to ask everyone to get the name of my country right?

[runnybottom]

Its not "Eire" unless you are speaking/writing in Irish, its Ireland. Its definitely not Southern Ireland. Its not even "Republic of Ireland"

Its just Ireland.

PS> Yes I do realise there a bigger things to worry about, just bugs me a teeny bit is all.

Have you contacted the BBC with your concerns as they have been calling it the Republic of Ireland all morning.

That is an accurate description of the country, it is not however the name of the country. A subtle but important difference.

DH is from Norn Iron and everyone where his family still live calls Ireland the 'Free State' (and they are not Orange!)

What I REALLY hate is when English people (particularly on the TV) pronounce Ireland 'Island'. It really really really pisses me off . And I'm English!

While we're at it can newsreaders on British TV stop referring to our Taoiseach as our Prime Minister? Angela Merkel is not referred to as the German PM, she gets her title, so the lovely Mr Cowen the same courtesy and learn how to say it and use it. Tee-shock will do.

(Am coming over all nationalist now, not like me at all. Must be pregnancy hormones and the fact that my poor baby wil be half Dutch so technically more orange than Ian Paisley)

Calm down, calm down.

Katiepoes: I listen to Radio 4. They always say Taoiseach. Stop watching TV and turn on the radio and your life will improve (in many ways).

Runnybottom: I have lived and worked in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. These countries are very close to Britain. I rarely found anyone - even the very well educated and internationally minded people in Brussels - who really understood the difference between England and Britain. I did not think they were rude or ill-educated. I explained the difference. People were happy to learn but if I had slagged them off for not knowing, I think they would have felt differently.

As Scotland gained more devolved powers when I was in Brussels, the understanding grew, and no doubt that knowledge has spread a bit wider now.

FWIW, I'm not "English", I'm half Scots, quarter English and quarter Northern Irish. I tend to forget the latter as my grandfather's family are (mainly) raging Orange bigots.

I call it The Free State and where I live "The 6 Counties"

Good times!

Knickknack.. love the 32 counties! My mother says this all the time... 'you're the beat boy in the 32 counties!'

best boy...

dh is from norn iron, and when we were going to belfast for christmas, i had people asking me if i'd be safe!
now, this was about 10 years ago, so there were still armored tanks driving around the city, but people had pretty much stopped bombing each other by then.

misconception & lack of education isn't limited to just one country, or about just one country. fwiw, i find more people here, in the US, know about ireland & n ireland than i found in england

OOhhhh i love Ireland. Been twice. Stayed in Ballinamore. t'is a gorgeous country.

kickassangel, I took my husband to Belfast about fifteen years ago and didn't think to tell him about the armed soldiers, tanks etc. He nearly shit himself when he saw all the soldiers, I had gone to uni there in Belfast and didn't even think to mention them!

What really pisses me off id when the BBC say 'the Irish Garda' when they mean 'Gardi" we joke in our family that the one Irish Guard must be exhausted!

My Dad once received a letter simply addressed to;

Mr Ludog'sdad
Ireland

In fairness, we have a very unusual surname so he wasn't that hard to find,

No way Ludog...that is the funniest thing...

where did the letter come from ( so I can mock those peoplw for being daft)

Nope it's Eire when addressing an envelope

I think it came from USA but not sure!

Katipoes, Angela Merkel is the Kanzlerin, so she doesnt get her correct title in the british media!

Eire is commonly used in english for Ireland, so why on earth shouldnt we put it on letters?

ooh I beg to differ (sorry nn)Here she is as "the German Chancellor":

Angie

can't believe this thread has over 120 posts and you are still all arguing about the name of the country. PMSL

OK with this has nothing to do it with it really but Angela Merkel brought it to mind. In German "Ich bin Ire" (I am Irish -male) is very close to "Ich bin irre" (I am crazy).

I remember I worked with this guy from (select correct country name) and I kept trying to tell people, no he is not English, he is Irish. They were looking at me askance, why am I saying he is crazy?

The point I was trying to make though, is that Chancellor is just an english translation of her real job title - a bit like refering to the Irish leader as the Irish Prime Minister.

is that what it translates to then in English -prime minister? I didn't know a republic could have a prime minister. Maybe I just don't know much!

Taoiseach = directly translates to prime minister ?

is what I'm asking, sorry if that was unclear