The island of Ireland has been divided for the past century by an international border, now a border between the EU and the UK. While Northern Ireland, part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland have similar challenges and opportunities in their education systems, and there is evidence that each jurisdiction has learned from the other, the systems have evolved differently and have diverged significantly, and those differences, and the impact and effectiveness of school-level education in both parts of the island, form the focus of this paper. With post-Brexit pressures on the political union within the UK and increased fervour in discussions around trading border locations and constitutional positions, it is timely to examine the challenges, and opportunities, should the two systems converge once again