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.

Maryz I misunderstood your post. My apologies - I retract mine.

I know a lot of people in Northern Ireland who would refer to 'down South' (and a bit north ) as the Republic of Ireland. Because to them they have a strong Irish identity themselves (including many who are unionist - it is possible to feel both, contrary to popular culture, just as you can feel Welsh and British) and so would see a reference to Ireland as meaning the whole of the island of Ireland.

I get that Southern Ireland is a wee bit irritating since having a Northern doesn't mean the other one is Southern. I'm not sure I'd agree with it being utterly offensive though.

If you're going to be so rude as to invade a country and marginalise it's people for hundreds of years, you could at least refer to the bit you didn't steal by it's correct name.

I thank you.

actually redexpat you have a point there - i find it really irritating when people say 'England' when they mean 'Britain' or 'English government' when they mean 'Government of Britain'.
someone told me the other day that they lived in 'Anglia' I was like ok they were an immigrant but still.....

My Partner is Scottish - He gets annoyed when people call him 'Scotch' He also gets annoyed when people say the 'English' army or when referring to anything British, saying 'English'
He reckons it just shows how ignorant and arrogant the 'English' can be.
When I told him not to stress out about it - he said that's typically English too - to dismiss the ignorance... ha ha !

Ah Maryz, but is that Ireland, or the island of Ireland? Because a lot of Northern Ireland has RTW (agree it's a rubbish station!).

See OP, reasons like that are why lots of northerners would say The Republic of Ireland. Vair confusing that two different things have the same name.

Maryz, just imagine the horror - we would need translators. Seriously only joking Handsoff before I get attacked. I love Cork just not as much as I love Dublin

Yep English people can be spectacularly ignorant about Ireland, which is a bit of serious thing given that a government primarily elected by English people has a significant say over affairs on the island of Ireland. My favourite example is the Englishwoman whose response to my nationality was "oh...is that where there's the war on?" So how do I reply? That it wasn't actually a 'war'? That it wasn't actually still 'on'? That it was actually happening in her country (the UK), not my country (the Irish Republic). Yet she's one of the voters who gets to pick the government that ultimately runs Northern Ireland

White and maryz, cork is not the capital no, but it should be! ! And when the revolution comes it will be! Muahaahhhaaaa

I am from Northern Ireland.

When talking to people here I would say 'down south' that covers all of 'southern' Ireland.

When speaking to my English friends I say Ireland and Northern Ireland.

I never refer to Northern Ireland as just Ireland as to me they are different places.

Maybe he meant... East Anglia?

I'm with you, OP.

My dh is a Belfast boy, from a protestant background.

Took a lot for family/friends "back home" to accept that our children, in Scotland, being educated in Gaelic wasn't a political act.

Our dc refer to Eire as they are native (Scottish) Gaelic speakers. We talk of Ireland, dh really doesn't want to distinguish between the North and the Republic. But I realise that this is a minority opinion with N I prods. One reason we've nominated my best friend as a guardian for our dc is if we were to both die his family wouldn't facilitate Gaelic language education for our dc due to the politics/their religious stance.

It's a nightmare.

Though to be fair, in my experience the English can also be spectacularly ignorant about Scotland and Wales, and English people in the south-east are equally mystified by anything north of Luton. I think its a hangover from being the most powerful country in the world, and just naturally assuming that London was the hub of the universe.

WTF

Don't think it is incorrect to refer to Ireland as Republic of Ireland, it is certainly not offensive in the way Southern Ireland is to some people. I dont find it offensive btw just irritating.

Cork as capital [shudders]. God, they're bad enough

We probably need to know some things about Northern Ireland. but Ireland is nothing to do with us. I expect there are posters here who are not fully up to speed on changes in Angola. Not to mention people in Angola who don't know how Irish people feel about Northern Ireland.

back - in Polish all of "England" (GB) is known as 'Anglia' - I think he meant that...
somewherewest that is true I am afraid, speaking as a Londoner myself, I have friends there who almost pride themselves on not knowing where anywhere else in the British Isles is.....

Stop grinning at me. I'm serious.

You're looking a bit green lola.. touch of the jealousies perhaps? Don't be sad that you don't have a cork passport. .we can't take every one. .

Ireland is nothing to do with us - have to disagree with that

I often wonder, with the talk of Scottish independence, what proportion of English people would like England to be independent- of Wales, NI and Scotland? Quite a number, I would have thought.