Croke Park sets the standard for coexistence - An English Perspective

[The Real Laoislad]

Im with snatter on this one,Mainland my arse i have never heard any Irish man desribe it as that
Only time i've ever heard that expression is when im on the Aran islandS and it's used to desribe Ireland

[Hardy]

I'm just in from the pub. There's no concept of closing time in my local. That has its positives and its negatives, but my rugby alickadoo friend told me a good one I had to tell yiz: Good old GAA – gave England the Mayo dressing room.

[muppet]

  If they renamed themselves 'centre of the universe' I couldn't care less. I would not find it insulting, rather I would just see it as cringeworthy like the use of 'Great' or any other 19th century notion they sometimes hang on to.

It is actually comical a realtively small island beside the biggest landmass on earth calling itself 'mainland'. You have to laugh.

But it's hardly worth getting upset over is it?

[J70]

One lapse, which had me throwing something at the telly on Saturday, was when he explained why they were going on so much about the historical context to viewers, as he put it, "on the mainland". I forgave him, though, because of the positive balance in his ledger. Unfortunately, this usage has now entered the language of the British media because we've allowed it and, of course the public will follow. The pass is lost and we will have to live with the consequences unless we start protesting (at official level, even) to the media, the press council, whatever.  Which reminds me – I must fire off am email to the BBC. I invite anyone here who feels likewise to do the same.

Hardy

That interview was where Jarlath invited Inverdale to attend a gaelic match and the rest is history.

BTW, they never did settle for what to call these two islands collectively - i.e Iberia for Spain and Portugal, Hispaniola for the Dominican Rep/Haiti. Across the water, they'd still like it to be known as the British Isles........

I've used the term "British Isles" myself when writing papers and theses in undergrad and grad school. Its simply the term that used when referring to these islands in an ecological or geological context.

[J70]

That amazes me! I hadn't realised there was such ready acceptance of it - especially among the GAA community. Do you not see it as patronising, big-brotherly, condescending, etc.?

It must be a generation thing - people who have grown up with it accept it. Those of us who witnessed its introduction are almost outraged by it - it feels like throwing in the towel on the whole history of our relationship with Britain, which has seen us insisting that we're equal entities.

Just to throw my tuppence worth in. Everybody I know (prod/taig/unionist/nationalist/whatever) would use the term mainland in everyday speech (not that it would come up that often), in the same way that everybody would use Derry (even the ones who would use Londonderry in a more 'formal' setting). I don't think it's anything to do with political affiliations or big brother syndrome, it's just shothand for the next lump of rock along from us. Most English people talk about the mainland when they mean continental Europe and I'm fairly sure they don't feel any sort of great inferiority complex.

Must be a northern thing (unless its entered common usage in the south in the two years since I left). I've never heard any southerner refer to Britain as the mainland!

[saffron sam2]

That amazes me! I hadn't realised there was such ready acceptance of it - especially among the GAA community. Do you not see it as patronising, big-brotherly, condescending, etc.?

It must be a generation thing - people who have grown up with it accept it. Those of us who witnessed its introduction are almost outraged by it - it feels like throwing in the towel on the whole history of our relationship with Britain, which has seen us insisting that we're equal entities.

Just to throw my tuppence worth in. Everybody I know (prod/taig/unionist/nationalist/whatever) would use the term mainland in everyday speech (not that it would come up that often), in the same way that everybody would use Derry (even the ones who would use Londonderry in a more 'formal' setting). I don't think it's anything to do with political affiliations or big brother syndrome, it's just shothand for the next lump of rock along from us. Most English people talk about the mainland when they mean continental Europe and I'm fairly sure they don't feel any sort of great inferiority complex.

Must be a northern thing (unless its entered common usage in the south in the two years since I left). I've never heard any southerner refer to Britain as the mainland!

Certainly not a northern thing.  None of the taigs/nationalists I know use the term mainland to describe the island to which Sammy refers.  I can only assume that Sammy doesn't know too many taigs and nationalists or that he is telling porkies again.

[realredhandfan]

When Im in England I refer to Northern Ireland as the mainland Sammy 

[Hardy]

I would just see it as cringeworthy like the use of 'Great' or any other 19th century notion they sometimes hang on to.

I don't see any problem with the word "Great" in "Great Britain". I think it's just the geographical name of the island - i.e. the largest of the geographical British Isles, similarly to "Great Blasket". I don't think it's meant to apply to their status as a nation, though I've no doubt many of their great unwashed think it does.

I think I've seen two different explanations for the term. One is that it distinguishes the island as a whole from "Britain", which actually comprises England and Wales only. Another is that it goes back to Norman times, and it was named in reference to the other part of their kingdom in Northern France, that we now call Brittany. So you had "Bretagne" and "Grand Bretagne".

[SammyG]

I would just see it as cringeworthy like the use of 'Great' or any other 19th century notion they sometimes hang on to.

I don't see any problem with the word "Great" in "Great Britain". I think it's just the geographical name of the island - i.e. the largest of the geographical British Isles, similarly to "Great Blasket". I don't think it's meant to apply to their status as a nation, though I've no doubt many of their great unwashed think it does.

I think I've seen two different explanations for the term. One is that it distinguishes the island as a whole from "Britain", which actually comprises England and Wales only. Another is that it goes back to Norman times, and it was named in reference to the other part of their kingdom in Northern France, that we now call Brittany. So you had "Bretagne" and "Grand Bretagne".

The second bit of your explanation is correct. Great Britain is a derivation of Grand Bretagne, it has nothing to do with being great in the Muhammed Ali sense.

[Billys Boots]

Well why didn't they translate it literally to Big Britain? or Large Britain?

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I would just see it as cringeworthy like the use of 'Great' or any other 19th century notion they sometimes hang on to.

I don't see any problem with the word "Great" in "Great Britain". I think it's just the geographical name of the island - i.e. the largest of the geographical British Isles, similarly to "Great Blasket". I don't think it's meant to apply to their status as a nation, though I've no doubt many of their great unwashed think it does.

I think I've seen two different explanations for the term. One is that it distinguishes the island as a whole from "Britain", which actually comprises England and Wales only. Another is that it goes back to Norman times, and it was named in reference to the other part of their kingdom in Northern France, that we now call Brittany. So you had "Bretagne" and "Grand Bretagne".

The second bit of your explanation is correct. Great Britain is a derivation of Grand Bretagne, it has nothing to do with being great in the Muhammed Ali sense.

Don't know where the French come into this SammyG, it's not like the English would ever do the French bidding in relation what to call their island. Is the great not of Roman derivation, to distinguish it from its littler neighbour (Hibernia)?

[Gnevin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_%28terminology%29#Great_Britain

Any chance we could talk about Croke Park now instead of arguing over every word used by people that you have minor/major issue with ? 

[ziggysego]

Well why didn't they translate it literally to Big Britain? or Large Britain?

or Little Britain?

[Billys Boots]

Any chance we could talk about Croke Park now instead of arguing over every word used by people that you have minor/major issue with ? 

We're all ears, oh King of Wikipedia!

[AZOffaly]

I love the way people use Wikipedia as a definitive source for information