Infrapink (he/his/him)Aug 24, 2023

Oh, wow, this is nuts.

In 1999, #NorthernIreland secretaries were issues documents on how to correctly refer to #Ireland and #Britain. The article describes it as being written for #PeterMendelson, but it sounds like a standard document issues to all secretaries.

Apparently as late as 1999, #NI Secretaries had to be specifically advised not to refer to the #RepublicOfIreland as the #IrishFreeState, a political entity that had not existed since 1937.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0824/1401391-northern-ireland-briefing-papers/

Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Aug 24, 2023

Also they were not to refer to Britain as "the mainland". You'd think this is obvious, but it isn't so to too many Sasanaí, because of #imperialism and #colonialism

My dad encountered this attitude when he was working. A British vendor talked about the business they did "on the mainland". Dad raised his hand and asked "So are you talking about France, Germany, Switzerland...?" This was in the 1990s.

Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Aug 24, 2023
It also adivses not to refer to Northern Ireland as #Ulster or as "The Province". Actually, can we get this piece of advice to everyone in the UK and some people in Ireland? Because NI is not Ulster. Ulster is one of the provinces of Ireland, and contains nine counties. Northern Ireland comprises six of those counties, making it ⅔ of Ulster. Yet so many people use "Ulster" to mean "Northern Ireland".
Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)
Speaking of which, #Unionists need to stop using the #RedHand as a symbol. The Red Hand is a very specifically #Gaelic symbol; for Anglos to use it is crass #CulturalAppropiation, and that's actual cultural appropriation, not the kind of bullshit that is stereotypical of Tumblr.
Aug 24, 2023 at 5:33pmWeb
Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Aug 24, 2023

""Eire - official name of the Republic in Irish. Refers to the island of Ireland and implies claim to the 6 counties comprising Northern Ireland. Unacceptable."

In ainm Badhb Dearg, Rí na Sídhe, this is amazingly wrong.

'Eire' is not the Irish name of the Republic of Ireland. The name of the country is Éire. It is a completely different word. No, I'm not being pedantic. The fada matters.

'Éire' meand 'Ireland'. 'Eire' means burden. They are different words.

Show threadInfrapink (he/his/him)Aug 24, 2023
Also, no, Éire does not imply a claim to Northern Ireland. It is simply the name of the country in Irish, but can ALSO be used for the island. Indeed, British media often makes a point of referring to Ireland as 'Eire' in English to deny legitimacy to the independence of Ireland.
Show threadRiley S. FaelanAug 24, 2023

@Infrapink Could be worse. They could call it The Land of the Ire.

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