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The Republic of Ireland - United Kingdom Border also referred to as '''The Irish border''', or (in Ireland ) as '''The Border''', is the international boundary between the north-east part of Ireland, Northern Ireland , which is part of the United Kingdom , and the rest of Ireland, which forms the Republic Of Ireland . The Border runs for a total of 360 Kilometres (224 Miles ) from Lough Foyle on the northern edge of the island to Carlingford Lough in the east on the Irish Sea , and is the only land frontier in either the Republic of Ireland or the United Kingdom. In common with many internal borders in the European Union , it is very inconspicuous and open by world standards. HISTORY See Also: Boundary Commission (Ireland) The Border was created in 1920 by the United Kingdom Parliament 's Government Of Ireland Act of that year, legislating for Home Rule in Ireland, with separate parliaments for Southern Ireland and what became Northern Ireland. Six of the thirty-two Counties Of Ireland were assigned to Northern Ireland, and the remaining twenty-six to Southern Ireland. Originally intended as an internal frontier within the United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Ireland , the Border effectively became an international frontier on 6 December 1922 upon the creation of the Irish Free State . Initially created as a Dominion , the Irish Free State was largely independent of the United Kingdom from its creation, with this status being formalised by the adoption of the Statute Of Westminster in 1931 and the Republic Of Ireland Act in 1949. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921, which led to the creation of the Irish Free State, retained the 1920 border as a provisional frontier. A Boundary Commission was to draw a border between the two jurisdictions, based on the demographic make-up in the north of Ireland (including the counties now in the Republic of Ireland). However, its recommendations were not favoured by either side and the boundary was agreed formally, without changes from the 1920 demarcation lines. The Boundary Commission Report has never been published. Rail Transport In Ireland became a casualty of partition. The railway network on either side of the Border relied on cross-border routes, and eventually a large section of the Irish railway's route network was shut down. Today only the cross-border route from Dublin to Belfast remains, and counties Cavan , Donegal , Fermanagh , Monaghan , Tyrone and most of Londonderry have no rail services. CUSTOMS AND PASSPORT CHECKS Customs controls were introduced on the frontier shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State. This was due to Free State government's desire to establish its own import and fiscal control policies, distinct from those of the United Kingdom. These controls were maintained, with varying degrees of severity, until 31 December 1992 when the European Single Market came into effect. There are no longer any operational customs posts along either side of the Border. Whilst it has never been necessary for Irish or British citizens to produce a passport to cross the Border, during the troubles, security forces regularly asked travellers for identification. In recent times (since the early 90s) such controls have not been in operation on the Border. THE TROUBLES See Also: The Troubles The Troubles in Northern Ireland required that attempts were made from the early 1970s until the late 1990s to make the Border secure. Many smaller cross-border roads were cratered or blockaded with the intention of making them impassable to regular traffic. Bridges were also destroyed to prevent access at unauthorised Border crossings (known officially as "unapproved roads"). In particular, the Border area in south Armagh was dominated by British Army surveillance posts. Despite these measures, the Border was simply too long and had so many minor access roads to control the majority of cross-border movements. Authorised crossing-points on the Border remained open to civilian traffic in both directions at all times. Difficulty in patrolling parts of the Border and large tax/currency differences (particularly during the 1980s) led to widespread smuggling. However, greater European integration has led to roughly similar tax rates on most items and easing of restrictions on cross-border trade. Smuggling nowadays is mostly limited to fuel, livestock and a seasonal trade in illegal fireworks (which are strictly regulated in the RepublicIn both countries there are restrictions on the types which can be used and a licence is required to possess/use fireworks but in the Republic such licenses are almost never issued to private individuals). While it still exists, the Border now has much less significance than before. This has been mainly due to the Common Travel Area between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as a sharp reduction in terrorist activity. European integration has also played a part. Following the Northern Ireland Peace Process , military surveillance has been substantially scaled down. BORDER SETTLEMENTS The following cities, towns and villages are located on the Border or not far from it (from a north-west to south-east direction):
IDENTIFYING THE BORDER , in the Republic of Ireland, warning drivers travelling south across the Border that metric units are used in the Republic, whereas the United Kingdom uses imperial units.]] Unlike other borders in the EU, the Irish Border is not officially marked by either government. This can make identifying the Border difficult for those unfamiliar with landmarks known to locals as the crossing point. At some crossings, there are signs welcoming visitors to the relevant local government authority district or, occasionally, reminding motorists of the need to ensure that their insurance is valid in the relevant jurisdiction. A normally immediate indicator of the crossing is the change in road markings. The hard shoulder in the Republic is marked with a yellow, usually broken, line. The same marking in Northern Ireland is white and usually continuous. In Northern Ireland, roads use A (major) and B (minor) route prefixes, whereas the Republic's route prefixes are N (major, standing for ''national'') and R (minor, standing for ''regional''). Road Signs In The Republic Of Ireland are mostly black/yellow and diamond shaped (similar to those in North America and Australia) whereas Those In The UK are mainly black/white/red triangles. By rail, there is no immediate sign of crossing the Border, but the trackside mileage markers change from Irish-style markers at the 59¾-mile post (from Dublin Connolly Railway Station ) to black-on-yellow markers, common to the rest of the United Kingdom, at the 60-mile post, between Dundalk and Newry stations. Since the adoption by the Republic of Metric speed limits, warning signs have been placed on either side of the Border to alert motorists to the change to or from Miles or Kilometres Per Hour . As the United Kingdom does not use the Euro , advertised prices for service stations and shops will change currency on crossing, although many places along the Border will accept cross-border currency informally (albeit usually at an unfavourable rate). Other typical signs of crossing a European border are also noticeable. These include subtle differences in the technical standards for road surfaces and pavements, changes in the colour of postboxes (green in the Republic, red in Northern Ireland), or the beeping of a Mobile Phone as they switch from a network provider in one country to one in the other. Likewise, language differences between the two jurisdictions will mark a change from one to the other. Place-names used for signs in the Republic are usually bilingual, Irish and English , whereas in Northern Ireland place-names are normally marked in English only. Signs have subtle difference in Colouring And Fonts . MOBILE PHONE ROAMING CHARGES As in most places, radio signals from the cellular networks on both of the Border sides often travel several kilomtres across it. This is a source of annoyance to those resident in Border areas as roaming charges are incurred with most service providers if the phone connects to the "wrong" network when making or even receiving a call." Cross-border telecoms issues ", Report of ComReg/Ofcom Joint Working Group, 19 January 2005" Follow O2 roaming move - Dempsey ", RTÉ News, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 It is believed that one third of mobile phone users in Northern Ireland have been affected by this." Mobile users take border roaming hit ", RTÉ News, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 Discussion between the relevant communication regulators in the two jurisdictions is under way in an attempt to resolve the issue. Recently, Sinn Féin have called for there to be an 'all-island' telecommunications network, especially regarding mobile phones. {Link without Title} NOTES SEE ALSO
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