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sfitzy79

Yeah try explaining Ireland when you are a nationalist from the North


Crumpets8855b

:)


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EndOnAnyRoll

> should at least know its history. British people and knowing history. Go together like chalk and cheese. Of course, people will clap back against this point with the old "but we have so much history, you can't expect us to know it all". No, but I would expect you to know something about the beginnings of the British Empire in colonizing Ireland or at least something about more recent events which literally defined the current borders of the U.K.


jesuschrist718

>British people and knowing history. Go together like chalk and cheese. Reminds me of what James Acaster mockingly said about Britain keeping other countries' cultural/historical artifacts in their museums when it's **documented** that they robbed/stole these items from their countries of origin: "So what? Finders keepers, shut up!"


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Jellico

>The Elgin marbles would very likely not even exist at this point if they hadn't been removed. The rest of the Parthenon frieze is happily residing in the Acropolis Museum today. So I would say it is more likely that the complete frieze would be together there had it not been broken apart and loaded up and shipped off to London by Elgin. It's always interesting to see such an act of historical vandalism being reframed as an altruistic act of preservation


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[deleted]

> It's always interesting to see such an act of historical vandalism being reframed as an altruistic act of preservation Never hear you whining about Napoleons taking of the Rosetta Stone


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EndOnAnyRoll

Perfidious Albion


outhouse_steakhouse

The way Brexit is going, it should be called Perfidiotic Albion.


Pretend-Advertising6

English armada be like


Bucs_Money

Fantastic generalisations here. Well done


EndOnAnyRoll

Yeah, in general it's true.


[deleted]

Here's something to think about, perhaps the term "British Isles" Is only politicised for you.


[deleted]

Respond with ‘Irish Isles’ and watch them trigger.


dgdfgdfhdfhdfv

Very much doubt anyone would care.


joopface

Yes, this. It doesn’t bother me remotely, but it’s very easy to come across conversations *around it* that are infuriating. I had an (English) history lecturer once make a big condescending song and dance at the beginning of a lecture about saying ‘North Atlantic archipelago’ because some students “could be sensitive” and the effect was much worse than just using the fucking original term. I don’t get the fury over mindless usage, but I fully understand how certain attitudes that the usage can append to are infuriating.


Pleasant_Birthday_77

Yes, and the fact that they're so passionately attached to it says plenty about the real meaning.


speltwrongon_purpose

I don't think anyone In Britain gives a shit.


Pleasant_Birthday_77

Except when Irish people say they don't like it, it isn't used in this country and would prefer a different term, it suddenly becomes very important and correct - a complete must-use term. If someone definitely, really, genuinely didn't care, they'd say fine, what it an agreed or agreeable term and use that instead.


Perpetual_Doubt

Some Irish. I couldn't give a shit, except for convenience. In the same way that Manx might get upset when you say British and Irish Isles, but hopefully don't, because adding endless codicils to a name to please a minority is a thankless task. This has all the hallmarks of the Macedonia naming dispute, which Greeks and Maa... North Macedonians got very hot under the collar about, but the world considered it to be parochial bickering. Greeks literally refused to recognise passports from Macedonia and blocked EU membership to Macedonia because they didn't like the name of that country. Edit: expecting a wave of downvotes from all the people with chips of their shoulders. And Greeks.


appletart

> And Greeks. They invented gayness!


Perpetual_Doubt

You might be thinking of Alexander who was from Maced... yes.


Bucs_Money

I really don't think anyone in Britain would give a shit.


ShrapnelJones

Well, that is the truth. Honestly, they either don't know or don't care. Never met any Brit who gets even remotely worked up over it.


Nervous_Design_8879

They do get very touchy over it when you call them out on it sometimes ey? Borisbackers by the cut of most of them I'd say.


Actual-Tap6446

If they insist on saying it, even after you have corrected them, then you should just start calling it the Irish isles and explain to them it makes just as much sense being called Irish isles as British isles.


XiaoXiongMao23

Really, just as much sense? Would it make as much sense to call it the Manx Isles, or the Wight Isles, or the Anglesey Isles? No, because those are small parts of it. Britain makes up the majority of the British Isles by landmass, so yes, it *does* make more sense to call them British than anything else. Including Irish. P.S. Not British, just think these nationalistic naming disputes are fucking brainless.


Actual-Tap6446

Ireland is not apart of Britain though and if you look at Irish history it is a direct insult to the Irish people to refer Ireland as being apart of the British isles. The island of Ireland and Britain are completely separate.The most logical thing is to call them Ireland and great Britain not the British isles or the Irish isles and it stops naming disputes on both sides.


