Redrawing county boundaries

dublincc2

I heard an interview on Newstalk a few months ago where the possibility of changing the county boundaries was discussed, particularly in the potential context of a united Ireland. Reasons to change the current structure include the fact they were drawn up by the English often with disregard to Gaelic or diocese boundaries and that they no longer adequately represent the areas they cover.

My solution is as follows:

Scrap the counties of Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Cavan, Leitrim, Westmeath and Derry. Laois is partitioned between Kildare, Carlow and Kilkenny, Offaly between Kildare, Meath and Tipperary, Wicklow between Dublin and Carlow.

Meath to be enlarged to include all of Westmeath and part of Offaly.

Cavan and Leitrim merged to create Breffny.

Tyrone extended to include southeast of Derry. The city of Derry west of the Foyle goes to Donegal, Coleraine east of the Bann to Antrim and the remainder of Derry becomes the county of Coleraine.

Galway split, Connemara is a separate county while the east becomes its own county together with south Roscommon.

Kerry is also split with north of the Maine remaining Kerry and the rest, including Beara from Cork becomes the county of Desmond.

The remained of the counties remain unchanged.

On a provincial level, the four provinces remain but Louth is returned to Ulster and the old territory of Cavan returned to Connaught as part of Breffny.

I think this is pretty much perfect, it aligns with historic borders and makes sense on the ground. What do you think?

Here is a map of my proposal:

Podge_irl

You keep coming up with these ridiculous proposals for changing Ireland without ever explaining what problem they are going to solve.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027710#Comment_121027710

How is the above map ridiculous? It’s literally the perfect Ireland in terms of local subdivisions. I do not believe my map can be improved.

GSBellew

Why?

What is the point?

What is it fixing?

Name a tangible benefit that there would be from this proposal beyond reducing the number of county councils which if that were the aim the disparity in county sizes in your proposal makes no sense still.

dublincc2

Mod: no image dumping!

elperello

Good luck to you and Eoin O'Malley, you are going to need it.

A quixotic enterprise if I ever saw one.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027799#Comment_121027799

Why?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027833#Comment_121027833

Well you might ask.

Your proposal you make the case.

No offence intended.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027833#Comment_121027833

Because it is pointless & unnecessary, fixing something that does not need to be fixed because it is not broken.

dublincc2

It represents a maturing of the Irish nation as part of the process of creating an all-island Republic, ridding ourselves of the borders placed on the island both internationally and internally.

the_amazing_raisin

I love it when threads dial the insanity and stupidity up to 11 in the opening post 🤣

OP, good luck is all I'm going to say.

Funnily enough I don't think gaining the endorsement of the users of boards will further your plan (and it sounds like you won't get it) but go ahead anyway, all you need is to believe in yourself 😉

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027917#Comment_121027917

It's a total bag of cr@p. Fixing something that's not broken for no reason whatsoever and with a twisted view of the socio economic realities of most of the country.

Has to be a poor attempt at a wind up.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027931#Comment_121027931

Not a wind up, I put a lot of research and consideration into historical Gaelic territorial boundaries etc to make my map.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027730#Comment_121027730

As with your other threads you show no reason that would persuade even a small minority to bother reading it. Beyond football the county has little or no impact on peoples lives. And any politician will tell you you do not mess with peoples sports.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027979#Comment_121027979

The reasoning in my view is clear. An independent all-island republic must make visible changes to the impositions of the neighbouring island to truly carve our own place amongst the nations of Europe as opposed to being a breakaway district of GB. That goes for the political structure as well as local government, both of which are holdovers from the union.

CrabRevolution

So say we accept that they're "natural boundaries" despite nobody younger than the age of 500 remembering them. What benefits will we accrue from these new county borders?

