The british isles and Ireland.

dSTAR

darkman2 wrote:

ffs look at the facts:...

Come on everybody lets do the twist...

Fact: Omo is superior to Persil because it contains bio-enzymes...

Facts can SO be easily twisted...

Terry

ok, dSTAR. the floor is open.

why should we be happy with being british?
why are we better off in that sense?
why should we not be proud to be Irish?

over to you.

Sleepy

darkman2 wrote:

FACT: Ireland (Rep of) is NOT part of the 'British Isles'. It was but not anymore. To even suggest it is sounds completely stupid and id question the literacy levels of those who do use it in this country. The term 'British' in the phrase is completely wrong when applied to the Republic and its Islands. For those who use it in the UK I suggest they take geography lessons IF they use it in reference to OUR country. This is NOT their Island (appart from the North)

That is an opinion, not a fact. The fact is that the term British Isles is a geographic one that describes the Islands of Ireland, Britain and all the smaller islands and islets which form an archipelago off the northwest coast of continental Europe.

It is also a fact that some people, your good self included, object to this term on political grounds. That objection does not over-rule the factuality of the first statement.

FACT: This term is always used in an antagonistic fashion by Northern Unionists and those in the UK. That says more about them then it does about us.

I'm neither Northern Irish, nor a unionist and I use the term so again, that's not a fact.

darkman2

julep wrote:

ok, dSTAR. the floor is open.

why should we be happy with being british?
why are we better off in that sense?
why should we not be proud to be Irish?

over to you.

TBH I think your being trolled.....:rolleyes:


I personally have never heard an Irish person actually use the term so im not gettng flustered over something so silly.

Also ppl keep saying its a 'Geographical' term. It is for the UK but when apllied to us it most certainly has the perception of political conotations.

GreenKnight

dSTAR, Id reply to you but other people already have and besides, youre nothing but a troll trying to provoke a flame.

Dave!

darkman2 wrote:

TBH I think your being trolled.....:rolleyes:


I personally have never heard an Irish person actually use the term so im not gettng flustered over something so silly.

Also ppl keep saying its a 'Geographical' term. It is for the UK but when apllied to us it most certainly has the perception of political conotations.

lol, please don't take the trolling high-ground after posting this crap insulting dead Irish soldiers, cheers.

dSTAR

GreenKnight wrote:

dSTAR, Id reply to you but other people already have and besides, youre nothing but a troll trying to provoke a flame.

Jasus you crack me up..Good to see you getting your feet wet all the same!

:rolleyes:

Incidentally after you have looked over the meaning of troll and review my previous posts you may feel a little safer in the shallow end with your floaties...

:cool:

darkman2

DaveMcG wrote:

lol, please don't take the trolling high-ground after posting this crap insulting dead Irish soldiers, cheers.

Well thanks for bringing that to my attention but I didnt even post that. I will be following that up.

darkman2

dSTAR wrote:

Jasus you crack me up..Good to see you getting your feet wet all the same!

:rolleyes:

Incidentally after you have looked over the meaning of troll and review my previous posts you may feel a little safer in the shallow end with your floaties...

:cool:

BTW I wouldnt mind what this guy is saying. He is only looking for a reaction. If you dont believe me check out the 'Abroad' region forum and look at some of his comments there on the 'would you move back to Ireland' thread. He is either a total imbicile or just a complete trolling p*ss-taker.

In ways it has made me resentful and embarrassed of that bleedin 'Oirish' mentality and its thick ways.

dSTAR

darkman2 wrote:

BTW I wouldnt mind what this guy is saying. He is only looking for a reaction. If you dont believe me check out the 'Abroad' region forum and look at some of his comments there on the 'would you move back to Ireland' thread. He is either a total imbicile or just a complete trolling p*ss-taker.

Onya darkman!

Good to see that you have gone beyond these labels and see the reality BEHIND these self imposed restrictions....

Giblet

julep wrote:

ok, dSTAR. the floor is open.

why should we be happy with being british?
why are we better off in that sense?
why should we not be proud to be Irish?

over to you.

We aren't British.
We aren't British so we don't have to worry about that.
You can be proud if you want to be, it doesn't change the fact that we're still Irish, The British Isles is a name some people use, I don't think they use it out of contempt for their own "Irishness", maybe because It's a hang over from an older time. I have never used the term myself and anyone who does, I don't care because I'm not insecure with my own "Irishness" to be too bothered about what anyone else says. I don't think anyone thinks Ireland is a part of Britain and if they do, so what, that's their problem.

