The Britsh Empire is all the rage. It is the primary inspiration for almost all steampunk, which right there is a goodly proportion of all nonmilitary SF. And of course the British Empire has always been a leading model for military SF. As society's decay accelerates, all the old shit is coming back, except it's now called chocolate.
As for Ireland, the English never left completely, nor is there any indication they will ever leave. There's more resources in the Orange enclave than ever were in the Falklands, even if you double counted the sheep. Not only will the English not leave Ireland until they're finally kicked out, the English are taking time shares in the new, nonsovereign state of Ireland, the one that has its fiscal and social policies determined by foreign banks. Neocolonialism with an inhuman face, you might call it. Whether or not the IRA is too rooted in Catholicism to play a further role in the liberation of Ireland is a moot point. But there isn't the slightest reason to believe that the reunification of Ireland and the expulsion of the invaders won't require some sort of force. We can hope the threat of war would be enough force, but it will take force.
