When you cross from the Republic into Northern Ireland you notice a couple of changes: the accent is different, the road signs are in miles, and the prices are in pounds sterling. But there's no border checkpoint, no guards, not even a sign to mark the crossing point – the two countries are in a customs union, so there's no passport control or customs declarations. All of a sudden, you're in the UK.
Dragged down for
decades by the violence and uncertainty of the Troubles, Northern
Ireland today is a nation rejuvenated. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement
laid the groundwork for peace and raised hopes for the future, and since
then this UK province has seen a huge influx of investment and
redevelopment. Belfast has become a happening place with a famously wild
nightlife, while Derry has come into its own as a cool, artistic city,
and the stunning Causeway Coast gets more and more visitors each year.
There are still plenty of reminders of the
Troubles – notably the 'peace lines' that still divide Belfast – and the
passions that have torn Northern Ireland apart over the decades still
run deep. But despite occasional setbacks there is an atmosphere of
determined optimism.
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