to wish people would use the correct name for my country?

[Buttercup2926]

I love living in the UK but I do wish people were better educated about the country right next door. Particularly its name.

The Constitution of Ireland sets out that there are two official names for the country, Ireland and Éire. Éire should only be used when speaking in the Irish language. Therefore it is correct for people in the UK to say Ireland when talking about that fab country next door!

Northern Ireland is a seperate place and is part of the UK.

Republic of Ireland is a description as opposed to a name. For political reasons FIFA forces the football team to use this name.

The term 'Southern Ireland' is very offensive and should not be used ever. It has strong historical connotations and was used by the English government as a way to avoid recognising the independence of Ireland. I understand that people genuinely do not know this and don't always mean to be offensive as so many people in England use it so casually.

I often see on here people referring to Irish accents and sayings as 'regional'. This is incorrect, Ireland is not a region of the UK no more than France or Spain are.

Well it's great that you feel so passionate about it, but expecting British people to be up to speed with this is like expecting us to understand the difference between Holland and The Netherlands. We don't. The Dutch don't let it consume them though, and I suggest you don't either. After all, we are just a bunch of clueless foreigners.

Really??? I wasn't aware that the British has ruled Holland too.....
It is reasonable to expect the British to be aware of their own history - which is entwined with the history of so many other nations - very recently with Ireland. Comapring your knowledge of Ireland with your knowledge (or lack thereof) of Holland is ignorant to your own nations history.

But ireland isn't our country. I thought that was your whole point.

sorry I misread your post as saying 'be aware of your own country.'

I live in the north and regularly refer to the rest of ireland as 'down mexico way' . Sometimes I even enjoy singing the whole song in my best mexican accent just as I am approching dundalk.

We invaded lots of places. It was what you did. Not just us, but everyone who could muster up a few 100 soldiers. Look at where each language is spoken today. Just about every country invaded america and helped slaughter the native people to make room for themselves so there's no moral high ground really.

The thing is that just because we once invaded a place doesn't mean we get out the photo albums and say "look there's us marching into Dublin". I can see that it's it's important to some Irish people. Maybe you do get out the albums and pore over old wars, rows and slights, but it's ancient history now and no more relevent to me than the viking invasions.

So it's no use saying that because we once invaded you we must keep an active interest in what you are doing.

Very interesting post OP. I confess my ignorance about much of this.I'll never say southern Ireland again.I had no idea it was offensive.

I'll just say this - I've never met anyone who didn't visit Ireland and love the place. North and South. First world countries with a sense of humour and perspective.

I think I mean did visit the place and didn't love it. Feckin wine.

Love it Backon.
"The thing is that just because we once invaded a place doesn't mean we get out the photo albums and say "look there's us marching into Dublin". "
and

"Maybe you do get out the albums and pore over old wars, rows and slights, but it's ancient history now and no more relevent to me than the viking invasions."

The amount of monuments around commemorating this and that in the UK is boggling. Also, the remembrance day (I mean remembrance months) on which there is such social pressure to don poppies for every hero since creation. And they were all heroes. All the services and activities. You never pore over old wars! You never do anything but! (don't mean you personally, obviously Backon.)

I had to laugh at the memorial to William Wallace near Barts Hospital. It was very patriotic re Scotland. It was sweet actually as people had left little posies of heather. Just down from it was a memorial for some English protestants Mary 1st had executed, erected by the Protestant Alliance of London. I think some NI Unionist guys had left poppy wreaths. I know it was a hijack by them, but poppy wreaths are commemoration something is the 16th Century now! No poppies for William, but he wouldn't have had much truck with the Scotland being part of UK anyway. Maybe that's why they didn't leave any poppies for him.

gallery.nen.gov.uk/asset72440_875-swgfl.html

Birdsighland, I'll give you that. We do have a lot of statues and the remembrance day thing. That seems to have had a bit of a revival in fact, but I guess because of recent conflicts.

Not sure many here really care about them though. Not in detail. I'm getting on a bit now and have the slightly odd experience of meeting younger people who regard even WW2 as being as remote as the War of the Roses.

So when someone says that 'southern' is a holdover from days when we ruled Ireland it really isn't, because except for a few historians and Irish people themselves there's probably very few who would know the significance.

I don't know if my school was typical, but thinking back we learned very little recent history. It was always remote and impersonal. I am curious now if modern Irish schools teach that recent history in a very personal way. Focusing perhaps on who won and lost. That would explain the expectation that people would be referring to it in casual speech.