Is Ireland a "home nation"?

Dirty Dingus McGee · 11-10-2015 01:58PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

But like it or not, we're very similar culturally, we speak English as our main language, and we're literally isolated from the rest of Europe.
Like it or not, people lump us together when they think of us, even if they know Ireland is politically independent, so it makes sense to have a term to describe us and the UK together.

In that case we should be lumped in with all English speaking countries of the world.

UK and Ireland be just as good a term and more representative of the way most people see things.

Germany , Austria and Switzerland aren't lumped together with one term even though they speak the same language.

Nodin · 11-10-2015 02:00PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

But like it or not, we're very similar culturally, we speak English as our main language, and we're literally isolated from the rest of Europe.
Like it or not, people lump us together when they think of us, even if they know Ireland is politically independent, so it makes sense to have a term to describe us and the UK together.

No, it does not.

Avatar MIA · 11-10-2015 02:01PM

To not include Ireland among the term 'Home Nations' is to wipe out over a 100 years of history, as if Ireland never existed before 1922.

Revisionism at its finest.

FloatingVoter · 11-10-2015 02:02PM

Replace "Home Nations" with "Two Wet Rocks" ...far more descriptive.

Avatar MIA · 11-10-2015 02:02PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

It's still a daft term as it means nothing really as what exactly is the "home" referring to. Ireland is only home to Irish people not people from Britain.

I think you've forgotten the S in Home Nations

Dozen Wicked Words · 11-10-2015 02:03PM

I think it's seen as a home nation commercially, and in this day and age that's all that matters to them. Lucozade is probably GB and Ireland on packaging, Sony have GB and Ireland etc etc. It's just easy for lazy marketing people and cheaper. Why have 2 ads for countries speaking the same language. Dare say Austria has the same thing with Germany, Belgium with France or Holland, Canada with the USA etc etc.

Eugene Norman · 11-10-2015 02:03PM

There's nothing political, or economic or geographical about "home nations". It's merely a sporting term.

duchalla · 11-10-2015 02:03PM

kneemos wrote: »

It's due to our proximity to the mainland.

Do you live on the Aran Islands?

Avatar MIA · 11-10-2015 02:05PM

duchalla wrote: »

Do you live on the Aran Islands?

Pretty sure he was baiting ye

Nodin · 11-10-2015 02:05PM

Avatar MIA wrote: »

To not include Ireland among the term 'Home Nations' is to wipe out over a 100 years of history, as if Ireland never existed before 1922.

Revisionism at its finest.

So we only existed since 1822?

padd b1975 · 11-10-2015 02:05PM

It's just a lazy reference for this part of the world.

I doubt anyone outside of shinnerbots and barstool republicans see it as anything else.

Eugene Norman · 11-10-2015 02:07PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

It's still a daft term as it means nothing really as what exactly is the "home" referring to. Ireland is only home to Irish people not people from Britain.

I don't what evidence you want. Let me repeat.

It refers to the rugby unions who played in the Home Nations Championship. Home of rugby.

The term is never used politically.

Avatar MIA · 11-10-2015 02:07PM

Nodin wrote: »

So we only existed since 1822?

Of course not, but the term 'Home Nations' started around the 1800s.

The King of Moo · 11-10-2015 02:10PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

In that case we should be lumped in with all English speaking countries of the world.

UK and Ireland be just as good a term and more representative of the way most people see things.

Germany , Austria and Switzerland aren't lumped together with one term even though they speak the same language.

We are, by most non-English speakers.
But within Europe, people see us as being even closer to the UK.
Now I wouldn't expect "home nations" to take off as a phrase in general usage, but it makes sense in rugby terms: four similar teams, with one being made up of players from two states.
"The UK and Ireland" is fine but a bit awkward to say repeatedly, which is why people say "The British Isles" instead.

Nodin wrote: »

No, it does not.

It might not to lots of Irish people, but it does to foreigners who see everyone in the UK and Ireland being similar in a lot of ways, and don't know or care about our long shared history. And having spent some time in each "home country" it's fair to see we're broadly similarly culturally.

buried · 11-10-2015 02:13PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

We are, by most non-English speakers.
But within Europe, people see us as being even closer to the UK.
Now I wouldn't expect "home nations" to take off as a phrase in general usage, but it makes sense in rugby terms: four similar teams, with one being made up of players from two states.
"The UK and Ireland" is fine but a bit awkward to say repeatedly, which is why people say "The British Isles" instead.

