Neil Blaney
| Neil Blaney | |
|---|---|
 Neil Blaney in 1962 | |
| Minister for the Northern Counties Special Zone Incumbent | |
4 July 1945 | |
| President of Ireland | President Éamon de Valera |
| Personal details | |
| Native name | Neil Terence Columba Blaney |
| Date of birth | October 29, 1922 |
| Place of birth | Fanad, Ireland |
| Age at start | 40 years old |
| Nationality |  Irish |
| Role | Minister |
| Political party | FF - NCAC |
| Ideology |  Aristocratic Republicanism |
In-Game Description[edit | edit source]
Born during the climax of nationalist agitation in 1922, Neil Blaney's life has been spent advancing the ideal of a united, catholic Ireland. Whether on the fields of Ulsters as a lieutenant, or as the youngest member of the Dail in 1948, Blaney remained steadily committed to Catholic Nationalism. While his radicalism and rural mannerism made him anathema to the urban voters, something that preemptively ended his ambitions to become Taoiseach, Blaney's loyal countryside following gained him sufficient political clout to turn him into "the forever minister".
Unfortunately for the people of what was once Ulster the forever minister's portfolio is the "Ministry for the Northern Counties," the de facto governorship of the former Northern Ireland. Forged in the fire of the conflagration that brought the area under the control of Dublin, the "Northern Counties Special Zone" was originally a temporary administrative unit tasked with bringing the region in line with the rest of the island. However, as integration stagnated and the German garrisons that guaranteed stability were withdrawn in the wake of the economic crash, the NCSZ became a ticking time bomb. The man that Eamon De Valera chose to defuse it was none other than Neil Blaney.
Shortly after taking office as Minister for the Northern Counties, Blaney resolved to end the unionist problem with a method he learned in Germany. Overnight, the NCSZ became a regimented amalgamation of the different paramilitary militias, garda forces, and army units Blaney used to smother the Ulster Resistance and their civilian supporters under a shower of bullets. To his republican base, Blaney became nothing less than the savior of Irish Unity. His sucess in Belfast, moreover, has revived his interest in obtaining Ireland's highest office.