Now go clean your bedroom or something that actually affects your life directly.

Ba_barbaraAnne

punky wrote:

Does annoy me a wee bit.
But not as much as when I hear Irish people say 'The UK' instead of 'Britain'. We never used to say 'The UK' but I hear it more and more often these days.

The UK means Britain plus Northern Ireland. If you say the UK you are acknowledging Northern Ireland as belonging to Britain.

What really bugs me is people calling Northern Ireland 'Ulster'..... Ulster is a nine-county province of the Island of Ireland as a whole... not just the six over the border.

fly_agaric

Ba_barbaraAnne wrote:

The UK means Britain plus Northern Ireland. If you say the UK you are acknowledging Northern Ireland as belonging to Britain.

What really bugs me is people calling Northern Ireland 'Ulster'..... Ulster is a nine-county province of the Island of Ireland as a whole... not just the six over the border.

It's a minefield. Sometimes I'm reluctant to get out of bed in the morning in case I say "the UK" or "the mainland":eek: or whatever and offend some republican my-shít-is-greener-than-yours headtheball.
Sometimes I'm reluctant to get out of bed in the morning anyway but that's not the point - is it?

Anyway, Ulster really only gets to me when used (by politicians) in conjunction with "the pehpol of".:)

redspider

I have a particular bone to pick about the misnomer that is the British Isles when it refers to the islands of Ireland, Britain and the related archipelgo.

It is a major cause for confusion internationally and because of it many people believe incorrectly that Ireland (nation) is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UKoGBaNI), and many people are to do this day in their school's across China, India and the world still learning the phrase British Isles and inherently coming to the wrong conclusion.

It is completely misleading and the two major islands, Ireland and Britain, and the rest of the related cluster, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, Channel Islands, Rockall, and perhaps even Iceland should be renamed as a group. Perhaps the "European Isles" would be a more appropriate geographic descriptor, but I'm sure some the reps in the EC could come up with some suggestions.

The naming of the islands as the "British Isles" only came about from the political situation at a certain time and the fact that the island of Ireland was ruled from London and England. It worked during that time to a certain degree. But it is now long gone past its best-before-date and should be renamed to something else.

The poll on this website and I'm sure a similar one of the public at large clearly indicates that people on the island of Ireland do not want the collective group of islands to be called the British Isles. I'm sure those in Britain would not like the islands to be called the Irish Isles.

Irish Geography teachers, lecturers, academics, and politicians Unite! - and lobby your TD's and MEP's for a change.

Its not a major problem we face in the modern world, but it is easily rectifiable.

redspider

redspider

Hellm0 wrote:

Just as I dont really like the term "Great Britain". What the hells so great about it*.

Seemingly, that comes from the time when the french-speaking Normans over-ran and then ruled the island of Britain. And so not to confuse with the area that was Britanny, ie: Bretagne in France, the island of Britain was referred to as Grande (ie: big) Britain and Britanny was referred to sometimes as little Britain. Grande Bretagne in time became Great Britain as the language evolved and the Normans eventually over a couple of hundred years stopped speaking French (Breton?)!

So, the correct meaning is Big Brittany. Its got nothing to do with the meaning of the word great!

So, the country could be renamed to:
The United Kingdom of Big Britanny and 6/32 (approx) of Ireland.
;-)

redspider

Capt'n Midnight

dSTAR wrote:

This debate raises a few questions for me...

Why do so many Irish people have an aversion to being considered British?

Ask the Scots and Welsh the same question... to me it seems that British is a concept used more by the English to include others

dSTAR wrote:

How much of a difference would it make if Ireland were a part of a United Kingdom?

better road safety, health and education, less political corruption and nepotism , a tunnel to the "mainland" , and lots more goodies because the Celts would hold the balace of power.

dSTAR wrote:

Why is it acceptable to be a part of a European Union but not part of a United Kingdom?

because that's a different country, if you mean "not british" then talk to the Portugese , Basques, Catalans sometime about how spanish they are. Or tell the Belgians they are French or any of the Eastern Europeans they are Russian.

dSTAR wrote:

As far as I can see it modern Irish culture/society is more similar to British culture than different and so far apart from say Lithuania, Slovenia or Slovakia yet share the same currency.

apart from say celtic vs. rangers or some NI matches there just isn't the same level of violence with non-english sports fans, try a hitchhike with a fridge around England. I love asking canadians which state they're from. Or kiwi's about Oz.

dSTAR wrote:

I am well aware of the historical significance between Britain and Ireland and don't really need another pro-Irish / anti-British history lesson.

