The Dilemma: You’re in a pub somewhere in the Emerald Isle. A friendly local buys you a pint. Should you toast the queen or the pope?

People You Can Impress: Catholics and Protestants (probably not at the same time)

The Quick Trick: Northern Ireland is part of the UK and largely Protestant. The rest is the Republic of Ireland and mostly Catholic.

The Explanation:
Ireland isn’t all jigs and shamrocks and brilliant literature. The island has a long, sad history of religious and political conflict, of British dominion and the Irish quest for home rule. In fact, since the 1960s, the situation has been simply dubbed “the Troubles.”

Basically, Ireland’s nine northernmost counties constitute the province of Ulster. Six of these—Tyrone, Antrim, Armagh, Londonderry, Down, and Fermanagh—make up Northern Ireland (capital: Belfast), which is subject to the British Crown. But there’s a problem. About a quarter of the people in Northern Ireland, mostly Catholics, see the British as an occupying power. They’re called Nationalists or Republicans, and they want a united, independent Ireland free of British rule. The rest, mostly Protestants, prefer the status quo. They are called Unionists or Loyalists.

The rest of the island is an independent country, known as the Republic of Ireland, with its capital at Dublin. This situation has existed since 1922, when the Irish Free State was formed. The Republic’s tricolor flag represents its turbulent history: green for the native Catholic population; orange for the Protestants, supporters of William of Orange; and white for peace between the two. Sadly, the colors have coexisted better on the flag than on the island.

The Troubles are reenacted in a small way in Glasgow, Scotland, whenever the city’s two main soccer teams meet. Most of the Protestants in Northern Ireland were originally from Scotland (they’re called Scots-Irish or Ulster Scots), and the rivalry between the Glasgow Rangers (the Protestant team) and Celtic (the Catholic team) is said to be the bitterest on Earth. (Imagine if the Yankees and the Red Sox blamed each other for centuries of violence and hostility.) The matches and their aftermaths have been marred by riots and even deaths. Historically, Rangers players were forbidden from making the sign of the cross or dating Catholic girls. But in a sign of progress, the Rangers can now make out with whomever they want—and Northern Ireland has thankfully seen a spot of peace since 2000.

The IRA vs. Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin (pronounced “shin FAYN,” Gaelic for “we ourselves”) is the collective name for various political parties and movements that want independence from England. The Provisional Sinn Féin, or Irish Republican Army, or IRA, or Provos, is a paramilitary (opponents would say terrorist) organization known for its violent resistance to the British presence. In 2005, the IRA renounced violence and began to disarm. Pessimistic historians, however, point to the fact that the Troubles often have a way of being resurrected.