Editing Foreign relations of Ireland (section)

===United Kingdom===

[[File:Irish embassy in London.JPG|thumb|left|220px|Embassy of Ireland in London]]

{{Main|Ireland–United Kingdom relations}}

Since at least the 12th century Ireland, as a result of military conquest, has had political connections with the United Kingdom and its predecessor states, with the whole island becoming a part of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] from 1801 to 1922. From the time Ireland became independent from the United Kingdom in 1922, the two countries have been involved in a dispute over the status of [[Northern Ireland]]. [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland]] formerly claimed Northern Ireland as a part of the ''"national territory"'', though in practice the Irish government did recognise the UK's jurisdiction over the region.<br />
From the onset of [[the Troubles]] in 1969, the two governments sought to bring the violence to an end. The [[Sunningdale Agreement]] of 1973 and the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]] of 1985 were important steps in this process. In 1998, both [[sovereign state|states]] signed the [[Good Friday Agreement]] and now co-operate closely to find a solution to the region's problems. [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland]] were amended as part of this agreement, the territorial claim being replaced with a statement of aspiration to unite the people of the island of Ireland. As part of the Good Friday Agreement, the states also ended their [[names of the Irish state|dispute over their respective names]]: ''Ireland'' and the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. Each agreed to accept and use the others' correct name.

When [[the Troubles]] were raging in Northern Ireland, the [[Government of Ireland|Irish Government]] sought, with mixed success, to prevent the import of weapons and ammunition through its territory by illegal paramilitary organisations for use in their conflict with the security forces in Northern Ireland. In 1973 three ships of the [[Naval Service (Ireland)|Irish Naval Service]] intercepted a ship carrying weapons from [[Libya]] which were probably destined for [[Irish Republican]] paramilitaries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/13878 |title=The Claudia |newspaper=[[An Phoblacht]] |date=21 July 2005 |access-date=26 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203094037/http://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/13878 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Law enforcement acts such as these additionally improved relations with the government of the United Kingdom. However, the independent judiciary blocked a number of attempts to extradite suspects between 1970 and 1998 on the basis that their crime might have been 'political' and thus contrary to [[extradition#Common conditions of extradition|international law at the time]].

Ireland is one of the parties to the [[Rockall#Law of the Sea|Rockall continental shelf dispute]] that also involves Denmark, [[Iceland]], and the United Kingdom. Ireland and the United Kingdom have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area. However, neither has concluded similar agreements with Iceland or Denmark (on behalf of the [[Faroe Islands]]) and the matter remains under negotiation. Iceland now claims<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reglugerd.is/interpro/dkm/WebGuard.nsf/key2/196-1985 |title=Dóms- og kirkjumálaráđuneyti : Reglugerđ varđandi afmörkun landgrunnsins til vesturs, í suđur og til austurs |publisher=Reglugerd.is |access-date=24 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606103624/http://www.reglugerd.is/interpro/dkm/WebGuard.nsf/key2/196-1985 |archive-date=6 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a substantial area of the [[continental shelf]] to the west of Ireland, to a point 49°48'N 19°00'W, which is further south than Ireland.

The controversial [[Sellafield]] [[nuclear fuel reprocessing plant]] in north-western England has also been a contentious issue between the two governments. The Irish government has sought the closure of the plant, taking a case against the UK government under the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]]. However, the [[European Court of Justice]] found that the case should have been dealt with under EU law.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-4617-023-01-04-911-20060123IPR04616-23-01-2006-2006-false/default_en.htm Irish Government must pursue Sellafield case via EU] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101035401/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-4617-023-01-04-911-20060123IPR04616-23-01-2006-2006-false/default_en.htm |date=1 January 2016 }}&nbsp;— [[European Parliament]] press release, 8 June 2006.</ref> In 2006, however, both countries came to a friendly agreement which enabled both the [[Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland]] and the [[Garda Síochána]] (Irish Police Force) access to the site to conduct investigations.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2006/may/30/energy.nuclearindustry | title=Irish Sellafield appeal ruled illegal | newspaper=The Guardian | date=30 May 2006 | access-date=27 October 2013 | archive-date=29 October 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029215031/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2006/may/30/energy.nuclearindustry | url-status=live }}</ref>