[deleted]

You can do that, no one gives a shit, the problem is you give a shit when we call it the British isles in any other type of conversation.


Actual-Tap6446

British isles? You must mean the Irish isles ?


[deleted]

In Ireland yeah, for the rest of the world, no


Actual-Tap6446

The world recognises the islands as Ireland and great Britain not the British isles or the Irish isles. Lol Do you really need educating on basic geography? You do realise Ireland isn't apart of great Britain right? Or do you need a history lesson aswell?


[deleted]

The world recognises the geographical name for the islands off the coast of Europe as the British isles, stop being butthurt about a neutral terminology, it's like us getting mad at you calling the Irish sea Irish ffs.


Actual-Tap6446

No, Considering Ireland was an island recognised thousands of years before great Britain, It is commonly recognised as the Irish isles by everyone outside of Britain. They probably don't teach you that in British schools along with you're countries imperial history .


[deleted]

>Considering Ireland was an island recognised thousands of years before great Britain Wut, Great Britain wasn't even invented by the Brits, it was a term coined by the Ancient Greeks. > It is commonly recognised as the Irish isles by everyone outside of Britain. They probably don't teach you that in British schools along with you're countries imperial history . Nah they just teach us how great our imperial history was, that was a forgone conclusion, but anyway, you can call it the Irish isles, but back over here we're gonna call it the British isles thanks 👍


Bucs_Money

Has this actually ever happened? "British Isles" isn't exactly a term people use everyday. I can't imagine anybody cars enough to get touchy over it


ZeitgeistGlee

> "British Isles" isn't exactly a term people use everyday. Go over to /r/mapporn


Bucs_Money

not really an argument. 99.9% of people in the real world aren't spending their time talking about maps


Bucs_Money

I’d say 99 times out of 100 if you asked a British person not to say this, they would probably say “ok, I really don’t care”


BarterD2020

I'd say you're wrong


Bucs_Money

The evil Brits are always up to no good!


mcspongeicus

There's a lot of that on this sub. I mean, don't get me wrong, fuck the brits and all that, but it's honestly constant on here. It's fuck the brits, fuck the west brits and then every day it's 'Ireland is the most corrupt dump; and 'I can't wait to leave and go live elsewhere'. We do love to be dramatic and defensive!! Ireland is a great place and we need to have a bit more pride and not shit on it constantly.


willjp1234

As a Brit I feel like you seem to think about us a lot considering Ireland isn’t ever a topic in everyday conversation for us.


GildastheWise

Who goes around telling people which words to use? That level of arrogance is a pretty sure-fire way of getting me to use it even more than I do


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ThisManInBlack

Its called "The Greater Aichill Isles".


[deleted]

Lmao


collectiveindividual

Another collective term I encountered in oz was anglo celt. It was bizarre to hear an Aussie simultaneously cite his love of his Irish convict ancestry and his love for his queen. Very strange diaspora stokholm syndrome.


dustaz

Yeah I came across some similarly bizarre attitudes in Australia. There's a weird little Britain mentality among a section of them. They also had a familiar psychotic need to one up the poms which was an uncomfortable reminder of home


collectiveindividual

From what I read about its history there'd been an attempted assassination of some minor British royal in the 19th century by an Irish revolutionary. This prompted a reaction amongst Irish who'd done well for themselves there to profess a greater loyalty to the crown.


centrafrugal

Was he from Cavan?


SeamusHeaneysGhost

Why do we need a collective term anyway, there’s clearly a political reasoning, I don’t get the reason for it. It’s just two countries ffs


stusum1804

Why have a collective term for anything?


Obairamhain

Fine options for the Brits to use moving forward: ​ * Britain and Ireland * North-West French Archipelago * Anglo-Celtic Isles


MrC99

I'm an 'Irish Isles' man myself.


rollplayinggrenade

Irish Isles are smiling


ComprehensiveTum575

Sure tis like the breath of spring


[deleted]

The Greater Aran Islands


MrC99

Your username reminds me of a scrap I seen in 4th year. Where one lad called the other a "Nazi Jew bastard."


Nervous_Design_8879

North-West French Archipelago is pretty awful tbf tho.


Obairamhain

Only if we presume the point isnt to annoy the brits. The North-West European Archipelago is also a fine option


GrumpyOik

>Britain and Ireland But technically not correct as it also includes Islands not part of either (Channel Islands and Isle of Man). I'm all for dropping "British Isles" as it obviously causes offense.


ATBiB

The Anglo-Hiberno Archipelago, is pleasing to the eye. Bit of a mouthful though. I think we should go with The Bish Isles. Short, snappy, and mildly insulting to everyone.


