Names of the Irish state 1511684 224219042 2008-07-07T21:20:55Z Redking7 1773220 /* Colloquial names */ typo [[Image:Eirepas.JPG|thumb|right|The front cover of an Irish passport showing the name of the state in its two official languages.]] The state whose official name is '''[[Republic Of Ireland|Ireland]]''' ({{lang-ga|Éire}}) and whose description is the ''Republic of Ireland'' ({{lang-ga|Poblacht na hÉireann}}) is and has been known by a number of other names some of which have been controversial. ==Official name== Article 4 of the [[Constitution of Ireland]], adopted in 1937, provides that “[t]he name of the State is ''Éire'', or, in the English language, ''Ireland''”.<ref>The wording of Article 4 has been criticised. Early criticisms are discussed [[#Éire (1937-49)|above]] More recently, in its report, the [http://www.constitution.ie/constitutional-reviews/crg.asp Constitution Review Group]in 1996 stated that that Article 4 was unnecessarily complicated and should be amended to read ''”The name of the State is Ireland”'' with an equivalent change in the Irish text.</ref> Hence, the Irish state has two official names, ''Éire'' (in [[Irish (language)|Irish]]) and ''Ireland'' (in [[English (language)|English]]). For all official purposes including in international treaties and other legal documents, where the language of the documents is English, the Irish government uses the name ''Ireland''. The same is true in respect of the name ''Éire'' for documents written in Irish. Similarly, the name of the state is reflected in its institutions and public offices. For example, there is a ''[[President of Ireland]]'' and a ''[[Constitution of Ireland]]''. The name ''Ireland'' is also used in the state's diplomatic relations with foreign nations. The state is officially known as ''Ireland'' at meetings of the [[United Nations]]. ==Official description== Since 1949 the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948|Republic of Ireland Act]] has provided that the ''Republic of Ireland'' (or ''Poblacht na hÉireann'' in Irish) is the official ''description'' for the state.<ref>The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948 (Commencement) Order, 1949 (S.I. No. 27/1949) appointed 18 April 1949 (Easter Monday, the thirty third anniversary of the Irish [[Easter Rising]]) as the day the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 would come into force.</ref> However, ''Ireland'' remains the official ''name'' of the state. This distinction between ''description'' and ''name'' was and remains important because the Act was not a constitutional amendment and did not change the name of the state. If it had purported to do so, it would have been unconstitutional. The distinction between a ''description'' and a ''name'' has sometimes caused confusion. The [[Taoiseach]], [[John A. Costello]] who introduced the legislation explained the difference in the following way:<ref> Seanad Éireann - Volume 36 - 15 December, 1948, The Republic of Ireland Bill, 1948—Committee and Final Stages.</ref> {{quotation|“If I say that my name is Costello and that my description is that of [[senior counsel]], I think that will be clear to anybody who wants to know...[Similarly, the state's] name in Irish is Éire and in the English language, Ireland. Its description in the English language is “the Republic of Ireland.”}} Nevertheless the ''Republic of Ireland'' is often used as a name for the state in ordinary speech, especially in any context in which it is necessary to distinguish between the state and the island as a whole. So, for example, commonly people speak of there being a border "between ''Northern Ireland'' and the ''Republic of Ireland''" rather than between ''Northern Ireland'' and ''Ireland''. In addition, [[Republic of Ireland national football team|the state's national football team]], while often referred to (including by itself) as ''Ireland'', officially plays as the ''Republic of Ireland'' because [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland also fields a team]] in international competitions and in 1954 [[FIFA]] was no longer prepared to tolerate two teams called ''Ireland''.<ref> See [[Football Association of Ireland]] and [[Irish Football Association]].</ref> ==European Union== The state joined the [[European Economic Community]] (now the [[European Union]]) in 1973. Its accession treaty was drawn up in all of the EU's then official treaty languages (including English and Irish) and, as such, the Irish state joined under both of its names, ''Éire'' and ''Ireland''. On [[1 January]] [[2007]], Irish became an official working language of the EU.