Maps show divided communities in Northern Ireland

Despite 20 years of peace, Protestants and Catholics still live apart and tensions remain

Linen Bleachers statue, Lurgan. Photograph: Heritage Lottery Fund

Brexit has provoked a renewed focus on demographic shifts in Northern Ireland. The Catholic population has increased rapidly since 1971, while the Protestant majority has diminished.

Despite 20 years of peace, the two communities still live apart and tension between British and Irish identities remains unresolved. We are exploring those issues in a mapping project which started on Saturday in The Irish Times, on irishtimes.com and on Belfast journalism website thedetail.tv.

The colour-coded maps in print and online illustrate how historic patterns of division have persisted, using government data from each census held in 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 to show where Protestants (in blue) and Catholics (shown in green) live in the north.

For more see: irishtimes.com