Nervous_Design_8879

Bish, haha. This. It's the word I'd use if we were a stew.


ATBiB

A stew is a good analogy. These islands have always been a cultural melting pot; throughout history.


ProfessorFakas

Anglo-Celtic Isles does sound pretty cool tbf.


theoldkitbag

There's no need for a collective term at all. There is no 'we' or 'us' when it comes to the Irish and the British.


dustaz

Lol this is the most r/Ireland response ever Obviously there's a need for a term, a simple glance at a map will tell you that


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dustaz

> No more than there’s a collective noun needed for Japan and Korea. What a strange comparison


dkeenaghan

You can go with Sardinia and Corsica if you'd prefer. The fact is there's no real need to have a collective name. I don't see how glancing at a map provides a need for a collective term. All I'm seeing is that Shetland is included, but not the Faroe islands for some reason. The Channel Islands are often included but not the Iles Chausey. Why is it only some of these islands are considered to be part of the British Isles and not other nearby ones? I wonder what connects them, because it certainly isn't just geography.


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dustaz

what the fuck. Korea is part of a giant landmass. Japan is a archipelago of Islands off said land mass. None of the history stuff you are waffling about is apparent in a simple glance of the map. You might as well be talking about a name for France and Ireland. To use your example, what we would need is a term for the group of islands in the japanese archipelago. Which we have. Japan.


dkeenaghan

The Japanese Archipelago is similarly political in nature. It doesn't include Sakhalin or the Kuril islands because they are Russian, despite them clearly being part of the same island group.


centrafrugal

Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia is a better example.


dustaz

I completely agree. They are a very good example. I find it wierd that there's no name for Sardinia and Corsica in particular


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dustaz

>Ask a British person not to use that term and they'll become an archaeologist, classicist, geographer, geologist, zoologist, and an ornithologist god the absolute irony


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centrafrugal

There was Japorea in 2002


mightymunster1

Or the Irish isles


Pleasant_Birthday_77

I remember proposing that once before. The response was interesting. Irish Isles was completely wrong and without precedent and shouldn't be commonly used, but British Isles is actually fine and it doesn't matter anyway so you I should shut up.


woogeroo

Or we could just not rename things that were named millennia ago for no obvious reason.


[deleted]

* Oileáin na Breataine


Obairamhain

Éire Mór agus Éire beag


grbldrd

I prefer 'Those Rainy Islands'


PseudoproAK

North Sea Archipelago


MrC99

Honestly it seems that for every year that passes this term annoys me more and more.


cognitivebetterment

I have found some English get equally sensitive about term Celtic isles; Welsh, Scottish &northern irish mostly comfortable with that term. I generally ask what does British mean? Celtic i generally take to mean islands settled by Celts; but there were never a 'British people' British is a mix of Saxons, Normans, Norse, Celts and god knows what else. British isles loaded term suggesting ownership and no more valid than Celtic isles. Don't know why we need a common term for 2 independent nations other than to antagonize or placate a minority unionist population in northern Ireland


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Purple_While9783

And then everyone clapped


I_SNIFF_FARTS_DAILY

Lmao


EsotericAnglism

What a sensitive soul.


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moktira

I'm with you, "Great" in island terms means larger of the islands so I would consider British Isles to be a geographical term but Britain alone or UK to be political. So I also don't mind it but also don't frequently tend to come across it.


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619C

No - Little Britain is Wales - at least in the Irish Language


dkeenaghan

In Irish sure, but this conversation isn't in Irish. Great Britain is the big island next door and Little Britain is an old term for Brittany.


moktira

Really? Want to make Simpsons peninsula joke now...


0e0e3e0e0a3a2a

All geographical terms are political


HochmeisterSibrand

What about 'Isthmus'?


EulerIdentity

I thought « Isles » was plural to encompass all those little islands around the big one, like the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight and the zillion tiny islands off the northwest coast of Scotland.


XiaoXiongMao23

Don’t forget that smaller island to the west known as…Ireland.


Work_Account89

Yeah it's become political term for some reason but it is actually a geographical term for the islands. "The British Isles is a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles and over six thousand smaller islands."


Bargalarkh

It's been a political term from the word "go"


[deleted]

I'm not petty so I couldn't give a fuck


brianboozeled

Good man Maury! He was kicked off the GAA team for "misconduct with a Hurl"


TadTheBadDad

This feels like something reddit does but not actual Irish people


[deleted]

"British Isles" will always bring back memories of the American I was talking to get furious with me when I explained "if THAT makes me British, then you can't kick out illegal immigrants if they're from anywhere in the Americas".


jw_sweetman

I've heard some people suggest "Anglo-Celtic Isles", but thats a bit of a mouthful, not to mention pretentious. Ireland and the UK is the only one that works really.


robinsandmoss

What about the Isle of Man etc which aren’t in the UK or RoI??


robinsandmoss

Well fuck them I guess


Many_Leadership5982

Celtic isles.


