What do the Irish call the British Isles

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: diesel
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 08:19 PM

I am born and bred Dublin, our school atlas when growing up showed Ireland to be an Island of the British Isles and most people I know wouldn't bat an eyelid to hear or use the term 'British isles'in the context of the initial question.
Some object for Republican and anti-everything-British sentiment.One I know also never lets you finish a sentance if you say 'the Queen' in it - before she asks which Queen ? Of Englan or the Netherlands
?
Now calling us British is a totally different argument - But lets not go there.

A humoruos story - well it was at the time - I was in a pottery shop in Malahide (kind of posh Dublin suburb - West-Brit and all that) when I over heard an elderly lady ask the sales person 'Do you have any British or is it all foreign ?) I couldn't resist I just had to interject - 'I'm sorry ! I thought British was foreign....? )

Oh for the look on that ones face ....

rgds

Diesel

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 08:17 PM

When the Scots get their independence that should solve the problem.

The term Britain and British Isles will revert to being purely geographical expressions, and noone will have any excuse for thinking the contain an implied divisive political meaning.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:50 PM

Well said, John. Bloody Romans! That'll do me.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:50 PM

When making reference to the nation currently under the political union of England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland, I use the term UK. If I am referring to the geographical island which contains the political states known as England, Scotland & Wales, I say Britain. If I am referring to the geographic island which encompasses Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, I say Ireland. If I am referring to both geographic islands, I say Britain and Ireland.

I never say "British Isles" because it isn't an accurate description of the geographic or geopolitical realities of the region. I would also suggest that most others in Britain and Ireland generally follow this same usage. There are many euphemisms and colloquial terms used by people in different regions, but those I've listed are the ones you would most likely hear used by British and Irish citizens, both at home and abroad.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Snuffy
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:48 PM

"The British Isles" is a purely geographical expression, like "the American Continent"

The United Kingdom is part of the British Isles, like the United States is part of the American Continent.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: smallpiper
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:46 PM

Since the term Britain is Roman, I think most people call them the British Isles. Its nowt to do with ethnicity at all, and since most of us are mongerals anyway - I am Irish and can trace my ancestry back to elizabeth the first of englands time (I stress this as most people dont realise that the current queen liz is queen liz the 1st of scotland)- so the islands are names by some roman git an dunless some one can come up with the pre roman name then thats what we are stuck with. So shall we settle on blaming the romans for all our troubles.

Yours extremely inebriated
John

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:39 PM

It's a purely geographical term, as explained earlier by "Boring Guest". No value judgements attached; no political agendas, though seriously misunderstood by people who haven't bothered to think it through. Maybe the people Liz knows who have a problem with it would also prefer not to be considered part of Europe.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 07:12 PM

It's usually unprintable in a decent forum...

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Gareth
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 06:50 PM

British Isles - No ! British Lions is wot they tour under,

which reminds me of the South Wales joke.

Where did the Welsh first beat the All Blacks on a neutral Ground ?

Roukes Drift - oops un PC.

Gareth

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 05:20 PM

The answer is to get an Irish atlas and see what it says at the head of the page that shows the entire island group.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:43 PM

Now no one's mentioned the Isle of Man, which isn't part of either of the big islands, and isn't part of the United Kingdom either, but is part of the British Isles, or whatever you call them. Actually since the Isle of Man sits slap bang in the middle, maybe a good name for the whole shebang would be "The Isles of Man".

Historically Great Britain means exactly the same as Britain, and refers to the island with England Scotland and Wales on it, which was been called Britannia by the Romans. The French refer to it as Grande Bretagne to distinguish it from Bretagne, Brittany, and Great Britain is just a translation. The use of the term "Britain" to refer to the United Kingdom seems pretty recent and dubious. I doubt if anyone ever referred to Ireland as a whole as being part of "Britain" before Partition.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: RolyH
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:38 PM

When they tour every four years or so the Lions rugby union team go under the title 'British Isles'.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: HuwG
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:22 PM

Welsh terms:

Cymru - Wales
Lloegr - England
Yr Alban - Scotland
Iwerddon - Ireland / Eire
(Iwerddon Gogledd = Northern Ireland)
Prydein - Britain / The British Isles

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:15 PM

And then again, I was born and raised in Minnesota, of 100% German ancestry. I am a native American. (as opposed to Native American)

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: weerover
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:13 PM

Can't speak for all Scots, but I don't often think of "The British Isles" as a concept either. I generally think of each of its constituents separately; is asked for my nationality I generally say "Scottish" even though that currently doesn't have status as a nationality for international purposes. In the course of time, though...

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:12 PM

I think the *correct* geographical term is something like the "North Atlantic Islands".

What Irish people call them depends on political orientation. Unionists and southern West Brits call them the British Isles; republicans and liberals both tend to say "these islands".

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: GUEST,Boring Guest
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 02:08 PM

One of the problems is that there are a number of different concepts that get confused. As a Scot living in the USA it is amusing and frustrating to hear what many "Americans" think they are.

Basically, the split is as follows:

British Isles - Geographical term referring to all the islands sitting immediately off the coast of Europe, excluding Faeros, Iceland (and a couple of others) and including Ireland (Republic and Northern) and the Orkneys and Shetlands. Not one that is used vrey much anymore anyway - regardless of where in the British Isles you come from.

Great Britain and Britain - This is the island containing only Scotland, Wales and England and again is a geographic term.

United Kingdom - this is more of a geo-political entity. The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (before 1921 it was "and Ireland". Sometimes it is said to be the United Kingdom of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland as Wales was a principality under England rather than a kingdom that entered into the Union (technically only Scotland entered into the Union although you have to rememebr that we were "Bought and sold for English gold").

Finally, if you are from the island that is Great Britain, you would be British (some of the people in Northern Ireland might refer to themselves as British as well which based on the British Isles is correct although tenuous, I would say) and if you come from the island that is "Ireland" you would be Irish.

A similar situation exists in North America - you have people who reside in Canada, Mexico or the USA, and refer to themselves as Canadians, Mexicans or Americans respectively. However, technically they are all "Americans" as they are from the continent of North America. This is further confused as "native Americans" may reside in any of these countries.....

Nuff said!

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: weepiper
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:51 PM

Erm. I don't ever remember referring to the whole lot as anything... 'The British Isles' as a concept doesn't usually come up in conversation here.

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: MMario
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:36 PM

I think the question was - the island cluster off the coast of Europe which include that geographical feature on which England, Scotland, etc reside PLUS Ireland - PLUS numerous other small islands; are usually designated as "The British Isles".

Is there another name by which it is known in Scotland and/or Ireland?

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: Amos
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:32 PM

Or, sometimes, those flaming limey bastids...depending on your temperament! :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: weepiper
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:30 PM

Depends what you mean by British Isles. Ireland is a republic not part of Britain, except for Northern Ireland. I'm Scottish and I generally call the rest of it (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland) the UK or Britain.

Subject: BS: What do the Irish call the British Isles
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 16 Oct 02 - 01:28 PM

Considering the issues of ethnic identity and nationalism we have been discussing lately, what do the Irish, Scots, Welsh, etc. call what we call the British Isles?