People of Northern Ireland

People from Northern Ireland are those born in Northern Ireland who, at the time of their birth, have at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen, or otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland indefinitely under the Belfast Agreement.

Most people from Northern Ireland either identify as British, Irish, Northern Irish, or a combination thereof. The 20th century conflict known as The Troubles, which ended in effect in 1998, was primarily caused by tensions between people who had these different identites, and their connections to religion (Protestants and Catholics).

National identity

In Northern Ireland, national identity is complex and diverse. The question of national identity was asked in the 2021 census with the three most common identities given being British, Irish and Northern Irish. The 2021 census data also revealed a significant demographic shift, with Catholics outnumbering Protestants for the first time in Northern Ireland's history. Most people of Protestant background consider themselves British, while a majority of people of Catholic background self-describe as Irish. Many people from both communities consider themselves to have a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity. This has origins in the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster.

In the early 20th century, most Ulster Protestants and Catholics saw themselves as Irish, with Protestants mostly considering "Irish" to be a distinct category of "British", like Scottish or Welsh.