If you are born in northern ireland are you british or irish?

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In general, people born in Northern Ireland are automatically British citizens by birth and they can choose to claim Irish citizenship also if they want to.
The Belfast Agreement of 1998 states;
"The two governments recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland."

nectar_pepsi

If you are born in Northern Ireland your passport will say British and you are a citizen of the United Kingdom. However it also means you are born on the island of Ireland so you can also call yourself Irish. So politically and officially you are British, but geographically you are Irish and you are likely to have Irish heritage.

So the answer is that you are both British and Irish, most people in Northern Ireland choose which one to call themselves based on religion, political views and heritage.

Adacadus

No Irishman is British, because none of Ireland is in Britain.
NI is in the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).

I have never heard of someone being UKish, so the answer must either be Irish or Northern Irish.

Snail

In reality it has nothing to do with religion but racism; the Eireannachs are mainly RC. The Protestants are mainly Scots and English who were placed there in the 17th century in order to pacify the Irish. It didn't work. However. Northern Ireland, or Ulster, is not part of Britain but Ireland is part of the British Isles. As part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Ulster folk are British whether they like it or not. One day the Catholics will outbreed the rest and then we'll say goodbye to them and maybe to all the Irish who prefer to live in Britain as well. There are more in Britain than in Ireland. That's how the word Hooligan came into the language. How we English get blamed for all the troubles the descendants of these people bring when they go abroad!
We also get blamed for the Irish troubles. It was only after the Norman Conquest of England that they went over to Ireland. Like Wales and Scotland it wasn't the English but the Norman French. Irish names sometimes come from the Norman conquerors, FitzPatrick, FitzGerald etc. First of all they took over England, then Wales, tried Scotland and Ireland - blame the Normans who sneaked into England while the Saxon Harold was fighting the Vikings in the north, then defeated a tired Saxon army. Nothing is always just as it seems. A little learning is a dangerous thing. The truth of history can prevent modern dissent. Left alone, the English, Scots and Irish would have been good neighbours.

emsr2d2

British. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, therefore qualifying you for a British passport.
It has nothing to do with religion. Of course, your religion may determine which side of the political opinion you fall on, but it won't change what nationality you actually are.

I still love Jose UC bluea

northern ireland is part of the uk - therefore british
but if catholic most say they are irish - does it matter though

Hanne G

You will be British -. thatÂ´s exactly what they have been fighting over for years and years.

G H

Depends on your religion, Catholic = Ireland, Protestant= British.

Clalala

You are both.

Being born in Ireland, you are Irish. Also, Ireland is part of Britain as a whole.

Many people get British confused with English.

People from England are British but they are also English.

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