Secondary 111206

On this date in 1921, the Irish Free State was created when Ireland’s 26 southern counties were granted independence from Britain. Six of the eight Protestant-majority counties of Ulster remained part of the United Kingdom, known as Northern Ireland.

Eventually, “the Troubles” (Na Trioblóidí in the Irish language) that emerged from this political partition lasted decades and caused the deaths of more than 3,500 people.

A mural in Derry depicting a young boy in a gas mask holding a petrol bomb during the Battle of the Bogside on Free Derry Corner.

What is your opinion about whether national borders are worth such a cost – and whether borders might be worth less or more.

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