Trump's Merging Suggestion Sparks Controversy Over Complex Irish-British History

Donald Trump said that it was not unusual for him to want Ireland and Northern Ireland to become one. However, he also said on Sunday that it was only his opinion and that he found a lot of support for the idea. The problem is that Northern Ireland staying in Britain or joining Ireland is not just a matter of merging the two territories. It has a history of nearly a century, the identity of two separate communities, and many decades of violence behind it. The ad would go back nearly a century to understand the dispute. Ireland gained independence from Britain and became a self-governing country. The country was predominantly populated by Roman Catholics. But the six counties north of Ireland remained part of Britain. This area is today called Northern Ireland. The ads then became two large political and social communities in Northern Ireland. On the one hand, there were nationalists, mostly Catholics. They wanted Northern Ireland to join the rest of Ireland. On the other hand, there were mainly Protestant unionists. There was also the question of whether Northern Ireland should remain a part of the British Empire.