# UKers: How many, if any, of your countrypeople think Ireland is still part of your country?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 8, 2014, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736 "2014-10-08T09:15:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/21 "2014-10-08T15:17:23Z")
I have experienced many British people confused about the Irish thing. There are also many many examples of the media claiming Irish people as British, they can have Bono though š
A few years ago there was an incident with a potential live grenade (left behind as part of a robbery) on the street beside my job. The bomb disposal unit arrived and an English guy beside me said āHereās the British Armyā. I said "Nope, Irish Army, see the Irish writing on the side of the van ([http://i2.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/article2230856.ece/alternates/s615/CP49265549.jpg](http://i2.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/article2230856.ece/alternates/s615/CP49265549.jpg)). " āOhā, he said. āI thought we still did all the heavy lifting over hereā. Everyone around him just turned and stared š
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/22 "2014-10-08T15:24:16Z")
Now that I think about it, at least once in my shop someone tried to pay in sterling oblivious to the fact we donāt use that currency. We were beside the airport though so it wasnāt as if they had travelled the country oāer without realising.
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### Author:  [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/23 "2014-10-08T16:37:26Z")
I have a hard time believing the story linked in the OP, and I canāt say Iāve ever noticed the media claiming Irish people for the UK. I donāt know anyone who doesnāt know Ireland is a separate country.
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### Author:  [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/24 "2014-10-08T17:43:49Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#):
>
> Mind you there was a girl in my class who, upon hearing that the Falklands had been invaded, asked aloud what the Argentinians were doing off Scotland, so maybe anything is possibleā¦
Was also a joke in the original āSecret Diary of Adrian Moleā. Adrianās Dad IIRC.
Iāve personally never met anyone that thought Ireland was part of the UK. Not saying it doesnāt happen, but Iāve never come across it.
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### Author:  [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/25 "2014-10-08T19:36:43Z")
It gets a bit complicated when you look at the different sports teams in world finals.
Olympics: Great Britain, Ireland
Soccer World Cup: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland
Rugby World Cup: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
Chess Olympiad: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey
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### Author:  [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/26 "2014-10-08T20:04:12Z")
> [@Bozuit](#):
>
> I canāt say Iāve ever noticed the media claiming Irish people for the UK.
If you know any Irish people, ask them. I guarantee they all have.
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### Author:  [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/27 "2014-10-08T21:22:02Z")
Iāve never met any British person who thinks Ireland is not a separate, independent country.
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### Author:  [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/28 "2014-10-08T21:45:14Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> I think this is on the level of Americans who deny that New Mexico is part of the United States.
Or claim that Canada is. In fact, if you take [notalwaysright.com](http://notalwaysright.com) as a representative sample, there is a lot more of that than treating Ireland as part of the UK.
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### Author:  [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/29 "2014-10-17T09:57:37Z")
> [@glee](#):
>
> It gets a bit complicated when you look at the different sports teams in world finals.
>
> Olympics: Great Britain, Ireland
>
> Soccer World Cup: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland
>
> Rugby World Cup: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
>
> Chess Olympiad: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey
Itās even more complex. For the Lions rugby tours they are actually the British & Irish Lions - all one team.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2014, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/30 "2014-10-17T10:19:23Z")
Wonder if the story was in Heathrow. Iāve only been there once but in that time Iāve never met as many shitty, rude employees elsewhere.
> [@vontsira](#):
>
> Some fanatical Irish nationalists wish the whole archipelago to be called, instead, the Islands of the North Atlantic ā getting rid of the āBritishā connotation. I sometimes feel that, politics quite aside, that idea maybe has something to be said for it. Adopting the alternative name might reduce the amount of confusion which people from other parts of the world suffer ā understandably ā over the geographical / political specifics of the area.
Sounds like it was invented by a UK Tory and not given a huge amount of interest by many? Some people might supply alternate names for America but that doesnāt mean that 99.99% of the population agrees or even is aware of the proposal. I donāt consider Bertie Ahern a fanatical nationalist.
> [@njtt](#):
>
> I think this is on the level of Americans who deny that New Mexico is part of the United States.
Iāve read things similar to the post in the OP where someone argued to a customer service rep that yes, they live in British Columbia, and no, that is not in Britain, I swear!
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### Author:  [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukers-how-many-if-any-of-your-countrypeople-think-ireland-is-still-part-of-your-country/700736/31 "2014-10-17T15:38:30Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#):
>
> Mind you there was a girl in my class who, upon hearing that the Falklands had been invaded, asked aloud what the Argentinians were doing off Scotland, so maybe anything is possibleā¦
I suppose I could understand how someone not particularly well versed in geography might mix up the Faroes and the Shetlands with the Falklands.
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