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Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

73 1.0
A country in the northeast of the island of Ireland that is part of the United Kingdom
  • proper noun
: Irlanda del Norte
  • The situation in Northern Ireland is spiralling out of control.
  • Northern Ireland conflict
  • violence in Northern Ireland
  • political parties in Northern Ireland

Second, we have protected Northern Ireland's place in the Union.

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Examples

  • I'm pleased to announce that the two governments and the political parties of Northern Ireland have reached agreement.

  • I had been in Northern Ireland since autumn of the previous year.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • So we had the, I remember having the Christmas off and came back and my first tour was in Northern Ireland for six months.

  • So, what part of Northern Ireland did you say you were from then?

  • The scheme will apply to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Academic text (2009)
  • We have been deeply concerned about the problem of civil rights in Northern Ireland.

  • Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom.

  • However, the Northern Ireland Social Care Council has a voluntary register for those providing social care.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The same dynamics influenced the peace process in Northern Ireland in the years leading up to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Residents of Northern Ireland often enjoy celebrating various cultural festivals throughout the year.

Surface Forms

Morphology

northern + Ireland

A B1 learner who knows 'northern' and 'Ireland' can readily infer this refers to the northern part of the island of Ireland (geographic composition is transparent). However, the political status of Northern Ireland as a distinct country/part of the United Kingdom and its proper-name conventional meaning are not derivable from the constituents alone, so some factual knowledge is required.

Etymology

Northern Ireland gets its name because it is the northern part of the island of Ireland. When the island was divided, some northern areas stayed in the United Kingdom, so the name points to the 'northern' area and today it means the country that is 'part of the United Kingdom'.