<ref>See: [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_156/l_15620050618en00030004.pdf Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005]. Until then, Irish was a treaty language, official to the extent that the EU's founding treaties were (in addition to the other languages of the EU) drawn up in Irish and equally authentic in that language. Irish had not been an official EU working language.</ref> This did not change the name of the Irish state in EU law. However, it has meant for example that at official meetings of the EU Council of Ministers, nameplates for the Irish state now read as ''Éire &ndash; Ireland'', whereas previously they would simply have read as ''Ireland''. The Inter Institutional Style Guide of The Office for Official Publications of the European Communities sets out how the names of the Member states of the European Union must always be written and abbreviated in EU publications. Concerning Ireland, it states that its official names are ''Éire'' and ''Ireland''; its official name in English is ''Ireland''; its country code is ''IE''; and its former abbreviation was ''IRL''. It also adds the following guidance: “''NB: Do not use ‘Republic of Ireland’ nor ‘Irish Republic’.''” <ref>Clause 7.1.1 of the Inter Institutional Style Guide [http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370100.htm].</ref> ==Name dispute with the UK== This section concerns the dispute, which now appears to have been resolved, between the Irish and British governments over the official names of their respective states: ''Ireland'' and the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. ==="Eire" v Ireland=== <!-- Note: Under the [[Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938]] the name ''Eire'', without the correct [[gaeilge#Orthography and pronunciation| síne fada]] (accent) over the first ''E'', was used in the United Kingdom. This practice of omitting the síne fada over the ''E'' was consistently adopted by the UK government and some Commonwealth countries. Appropriate use of Eire and Éire in each context is critical to this section of the article.--> When the [[Constitution of Ireland|Irish constitution]] was enacted in 1937, [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland|Articles 2 to 4]] expressed a claim to the ''"whole island of Ireland"'' and thus an [[irredentist]] claim to the territory of [[Northern Ireland]]. For many [[Unionism in Ireland|Unionists]] in Northern Ireland and for people in Britain, the decision in Article 4 to give the state the names ''Ireland'' (the name of the island in English) and ''Éire'' (its name in Irish) was viewed as another attempt to lay claim to the whole of the island of Ireland.<ref>Undoubtedly, the Irish government's desire to unite the territory of the island influenced its choice of the name ''Ireland'' for the state. A letter as early as [[12 March]] [[1932]] from [[Joe Walshe]] to President de Valera is indicative of this. In it Walshe states: ''"I believe that you can achieve the Unity of this country within seven years and that we can have our complete independence without calling this country by any particular const[itutional] name. "Ireland" shall be our name, and our international position will let the world know that we are independent"'' in Ferriter, Diarmaid, ''Judging Dev'', Royal Irish Academy 2007</ref> In response to the new constitution, the British government published a communiqué on [[30 December]] [[1937]], the day after the constitution took effect. In the communiqué, the British government explicitly recognised the two names ''Ireland'' and ''Eire'' and, implicitly, their identical meaning, by declaring:<ref name="circular">[http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/webarchives/20061111070400/http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=9449 Circular dated [[1 April]] [[1949]] from the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs to Heads of Post Abroad (Circular Document No.B38, 836. DEA/7545‑B‑40)]</ref><ref>[http://century.guardian.co.uk/1930-1939/Story/0,,127133,00.html|The Manchester Guardian, [[30 December]] [[1937]] ''Britain accepts new name for the Free State'']. Full text of British Government's communiqué cited in Clifford, Angela, ''The Constitutional History of Eire/Ireland'', Athol Books, Belfast, 1985, p153.</ref> {{quotation|“His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom has considered the position created by the new Constitution ... of the Irish Free State, in future to be described under the Constitution as 'Eire' or 'Ireland' ... [and] cannot recognize that the adoption of the name 'Eire' or 'Ireland', or any other provision of those articles [of the Irish constitution], involves any right to territory ... forming part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ... They therefore regard the use of the name 'Eire' or 'Ireland' in this connection as relating only to that area which has hitherto been known as the Irish Free State.”