[WikiEN-l] [Foundation-l] Trouble in Ireland

[Michael Everson]

On 26 Nov 2008, at 13:33, Andrew Gray wrote:

> Having had a look at these debates once or twice before (and a  
> similar set involving the term "British Isles"), yeah, they're big  
> and messy and affect a lot of articles. A resolution would be good  
> for everyone.

Ain't that the truth. It would be nicer to be able to improve the  
articles than to fight a battle that isn't even being fought any more.

> A quick summary of the background, for those who (like me) have to  
> keep reminding themselves of the nuances:
>
> "Ireland" is a big lump of land northwest of France. It contains two  
> political entities, "Ireland" (that's the formal name), an  
> independent nation state sometimes known as "Eire" or (mostly in the  
> UK) "the Republic of Ireland", and "Northern Ireland", which is a  
> part of the UK. Prior to the 1920s, both were one and the same  
> political entity, which occupied all of the geographical island;  
> this historical period is described under [[Kingdom of Ireland]], etc.

To be specific, the Constitution of Ireland says that the name of the  
State is "Ireland" in English and "Éire" in Irish. A later Act defines  
"Republic of Ireland" to be the "description" of the State, but that  
is not its name. (Arcane? Yes, but nevertheless. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland_Act)

> Currently:
>
> [[Ireland (disambiguation)]] - disambiguation page.
> [[Ireland]] - geographical entity, primary title
> [[Republic of Ireland]] - political entity

This one has two "political" disadvantages. Oversimplifying hugely,  
Northern Ireland editors seem to like calling Ireland "The Republic of  
Ireland" and this annoys Ireland editors.

> Proposal #1 above:
>
> [[Ireland]] - disambiguation page, primary title
> [[Ireland (island)]] - geographical entity
> [[Ireland (state)]] - political entity

This one seems to me to be the only true compromise.

> Proposal #2 above:
>
> [[Ireland (disambiguation)]] - disambiguation page.
> [[Ireland (island)]] - geographical entity
> [[Ireland]] - political entity, primary title

This one has two "political" disadvantages. Oversimplifying hugely,  
Ireland editors seem to like calling Ireland "Ireland" and this annoys  
Northern Ireland editors.

Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com