Check up on your usage of Britain / UK they are not the same, and have changed over the years. One unfortunate consequence of this redefining is that for over a century Russia was under threat from Berwick Upon Tweed until in 1966 a Soviet official waited upon the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and a peace treaty was formally signed. Mr Knox is reputed to have said "Please tell the Russian people that they can sleep peacefully in their beds."

RandolphEsq

Back in the day (i.e.1900) I wouldve seen myself as a west brit. Im not too fussed on whether Ireland is part of the British Isles are not though

roberta c

England, part of the Irish isles.


there cleared that one up.

riptide

Why don't we just start calling it the North Eastern Atlantic Islands. Or the West European Islands.

And saying its a geographic location thing is not a valid enough argument.

Its simply describing what they are called..... and what the term applies to.

it annoys me a little when its called the Brisitish Isles.

If Ireland colonised England the same way England colonised us..... I'd be happy to call it the Irish Isles. Of couse that would be in Irish.

EDIT: Damn had i read the thread I wouldn't have had to post. Thanks red. And thanks Roberta.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

secret_squirrel

redspider wrote:

The naming of the islands as the "British Isles" only came about from the political situation at a certain time and the fact that the island of Ireland was ruled from London and England. It worked during that time to a certain degree. But it is now long gone past its best-before-date and should be renamed to something else.

The poll on this website and I'm sure a similar one of the public at large clearly indicates that people on the island of Ireland do not want the collective group of islands to be called the British Isles. I'm sure those in Britain would not like the islands to be called the Irish Isles.

Good luck on that.

After you have tilted that particular windmill, pop over and campaign for the North and South American continents to have the word America removed from them.

Honestly all this fuss and angst over a trivial geographical term.

Here's a newsflash - 99% of the world doesnt give a toss what these islands are named.

Kwekubo

riptide wrote:

Why don't we just start calling it the North Eastern Atlantic Islands. Or the West European Islands.

Actually, there is a term that government types have toyed with in recent years: Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA for short). See the Wikipedia article about it. Some people have suggested British-Irish Islands. But to be honest, considering the length of use the term has had, I'm fine with British Isles as long as people are taught what UK, ROI, Ireland and Britain refer to - not least here in the republic itself.

flamingo

I have to say, it bothers me HUGELY! - and always has done.

As I see it, the term is just another way in which social discourse perpetuates the perception abroad that Ireland is still part of Britian. The impact of linguistic concepts is hard to diminish and shouldn't be underestimated.

Having worked abroad many times, I am always shocked by the number of people who still do not see Ireland as a unique entity, and many of them use the "British Isles" thing to support their views. Granted, it's just pure ignorance on their parts (usually), but...

I am currently living and working in England and hve on so many occasions had to assert my foreignness (!not a word, is it?!) which absolutely gals me! Time and time again, they use the BI thing. But matters are invariably complicated by the British press always using "Ireland" when they mean "Northern Ireland" - so many people I have met really and honestly do not realise that there is a distinction between Ireland and Northern Ireland, or between Ireland and Britian. Does my head in! Even just popping out to buy a stamp, the post office people tend to give me stamps for NI whenever I say Ireland - leading to me getting snappy!

So yeah, it may be simply a geographical description that started during the Empire, but continuing to use the term serves no purpose and in my head demeans the sovereignty of our country.

Rant over!

Brian Capture

flamingo wrote:

I have to say, it bothers me HUGELY! - and always has done.

flamingo wrote:

I am currently living and working in England

If the notion of 'Britishness' bothered me that much, I would not live or work in England.

flamingo

Brian Capture wrote:

If the notion of 'Britishness' bothered me that much, I would not live or work in England.

Should my respect for my nationality then prevent me from working anywhere abroad? Or from travelling and seeing the world? I don't see how becoming so insular would benefit anyone!

I don't have a problem with the "notion of Britishness" per se, and have many friends here in England and up north in Scotland. They are as entitied to their Britishness as any Irish person is entited to their Irishness. My issue is with the ignorance that inaccurate and lazy nomenclature perpetuates.

