During partition in 1921, Northern Ireland’s borders were drawn to ensure a Protestant majority. Unionists are traditionally Protestant, while historically nationalists are predominantly Catholic. However, in last year’s census, a total of 45.7 percent of the 1.9 million population identified as Catholic, compared to 43.5 percent who were Protestant. There was also a fall in the number of people in Northern Ireland who considered themselves British and an increase in those identifying as Irish compared to the last census in 2011. The 2011 census recorded 48 percent of the population as Protestant or registered Protestant and 45 percent as Catholic. Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, First Minister of Northern Ireland, said the change was “historic”. John Finucane, a Sinn Fein MP, said: “The Irish Government should set up a Citizens’ Assembly to plan the possibility of a unity referendum.” He described the shift as “irreversible.” DUP Legislative Assembly member Philp Brett told BBC Radio Ulster: “I don’t come from a traditional Protestant background, but my support for the Union is unquestioned. “What worries me the most is the attempt by some to try to use a census […] as some kind of mini-referendum on Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.”
