[Linked Image from chesnes.com]

That's a typical border crossing. As you can see rather uneventful [Linked Image]

Yellow to white markings are about the only difference. And you can see where the two County Councils road maintenence starts and ends. A slight difference in choice of surface finish.

You can also see the last telephone pole in the Republic. That would just carry multicore cables running along the road feeding rural homes on its way.

During the 1970s, for security reasons, the British Army closed many many border crossings. These little rural roads were just "cratered" (had their surfaces severely damaged with heavy machinery/explosives) and had ugly baracades (usually concrete blocks and lots of barbed wire) dropped in.

This had the unfortunate effect of isolating already very isolated but interdependent communities on both sides of the border. What you have to realise is that pre 1921 there was no distinction between Northern/Southern (republic of) Ireland. So, communities and even individual farms often straddle the border. There are even a few towns e.g. Petigo in Donegal that litterally straddle the border.
Thankfully, in recent times, those roads have reopened and the communities, farms, villages etc are all reconnected again.
It was a shame, considering almost all of Northern Ireland's problems were concentrated in urban areas. For the most part, rural folk, who were deeply impacted upon by border arrangements, had nothing to do with any of it. I had elderly relatives who were cut off from their neighbours/relatives who had previously been a short 5 min drive away. Suddenly they had to drive 50+ miles or walk across fields under helicopter surveilence to visit them. So, calling over for a cup of tea became a bit more difficult. In many cases, they pretty much lost touch.

There's little/no cultural or social divide between those border areas. Don't forget that the traditional provence of Ulster isn't even all in Northern Ireland. Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan are in the Republic.

E.g. Donegal's natural urban hub is Derry/Londonderry. It was totally isolated from that for decades.

There would be less of a marked divide (in real, non political terms) than you would see at the English-Scottish or English-Welsh border.

Thankfully, things have moved on very drastically since those days and all of these places are reconnected again.


[This message has been edited by djk (edited 01-10-2006).]