Page "Irish nationalism" Paragraph 54

In Northern Ireland, the mainly Catholic nationalist community formed a minority in a largely Protestant and Unionist state.

From 1922 onwards, the northern unionists never felt persuaded to join the Republic for any reason, and their position became entrenched.

Most nationalists were of a moderate outlook.

In 1918, they had largely voted for the constitutional Nationalist Party rather than Sinn Féin, a pattern repeated in subsequent years.

They did not generally support the IRA's " Border Campaign " in the 1950s.

Even after the outbreak of the " Troubles " in the late 1960s, Sinn Féin failed to win a majority of Catholic votes until 2001, by which time it had moved away somewhat from its violent past.