there was violence, too, a century ago. sectarian killings across the island of ireland. republicans fought a war with britain. the southern 26 counties became independent. people with a british identity had a majority in the north—east of the island, so six counties stayed in the uk, becoming northern ireland. today is one of a series of anniversaries. it's notjust the start of northern ireland as we know, of northern ireland as we know it, it's the start of the united kingdom as we know it. and the united kingdom is stronger and better because of all the constituent parts, and northern ireland plays a huge part in that. for unionists, 2021 is the centenary of the state they strongly value. but for many people who identify as irish, it's the anniversary of the partition of ireland and a source of generational injustice. in her message, the queen called for a sustained commitment to reconciliation, equality and understanding. she said she treasured the spirit of goodwill from her state visit