The charging of Hadi Alodid over the attack on Stephen Ogilvie in north Belfast last week has brought the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK – and the porous nature of the Irish border – into focus again, after police said the Sudanese national came to Belfast from Paris via Dublin in 2023.

It is yet another flashpoint moment since the loose arrangement was agreed between the British and Irish governments following the establishment of the Free State in 1922.

The Common Travel Area (CTA) aimed to limit the disruption caused by the partition of Ireland and facilitate freedom of movement between the Free State and UK.

Reciprocal legislation over the years has allowed Irish and UK nationals to freely enter and work in each jurisdiction and have almost identical rights.

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With the imposition of customs barriers from 1923 effectively creating a hard border on the island of Ireland, despite the CTA promising free movement of people, those who crossed the frontier had their person and personal effects examined to prevent smuggling.

During the Troubles, widespread security checks also restricted the free movement.

The border was hardened after the Northern Ireland........

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