ABSTRACT
Northern Ireland is a subordinate part of a much larger political entity, the United Kingdom, which stands out as a prime example of a successful secular, constitutional democracy. The prominent role that religious differences play in the politics of Northern Ireland therefore stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the country. This contrast is mirrored in social differences between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, such as the very much higher level of church attendance among all denominations in Northern Ireland. The province’s geographical separation from the mainland of the United Kingdom and its history of effective political autonomy for 50 years following the partition of Ireland in 1920 provide part of the explanation for the limited influence that practices in the rest of the United Kingdom have had on Northern Ireland. But because the Northern Irish problem has tended to be viewed in the context of a much longer history of conflict between Britain and Ireland, the religious dimension to the province’s political difficulties has tended to be subsumed under the question of clashing national identities.
