Within the British Isles
Just in case, like me, you've long had trouble sorting out which of the following are strictly subsets of the other
- Great Britain
- United Kingdom
- British
- British Isles
not to mention what to call someone from Scotland, whether they are also British, and what's the deal with Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, may I direct your attention to the most elegant and most concise "Great British Venn Diagram". So many things clarified, so few words.
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on Monday, 11 February 2008 at 02.08
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That really is an excellent piece.
I got a kick out this: "Irish citizens are not British citizens. British citizens are not Irish citizens. God help you if you forget this when you encounter an Irishman."
It brought to mind that incredible brawl scene in "The Quiet Man."
I was a little put off by the reference to speaking Irish. I think Gaelic is the proper term.
on Monday, 11 February 2008 at 23.06
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well, i believe scots gaelic and irish gaelic are not the same thing
[and coming from the UK, I did in fact know the answers to the initial questions. but it is not obvious to the casual observer]
on Tuesday, 12 February 2008 at 01.12
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Chris is right, of course, Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are not identical languages, though they are cognate Celtic languages, along with Welsh, Cornish, and I suppose Breton in France. Irish Gaelic is sometimes called Erse, I believe, though the part of Ireland where the language is fostered is called the Gaeltacht.