You're right. Northern Ireland is still part of the UK. They use pound sterling instead of the Euro, so you won't have to change money going to England later. I forget all the history, but remember the Irish Republican Army (IRA) wanting independence and often resorting to terrorism... wasn't that long ago, 70s & 80s. My friend, who was an RAF fighter pilot, had to check for bombs under his car before he could drive. This was per military regulations, even when he was stationed in Germany when my sister and I went to visit him and his wife.
I don't remember the story, but it is much tamer than what I...