counties now in the Republic of Ireland). However, its recommendations were not favoured by either side and the boundary was agreed formally, without changes from the 1920 demarcation lines, between the United Kingdom and Irish governments in 1925.

Customs and Passport Checks

Customs controls were introduced on the frontier shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State. This was due to the southern government's desire to establish its own fiscal and import control policies, distinct from those of the United Kingdom.

These controls were maintained, with varying degrees of severity, until 31 December 1992 when the European Single Market came into effect and thus there are no longer any operational customs posts along either side of the border.

In particular, rail transport in Ireland became a particular casualty of the instigation of customs and administrative divisions. The railway network on either side of the Border relied on cross-border routes, and eventually a large section of the Irish railway's route network was shut down. Today only the cross-border route from Dublin to Belfast remains, and counties Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone have no rail services.

Whilst it has never been necessary for Irish or British Citizens/Subjects to produce a passport to cross the border, during the troubles, security forces regularly asked travellers for identification. In recent times (since the early 90s) such controls have not been in operation on the Border. See Common Travel Area.

The Troubles

The Troubles ensured that attempts were made from the early 1970s until the late 1990s to make the Border "secure". Many smaller cross-border roads were cratered or blockaded, with the intention of making them impassable to regular vehicular traffic, while bridges were also destroyed to prevent access at unauthorised Border crossings (known officially as "unapproved roads"). In particular, the Border area in South Armagh, was dominated by British Army surveillance posts. Despite these measures, the Border was simply too long and had so many minor access roads that it was difficult to control the majority of cross-border movements without a continuous border fence in place. Authorised crossing-points on the Border remained open to civilian traffic in both directions at all times.

Difficulty in patrolling parts of the Border and large tax/currency differences (particularly during the 1980s) led to widespread smuggling. However, greater European integration has lead to roughly similar tax rates on most items and easing of restrictions on cross-border trade, with the result that that smuggling is nowadays mostly limited to fuel, agricultural livestock and a seasonal trade in illegal fireworks.

While it still exists, the Border now has much less significance than before. This has been mainly due to the Common Travel Area between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as a sharp reduction in terrorist activity. European integration has also played a part.

Border Cities, Towns and Villages

The following cities, towns and villages are located close to, or on the Border (from north-west to south-east):

Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and Lifford, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland; the two towns are linked by a bridge
Belleek, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; part of Belleek is actually in Donegal, i.e. the border passes through the town
Belcoo, County Fermanagh, and nearby Blacklion, Co Cavan, the two villages being separated by a bridge
Ballyconnell, County Cavan
Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, and Clones, County Monaghan
Aughnacloy, County Tyrone
Cullaville, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Newry, Counties Armagh and Down, Northern Ireland
Warrenpoint, County Down, is separated from the town of Omeath, County Louth, by Carlingford Lough, a stretch of water a couple of hundred metres wide. The town has little interaction with the other side of the lough.

Border Traffic and Trivia

The Border is not officially marked, though it is noticeable due to the change in road-sign format, styles of road marking and minor changes in road surface. Since the adoption by the Republic of Ireland of metric speed limits, warning signs have been placed on either side of the Border to alert motorists to the change from miles per hour to kilometres per hour, or vice-versa. At some crossings there are signs welcoming visitors to the relevant county or local government district or (occasionally) reminding visiting motorists of the need to ensure their insurance is valid in Northern Ireland.

Experienced cross-border travellers soon learn subtle clues as to the location of the Border and which side they're on such as.....

The UK uses mainly European style triangular red/black/white roadsigns, whereas Ireland mainly uses American style black/yellow signs.
Irish place-name signage is bilingual (Irish and English), whereas UK place-name signage is (usually) English only with subtle differences in colouring and fonts.
Differences in road markings. The hard shoulder in Ireland is marked with a yellow (usually broken) line; in the UK it is a white (usually continuous).
All roads in Northern Ireland are named and prominently signed (in the Republic usually only urban streets are named and signage is not standardised and can vary in clarity.)
Differing road numbering systems: NI roads use A and B route prefixes, while the Republic's route prefixes are N and R (formerly T and L); for example, the road between Sligo and Enniskillen is known as the "A4" in Northern Ireland but becomes the "N16" on crossing into the Republic.
UK postboxes are red, Irish green; there are also other hints like colours/logos on telephone boxes or post offices.
Subtle differences in road surface arising from differing technical standards for construction and materials used in roads and pavements.
Petrol stations and shops displaying prices in Sterling or Euro and advertising signs at shops for lottery tickets etc.

External links

"Mapping Frontiers" (a cross-border reseach project between UCD and QUB specifically about the Irish Border)