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2 - Ireland

from Part I - Five Case Studies of Acts of Union and Disunion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2023

Sionaidh Douglas-Scott
Affiliation:
Queen Mary University of London
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Summary

The legal and constitutional relationship between Ireland and England (and latterly Britain) was unclear for many centuries. Although Ireland enjoyed a good deal of legislative sovereignty under Grattan’s Parliament from 1782, the Acts of Union in 1801 set up direct rule from Westminster. During the nineteenth century, there was a campaign and draft legislation for Irish Home Rule (which Dicey, an ardent unionist, vehemently opposed). This campaign is worth reconsidering in the Brexit/Scottish independence context, given the varied legal and constitutional arrangements that were explored and vigorously debated. However, Home Rule never came about, rendered pointless by subsequent events. Since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and devolution in 1998, Northern Ireland has a had a variegated but pragmatic settlement of consociation and compromise quite different from the traditional British constitutional settlement. The EU has played its role in the peace process, providing structures for its continuation. Brexit now presents considerable challenges for Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Type
Chapter
Information
Brexit, Union, and Disunion
The Evolution of British Constitutional Unsettlement
, pp. 78 - 139
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Ireland
  • Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Queen Mary University of London
  • Book: Brexit, Union, and Disunion
  • Online publication: 26 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894951.004
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  • Ireland
  • Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Queen Mary University of London
  • Book: Brexit, Union, and Disunion
  • Online publication: 26 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894951.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Ireland
  • Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Queen Mary University of London
  • Book: Brexit, Union, and Disunion
  • Online publication: 26 October 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108894951.004
Available formats
×