ABSTRACT
Ireland first came under the control of the English in the twelfth century. The province of Ulster – then the nine northern counties of Ireland – was largely unaffected by English rule until the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth century there was a considerable level of immigration into the north, principally from Scotland and Wales, resulting in a significant Protestant population. The Agreement endorsed the principle that no constitutional change concerning the relationship between the north and south could come about other than with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 regulates the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. The Act includes many significant distinguishing features unique to the situation pertaining in Northern Ireland. In particular, the Act provides for a power-sharing executive, with offices allocated between differing political parties according to their electoral support.
