ruled province although deep mistrust still divides communities there. National allegiances are also often religious ones -- the majority Protestant population in Northern Ireland supports continued British rule while the minority Catholic population is mainly allied to predominantly Catholic Ireland. Saturday's abandoned rally was intended to call on the Irish government to do more to help investigate unsolved murders blamed on nationalist guerrillas. Around 3,600 people were killed during the "troubles" of the 1970s, 80s and early 1990s. Half were killed by the IRA.
