I Now Have A Splitting Headache...

[zequist]

I've just come from reading a lengthy argument over on Wikipedia about whether hockey players from Northern Ireland should actually be listed as being from Northern Ireland or all lumped into one category called Ireland - with sub-arguments also raging over whether the fact of their being born pre- or post-partition should make any difference, or whether Northern Ireland is in fact a real country at all, and one person trying to argue that "geographical entities" (i.e. Ireland the whole) should take precedence over "political entities" (i.e. Ireland divided). Good grief, I don't know how you guys are able put up with all of that stuff over there in the UK without driving yourselves crazy!

[Pat]

To throw a spanner in the works JD.

 

In rugby Union, Ulster (NI) players get selected to play internationaly 4 a united Ireland team.

[Louis]

It's an ongoing thing, under the good friday agreement any player from Ireland can play for Northern Ireland and vice versa. The first person to test it out was Darron Gibson, needless to say Northern Ireland's fans are not happy about it.

 

FIFA don't want it to happen again but there's nothing they can do really

[MikeO]

Good grief, I don't know how you guys are able put up with all of that stuff over there in the UK without driving yourselves crazy!

 

You mean us over here in the UK or GB or The British Isles JD?

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK or United Kingdom for short) is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The term 'Great Britain' (GB or just Britain) refers to the area covered by England, Scotland and Wales. (However, the terms are sometimes interchangable - for example, in the Olympics the UK is represented by the 'Great Britain Olympic Team'.)

 

One way to look at this is that the UK is the part of the British Isles for which Parliament makes laws. (But note: there is no such thing as 'British Law'; the courts in Northern Ireland and Scotland have the right to interpret laws in their own way.) However, the UK is also responsible, under international law, for some other areas, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The Queen is sovereign over these areas, but they are not part of the UK.

 

Despite the fact that Parliament has devolved power to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the UK is not a federation, but a unitary state.

 

The British Isles is an area divided between two sovereign states, namely the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It includes the Isle of Man. Use of this term sometimes includes the Channel Islands, but this is not consistent.

 

Hope that clarifies it for you....have an aspirin .