Kwekubo

flamingo wrote:

I have to say, it bothers me HUGELY! - and always has done.

As I see it, the term is just another way in which social discourse perpetuates the perception abroad that Ireland is still part of Britian. The impact of linguistic concepts is hard to diminish and shouldn't be underestimated.

Having worked abroad many times, I am always shocked by the number of people who still do not see Ireland as a unique entity, and many of them use the "British Isles" thing to support their views. Granted, it's just pure ignorance on their parts (usually), but...

I am currently living and working in England and hve on so many occasions had to assert my foreignness (!not a word, is it?!) which absolutely gals me! Time and time again, they use the BI thing. But matters are invariably complicated by the British press always using "Ireland" when they mean "Northern Ireland" - so many people I have met really and honestly do not realise that there is a distinction between Ireland and Northern Ireland, or between Ireland and Britian. Does my head in! Even just popping out to buy a stamp, the post office people tend to give me stamps for NI whenever I say Ireland - leading to me getting snappy!

So yeah, it may be simply a geographical description that started during the Empire, but continuing to use the term serves no purpose and in my head demeans the sovereignty of our country.

Rant over!

Now that is a different kettle of fish altogether - indeed, many people of a strong nationalist or republican persuasion would be offended at someone making a distinction between "Ireland" and "Northern Ireland". I feel strongly that the name of the state should be changed to "Republic of Ireland" - it would make things a whole lot clearer for a lot of people, especially since the Irish constitution no longer claims sovereignty over the whole island.

dave2pvd

redspider wrote:

Its not a major problem we face in the modern world

redspider

You've got my vote.

BrenC

Well then technically britain is part of the Irish Isle...bitch

LordSutch

The Geographical term 'British isles' refers to those islands located off the North West coast of mainland Europe, they comprise of, the island of Britain, the island of Ireland, the isle of Man, the Channel islands, and all other smaller surrounding islands thereof!

In political terms the term 'British Isles' is meangless because boarders mark out political territories, as does the boarder which we share with the UK, or the fact that the Isle of Man has its own Parliament and is not therefore part of the UK but is part of the British isles!

This is basic Geography really and I dont really know why its being discussed in the first place? I mean to say I could argue that the term 'Irish Sea' is a racist term for that stretch of water, so maybe it should be re-named the 'British & Irish sea'? or the 'Irish & British Sea'? maybe the french might want the English channel re-named 'the French & English channel'?

Where does one draw the line?
And as for 'These islands' ~ (what a load of huey) because as far as I know there are at least four other destinations on the Globe locally known as 'These islands' .........................................

shltter

ArthurF wrote:

The Geographical term 'British isles' refers to those islands located off the North West coast of mainland Europe, they comprise of, the island of Britain, the island of Ireland, the isle of Man, the Channel islands, and all other smaller surrounding islands thereof!

In political terms the term 'British Isles' is meangless because boarders mark out political territories, as does the boarder which we share with the UK, or the fact that the Isle of Man has its own Parliament and is not therefore part of the UK but is part of the British isles!

This is basic Geography really and I dont really know why its being discussed in the first place? I mean to say I could argue that the term 'Irish Sea' is a racist term for that stretch of water, so maybe it should be re-named the 'British & Irish sea'? or the 'Irish & British Sea'? maybe the french might want the English channel re-named 'the French & English channel'?

Where does one draw the line?
And as for 'These islands' ~ (what a load of huey) because as far as I know there are at least four other destinations on the Globe locally known as 'These islands' .........................................

Except nobody is actually born in the Irish sea or lives in the Irish sea AFAIK nor the English Channel for that matter bordering the Irish sea does not infer anything on ones Nationality.
Unlike for example the British isles which appears to suggest at the very least that this Island is part of the British population which the vast majority of people on this island do not accept.
Does anyone know if there is a similiar situation in Spain/Portugal with the Iberian thing or does Iberia carry the same political connotation that British does for Irish people.
And if the term British Isles is meaningless then why continue to use it why not adopt a different name that does not cause offence to the majority of people on this Island.
I understand the whole history of the term British isles and were it comes from etc but just because it is a historical name is no reason to continue to use it the N word is a historical name for black people but most of us realise that it is offensive and dont use it.

