Why "Northern Ireland"?

karaokeman · 16-05-2013 02:11PM #1

Looking at yet another thread about a united Ireland brought a random thought to my head.

Why is it that when the UK claimed the 6 counties as their own, the new nation was titled "Northern Ireland" instead of a completely new name?

Was it expected that less trouble would be caused if "Ireland" remained in the title.

Reoil · 16-05-2013 02:12PM

...what?

For Forks Sake · 16-05-2013 02:12PM

karaokeman wrote: »

Looking at yet another thread about a united Ireland brought a random thought to my head.

Why is it that when the UK claimed the 6 counties as their own, the new nation was titled "Northern Ireland" instead of a completely new name?

Was it expected that less trouble would be caused if "Ireland" remained in the title.

Because 'Sh*thole*' wouldn't have been allowed in governmental communications.

Delirium · 16-05-2013 02:13PM

Because Southern Ireland would have just been confusing :P

The J Stands for Jay · 16-05-2013 02:13PM

It's so I can tell people I'm going south across the border into Northern Ireland.

SCOOP 64 · 16-05-2013 02:13PM

I think its because its in the north.

iDave · 16-05-2013 02:14PM

NEVERland was already taken

keano_afc · 16-05-2013 02:20PM

It was for the Unionists. They wouldnt live in a country that didnt have NO in the name.

jester77 · 16-05-2013 02:22PM

The land of ire

Death and Taxes · 16-05-2013 02:24PM

What do you suggest they should have called it OP? Protestantania?

joe40 · 16-05-2013 02:31PM

ireland - the only country in the world where the most northerly point is in the south

goose2005 · 16-05-2013 02:36PM

Some or all of Donegal was originally supposed to be part of NI

Senna · 16-05-2013 02:37PM

Jaffa Republic?

stoneill · 16-05-2013 02:38PM

If you happen to find yourself in Detroit and you travel south you end up in Canada.

Nothing to do with this thread, just though you'd like to know.

kraggy · 16-05-2013 02:38PM

Why Northern and not North like North Korea, North Dakota etc.

af_thefragile · 16-05-2013 02:38PM

Because the whole island is called Ireland?

ElChe32 · 16-05-2013 02:40PM

Supposedly they wanted to call it "Orangeland" but had a bit of a curfuffle with Terry's Chocolate Orange..so they went with Northern Ireland instead.

anncoates · 16-05-2013 02:42PM

I'm not sure but it strikes me as a wonderful starting point for a interesting and mature discussion with many notable contributions from leading AH intellectuals.

John Doe1 · 16-05-2013 02:44PM

goose2005 wrote: »

Some or all of Donegal was originally supposed to be part of NI

Yeah parts of east donegal in the laggan valley which has a high density of protestants. Also Derry city was meant to go to donegal

Solair · 16-05-2013 02:46PM

It's "Northern Ireland" as it was a bit of a compromised and messy arrangement.

North Ireland's hard to say, so Northern Ireland flows better and gets used. There's no particular distinction between North XXXX and Northern XXXX in English other than they're just two alternative ways of saying the same thing.

It also tends to refer to itself as Ulster when it's only a chunk of Ulster and to make matters even more confusing, the most northerly part of Ireland is actually in the Republic i.e. Malin Head.

jkbrgs · 16-05-2013 02:47PM

Why do the Northern media use phrases like "in the south west"? It takes forever for me to register that they mean the south west of the north east :P

Deedsie · 16-05-2013 02:48PM

It was considered to rename Northern Ireland as Ulster. I think it's because the Protestant majority in 1921 still considered themselves Irish or a type of British Irish. Like the Welsh, Scots & English. The had their individual Irish nationality within a British nation. In the last 90 years most of the PUL community have abandoned that Irish identity as have many of the catholic community living in Northern Ireland today.

NothingMan · 16-05-2013 02:49PM

The local's call it Norn Iron.

Solair · 16-05-2013 02:51PM

jkbrgs wrote: »

Why do the Northern media use phrases like "in the south west"? It takes forever for me to register that they mean the south west of the north east :P

BBC has its work cut out trying to be politically correct in the UK.

E.g. you cannot say the "National News" - Which nation? England or Scotland and NI and Wales aren't really nations in the pedantic sense. Wales is a principality and Northern Ireland's some kind of an entity.

You can't mention Derry for fear you'll upset someone so they tend to say "The Northwest" "Foyle Side" or anything to avoid saying it.

"That city up there.."
(point at a map)...

Technically speaking they should also drop the use of the term "British" in relation to things that represent the UK as the UK includes Northern Ireland and they're not actually British in the geographical sense.

Team GB should really be Team UK for the olympics.

In general, the UK's just completely confusing.

Topper Harley · 16-05-2013 03:00PM

I'm sure West Britain was probably considered at some point during Northern Ireland's creation.

It's funny how some in the north consider themselves specifically Northern Irish or British but then most people in the rest of Britain just consider everyone from the island as Irish/Paddies/Potato heads.

16-05-2013 03:19PM

When I lived in the UK the odd person would ask me what part of Ireland I was from (meaning north or south)

I tended to say I was from the west to stir a bit of conversation.

martinedwards · 16-05-2013 03:43PM

I guess its better than Northish Ireland, given the Donegal to the North of Derry thing.

Dyr · 16-05-2013 03:46PM

Marchistan has a ring to it

spodoinkle · 16-05-2013 03:52PM

Deedsie wrote: »

In the last 90 years most of the PUL community have abandoned that Irish identity as have many of the catholic community living in Northern Ireland today.

Pardon me, sir?

Andrew_Doran · 16-05-2013 04:01PM

karaokeman wrote: »

Why is it that when the UK claimed the 6 counties as their own, the new nation was titled "Northern Ireland" instead of a completely new name?

Playing devil's advocate.. One could also take the viewpoint that "Northern Ireland" wasn't a new nation at all but a piece of Ireland that continued on course as before, and leading from that train of thought that why give it a new name at all?

I suspect many at the time did not expect the country to remain divided for so long which could have influenced decisions.

Also It wasn't the UK (Great Britain you mean -- I think) claiming it as their own, as much as the majority up north demanding to remain part of the UK.

Madam · 16-05-2013 04:20PM

goose2005 wrote: »

Some or all of Donegal was originally supposed to be part of NI

According to my grandfather - some of Donegal along the new border was 'stolen' by the British , never could figure out quite where though(we did get to keep Lough Foyle in between wee skirmish's with the NI goverment).

Why "Northern Ireland"?

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