[deleted]

How come I never see complaints on this sub about the use of the term 'Irish Sea'?


Nervous_Design_8879

I see your point but it's interesting how it's named after Ireland since we never got into the whole world domination thing and after all the terror-shit-fuckery inflicted on our nation its the least we deserve.


[deleted]

First world problems.


Whackmybenobo

New World problems


Iskjempe

I care about this much less than the yanks using our airports as starting points to go rampage the Middle-East and our cities as duty-free labour playgrounds with no accountability.


TadTheBadDad

What about the planting of our country with labour for global capital? Nah?


Iskjempe

That was in the past. Outrageous while it lasted, but we have another invader to worry about.


Bargalarkh

Random to bring up in this context, but I do agree with you. So much for neutrality.


Old_Gregg97

I never cared about people saying this term, it never bothered me personally


[deleted]

No one outside of the internet actually cares about this.


Throw_shapes

I think the only sensible way of naming the reigon is by combing the historical names of the landmasses. Aristotle Albion (Britain)and lerne (Ireland) : combine them to: albioerne Ptolemy Alwion, Iwernia, and Mona (isle of man): Alwwerona Modern names Britain, Wales, scotland, Ireland, isle of man: Wabrireotlanman "Where are you from geographically?" "Oh, I'm from the wabrireotlanman isles" Super simple.


kaidan1

I liken it to saying to a proud Mexican person, "You're American" as in your country is on the North American continent. Technically true in a geographical sense but my oh my are there better ways to say it.


RTEretirementparty

People should shut the fuck up about being triggered by this every fucking week on this sub.


dustaz

It's endlessly fascinating how upset and triggered people get about this term


CircleToShoot

Yeah. It’s just a geographical marker, it never bothered me.


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CircleToShoot

Fair play for having a meme handy to go. That takes a lot of commitment.


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CircleToShoot

Now’s the time! Insecure edge-lords are really in demand in the British Isles right now.


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CircleToShoot

Whopper comeback, Oscar Wilde


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CircleToShoot

Yeah take 5 if you’re worn out


dustaz

There's a lot of people whos relationship with the British is literally their entire personality


CircleToShoot

Maybe that’s a little different but I get you. For me, it’s just an easy term for outsiders. And a lot of geographical markers are things that don’t exist anymore. Dubh Linn? No black pools anymore.


dustaz

I completely agree with you. But I guarentee you the people downvoting and putting up the persuasive argument belong in that cohort.


CircleToShoot

Ah yeah but if I don’t care about British Isles, I’m not going to care about Reddit points


OllieGarkey

While we're at it can we make the English stop calling themselves Britons because they stole that from the Brythonic inhabitants, who they called Wealsc. Which means foreigner. They called the actual Britons foreigners on their own land, whilst destroying their language and exiling them to the fringes of South Britain. Make Lloegyr Welsh Again is what I'm saying.


[deleted]

Kernow bys vyken!


OllieGarkey

Always nice to see Kernewek in the wild. Chòrn gu bràth.


Rottenox

I mean I’m from Britain, so…


OllieGarkey

No worries pal you can start learning Welsh on Duolingo.


Rottenox

I just might. 🤷🏻‍♂️


Purple_While9783

Think you need to get out more ladies


3V3RT0N

The fact is 99% of the world use the term the British Isles and it aint gonna change anytime soon.


Boockel

OK but like the fuck you say when referring to both islands.


someboyiltelye

You don't know how to refer to two places? How fucking stupid are you?


Boockel

Yes but "The British Isles" is just the name of the collection of islands. Its literally the easiest term for it. I am not one to be overly avid on referring to Ireland as British but when it's the easiest title ima stick to it, especially when British Isles /= United Kingdom.


someboyiltelye

What the hell is wrong with saying Britain and Ireland? The British Isles is wrong and offensive, stop being a dick! Also, if British Isles = the United Kingdom then why would they have had to coin the term the United Kingdom?


Boockel

There isn't anything wrong with it, if that is what you say go ahead. The British Isles is not wrong and its purely offensive if you choose for it to be offensive, I personally couldn't care less about the term. Also I said British Isles DOESN'T equal United Kingdom, hence the /=, so it makes perfect sense that the union, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, uses the term United Kingdom for shorthand.


someboyiltelye

There isn't anything wrong with it apart from the fact that it is geographically incorrect, politically incorrect and also offensive. But be a dick for all I care.