}} Despite this initial response, the British government quickly decided to refer to the state only as "Eire" and not ''Ireland''. The British government finessed Article 4 and ignored Articles 2 and 3: if the Irish constitution said the name of the state in the national language was ''Éire'', then that (written as "Eire") was what the British government would call it.<ref>Note: Under the [[Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938]] the name ''Eire'', without the correct [[gaeilge#Orthography and pronunciation| síne fada]] (accent) over the first ''E'', was used. This practice of omitting the síne fada over the ''E'' was consistently adopted by the UK government and some Commonwealth countries.</ref> By doing so, it avoided any need to call the Irish state, in the English language, ''Ireland''.<ref> Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan, State of the Union: Unionism and the Alternatives in the United Kingdom, 2001: 173, 181.</ref> The change of name effected by the 1937 constitution (but not the other constitutional changes), was given effect in United Kingdom law in the [[Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938]]. Under Section 1 of that Act, it was declared that (for the purposes of United Kingdom legislation) the territory ''"which was ... known as Irish Free State shall be styled as ... Eire"''.<ref name=Tiley>[http://books.google.com/books?id=f9FGwkXiIS0C&pg=PR8&lpg=PR11&dq=oliver+jdb+whats+in+a+name+in+tiley+john+studies+in+the+history+of+tax+law&output=html&sig=KVLjCIwoeGXWsOobePvUQJzVUOo| Oliver, JDB, ''What's in a Name''], in Tiley, John, ''Studies in the History of Tax Law'', The Chartered Institute of Taxation, 2003.</ref> The British approach of calling the state Eire, even in the English language was greatly assisted by the general preference of [[Éamon de Valera|de Valera]], the leader of the Irish government at the time, that the state be known as ''Éire'', even in English. However, the Irish government, even when led by de Valera appreciated the significance of the name ''Ireland'' and insisted on that name in some fora. For example, in 1938 Irish representatives in the Commonwealth countries gave their official titles as ''High Commissioner for Ireland'' and the [[League of Nations]] was informed that ''Ireland'' was the correct English name for the country as was the [[Commonwealth]].<ref name="circular"/> The practice in other Commonwealth countries varied: At the outset at least, it appears [[South Africa]] and [[Canada]] used the name ''Ireland'' while [[New Zealand]] favoured ''Eire''.<ref>A consideration given by the Canadians was ''“that any Canadian Government communication would normally be in English rather than in Gaelic, and that the use of the Gaelic word "Eire" in such a communication might therefore be inappropriate (just as it would scarcely be considered appropriate, in a communication written in English which mentioned the Government of Egypt, to speak of it as the Government of Misr, unless the Egyptian Government specially requested that the Egyptian form of the country's name should be used)”: [http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/webarchives/20061111070400/http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history/dcer/details-en.asp?intRefid=9449 Circular dated [[1 April]] [[1949]] from the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs to Heads of Post Abroad (Circular Document No.B38, 836. DEA/7545‑B‑40)]</ref> In 1947, the United Kingdom [[Home Office]] went further by issuing instructions to United Kingdom government departments to use ''Eire''.<ref name="circular"/> ===Republic of Ireland v Ireland=== However in 1948, with the passing of the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948|Republic of Ireland Act]] (discussed above), the name ''Éire'' generally fell out of usage by both the Irish government (except in the Irish language) and internationally. The British government considered how to respond. The following note of what Prime Minister [[Clement Attlee]] said at a British Cabinet meeting on [[12 January]] [[1949]] illustrates some of the considerations involved:<ref> C.M. 1(49) - Meeting held on [[12 January]] [[1949]]. C.M. 1(49).