Relations between Britain and Ireland certainly have deteriorated over Brexit – and in particular over the headache of the border. The Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly pro-European and has made it clear that in any disagreement it will side with the EU against the UK.
There’s a certain historical resonance about Ireland being pro-continental and anti-British. All through the centuries, Catholic Ireland looked to Spain, Rome and France for deliverance from domination by Protestant England.
The Spanish Armada and Napoleon both had plans to align Ireland with the continental powers, but as Bonaparte reflected ruefully, the Royal Navy always proved an unsurmountable obstacle.
