Alternative names for Northern Ireland
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There are a number of alternative names used for the region of the island of Ireland officially called Northern Ireland. The region, consisting of six historic counties, remains part of the United Kingdom following the secession of the other twenty-six counties to form the Irish Free State in 1922 (now Ireland). In addition to, and sometimes instead of, its official name, several other names are used for the region, both amongst unionists and those with other political viewpoints such as nationalists and republicans. The significant differences in political views between the sides is reflected in the variations of names for the region.
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[edit] Names
[edit] Legal name
The official and legal name of the region is Northern Ireland. This is despite the fact that Malin Head in the Republic of Ireland actually extends further north than any of Northern Ireland. The legal name is used by both the British and Irish governments, internationally by governments around the world, and by most of its inhabitants. Some nationalists, however, reject the name Northern Ireland, as they believe it distinguishes the region from the rest of Ireland.
[edit] Political names
[edit] Unionist associated names
Ulster is often used by Unionists and in the rest of the UK. This is the Anglo-Norse form of the province of Uladh (pronounced "Ull-oo") (Irish Uladh and Old Norse ster, meaning "province," yields "Uladh Ster" or, in English, "Ulster"). Examples of official use of this term are the Ulster Unionist Party, the University of Ulster, BBC Radio Ulster and other organisations.
This term is disliked by some nationalists because the whole of the Province of Ulster consists of nine counties - three of which, County Monaghan, County Cavan and County Donegal, are in the Republic of Ireland. Unionists have argued that because Ulster's size has changed much over the centuries, Ulster can be applied to Northern Ireland alone. Indeed, as discussed below, the Government of Northern Ireland once considered a proposal to change the official name to Ulster.
The Province is also sometimes used, referring directly to the status of Northern Ireland as a "province" of the United Kingdom. This also, however, could be obliquely used to refer to the province of Ulster; and since no other constituent part of the United Kingdom is known as a province, a less controversial usage is "the region".
[edit] Nationalist associated names
Nationalists in the region and their supporters abroad commonly refer to it as The North of Ireland, The North-East or The North. This can be used to implicitly deny British sovereignty by placing it into the rest of Ireland, at least linguistically. It does, however, contain the same geographic anomaly as it does not contain Ireland's most northerly point.
The Six Counties is another popular name among republicans, as it can portray the region as a mere collection of Irish counties, rather than a legal political entity. Some also reject the claim of the Republic of Ireland to have inherited the tradition of the Irish Republic of the Irish War of Independence, because it excludes the northeast, and refer to the Republic variously as the Free State or The Twenty-Six Counties.
The Occupied Six Counties is a phrase sometimes used by more extreme republicans, especially since the arrival of British troops, but originally employed simply to suggest the illegitimacy of the British presence. This is sometimes rendered as The Occupied Zone or The OZ.
[edit] Proposal to change official name
Some Unionists have from time to time called for the official name of Northern Ireland to be changed to Ulster.
The parliamentary reports of the Parliament of Northern Ireland record an instance where this was given formal consideration.[1] On 1 December 1937, Thomas Joseph Campbell, MP (Nationalist) asked the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland whether the Government was considering changing the name of Northern Ireland, and, if so what name was being considered. Responding, the Minister of Finance, John Miller Andrews MP said "the matter has been under discussion amongst Members of the Government, but no Cabinet decision has been taken".
This exchange followed speeches in parliament the previous month by two Independent Unionist MPs, Tommy Henderson and John William Nixon raising the possible name-change. Both regretted the name-change was not mentioned in the King's Speech. Mr. Henderson criticised the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland's handling of the matter. He said that "the Attorney-General suggested recently that the name of Northern Ireland should be changed to Ulster". However, according to Mr Henderson it was "absolutely impossible to change the name of this area from Northern Ireland to Ulster without amending the 1920 Act" (the Government of Ireland Act, 1920). That Act could only be amended by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and not the Parliament or government of Northern Ireland. He concluded that in making the suggestion, the Attorney-General had tried to "throw dust in the eyes of the Ulster people".
[edit] Other names
In the Republic of Ireland, people typically refer to the region simply as the North, though Northern Ireland is becoming more popular in the media, by politicians and by the general public.
Similarly, and more commonly, in Northern Ireland, the South is sometimes used as a shorthand term for the Republic of Ireland.
Obviously this explanation does not hold for parts of the Republic such as County Donegal giving rise to the joke that while further out in a boat on Lough Foyle, "the South is north, and the North is south".
A colloquial name for Northern Ireland which has grown in popularity in recent years is Norn Iron, particularly when talking about the football team.
Northern Ireland is literally translated to Tuaisceart Éireann or Tuaisceart na hÉireann in Irish (though the state is sometimes known as Na Sé Chontae[2] by republicans) and Norlin Airlann or Northern Ireland in Ulster Scots.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Parliamentary Reports of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, Volume 20 (1937)
- ^ De Bhaldraithe, Tomás. [1959]. English-Irish Dictionary. Baile Átha Cliath: Oifig an tSoláthair.
