Irish question

The Irish Question was a phrase used mainly by members of the British ruling classes from the early 19th century until the 1920s. It was used to describe Irish nationalism and the calls for Irish independence.

The phrase came to prominence as a result of the 1800 Act of Union which forced the parliament of Ireland into a single governing body with the parliament of Great Britain, based in Westminster, with its usage persisting until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, which partitioned the island into two territories: a state now called Ireland (which was originally called the Irish Free State), and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom.

In 1844, a future British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, defined the Irish Question:

In 1886, with the introduction of the first Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons, the term 'the Anglo-Irish Quarrel' gained favour and became more acceptable than the implied condescension of 'the Irish Question'.

Issues relating to Northern Ireland since the 1920s are often referred to as either "The Troubles" or "The Irish Problem".