The Modern Emerald Isle and her Culture

   After such a long time under Great Britain's rule, the people of post-colonial Ireland were left with many British cultural idiosyncrasies, some of which died less easily than others.   From the accents of the indigenous peoples to their economies, the two are to this day inextricably intertwined.  Nevertheless, through a microcosm of divergent evolution, the people of Ireland have indeed diverged culturally from the stereotypically polite mannerisms of their sister state Britain.

Republic of Ireland

   Religion plays a large part in post-colonial Ireland's culture.  In fact, the island was split into two countries over disagreements that stemmed mostly from Northern Ireland's protestant-dominated sphere of existence as opposed to the south's predominantly Catholic being.  To this day, cultural tensions exist between the two halves of the land based primarily on Protestant-Catholic conflict which often lead to violent clashes between the two factions.

  Having formally declared itself a republic and leaving the British Commonwealth in 1949, the Republic of Ireland does not recognize a monarch as Britain does and therefore has no cultural gravitational pull around any such figures.  The Republic of Ireland is politically represented by a Parliament and a President, and Northern Ireland, being itself an extension of the United Kingdom, is a Constitutional Monarchy and overseen by the Prime Minister as well as the Monarch of its Kingdom.

Northern Ireland

  Culturally, the people of Northern Ireland are typically viewed as British, but identity is a human facet based mostly on personal choice.  For instance, a citizen of Northern Ireland may compete in the Olympic Games as either an Irish or British athlete- but there is no team for Northern Ireland.  Consequently, it could be argued that Northern Ireland as a country has no true cultural identity, rather sharing Great Britain's, and that this is one of many quarrels the mainland Irish have with Northern Ireland.