</ref> {{quotation|‘N.I. [Northern Ireland] Ministers accepted the name “N.I.” eventually [[Alternative names for Northern Ireland|[the Northern Ireland Government would have preferred the name Ulster]]]. They wanted us, however, to go on using “Eire” [for the Irish state]. But other countries won't do so. Suggested therefore we shd. [should] use “Republic of Ireland”. N.I. prefer “Irish Republic”. But let us not speak of “Ireland”. Can we put Republic of Ireland on Bill: but use in official pp. [papers] etc. [:] Irish Republic or Southern Ireland. Agreed.’}} Ultimately, the British responded by passing the [[Ireland Act 1949]] which provided that “that part of Ireland heretofore known as Eire ... may [be referred to] as the Republic of Ireland.”<ref>[http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Legislation&title=ireland+act&Year=1949&searchEnacted=0&extentMatchOnly=0&confersPower=0&blanketAmendment=0&sortAlpha=0&TYPE=QS&PageNumber=1&NavFrom=0&parentActiveTextDocId=1096759&ActiveTextDocId=1096759&filesize=20517 Ireland Act 1949].</ref> Hence, the Ireland Act formally provided for use of the ''Republic of Ireland'' as an alternative to the use of the name ''Eire'' in British law. Later the name ''Eire'' was abolished entirely in British law under the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1981.<ref name=Morgan>Austen Morgan, The Belfast Agreement, 2000, p99.</ref> This has meant that the ''Republic of Ireland'' is the only name for the Irish state officially recognised in domestic UK law. Notwithstanding the Ireland Act, as suggested by Prime Minister Atlee, the British government would often continue to refer to the Irish state by other names such as the ''Irish Republic'' or ''Southern Ireland''.<ref>Immigration and Nationality Directorate, UK Government Website, EEA Nationals [http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/eeaeunationals].</ref> The name ''Irish Republic'' has even sometimes been used in domestic UK legislation.<ref>For example: The Irish Republic (Termination of 1927 Agreement) Order 1987.</ref> However, even with the Ireland Act and its acceptance of the ''Republic of Ireland'' as a name, a dispute over the names of their respective states was to rumble on between the UK and Irish governments. For the Irish, the ''Republic of Ireland'' was still not the name of the state, merely its description. The Irish government continued to insist that the name of the Irish state was ''Ireland''. A report in ''The Times'' on [[8 August]] [[1949]] (just a few months after the Republic of Ireland Act took effect), makes this clear, reporting that:<ref>John Davies, The Correct Name for Ireland[http://alt-usage-english.org/ireland.html]. Interestingly, the text of the 1949 treaty [[Treaty of London|establishing the Council of Europe]] (registered by the British government with the [[UN]]) refers not to ''Ireland'' or the ''Republic of Ireland'' but to the ''Irish Republic''. It is not known to the author whether the Irish government's text used the same terminology.</ref> {{quotation|‘[[Seán MacBride|MacBride]], the Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, tonight sent an official request to the [[Council of Europe]] to refer to his country simply as Ireland and not as Eire or as the Republic of Ireland. This request is seen by observers here as part of a systematic campaign by the Government in Dublin to link the question of the partition of Ireland with every organization of which it is a member.’}} Indeed, with the passing of the Republic of Ireland Act, the Irish government gradually became more consistent in its practice. Rather than styling the state alternatively as ''Éire'', the ''Republic of Ireland'' or ''Ireland'', it began to consistently refer to the state as simply ''Ireland'' and itself as the ''Government of Ireland''. The Irish state joined the United Nations in 1955 as ''Ireland'' over protests concerning its name by the United Kingdom.<ref name=Morgan/> Similarly, the United Kingdom protested when the Irish state was admitted to the European Economic Community in 1973 as ''Ireland''.<ref name=Morgan/> For its part, the Irish government also disputed the right of the British state to call itself the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. To the Irish government and many Irish people, the words ''"and Northern Ireland"'' in the name of the British state were offensive as they were perceived as enshrining the partition of the island of Ireland in the name of the British state. The name also ran against the Irish state's territorial claim to [[Northern Ireland]]. The dispute over the names of their respective states was most apparent when the two states concluded bilateral treaties. For example, when the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]] was made in 1984 between the two states, the British text of the agreement gave it the formal title ''"Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Ireland"'' whereas the Irish government's text of the very same agreement gave it the formal title ''”Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom”.''