Republic not 'South' !

S

Silvera

Guest
Does anybody else find it annoying that so many people refer to the Republic as 'the South' (including even Bertie at the Belfast conference - in front of the world's media !!) ?

Fair enough if somebody says ' north and south of the border' - otherwise 'Republic' is the correct term.
 
Agree totally, i didnt realise that bertie said it though. Must have gotten used to the term. I have corrected everyone for years that have asked me am i from the north or south. The only explanation i can think of is that people know of the north and ....the other bit...must be the south. No harm meant but still annoying.
 
I personally don't find it particulary annoying really and would be curious about why people might take umbrage at it. I remember once a colleague inquiring about something on a call routed via a UK based call centre and, when asked if his address (Dublin) was in Northern or Southern Ireland, he replied that it was actually in Eastern Ireland. :) Besides, if you want to be pedantic about what people call the country then you should be aware that the official name of the country, as per Article 4 of Bunreacht na hÉireann is Éire as Gaeilge or simply Ireland in English, so calling it The Republic [of Ireland] is also erroneous.
 
Republic not 'South'

The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948, Section 2, states -

It is herby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.


Indeed, if one wants to be pedantic, Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head, is in what Bertie et al refer to as 'the South' !

If somebody says 'the south', to me it means counties Cork, Waterford, Wexford..., so calling our state such is both a misnomer and somewhat disrespectful to it's people.

It's high time that Irish people stood up and be proud of our country - and addressing it by it's proper name is a step in the right direction !
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

The London based "Sunday Times" insists on referring to "The Taoiseach" as "the taoiseach" and refer to "The Republic" as "the republic". This usage in my opinion is calculated to insult.

If an Irish Based Publication with significant circulation in England were to refer to "the queen" or to the "united kingdom" I'm sure there would be some letters to editor.

I like the term "The Republic" but I dont like the terms "Free State" and "Irish Republic" and I especially dont like the term Éire when speaking or writing in English.

The "South" or the "North" doesnt bother me but I dont like "Southern Ireland."

ajapale
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

To be petty you could point out that the full title of the United Kingdom is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and so the unoinists are not, and never have been, part of Britain. They may be subjects of the Queen but they are not British...
Only to be used to wind up northern unionist friends, not to cause fights.
The London based "Sunday Times" insists on referring to "The Taoiseach" as "the taoiseach" and refer to "The Republic" as "the republic". This usage in my opinion is calculated to insult.
Click to expand...
I agree Alapale , but the Sunday Times is also the paper who referred to a former Taoiseach as a "gombeen man". I haven't bought the paper since, not out of any feeling for Albert Rynolds, but out of anger at the contempt they showed this country.
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

.............honestly, I was in recent years speaking to an English bloke who, in the midst of a comparitive conversation (UK/Ireland) referred to England as the "mainland"!

Priceless.
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

I don't get it

According to this the Constitution


Article 4

The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland

Not then "The Republic Of Ireland" so what is the Republic of Ireland and what is Ireland? why have two terms if they are interchangeable I cannot reconsile Silvers's comment and reference with mine Constitution V's Act (of Parliment.. er or should that be Dail)

Some of my Greener friends dislike the Republic term I think their quote is The Republic is a football team ..no I don't understand that either.
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

i work in the north a bit with mixed groups who dont know each other (training courses) . i use the term "the south" as its frankly less antagonistic, especially when you dont know who you are talking to. the other term "the mainland" comes up a bit and instantly clarifies the issue about not knowing who you are talking to.
 
Re: Republic not 'South'

So it looks like the country has both a name ("Éire" or "Ireland" from the Constitution) and a description ("Republic of Ireland" from the [broken link removed]). Bit Irish that, eh? :)
 
Re:Geography lesson

The most northerly point of the Island of Ireland is Inishowen which is in Donegal and therefore not subject to British rule, albeit it would be going a bit far to say it was in Dublin's jurisdiction - the IRA/Blaney rule supreme up there.

The most correct descriptions are to my mind "The Free State" and "The Six Counties"
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

Madonna, as 'The Free State' was established in 1922 and done away with in 1949, it does not apply to any part of the island of Ireland :).
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

What bugs me also is when the Unionists call Ni - Ulster. It isn't, it is part of Ulster, Maybe I missed Doneygall, Cavan and Monaghan becomming part of Northern Ireland, but I don't thinks so.
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

When did "Doneygall" become part of Ulster and where is it located? ;)
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

I think if you say it like it sounds you'll get the joke.

Jem, if this wasn't a phonetic joke, keep your mouth shut and take the credit.

-Rd
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

I think if you say it like it sounds you'll get the joke.

Nope. :eek:
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

PatRabbitte keeps going on about a place he calls Incha-Doney, perhaps its in Co Doney-Gall?
 
Re:Geography lesson

QUOTE: "you could point out that the full title of the United Kingdom is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and so the unionists are not, and never have been, part of Britain."

You're correct. Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain, it's part of the United Kingdom.
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

Madonna said "The most correct descriptions are to my mind "The Free State" and "The Six Counties""

Well, people who live here know nothing is free in rip-off-Ireland, everything is expensive. There are other parts of Ireland / no the world that could collectively be called " the six counties ". There is a world outside N. Ireland, although some of the people who live there may not realize it. Imagine posting a postcard from Australia addressed to "the Free State" or to "the six counties"! Yeuch.
 
Re: Re:Geography lesson

I must admit my pet hate is the "Dublin government" which seems to have slipped into news reports from journalists who spent too long loitering outside OUP headquarters in Belfast in the late 80's.

I spent a few years in Belfast in the early 90's. We used to get the Newsletter free through the door. Their favourite headlines were usually "Eire Sex Shock" or "Eire ... Scandal".
"Republic of Ireland Sex Shock" just doesn't have that same ring to it I suppose...

A lot of the folk who told me I was a "Free Stater" also blamed me for deserting them in 1922. As a 60's baby I was always somewhat confused...
 
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