If asked where I am from I would say 'from England', if that doesn't sink in (sometimes it doesn't) I say 'I'm from the UK'
If asked what nationality I am, I would say 'British', not English because of where my parents & grandparents were born.
People from that island west of Europe: What do you call your country?
by seattleniceguy 28 Replies latest jw friends
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cheeseman
LittleToe did a good job explaining everything. However, I realise it's a lot to take in all at once. To make it simple for you the situation at a very basic level is this:
Scotland is a country
England is a country
Wales is a country
Together, these 3 countries make another bigger country called Great Britain. This is the island in western Europe.
You can only be English if you come from England. Scottish and Welsh people are not English.
Scottish, English and Welsh people are all British.
Great Britain plus Northern Ireland plus every other territory that remains of our dead empire (i.e Falkland Islands, etc) makes The United Kingdom. For example...if I was from the island of Montserrat in the Carribean...I would be part of the UK, but not British, Great Britain is the island in Europe remember.
Finally, Northern Ireland is technically part of the UK (Like Montserrat, the Falklands, etc) and not British... however, for all intents and purposes, they are Brits. Why this is I am not sure. Maybe someone from N.I can correct me if I'm wrong. Hope this helps!
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cheeseman
Finally, Northern Ireland is technically part of the UK (Like Montserrat, the Falklands, etc) and not British... however, for all intents and purposes, they are Brits. Why this is I am not sure. Maybe someone from N.I can correct me if I'm wrong. Hope this helps!
I was just thinking about this. Perhaps the reason is that sometimes the Island of Ireland and Britain are sometimes refered to collectively as "The British Isles" this would make N.I part of the British Isles and therefore Brits.
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Pleasuredome
Great Britain plus Northern Ireland plus every other territory that remains of our dead empire (i.e Falkland Islands, etc) makes The United Kingdom. For example...if I was from the island of Montserrat in the Carribean...I would be part of the UK, but not British, Great Britain is the island in Europe remember.
Finally, Northern Ireland is technically part of the UK (Like Montserrat, the Falklands, etc) and not British... however, for all intents and purposes, they are Brits. Why this is I am not sure. Maybe someone from N.I can correct me if I'm wrong. Hope this helps!
im not so sure about that. the united kingdom was the unification of the kingdoms of england, scotland and ireland. overseas territories just belong to the UK. wales is a principality and when england took over wales the 2 countries became known as britain. great britain happened with the unification of scotland and britain.
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scotsman
Great Britain became a common term for England Scotland and Wales when the Scottish and English crowns were united (by James VI 1606?) , becoming the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 when the parliaments became united. It wasn't until 1801 with a further act of union that it became the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland, which lasted until 1922 when the Republic of Ireland separated apart from Ulster, forming (in 1927) the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It would be technically inaccurate to describe the Irish (north or south) as being from Great Britain, but for historical reasons Protestants from Northern Ireland will commonly describe themselves as being British.
Where the Manx and Channel Islander's fit in, is beyond me.
British Isles however encompases the whole archipeligo. Confusing?
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scotsman
I agree Pleasuredome, while the overseas territories are under UK sovereignty, they are not part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland. I guess the problem arises because we still sometimes abreviate that full title to GB when it's more accurately UK.
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G Money
You guys don't call yourselves Limeys anymore?
A. Beaner -
TruckerGB
As it turns out, the term "limey" originally applied to British sailors. In the 17th and 18th centuries, sailors suffered terribly from scurvy, a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C. Vitamin C comes mainly from fresh fruits and vegetables, but these foods aren't exactly easy to come by when you're at sea for months at a time.
So the Royal Navy prescribed lime juice for all sailors to help ward off scurvy -- hence the appellation "limeys." As often happens, the term eventually lost its original context and was applied to all British, whether sailors or landlubbers.
As to whether or not it's an insult to be called a "limey", well, that all depends on whom you ask.
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funkyderek
you can have a britsh pasport if your from the republic of ireland
No you can't. Or at least not in all cases. If you or your parents were born in the UK, then you can have a UK passport. This would include those born in the six counties of "Northern Ireland" and (I think) anyone born in what is now the Republic of Ireland before 1922, when it was still part of the UK. Those born in the six counties can have either a UK or Irish passport (or both, I think) and are entitled to all the rights of citizens of both countries. Bizarrely, many inhabitants of "Northern Ireland" don't consider themselves Irish despite having been born on the island of Ireland, and actually consider themselves British, which they are not. (Anybody who has ever drunk a Guinness, watched Father Ted or has red hair is eligible to play on the Irish football team )