April 28, 2026
By Anna Farray, Burr & Burton Academy
In many of the classes that have inspired a law-based career, I have focused on the previous Northern Ireland Troubles. The tensions that resulted from this conflict, even after resolution, are still apparent today. However, I am glad to hear of a recent development in truly resolving this conflict.
In my Conflict Resolution class, one thing I focused on was how there is a physical divide left in Northern Ireland; schools, neighborhoods, and opportunities are divided based on Protestants and Catholics. These tensions have been worsened as Brexit reintroduced the topic of Northern Ireland’s Constitutional status as a part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland voted to remain a part of the European Union. Specifically, Brexit created a trade boundary in the Irish Sea that contradicts the power balance described in the Good Friday Agreement. The region returned to a more mild version of itself during the Troubles, with street violence and increased sectarian tensions.
The entire reason there is a semblance of peace in Northern Ireland is because of the Good Friday Agreement. Undermining a document that saved countless lives is not an action I can justify. However, in 2024, the U.K. took actions to rectify the situation. In an attempt to reestablish power balances between the two parties, the U.K.’s government compromised of the Windsor Framework which reduced the number of checkpoints traders have to undergo while in the Irish Sea, removing required paperwork in trading transactions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and a restore of power balancing as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland end their two year boycott in the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.
The power struggle between Northern Ireland and the U.K., and even between Republicans and Unionists within Northern Ireland, will likely not come to an end anytime soon. However this small step in which an overpowered group was able to represent their wants and needs and to be met with a solution is a remarkable step towards cooperation and eventually peace. As someone with no ties to Ireland, I have connected to the issue and would be overjoyed to see a resolution of these different necessities in the near future.
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