BTW if the welsh people are offended by the term Irish sea lets change it we can call it the welsh sea for all I care it means nothing

And BTW again the poll is badly worded
Of course we recognise the term British Isles includes Ireland it is more a question of do you think the term should still be used

Marksie

Brian Capture wrote:

If the notion of 'Britishness' bothered me that much, I would not live or work in England.

From my aspect if that notion bothered me, i wouldnt be living or working in Ireland. .

I can see where you are all coming from (well most), but a geographical name is simply that.

Your national identity is your own as is mine, i woudnt dream of calling someone from Ireland british, or indeed classing someone from scotland or wales as british. Though they are joined to england they still have their unique cultural identity.
I am from the north of england... and people always say yorkshire.. when in fact its lancashire. It is somewhat irksome at times .
But i would like to add something... the north of england was to an extent subjected to similar conditions as Ireland..i am thinking back now to my old days reading on the industrial revolution.
I have found a link to the peterloo massacre which you might find interesting (or not)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/peterloo.html

shltter

marksuttonie wrote:

From my aspect if that notion bothered me, i wouldnt be living or working in Ireland. .

I can see where you are all coming from (well most), but a geographical name is simply that.

Your national identity is your own as is mine, i woudnt dream of calling someone from Ireland british, or indeed classing someone from scotland or wales as british. Though they are joined to england they still have their unique cultural identity.
I am from the north of england... and people always say yorkshire.. when in fact its lancashire. It is somewhat irksome at times .
But i would like to add something... the north of england was to an extent subjected to similar conditions as Ireland..i am thinking back now to my old days reading on the industrial revolution.
I have found a link to the peterloo massacre which you might find interesting (or not)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/peterloo.html

I think you are confusing English with British
People from England,Scotland and Wales are technically all British as well as they are from the island that is Britain.

secret_squirrel

shltter wrote:

I think you are confusing English with British
People from England,Scotland and Wales are technically all British as well as they are from the island that is Britain.

I think you are confusing Geography with Political Boundaries.

They are called British because they are citizens of the Political Entity known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, sometimes contracted as either the UK or Great Britain.

The fact that they also reside on the Island of Britain is largely co-incidental.

For instance pre the founding of the State it would have been perfectly allowable to refer to some one from the island of Ireland as British. (always remembering you might be risking a punch )

Capt'n Midnight

Kwekubo wrote:

Now that is a different kettle of fish altogether - indeed, many people of a strong nationalist or republican persuasion would be offended at someone making a distinction between "Ireland" and "Northern Ireland". I feel strongly that the name of the state should be changed to "Republic of Ireland" - it would make things a whole lot clearer for a lot of people, especially since the Irish constitution no longer claims sovereignty over the whole island.

Is Éire not clear enough ?

As for renaming the state you'd probably need a referendum to change the it in the constitution.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1948_22.html

2.—It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.

LordSutch

'Politics must not be confused with Geography' ....................

When Alan Titchmarsh did his BBC TV series "A History of the British isles" just last year, he travelled from Lands End to John O'groats via the Wicklow Mountains through Kerry & back up to the Giants Causeway! the programme was 100% geographical in content refering to the vast glaciers that once covered the British Isles, he spoke of the different vegetation in Scotland compared to that of warmer Southern England, then he spoke of the Bog of Allen (exciting isnt it), but then on the other hand you have the Political programme on RTE1 TV "Questions & Answers" where there would be little or no need to speak of the British isles seeing as this programme is virtually 100% political discussion ........

Are we getting there slowly?

Marksie

shltter wrote:

I think you are confusing English with British
People from England,Scotland and Wales are technically all British as well as they are from the island that is Britain.

No i am not confusing.. i am ignoring the technicality and accepting the cultural identity.

mackerski

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Is Éire not clear enough ?

Unless Deutschland and Germany suddenly mean different things to each other, I can't see how the word "Éire" would suddenly clarify anything.

Dermot

Capt'n Midnight

mackerski wrote:

Unless Deutschland and Germany suddenly mean different things to each other, I can't see how the word "Éire" would suddenly clarify anything.

In the context of someone confusing the island of Ireland / ROI / NI.

BTW:
The next time you are in Holland ask a Dutch person if they plan to emigrate to the Netherlands

mike65

Indeed! But why the hell is it Holland playing football?

