The Ireland Act 1949 is a UK Act of Parliament which was intended to deal with the consequences of the then recently passed Republic of Ireland Act 1948 as passed by the Irish parliament (Oireachtas). The act is still largely in force, but has been amended.
Provisions
The main provisions of the Ireland Act was the acceptance that the creation of a Republic of Ireland had meant that that state had left the Commonwealth of Nations, but that "...the Republic of Ireland is not a foreign country..." in UK law. Additional provisions ensured that the term "Republic of Ireland" could be substituted for "Éire" in the UK and still have force of law.
The act also changed the status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom so as to reassure the Unionist majority, giving a guarantee that it shall remain part of the United Kingdom so long as a majority of its citizens so desire, this was the first such legal guarantee given to Northern Ireland.
Effects
The main need for the Ireland Act was that as the Republic of Ireland had broken all constitutional links with the UK it was neccessary to ensure, from a British perspective, that the citizens of the Republic of Ireland did not become foreigners within the UK. Post World War II reconstruction within the UK relied on Irish, and other Commonwealth citizens, contributing to the economic reconstruction and placing any barriers to immigration at this time was not a business or political option.
The act also created some stir in the Republic of Ireland, as its Northern Ireland provisions gave that state a status which it previously did not have. The Irish parliament called for a Protest Against Partition as a result, been one of the final such public protests by the Irish parliament.
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