That's a confusing mouthful alright

Eugene Norman · 11-10-2015 02:16PM

padd b1975 wrote: »

It's just a lazy reference for this part of the world.

I doubt anyone outside of shinnerbots and barstool republicans see it as anything else.

No. It's not used outside sport. If Obama visited Ireland, England, Scotland and then wales no commentator would say he visited the "home nations". They might say "British Isles", but that's a geographical term.

The term home championship also applied in soccer.

The British Home Championship (also known as the Home International Championship, the Home Internationals and the British Championship) was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (the last of whom competed as Ireland for some of the competition's history). Starting during the 1883–84 season, it is the oldest international football tournament and it was contested until the 1983–84 season, when it was abolished after 100 years.

If the FAI didn't break away from the IFA then the Ireland soccer team would also be a "home nation".

Neither the shinners nor the "hand it back to the Queen" mobs need to get excited about a term used in sport.

walshyn93 · 11-10-2015 02:18PM

It's a rugby term only. It's not about the United Kingdom at all, it's about the shared rugby heritage on both of these islands.

Eugene Norman · 11-10-2015 02:20PM

walshyn93 wrote: »

It's a rugby term only. It's not about the United Kingdom at all, it's about the shared rugby heritage on both of these islands.

Thank god! Another sane poster.

( but it's also used in soccer but doesn't include the Republic of Ireland soccer team)

DEFTLEFTHAND · 11-10-2015 02:23PM

Part of the north Atlantic archipelago known as the British Isles.

Very Bored · 11-10-2015 02:34PM

I don't like the fact that Ireland is partitioned and believe that it should be a united and independent country. However, our history is intertwined with Britain's and a lot of people in Britain look at us with affection. If they want to call us a home nation and get behind our team then I'm happy for them to do it. We are also part of the British Isles whether people like it or not. I wish people would grow up over this kind of thing. At the end of the day does it really matter?

Fleawuss · 11-10-2015 02:36PM

I feel a Haka coming on.

Yamanoto · 11-10-2015 02:38PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

It's juts another term that's used to lump us an brits in together

Jaysus, the paranoia.

Thread is about a Rugby themed Lucozade ad & in a purely Rugby context, Ireland's always been considered a 'home nation'.

Very Bored · 11-10-2015 02:40PM

@Eugene Norman, I'm a shinner and, as you can see from an earlier post from me, I'm not excited in the least about it, quite the opposite. Don't tar us all with the one brush.

catbear · 11-10-2015 02:41PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I feel a Haka coming on.

We gave the Polynesians a sport to beat the **** out of us with, let's beat them first and then think about line Dancing.

Duckworth_Luas · 11-10-2015 02:47PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

I feel a Haka coming on.

Supermac's haka!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydERGe2f1w

You can't even eat your snackbox in peace anymore without a New Zealander starting a haka.

Dirty Dingus McGee · 11-10-2015 02:51PM

Very Bored wrote: »

I don't like the fact that Ireland is partitioned and believe that it should be a united and independent country. However, our history is intertwined with Britain's and a lot of people in Britain look at us with affection. If they want to call us a home nation and get behind our team then I'm happy for them to do it. We are also part of the British Isles whether people like it or not. I wish people would grow up over this kind of thing. At the end of the day does it really matter?

No we're not.The term is not recognised by our government and is not in official use.

On your last point you could say that about every single argument in the history of humanity.

Very Bored · 11-10-2015 02:54PM

They only call us a home nation so they can follow the GAA because they know their Premier League is s***e anyway.

davycc · 11-10-2015 02:54PM

Eugene Norman wrote: »

I don't what evidence you want. Let me repeat.

It refers to the rugby unions who played in the Home Nations Championship. Home of rugby.

The term is never used politically.

I have associated it more myself with the home nations which was also a famously forgotten soccer tournament held last century with annually involving England Scotland Wales Ireland and northern Ireland

DEFTLEFTHAND · 11-10-2015 02:57PM

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

Supermac's haka!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydERGe2f1w

You can't even eat your snackbox in peace anymore without a New Zealander starting a haka.

Absolutely cringe inducing.

The Gardai should have been called to remove these muppets from the premises.

walshyn93 · 11-10-2015 03:09PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

No we're not.The term is not recognised by our government and is not in official use.

On your last point you could say that about every single argument in the history of humanity.

Yeah, we are. It's a geographical term not a political one, so it doesn't matter a ****e whether our government recognised it or not.

Is Ireland a "home nation"?

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