Mike.

colm-ccfc84

doesnt matter if you recognies it our not you cant dispute fact and that is that we are part of the british isles

Mr.Nice Guy

colm-ccfc84 wrote:

doesnt matter if you recognies it our not you cant dispute fact and that is that we are part of the british isles

Our own government disputes it. The idea of us being part of the British Isles is not a 'fact' but rather a remnant of a bygone British imperialistic age that people like Kevin Myers no doubt wish was still the norm to this day. Well it's not. Deal with it.

The British won't stop the Argentinians from referring to the islands off their coast as the Malvinas, they won't get the majority of people in Ireland to refer to Derry as 'Londonderry' and judging by this poll's results and the attitude of our government, they're not going to get the majority of Irish people to regard the islands of Ireland and Britain as the 'British Isles'.

Again, deal with it.:)

JaysusMacfeck

Deal with it. Deal with it. Deal with it. Uhuh.

You can't blame Irish people for not wanting to use the term 'British Isles'. I dont' know many Irish people who would use it in coversation or writing. A lot prefer "Ireland and the UK" or "Ireland and Britain".

Why isn't MTV isn't called "MTV British Isles". Or why isn't Yahoo! called "Yahoo! British isles". It's because it has political connotations.

Gurgle

This is such a stupid discussion.
The geographical term Brittish Isles is older than any of the nations in the region.

Do you think people in Botswana get upset about a country being called South Africa, as they're in southern africa too and their might be confusion?

Dilly1

We copy everything they do, you only need to take a look around you on your way to work. We have more in common with Britain than any other nation in the world. Even down to the local scumbags with their gold chains and white tracksuits, the mopeds and the crappy white jap imported cars, its all copied from the UK where they have been doing this for years. Our drug culture, sex, music and even just the way we speak, alot of people are losing their accents and putting on these fake annoying posh accents. The way we have become obsessed with status and material things is a mirror image of the UK in the 1980's. We have so much in common with the guys across the way, that we really should be best of freinds when you think about it. Its no wonder that people from other parts of the world get confused and think we are British, or part of the British Isles. I mean when you look at how our culture is changing, we are as good as, soon the only two things that will distinguish us from our mates across the pond will be Gaelic Games and the Irish Language. So if you dont play Football (no not Soccer) or speak Irish, you could be British. But hey smile, at least you have a house and two cars, hmmm where have i seen that before.:D

WhiteWashMan

you know, no matter how much logic someone tries to use on me as to why the term is so incorrect and how insulting it is and yadda yadda yadda, the fact of the matter is that it doesnt matter to the majority of us.

and to redspider who thinks this poll is reflective as a whole, then you forgot that half of the people that voted on it cant even tie their own shoelaces yet alone be old enough to be able to hold an informed opinion.

seriously. too many people with too much time on their hands. but at least their shoulders are the same height, what with the chip on both their shoulders...

Gobán Saor

Wertz wrote:

What pisses me off more is when we see Irish sports competitors come good, and all of a sudden they're British....until they f*ck up and suddenly they're Irish again...I've seen it so many times over the years. It's one of the main reasons I love to see England fair badly at international football

Stephen Roche was once described by a British commentator as the first man from England or Ireland to win the Tour de France:rolleyes:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Gob&#225 wrote: »

Stephen Roche was once described by a British commentator as the first man from England or Ireland to win the Tour de France:rolleyes:

Which, technically speaking, he was...

Dilly1

Wertz wrote:

What pisses me off more is when we see Irish sports competitors come good, and all of a sudden they're British....until they f*ck up and suddenly they're Irish again...I've seen it so many times over the years. It's one of the main reasons I love to see England fair badly at international football :

Don't worry, it doesnt happen very often. thanks to are drink culture :eek:

nitrogen

Seems like 60% aren't aware of their geography...

Terry

seems like a lot of people are not aware of the question posed.

it wasn't "hey, did you know that Ireland is one of the british isles?", it was "do you recognise the term 'british isles' in reference to Ireland?"

60% of us have been accused of, amongst other thing, having a chip on our shoulders. i don't think this is true.
to me it's a matter of national identity.
yes, we speak english. yes, some of our ways are the same as those in britain. yes, our island is on the same archipelago as britain.
none of that changes the fact that 60% of the respondees here do not like that Ireland is classed as a "british isle".

of course, i'll get the usual 'oh, national identity doesn't matter', 'we're all european', and so forth.
not me. I'm Irish and damn proud to be. i love this country and always will. i don't see anything wrong with loving your birthplace.