The Irish Act of Union

The 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was widely celebrated in the summer of 2000. Commemorative coins and postage stamps were issued, a service of thanksgiving was held at St Paul’s Cathedral, and a pageant was organised though – because of bomb scares – very nearly scuppered. The disruption was caused, it was believed, by Irish republican opponents of the Belfast Agreement, and though their action was evidently designed to draw attention to that (in their eyes) treasonable document, it also serves to highlight another constitutional settlement and another anniversary. For, while the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday fell on August 4th, 2000, the 200th birthday of her domain, the United Kingdom, had (in one calculation) fallen only three days earlier.

On August 1st, 1800, the Act promulgating a constitutional union between Great Britain and Ireland was given the royal assent, and on August 2nd, 1800, the moribund Irish parliament held its last sitting: on January 1st, 1801, the Union formally came into operation. The United Kingdom has thus several possible birthdays, but none was celebrated. There was no national act of thanksgiving, no stamps or coins, no pageant.