P.S. OP you hardly post under a different name in the soccer forum? There's another poster there who has a similar bizarre faith in a fantasy scheme with as little reality backing it up.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027998#Comment_121027998

What political structures are a holdover from the UK. A more than cursory look will reveal we have vastly different political processes to the UK

We have a political process enshrined in an actual written constitution, which is kept relevant through a process of public referendums. By contrast the UK has no real constitution and most processes there are by convention, which is vulnerable to a government willing to defy convention

Our voting process is also vastly more democratic and generally ensures minority viewpoints are given weight respective of their representation within the population. The UK instead is largely a two party system and is vulnerable to gerrymandering and many districts where an opposing vote to the incumbent is effectively useless

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027917#Comment_121027917

Rejecting centuries old administrative districts that have become the norm for all citizens of Ireland cause "the English made them" is actually the very opposite of maturity.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027917#Comment_121027917

Hmmm, Showing how we have matured as a nation by changing things because "they changed them" and going to something from hundreds of years ago to show that we are forward looking and a progressive nation by regressing.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable, balanced, mature, inclusive and progressive approach......

road_high

County boundaries should be left as they are. However, local authorities should be regionalised as they are an incredible wasteful duplication across very small areas. They’re an extremely expensive public works scheme

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028375#Comment_121028375

Depends on how may regions you see, Provinces would not be regional enough as there is a huge difference between more and less populated parts of each province and a certain amount of local knowledge is necessary when it comes to area's like planning and local strategic development, a provincial authority would likely favour development of the populated centres at the detriment of the less so because population equates to votes.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027966#Comment_121027966

Then you wasted a lot of time on a pointless exercise.

rock22

@dublincc2 "Not a wind up, I put a lot of research and consideration into historical Gaelic territorial boundaries etc to make my map."

Did you really make 'your map'? Because from what I can see it is remarkably like the linked map With a few Marker lines drawn on it.

Map : Interesting map. The historical Barony divisions in Ireland - Infographic.tv - Number one infographics & data Data visualization source

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028375#Comment_121028375

This. For example, the combined populations of Longford and Leitrim is less than the official capacity of croke park. But there are two separate local authorities with duplication of roles etc.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027917#Comment_121027917

Instead of trotting out empty rhetoric about perfidious Albion n all that, it'd help if you at least outlined the economic and practical benefits of merging or redrawing counties. You say you did lots of research, so outline where the benefits are for the communities that exist - Cos you can't just unset what has become the norm cross a century(ies) for the sake of twinkly eyed nationalistic nostalgia. There's a status quo that exists, and wouldn't necessarily welcome change for its own sake.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058310866/redrawing-county-boundaries

I'm curious when you say your proposal aligns with historic borders, exactly what period of time do you refer to in history. And what exact evidence you have of what the borders might have been in this period.

dublincc2

Even the county boundaries today are incorrect, for example in the news today there’s a story about a fatal car accident in Clonmel, universally reported as having occurred in Co. Tipperary when in fact the road where it happend was south of the Suir, so it happened in Co. Waterford.

Towns like Drogheda, Athlone, Coleraine, Newry, Carrick-on-Suir, Carrick-on-Shannon and Ballina are similarly split along rivers and instead of forming cross boundary town councils, they add the section across the river to the county which the main part of the town lies.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121027894#Comment_121027894

The OPs map is stupid but the system is cracked if not broken.

Just using an example I am familiar with Limerick City. The villages of South Clare are far more connected to Limerick City than let's say Kilmallock or Abbeyfeale which got merged with Limerick City council based on ancient county lines.

The GAA is often used as a scaremongering tactic in these debates but the UK historical and administrative county system shows the easy way around this.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121029798#Comment_121029798

The county boundaries & other administrative borders as currently constituted are quite correct - they are defined legally on sets of maps maintained by the state. The fact that some people & media are mistaken about them means nothing.

You still haven't clarified what period of Irish history you propose to establish your claim of authenticity on??? And hard evidence as to borders then.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121029833#Comment_121029833

How exactly is the map stupid?

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121030083#Comment_121030083

Do you not think that has been pointed out to you several times already ?