To want to shout at people who write Southern Ireland

[ParadiseCity]

THERE IS NO SUCH FUCKING COUNTRY! And if you really were as clever as you pretend to be, you might just fucking know that. Arrrgghhh.

I feel a bit better for that. Please feel free to add your own

When I lived in Ireland no one took offense to the term Southern, equally when working in NI no one took offense to the term the North? Both terms were banded around a lot on the border when discussing fuel costs.....

My Irish husband is sat with a face like although he refers to the Republic as "Proper Ireland"

@Knitella - I've never heard someone in favour of reunification refer to the south of Ireland or the north of Ireland. The south and the north, or the 26 counties and the 6 counties, yes, but not the south of Ireland or the north of Ireland.

Totally agree. Ireland is Ireland. Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland.

I think people are confusing the United Kingdom with Great Britain, which doesnt contain Northern Ireland.

Really minky? I've never heard an Irish person refer to southern Ireland. Just the south.

UK: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
GB: England, Scotland and Wales.

theymademejoin Shinners say the north of Ireland all the time!

When people ask me if I'm from Southern Ireland, I say "No, Eastern."

Flummoxes them every single time.

I loathe the expression Southern Ireland. It indicates such a level of ignorance.....although I get the border county fuel/euro thing.

It's about politics. Those who feel Ireland should be a united republic sometimes refer to "the north of Ireland" and "the south of Ireland

Bullshit. It's people who don't have the first clue about the politics.

Generally it's English people who don't know anything about it and are too bloody rude to get the name of the nearest country to them right!

Ah ok well that makes sense about why I haven't seen it on adverts for years!

Sounds quite nice though, I mean the word is pleasing.

Perhaps they want to differentiate between the island of Ireland (which include Northern Ireland) and the country of the Republic of Ireland.
Just saying "Ireland" is ambiguous.

Irish people often refer to the North and the South of Ireland. I used to live in Dublin. They aren't that political there though. It's not like some northern Irish people who go mental if someone accidentally refers to them as Irish. (whilst other NI people actually encourage that descriptor). The whole thing is very complicated and I think people from NI need to realise that most people from UK really don't know much about the situation and aren't being deliberately offensive!

Doesn't NI compete under GB though? For the olympics and such?

Meh. I live in NI and went "down south" on holiday a couple of weeks ago. We went to Wexford then round the coast to Galway. If we'd continued up to Donegal and mum rang to see if we were home I'd have said no we're still having a lovely time down south and wouldn't be back in the north for another couple of days. In conversation such and such a friend lives "in the south" not the Republic of Ireland, Eire, or the 26 counties. If I was writing on an official form where I went to university or where I paid taxes from 2008-2010 I'd write "Republic of Ireland". If I'm talking about Brexit I'd refer to Northern Ireland and think it's a bit tedious the way Republican politicians scrupulously refer to "the north of Ireland" even if it clunks in the sentence, as if they'd burst into flames if they said Northern Ireland, but I don't care that much. I suppose for clarity I should always use the same expression for this part of the UK and have a consistent name for the big bit of the island on the other side of the border but I cba.

Ain't that the truth carefreeee. Although I still chuckle to myself when I recall living in London many years ago. The look of shock on a girl's face when she got confirmation from me that Ireland did, in fact, have beaches. You know, what with it being an island and all. So funny. So thick.

So would the Free State be a better phrase to use?

It's just a natural supposition they're wrongly voicing. Northern Ireland is well-known for all the wrong reasons, so people want to disassociate from it and let people know they are holidaying in the other bit. Southern sounds like a good descriptor for that, that's why they wrongly use it.

This doesn't help, maybe start tackling the people who advertise holidays to 'Southern Ireland' www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g186591-i88-k5349322-Best_places_to_visit_in_southern_Ireland-Ireland.html

Generally it's English people who don't know anything about it and are too bloody rude to get the name of the nearest country to them right!

Yes in the case that annoyed me today it is exactly that! If you want to differentiate between the island and the Republic how about just using 'the Republic of Ireland' which is after all it's name?!

I'm from the ROI and live in NI. I say The South or Down South when speaking to NI people as to say The ROI is a mouthful, to say 'The Republic' feels silly. To say 'Ireland' is both pointed and ambiguous. And Southern Ireland feels equally pointed like I'm trying too hard, also feels wrong.

UK = Great Britain AND Northern Ireland
GB = England, Scotland and Wales i.e. the whole island of Britain

I always thought that the rest of Ireland was called the Republic of Ireland or Eire? However, when the Republic is officially just called Ireland, which is also the name of the whole island, I can see why some people call it Southern Ireland. Even though it comprises 4/5 of the island and some parts are further north than Northern Ireland!

Generally it's English people who don't know anything about it and are too bloody rude to get the name of the nearest country to them right!

JUST English people, or Scottish and Welsh also?

My brain is aching for the posters who weren't sure where NI is politically, and must have been baffled why we were shooting the arses off each other for years...

i get why English people say 'Southern Ireland' - because it sounds opposite to 'Northern Ireland' but I find it incredible that the education system in the UK is so bad that so few Brits actually know the correct term or understand any of the history - up to 1922 it was a pretty major part of British history and yet it is so little studied in British schools. Pretty shameful really.

JUST English people, or Scottish and Welsh also?

I said English people, so you can tell by that I meant English people. If I had meant also Scottish and Welsh people I would have said British people.