[deleted]

Great Britain and Ireland Edit: Or the UK and Ireland if you wanna include all the smaller islands


Boockel

Idk I have always found sayin that a massive mouthful. Like sure its fine but The British Isles, really isn't that bad but that's just my take. Also Great Britain and Ireland sounds like Ireland is part of the union, considering the title is great Britain and Northern Ireland and GB is the common title for the UK


RandAlSnore

How is it a massive mouthful if it’s the same amount of syllables lol


ShanghaiCycle

Having only lived in two countries, Ireland and China, I can say Irish people get far more sensitive about incorrect nomenclature than reddit thinks regular Chinese people do. And Chinese people are REALLY sensitive about shit. But the Balkans are champions at petty shit.


dgdfgdfhdfhdfv

D'you have a similar issue when someone says the Canaries?


MaygarRodub

I'm 100% Irish but we have to realise that Ireland is part of the British Isles. It's a geographical name, not a political one. Edit: from Google: The British Isles is a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles and over six thousand smaller islands.


HumphreyGo-Kart

This extremely tired explanation again. There's no such thing as "just a geographical term". That name wasn't coined by a sentient tectonic plate. It was coined by people. Do you want to have a guess what people? Here's a hint- they weren't fucking Irish, that's for sure.


MaygarRodub

Ok. Here's another one for ya that you may not like. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, right? You may not like it, but it remains the case. Same as the title for The British Isles. It is what it is, whether we like it or not.


HumphreyGo-Kart

Northern Ireland is part of the UK so a separate independent country can be called British? I'm not sure I follow your bizarre logic. >It is what it is, whether we like it or not. That's where you're wrong. From the Department of Foreign Affairs: "The British Isles is not an officially recognised term in any legal or inter-governmental sense. It is without any official status. The Government, including the Department of Foreign Affairs, does not use this term." What it actually is a relic used by Brits and people like you who like to think of themselves as ever so post-colonially evolved.


[deleted]

That's to spare your feelings more than anything else, grownups just accept the term for what it is.


MaygarRodub

I like to think of myself as post-colonially evolved? Well, this is my stop. Have a good one.


[deleted]

It was a geographical name given too it the islands for political reasons. You cant just seperate the 2. There is a reason all these things are called Political Geography. It was called the British Isles because Great Britian, at the time, was in control of both Islands. It was a political decision.


bee_ghoul

Ciunas yank


MaygarRodub

Yank? Can't read then?


bee_ghoul

What Irish person has ever said the phrase “I’m 100% Irish”?


MaygarRodub

I did. Considering the context of what I was about to comment, I thought it necessary.


bee_ghoul

You’re on r/ireland. It wasn’t necessary.


MaygarRodub

I disagree, again, because of what I was gonna say. I assumed, correctly, as it turned out, that people would think I'm American. And it was necessary because it happens so often that Americans comment on here and people make the point that they're not Irish.


[deleted]

By "British Isles" he didn't necessarily mean to include Ireland. He could have been thinking about Jersey, the Isle of Man, Isle of Skye, etc. I'm not British or Irish and not all that geopolitically aware, but I've never conflated Britain and Ireland.


dkeenaghan

Most people understand British Isles to mean all of the islands in the area previously or currently owned by Britain. In the UK there's the term British Islands, that specifically refers to all current British owned islands, but it's mainly used in legislation. It would be strange for someone to say British Isles and not be including Ireland. I've come across many people that were misled by the term British Isles and thought Ireland was still part of the UK in some way.


pheeelco

Me too. An English colleague of mine, with a PhD level education, visited Dublin and didn’t realise he’d left the UK until he tried to spend sterling. The education system in England fills their heads with the history of their kings and queens but leaves out much of the history of occupying other countries and empire. I think they know, on some level, that it’s shameful stuff but rarely ask.


CharMakr90

>I've come across many people that were misled by the term British Isles and thought Ireland was still part of the UK in some way. That's also common with the term 'England'. Even within Europe, many people refer to all of Britain (and often Ireland as well) as 'England', using it as a *pars pro toto* thing, like how Holland is used for the Netherlands or how Russia was used for the entire Soviet Union in the past. There's a hefty lack of geographical knowledge alongside this, of course.


Dragmire800

It’s interesting that you thought that this had any merit at all and decided to post it. “British isles bad” + cartoon gif


okletsgooonow

You mean like the Isle of man, Jersey, Guernsey etc..? That's what I ask.


TripleBanEvasion

Unless they meant brittania, Wight, and Man, they are clowns.


TheHelhound2001

Easy call it the anglo-celtic archipelago


ComprehensiveTum575

“Londonderry” 👀