ABSTRACT

The United Kingdom included the territory of the present Republic of Ireland until 1922. The Republic inherited most of its political institutions and much of its political culture from the union. Though its secession was violent, relations between the successor states are probably the most intimate in Western Europe. English is spoken in both. England, with roughly five-sixths of the population of the British Isles, and above all London, with its overwhelming economic and cultural impact, remain the social centres of gravity whatever the formal political arrangements. Irish citizens can vote in all British elections, while inhabitants of the disputed territory of Northern Ireland are automatically entitled to both British and Irish citizenship.