In Northern Ireland, like many other countries we have a growing population of many different cultures and races. Northern Ireland has become more popular for choice of home and work for many different families. This dates back as far as 1607 where some of the first immigrants hailing from England and Scotland came to the country after the Flight of the Earls. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Earls )

That began to set a trend and as the decades passed; many other settlers came in from Europe and beyond - African presence believed to be from 18th century, Italians since early 19th century and Chinese in the late 19th century. It is excellent for N.I’s trade and economy to see many varied cultures living together to benefit the community – this is in all forms of education, employment, craftsmanship and introduction of fine cuisine. It allows the residents to appreciate other cultures and learn their ways, and in turn allowing others to develop an understanding and appreciation of our country. It has given NI a more advantageous focus to facilitate its growth and attract more tourism and significance, as oppose to the 30 years it was in the public eye previously suffering at the hands of the troubles.

Over previous years saw the introduction of the current main religious sectors grow – Roman Catholicism, Protestant, Presbyterian and Methodist. Today we have many sub divisions between the main religious divides among Catholic and Protestant, and these cover a range of various cultures practicing their choice of religion. This transformed as early as 1905 when Sinn Fein formed aiming to “free Ireland” and gain independence from British Rule. In 1913, the UVF formed opposing the idea of Home Rule in Ireland. And so it began, these formations would change the future of our country and tensions would continue to grow between Catholics and Protestants. The “troubles” began in the 1960’s and lasted for over 30 years – thousands lost their lives or were injured during this time. Everyone was relieved when the announcement of proposed peace was declared. Our country began to pick up the pieces after years of destruction.

Unfortunately, another form of Hate Crime soon became prevalent in Northern Ireland, not strictly on religious grounds but racially motivated. According to a BBC News website: “When the police in Northern Ireland started recording racially motivated crime in 1996 there were just 41 incidents. Last year there were nearly 1,000.” updated at 13:13 GMT, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 14:13 UK

As the influx of foreign migrants to Northern Ireland has risen in recent years, sadly so have racially motivated attacks. The media soon latched on to this and stated: Community leaders in Northern Ireland have warned that racism is threatening to replace terrorism in a rising tide of attacks and incidents on immigrant families – as previously printed in the Independent Newspaper.   Are we going to be put on the map again for yet another very negative reason?  We were even branded as the Capital of Race Hate in Europe! More and more groups were set up to support the affected migrants and help them settle in different communities where they would not be victimized. Although there are still isolated incidents of racial attacks, thankfully the trend is downward compared to recent years.

A Census takes place every 10 years and the most recent was taken in 2001 which gathers information about NI and its inhabitants. To access the Census results visit: http://www.nisra.gov.uk/  See below for a few extracts from that Census.

% of Cultures in NI – Total population 1,685,267

       
Oisin, Year 8

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