Across Borders in Ireland

Over the weekend I attended the District Conference of Rotary in Ireland in Limerick (approximately 4-5 hours southwest of Belfast). I was challenged by those I rode with to locate when we were crossing the "border" between Northern Ireland and Ireland. I figured there had to be at least some sort of customs control.

To my surprise the only way I could tell when we had crossed was when signs were suddenly posted in kilometers rather than only miles and upon seeing a sign welcoming me to County Louth! There is absolutely no border and no reason for one to even think twice as they move across the national border that divides two states that for many years were at war. I found this fascinating in contrast to my time in Cyprus where an "officer" stopped you to check your passport and insurance (which you had to purchase seperately in their "country") at a military operated checkpoint.

Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the island of Ireland. I perceive the island thus far as the last image.

Apparently, in other areas along the border there are other clues that suggest where one nation ends and the other begins. One of the main examples of this is the difference in the road conditions from one side to the other and signage. I am told that until this past decade the roads in the Republic of Ireland were in terrible disrepair. Driving along a well paved road in Northern Ireland would at some point give way to a road full of pot holes or worse. This has changed substantially since European Union funds were used to bring the roads up to par.

Photo by flickr user: dr_urbanus (Martin)
Notice the difference in pavement as you move over the bridge from one county into the other. The road signs on the other side are also different from those used in Northern Ireland.