Fionnuala Connolly considers the implications of a Brexit for Northern Ireland
A vote for Brexit would clearly impact on many aspects of life in the UK For Northern Ireland, the smallest region (a population of 1.81m which represents 1.5% of the population of the UK), Brexit would arguably have significant consequences. The precise legal implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland are uncertain but I would suggest that there are number of unique features which distinguish this part of the UK.
A hard border?
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK to share a land border with another EU member state. Free movement of persons, goods, and services are a daily reality between the two jurisdictions. The border is regularly described as “invisible” and “soft”. On a car journey from Newry, County Down to Dundalk in County Louth, the only indication of crossing jurisdictions is a change of road signs (miles to kilometres) and road markings (white to yellow).
If Brexit happens, the border would take on added significance: it would mark the external frontier with the
