Protestant Irish nationalists

Protestant Irish nationalists are Protestants in Northern Ireland who support a united Ireland (previously a supporter in Ireland of a more or less fully independent Irish nation, varying from a form of home rule to complete independence). Prior to the creation of the Republic of Ireland, Irish nationalists sought by both constitutional and by physical-force means to sever the Act of Union binding the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Protestant nationalists are notable because nationalism in Ireland is chiefly associated with Roman Catholics, while those Irish people who have preferred to maintain the union with Britain since 1800 have been mostly Protestants. Despite their relatively small numbers, key events such as the 1798 rebellion, the influence of the constitutional Parliamentary Party from 1886 and the 1916 Easter Rising would not have developed as they did without Protestant involvement.

Across the island of Ireland, the largest Protestant denomination is the Church of Ireland (having roughly 365,000 members, making up around 3% of the Republic of Ireland and 15% of Northern Ireland), followed by the Presbyterian Church of Ireland (having a membership of around 300,000,

Pre-Union background

In the eighteenth century...
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