Wall of Mouths

Technically everybody living in Northern Ireland is Northern Irish. That is their nationality. Just like other parts of the UK, where people can be English, Scottish, Welsh AND British, so you can be Northern Irish AND British. You can have either a British passport or Irish passport if you were born in Northern Ireland, OR you can have both if you want. So there you go. Its not really clear cut. But it’s best to call people Northern Irish as this doesn’t cause offence: if you call the wrong person Irish or British it can be offensive, but everybody IS Northern Irish so you can’t go wrong saying this. Still confused?

richboy wrote:

Technically everybody living in Northern Ireland is Northern Irish. That is their nationality. Just like other parts of the UK, where people can be English, Scottish, Welsh AND British, so you can be Northern Irish AND British. You can have either a British passport or Irish passport if you were born in Northern Ireland, OR you can have both if you want. So there you go. Its not really clear cut. But it’s best to call people Northern Irish as this doesn’t cause offence: if you call the wrong person Irish or British it can be offensive, but everybody IS Northern Irish so you can’t go wrong saying this. Still confused?

SOory to be a twat about this, but strictly speaking, there is no official nationality as English, or Welsh, or Scottish. You can be any of those in terms of blood, but in terms of (strict) national definition, you are “British”.

This is not to start a fight, this is just the way it is, and not anything to do with any opinion I may or may not have.

When i think of the word ‘british’ it makes me think of England football supporters singing rule brittania.
I suppose nationality is all down to passports.
This country is indeed a strange case in terms of identity. i am in no way bigoted towards either side of the ‘divide’ here but i do see ‘down south’ (as i call it) as a different country basically because i have rarely been there and there is a different currency, the people have different accents, a different flag and when i have been there i have felt like tourist as i would in spain or something. Maybe i should head southwards more often.
As i said it is a strange state of affairs. I think they should make northern ireland an american state, maybe that would put an end to the shenanagins. But i suppose george bush would be my president then.
I dunno, maybe i should try to emigrate to australia and buy a ranch?

northern ireland is part of ireland therefore irish. britain (how great they are) is a seperate entity.

tiochfaidh ar la..

P o’ Neil

Jello Biafra wrote:

northern ireland is part of ireland therefore irish. britain (how great they are) is a seperate entity.

tiochfaidh ar la..

P o’ Neil

Politically, at the moment, your first comment is incorrect. Again, this statement does not imply any opinion, but that’s just the way it is at this moment in time.

Your second comment is correct though — Great Britain is a separate entity to Northern Ireland. (see post above)

Jello Biafra wrote:

northern ireland is part of ireland therefore irish. britain (how great they are) is a seperate entity.

tiochfaidh ar la..

P o’ Neil

Cheers for the bigoted response.:rolleyes:

Hmmm, how you view Northern Ireland - either Irish or British - depends on which deciding factor is most significant to you… politics or land?

Land-wise, the North is part of Ireland. But it’s British in terms of politics.

I just like to call it Northern Ireland, and it’s people Northern Irish.

Regardless, I think this conversation is hardly going to go anywhere. We’re not likely to solve anything today, are we?

Agreed. :)

Germanic languages? Indo-European languages?

sea erosion will solve it all eventually.

In the Republic on June 11th they are holding a referendum on irish citizenship.

http://www.refcom.ie/RefCom/RefComWebSite.nsf/6556fea313d95d31802 … enDocument

The thing about Northern Ireland is its never going to be able to exist on its own its always going to need significant financial support because i don’t think the economy could sustain things like like a health service,unemployment etc etc.Then we have the security situation various terrorist groups and criminal gangs and it takes millions and millions of taxpayers money to try and fight crime.In some areas of Northern Ireland unempolyment is very high,i heard on the news a few weeks ago that its estimated by 2040 there will be no more manfacturing in Northern Ireland unless the Government steps him to help companies but i’m not sure really what they can do if companies move their productions overseas and get their products made cheaper.
Britain would probably be glad to be rid of the headache of Northern Ireland,if there was a united Ireland where would the ‘Celtic Tiger’ find the extra money to support Northern Ireland?

Here a question for anyone in the Republic do you have to pay to see a doctor?

Bad Karma wrote:

In the Republic on June 11th they are holding a referendum on irish citizenship.

http://www.refcom.ie/RefCom/RefComWebSite.nsf/6556fea313d95d31802 … enDocument

Yes, it is part of European elections. The referendum is quite subtle and I’m not sure most will understand it. This is not because of any particular predisposition of Irish people but because it is not a mainstream issue as such, though it will affect a non-insignificant number of people (yet to be born), and the issue has not been particularly publicised (that I am aware of).

I mean look how far away Alska is to the rest of the USA. We’re not that far from the dutch when you think about it.

Hell, look where the bloody falkand islands are!