Northern Ireland law
Northern Ireland law refers to the legal system of statute and common law operating in Northern Ireland since the partition of Ireland established Northern Ireland as a separate jurisdiction within the United Kingdom in 1921.
For the purposes of private international law the United Kingdom is divided into three distinct legal jurisdictions:Northern Ireland is a common law jurisdiction. Although its common law is similar to that in England and Wales, and partially derives from the same sources, there are some important differences in law and procedure between Northern Ireland and England and Wales. While influenced by English law, the Northern Ireland legal system is distinctive for a number of reasons: it has roots in Irish common law prior to Irish independence in 1921; following Irish independence, Northern Ireland became a devolved jurisdiction within the United Kingdom.
Irish issue in British politics
Home Rule was passed in 1914, but suspended in operation during the First World War. The issue was finally resolved in 1921 by partitioning Ireland into the quasi-autonomous (Catholic-dominated) Irish Free State in the southwestern four-fifths of the island, and (Prebyterian dominated) Northern Ireland in the remaining fifth, which remained part of the United Kingdom. The next round of troubles emerged in the 1960s, when the Catholics living in Northern Ireland could no longer tolerate the discriminatory policies long imposed on them by the (devolved) government of Northern Ireland. The Troubles 30 years of near civil war that at times had significant impact on British politics finally ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a power-sharing agreement between the parties in Northern Ireland and a international Treaty between Ireland and the United Kingdom, as co-guarantors.