<ref>It is standard practice in the titles of international agreements between two contracting states for each state to put itself first in its own version (held by the other contracting state).</ref> ===Judicial ruling over names=== The dispute over names was also apparent in the judicial arena. In the 1989 Irish Supreme Court case of ''Ellis v O'Dea'', the Supreme Court unanimously condemned what they regarded as the ''“conscious and deliberate practice”'' of British courts in referring to the Irish state in extradition warrants as the ''Republic of Ireland'' and not ''Ireland'' (when issuing warrants in English). The court elaborated that while foreign courts were at liberty to issue such warrants in a foreign language, if they used the English language they had to refer to the state as ''Ireland''. The court indicated that not to do so was to refuse to recognise the Irish constitution and that by virtue of the duty of the courts and of the [[Gardaí]] to uphold the Constitution such warrants should be returned for rectification.<ref>Ellis v. O'Dea 1989 IR 530 (per Walsh J.) and [http://www.gcd.ie/files/20071018044610_Constitutional_Chapter3.pdf David Langwallner on Griffith College website]</ref> The following is an extract from the judgement<ref>Extract from the judgement of Mr Justice Walsh in Ellis v. O'Dea 1989 IR 530</ref>: {{quotation|‘In the English language the name of this State is “Ireland” and is so prescribed by Article 4 of the Constitution. Of course if the courts of the United Kingdom or of other States choose to issue warrants in the Irish language then they are at liberty to use the Irish language name of the State ... However, they are not at liberty to attribute to this State a name which is not its correct name ... If there is any confusion in the United Kingdom courts possibly it is due to the terms of the United Kingdom statute named the Ireland Act, 1949 ... That enactment purported to provide that this State should be “referred to ... ''by the name'' attributed to it by the law thereof, that is to say, as the Republic of Ireland” (emphasis supplied). That of course is an erroneous statement of the law of Ireland. Historically it is even more difficult to explain. There is only one State in the world named Ireland since it was so provided by Article 4 of the Constitution in 1937 and that name was recognised by a communiqué from No. 10 Downing Street, London in 1937.’}} ===Resolution=== The dispute over the names of their respective states now appears to have been resolved. This resolution took place when the [[Belfast Agreement]] (or Good Friday Agreement) was concluded in 1998. That Agreement concerned a wide range of constitutional and other matters regarding Northern Ireland. Notably, as part of it, the Irish state dropped its legal claim to the territory of Northern Ireland. In the title of the Agreement, the two governments used their respective domestic law names, the ''Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'' and the ''Government of Ireland''. Some Unionist members of the British parliament objected strenuously to the use of the term the ''Government of Ireland''. They proposed that the practice of referring to the Irish government as the ''Government of the Republic of Ireland'' should be continued. Their objections were not accepted. Responding for the British government in the [[House of Lords]], [[Lord Dubs]] explained that the new practice of referring to the Irish state by the name ''Ireland'':<ref>[[Hansard]], House of Lords, [[19 October]] [[1998]]</ref> {{quotation|‘actually represents the welcome disappearance of one small but significant difference in practice between the British and Irish Governments that the [Belfast Agreement] has made possible. Hitherto, the Irish Government have referred to themselves, and generally been referred to in international circles, as the “Government of Ireland”. We, however, have called them “Government of the Republic of Ireland”. Similarly, while the proper name of this state is the “Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, the Irish have used solely the name “Government of the United Kingdom”. With the agreement we have aligned our practice. We will call them by the name they favour, and they will use the name for us that we favour. Since the constitutional status of Northern Ireland is no longer a matter of disagreement between us, we can put an end to the argument about names.’