NI 100: How was Northern Ireland's centenary year marked?

The comedian Tim McGarry once quipped that the definition of success in Northern Ireland was "passed off peacefully".

It is an exaggerated way of saying that in a divided society there are not many events which enjoy universal support.

Northern Ireland's centenary year is a case in point.

While unionists and loyalists wanted to celebrate, nationalists and republicans did not.

As things turned out, there was very little public celebration, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There was also no visit from the Queen.

Her planned two-day visit in October, which would have included attending a centenary church service in Armagh, was called off at the last-minute. On the day she was supposed to arrive at Hillsborough Castle, she was taken to hospital.

The plan had been that in 2021, the monarch, the heir to the throne Prince Charles and the second-in-line Prince William would all visit Northern Ireland.

The two princes did make visits, with their wives.

Prince Charles went to Belfast City Hall and retraced the footsteps of his great-grandfather, King George V. One hundred years previously, the King officially opened Northern Ireland's newly-created parliament when it met at the city hall.

For journalists back in 1921, there was never a dull moment. Not only was there the creation of Northern Ireland, the start of partition and a King's visit, but a truce in the war of independence.

Then, at the end of the year, there was the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty which led to the formation of the Irish Free State.

The 100th anniversaries of all of these milestones were marked, with varying degrees of fanfare, in 2021.

Inevitably, there were some centenary-related political rows and controversies during the year.

At Stormont, an attempt was made by unionists to mark the centenary year with the erection of a special stone, but Sinn Féin objected, saying it had not been consulted.

However, away from the glare of publicity, the centenary year was a source of education rather than confrontation.

Dozens of debates, discussions, lectures and webinars were held with historians explaining the events of 1921, putting them into their early 20th century context and exploding some of the myths that have built up about that period.

Councils on both sides of the border got involved in organising such events. The British Embassy in Dublin and the Irish Embassy in London also ran a programme of events.

Irish historians must be hoarse by now with so many requests to speak.

The centenary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December presented an opportunity for British and Irish ministers to come together to show how relations have evolved since the post-war agreement in 1921.

As it turned out, there was no joint event. Current tensions over Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol may have been a factor, or perhaps it was due to the pandemic, or diary clashes.

Whatever the reason, it did seem odd that when journalists asked for an interview from a British government minister on the anniversary, no one was available and instead a pre-recorded video was sent of the Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton MP, reading out a short statement about the treaty centenary.

British and Irish ministers did both attend the centenary church service in Armagh in October, but Irish President Michael D Higgins chose not to attend. He felt the event had become politicised.

Sinn Féin also turned down an invitation to the service but agreed to attend an all-party centenary event at Union Theological College in south Belfast where the Northern Ireland parliament met before its move to Stormont in 1932.

The occasion provided one of the most striking images of the year as politicians from across the political divide, and across the border, stood together on the steps of the historic college.

100 years previously, a photo call took place on the same steps. Only unionists were present.

There is no doubt that 1921 was a pivotal year in Irish history.

1922 was hugely significant too with the setting up of the Irish Free State, the outbreak of civil war and the killing of republican leader Michael Collins. The centenary of those events will be marked in 2022.

Irish historians can expect another busy 12 months.

The BBC News NI website has a dedicated section marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland and partition of the island.

There are special reports on the major figures of the time and the events that shaped modern Ireland available at bbc.co.uk/ni100.

Year '21: You can also explore how Northern Ireland was created 100 years ago in the company of Tara Mills and Declan Harvey by listening to the Year '21 podcast on BBC Sounds.