Bewildered and Angry, Northern Ireland Unionists Fret Over Place in UK

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster talks during a television interview outside the Stormont Parliament building in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Dec. 30, 2020. Phil Noble/Reuters

LARNE, Northern Ireland—As Northern Ireland’s unionists prepare to celebrate 100 years since the state’s creation cemented their place in the United Kingdom, post-Brexit trade barriers are triggering their deepest fears: being cut off from Britain and pushed towards a united Ireland.

The British-run region remains deeply divided along sectarian lines, with Catholic nationalists aspiring to unification with Ireland while Protestant unionists seek to retain the status quo.