"the six counties that formed what we know now as Northern Ireland declared their wish that they wanted no part of a united Ireland governed by Dublin"
The six counties did no such thing
The Loyalists from earlier in the century had declared they wanted no part of a United Ireland and they shipped arms and declared that in to ascertain that no event should it ever take place, officers in the British army backed them by declaring they would take no part in enforcing a United Ireland on THE LOYALISTS - (not the Irish people - who at no time were given a chance to express their opinions).
At no time were the North Eastern Irish People consulted over partition until long after it had become a fait accompli and the people as a whole had had a bellyful of violence, both in Ireland and in the European bloodbath.
Since then, the victorious THE LOYALISTS have held sway in the North using repressive sectarian governance and triumphalist sectarian marches to continue to hold six counties for Britain.
It is this continued colonisation by another name that has caused misery, hardship and death in this section of Ireland for nearly a century and it will continue to do so until partition ends.
Personally, I have very little time for national barriers other than for practical purposes - people are people, whichever part of the planet you happen to be on.
Whenever I've travelled in the North, the first thing that comes to mind is that you are surrounded by Irish people living in Ireland, and part of a long and proud Irish heritage.
Throughout British rule, that heritage was crushed almost to destruction, its history was suppressed and re-written to make Ireland part of Britain, and its language and national identity was virtually destroyed.
It took five years of bloody guerrilla warfare to bring about independence for twenty six counties, and the peace that was forced on to Ireland in 1922 brought about another year of equally bloody civil war.
Following the Treaty, the Catholics in the North underwent gatting on for half-a-century's sectarian anti - Catholic oppression (not address here by either of our Blimpish flag-waggers), up to the point that, once again, attempts to get a fair deal for the one third minority brought about open, state supported violent opposition to peaceful protests, led to yet more guerrilla warfare.
It takes a special type of post-Empire mindlessness not to realise that this situation cannot continue indefinitely, but it will go on causing misery and hardship and filling body-bags until the border between North and South is removed and Ireland Ireland's thirty two Counties are recognised as one country.
Britain's latest exercise in Little Englander flag-wagging has caused a sharp about-turn and raised the possibility of Ireland returning to a 'hard-border', so we can look forward to more violence for our kids to sort out - that is our legacy to them.
When will we ever learn?
"Jim"
Always a sign that you are on the ropes for argument Teribus - and you seemed to be trying so hard!!
Jim Carroll