Comment by closewith
4 days ago
> This isn't specific to the British!
But it is. Republic of Ireland when used to refer to the country is used almost exclusively in Britain and specifically to marginalise the country of Ireland.
4 days ago
> This isn't specific to the British!
But it is. Republic of Ireland when used to refer to the country is used almost exclusively in Britain and specifically to marginalise the country of Ireland.
I’m dubious—I’m an American who knows comparatively little about the Troubles and yet have always thought “Republic of Ireland” was the official name. I certainly use it fairly often, completely innocuously, to distinguish between it and Northern Ireland. I probably picked it up from the Wikipedia article, which prominently lists them both as common names.
the republic of ireland, or the irish republic is the official name of the country as stated on the constitution. it's not offensive at all to my irish self and is on every international letter address. southern ireland is mildly offensive because it implies ignorance of my government but not very much so. if it was offensive we wouldn't use the term northern ireland so often. the official name for that is so long i don't remember it off hand.
> the republic of ireland, or the irish republic is the official name of the country as stated on the constitution.
No, the exact opposite is true. The Irish Government even instruct all bodies of the State to never use either term.
> it's not offensive at all to my irish self and is on every international letter address.
It may not offend you, but is not on any international address. Don't know where you get that idea.
> southern ireland is mildly offensive because it implies ignorance of my government but not very much so.
Southern Ireland and Republic of Ireland are both used in different contexts primarily by British institutions to marginalise Ireland and to appease Unionists, who complain any time Ireland is used to refer to the country.
> if it was offensive we wouldn't use the term northern ireland so often. the official name for that is so long i don't remember it off hand.
The official name of Northern Ireland is "Northern Ireland".
Honestly, I can't tell if you're trolling or actually this ignorant of your own country?