Bob Geldof said it on stage at Electric Picnic once. I have never seen someone lose the crowd with such immediacy. Absolutely bizarre. Terrible, terrible gig too.
Geographically Ireland is a part of the British Isles. I’m just stating a fact so don’t shoot the messanger by downvotjng me for making a statementof fact as that’s just showing your ignorance. ( I’m Irish born and reared btw and my family had a key role in securing independence) its just like australasia encompasses New Zealand.
But it is. Ireland is the second largest island in the British Isles.
Getting worked up about it feels a bit lame but tbf I don’t get why that term needs to exist at all.
If you want to refer to Britain and Ireland, is it not as easy to just say Britain and Ireland?
There’s only two main islands. Why do they need to be referred to as “isles” at all, nevermind misleadingly calling them British.
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Ironically, “British” comes from a Celtic tribe’s name, the Pretani.
‘British Isles’ seems like such a redundant name to us now. But how else can we encapsulate the two islands when talking about them together? There isn’t an alternative term. Do we just say “Britain and Ireland?” Or “Ireland and Britain, I suppose 🤪
Segue: “Great Britain” refers to England, Scotland, Wales, right? Is it interchangeable with “Britain”? Or does that actually include NI in practice as NI is considered (politically) British (by some)?
The term doesn’t really exist(as defined to include Ireland) although certain British people like to refer to it as such and there is a lot of misinformation about it out there. It was used generally to refer to mainland Britain and it’s smaller islands, Wight, Jersey, IOM. That is how the term British Isles is defined in UK law, so it doesn’t include Ireland.
In referencing the Islands off mainland Europe, the term Anglo-Celtic Isles would be acceptable, however there really shouldn’t be any problem for people to say Britain and Ireland so it becomes somewhat antagonistic when people lump Ireland into the term British Isles, and would be akin to saying Jersey is a French Isle or the IOM is an Irish Isle by virtue of being in the Irish sea and very close to Ireland, or saying Corsica is Italian based on historical issues there.
It simply is a unique antagonism used by certain people who refuse to move on from constant references to terminology used under the defunct British Empire.
Why do “Russians” fly into a literal rage when you call them East Ukrainian 😜.
I’m afraid it’s a geographical fact. They don’t have jurisdiction over us though. Just like India don’t own the Indian Ocean! It’s basic geography, you can’t change a fact! Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Mexico, loads of examples, get over it!
When someone says Donegal is in “Northern Ireland”:
I have the solution lads. Call them the Irish Isles which consists of Ireland and Lesser Ireland to the east.
atlantic archipelago
Should be renamed the British and Irish Isles.
Out of curiosity, how do NI residents feel about it being referred to as Ireland and not the British Isles? Do they prefer it or dislike it?
14 comments
Bob Geldof said it on stage at Electric Picnic once. I have never seen someone lose the crowd with such immediacy. Absolutely bizarre. Terrible, terrible gig too.
Geographically Ireland is a part of the British Isles. I’m just stating a fact so don’t shoot the messanger by downvotjng me for making a statementof fact as that’s just showing your ignorance. ( I’m Irish born and reared btw and my family had a key role in securing independence) its just like australasia encompasses New Zealand.
But it is. Ireland is the second largest island in the British Isles.
Getting worked up about it feels a bit lame but tbf I don’t get why that term needs to exist at all.
If you want to refer to Britain and Ireland, is it not as easy to just say Britain and Ireland?
There’s only two main islands. Why do they need to be referred to as “isles” at all, nevermind misleadingly calling them British.
[removed]
Ironically, “British” comes from a Celtic tribe’s name, the Pretani.
‘British Isles’ seems like such a redundant name to us now. But how else can we encapsulate the two islands when talking about them together? There isn’t an alternative term. Do we just say “Britain and Ireland?” Or “Ireland and Britain, I suppose 🤪
Segue: “Great Britain” refers to England, Scotland, Wales, right? Is it interchangeable with “Britain”? Or does that actually include NI in practice as NI is considered (politically) British (by some)?
The term doesn’t really exist(as defined to include Ireland) although certain British people like to refer to it as such and there is a lot of misinformation about it out there. It was used generally to refer to mainland Britain and it’s smaller islands, Wight, Jersey, IOM. That is how the term British Isles is defined in UK law, so it doesn’t include Ireland.
In referencing the Islands off mainland Europe, the term Anglo-Celtic Isles would be acceptable, however there really shouldn’t be any problem for people to say Britain and Ireland so it becomes somewhat antagonistic when people lump Ireland into the term British Isles, and would be akin to saying Jersey is a French Isle or the IOM is an Irish Isle by virtue of being in the Irish sea and very close to Ireland, or saying Corsica is Italian based on historical issues there.
It simply is a unique antagonism used by certain people who refuse to move on from constant references to terminology used under the defunct British Empire.
Why do “Russians” fly into a literal rage when you call them East Ukrainian 😜.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/szgewm/this_is_the_way/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf](https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/szgewm/this_is_the_way/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I’m afraid it’s a geographical fact. They don’t have jurisdiction over us though. Just like India don’t own the Indian Ocean! It’s basic geography, you can’t change a fact! Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Mexico, loads of examples, get over it!
When someone says Donegal is in “Northern Ireland”:
I have the solution lads. Call them the Irish Isles which consists of Ireland and Lesser Ireland to the east.
atlantic archipelago
Should be renamed the British and Irish Isles.
Out of curiosity, how do NI residents feel about it being referred to as Ireland and not the British Isles? Do they prefer it or dislike it?