KMIZ At the western edge of Europe lie two little islands with a complex past. Ireland and Britain are just 12 miles apart at the Irish Sea’s narrowest point, but waters run deep here — in every sense. For the past century, Ireland’s northeast corner has been part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In a bid to improve domestic transport links, the UK government is now conducting a feasibility study to see whether Northern Ireland can be linked by a bridge or tunnel to Scotland, its neighbor over the water. The findings are due later this summer.