Two Irelands Have Ties Brexit Can't Destroy

Having been born into an Irish-American family in what was then a heavily Scots and Irish New Jersey town (Kearny), I somewhat irrationally associate Ireland with the past. But attention is suddenly turning to the future, as the political status of the two Irelands may be up for grabs, mostly because of Brexit. Although this may seem like a small issue, the Irelands will prove an important test case for some of the major fault lines in the world today, namely how strong national and ethnic ties are likely to prove.

Brexit could forcibly push the two Irelands away, because it may end up reimposing a border control and greater trade barriers, this time through European Union law. That would be a change from prevailing trends. Most of the recent political earthquakes in Europe have been in the ethno-nationalist direction, including Brexit itself, as well as the current campaigns in the Netherlands and France, not to mention Donald Trump's election in the U.S. But for the two Irelands, will the weight of treaties prove stronger than the traditional ties of sharing the same island and history?