Irish Border

[gadjet]

Before UK and Eire joined EU (and before The Troubles) how was the border between Northern Ireland and Eire managed for people and goods/services?

[malkymoo]

From my memory of visiting in the 1960, as far as people were concerned there were no checks. No passport or other ID needed.

Could not comment on goods.

[Slarti]

Before UK and Eire joined EU (and before The Troubles) how was the border between Northern Ireland and Eire managed for people and goods/services?

I went with my parents for a holiday to Ireland and to visit friends in Belfast. This was summer 1970 when the news would have you believe it was continuous warfare all over Belfast. My mother was a bit nervous, but my parent's friends said that there was nothing to worry about.

When we drove into the north the only thing to tell you that this had happened was a sign saying "Welcome to the UK" and the road signs generally were different.

There were all sorts of vehicles crossing in both directions, as my amazed dad commented, because neither of us were in the EU at the time.

Slarti

[dionaeamuscipula]

Before UK and Eire joined EU (and before The Troubles) how was the border between Northern Ireland and Eire managed for people and goods/services?

There was the Common Travel Area

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area

The issue now being, of course, that this pre-dates the single market.

DM

[UncleEbenezer]

The issue now being, of course, that this pre-dates the single market.

DM

Also pre-dates UK politicians standing up and belligerently proclaiming their freedom to scrap all kind of rules that matter to our neighbours.

Rules like food safety standards, whose absence could turn an open border into a smuggling route for growth-hormone-filled beef limited only by the capacity of the roads and railways.