}} The resolution has been respected by both governments since the [[Belfast Agreement]]. A [[House of Lords]] debate, ten years later in May 2008, on Regulations governing political donations by Irish citizens and bodies to political parties in [[Northern Ireland]], is a good example of this. During the debate [[Lord Rooker]], a Government minister, said that the Regulations would: ''“acknowledge the special place that the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland occupy in the political life of Northern Ireland”''. Responding, [[Lord Glentoran]] suggested that Lord Rooker in fact ''“meant to say that [the draft Regulations recognise] the special place that Ireland occupies in the political life of Northern Ireland."'' Agreeing with Lord Glentoran's observation, [[Lord Rooker]] reponded: {{quotation|‘I still cannot get used to the fact that we do not refer to the Republic of Ireland. I stumbled over that part of my brief because I saw “Ireland”. Yes, I did mean the special role that Ireland plays in the political life of Northern Ireland.’<ref>[http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?gid=2008-05-12a.868.1 House of Lords debates: Monday, 12 May 2008 on the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (Regulation of Loans etc.: Northern Ireland) Order 2008]</ref>}} So far there has been no domestic British legislation explicitly providing that ''Ireland'' may be used as a name for the Irish state for the purposes of domestic British law. While the UK's [[Ireland Act]] provides for use of the name ''Republic of Ireland'' in domestic British law, that legislation is permissive rather than mandatory so it does not mean ''Ireland'' cannot be used instead. However, some legal commentators have speculated that it may be necessary for the British government to introduce legislation to also explicitly provide for use of the name ''Ireland'' for the Irish state because under domestic British law the name ''Ireland'' might be interpreted as referring to the whole island of Ireland. There is no requirement to amend domestic Irish legislation.<ref name=Tiley/> ==Historical names== The Romans referred to Ireland as [[Hibernia]]. Following the Norman invasion, this became the ''Dominus Hiberniae'', the [[Lordship of Ireland]] from 1171 to 1541, and the [[Kingdom of Ireland]] from 1541 to 1800. From 1801 to 1922 it was part of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], one of the [[Home Nations]] of the [[British Empire]]. ===Irish Republic (1919–1922)=== {{main|Irish Republic}} [[Image:Cropped_Easter_Proclamation.jpg|frame|right|The [[Proclamation of the Irish Republic|Easter Proclamation]] of 1916 declared the establishment of the ''Irish Republic''. The rebel state retained this name until 1922.]] In English, the revolutionary state proclaimed in 1916 and ratified in 1919 was known as the ''Irish Republic'' or, occasionally, the ''Republic of Ireland''. Two different Irish language names were used: ''Poblacht na hÉireann'' and ''Saorstát Éireann'', based on two competing Irish translations of the word ''[[republic]]'': ''Poblacht'' and ''Saorstát''. ''Poblacht'' was a foreign loan word, a simple Gaelicisation of ''republic''. ''Saorstát'', on the other hand, was a compound word based on two already existing Irish words: ''saor'' (meaning "free") and ''stát'' ("state"). Its direct, literal translation was "free state". In his memoires, [[Thomas Jones (T. J.)|Thomas Jones]], Prime Minister [[Lloyd George]]'s deputy cabinet secretary recalls an exchange on [[14 July]] [[1921]] between the [[President of Dáil Éireann]], de Valera and [[Prime Minister]] Lloyd George concerning the name of the ''Irish Republic'' in Irish:<ref>Jones, Thomas, Whitehall Diary, Vol. 3, 1947, p89</ref> {{quotation|"...Mr. de Valera...handed Mr Lloyd George a document in Irish, and then a translation in English. The Irish document was headed ‘Saorstat Eireann’ and Mr Lloyd George began by asking modestly for a literal translation, saying that ‘Saorstat’ did not strike his ear as Irish. Mr De Valera replied ‘Free State’. ‘Yes, retorted Mr. Lloyd George, ‘but what is the Irish word for Republic’. While Mr De Valera and his colleague were pondering in English on what reply they should make Mr. Lloyd George conversed aloud in Welsh with one of his Secretaries (T.J.) to the discomfiture of the two Irishmen and as Mr. De Valera could get no further than Saorstat and Free State Mr. Lloyd George remarked ‘Must we not admit that the Celts were never Republicans and have no native word for such an idea"}} The term ''Poblacht na hÉireann'' is the one used in the [[Easter Proclamation]] of 1916. However the [[Irish Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] and other documents adopted in 1919 eschew this title in favour of ''Saorstát Éireann''. A slight variant of this title, ''Saorstát na hÉireann'', was also sometimes used in later days as was the [[Latin]] ''Respublica Hibernica''. ''(For an explanation continuing usage of the term ''Irish Republic'' in the United Kingdom, see [[#Name dispute with the UK|above]]. Some [[Irish Republicanism|republicans]] also continue to use the term because they refuse to recognise the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] – see below).'' ===Southern Ireland (1921–1922)=== {{main|Southern Ireland}} ''Southern Ireland'' ({{lang-ga|Deisceart Éireann}}) was the official name given to an autonomous ''Home Rule'' region (or ''[[constituent country]]'') of the [[United Kingdom]]. It was established under the [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]] on [[3 May]] [[1921]].<ref>[[3 May]] [[1921]] (SR&O 1921, No. 533).</ref> It covered the same territory as the present day Irish state.<ref>See: [http://www.bailii.org/nie/legis/num_act/1920/192000067.html#PROVISIONS_AS_TO_COURTS_OF_LAW_AND_JUDGES Government of Ireland Act 1920]</ref> However, political turmoil and the ongoing [[Irish War of Independence|War of Independence]] meant that it never fully functioned as envisaged. Nevertheless, under the [[Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922]], a [[Provisional Government of Southern Ireland|Provisional Government for Southern Ireland]] was established.<ref>12 & 13 Geo. 5. c.4</ref> [[Southern Ireland]] was superseded in law on 6 December 1922 by the establishment of the [[Irish Free State]].<ref>[[Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922]].</ref> The term ''Southern Ireland'' does not have any official status today.<ref name=Furlong>John Furlong (2006). Ireland – the Name of the State. Legal Information Management, 6, pp 297-301. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/S1472669606000934</ref> However, it is sometimes used colloquially particularly in the United Kingdom. ===Irish Free State (1922–1937)=== {{main|Irish Free State}} <!-- [[Image:Cropped Great Seal.png|thumb|right|260px|A detail from the [[Great Seal of the Irish Free State]]. ''Saorstát Éireann'' was the Free State's name in Irish.]] --> During the negotiations on secession leading to the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]], Irish politicians wanted the state to be a republic, and its name to be the ''Republic of Ireland'' or the ''Irish Republic''. However the [[British government]] refused to contemplate a republic because this would have entailed the Irish state severing the link with the British crown and ceasing to be a part of the [[British Empire]]. Instead, the parties agreed the state would be a self-governing [[Dominion]] within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth of Nations]]. Because the Irish Republic had been known in Irish as ''Saorstát Éireann'' it was from this name that the name of the new state was derived. ''Saorstát Éireann'' was made the official Irish title of the new state, but its English title was not ''Irish Republic'' but the most direct, literal translation of its Irish name: ''Irish Free State''. After the establishment of the Free State the Irish government often used the name ''Saorstát Éireann'' in documents in English as well as Irish. Despite the official title of the state, stamps of the period used the name ''Éire'', a practice that is continued today. Because the Irish Free State was not a republic, since 1922 the word ''saorstát'' has fallen out of use in Irish as a translation of ''republic''. When the official description of the state was declared to be the ''Republic of Ireland'' in 1949 its official Irish description became not ''Saorstát Éireann'' but ''Poblacht na hÉireann''. ===Éire (Irish name since 1937)=== {{main|Éire}} [[Image:Cropped_euro_coin.png|frame|right|''Éire'', since 1937 the official name of the Irish state in the Irish language, appears on all [[Irish euro coins]].]] As mentioned [[#Official name|above]], Article 4 of the [[Constitution of Ireland]], gives the state its two official names, ''Éire'' in Irish and ''Ireland'' in English. Historically, the name ''Éire'' was often used even in the English language. This Section concerns why this was so. In May 1937, when the [[President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State|President of the Executive Council]], [[Éamon de Valera]] presented the first draft of the Constitution to the parliamentary committee on the Constitution, Article 4 simply provided: ”''The name of the State is Éire''”. There was no reference to ''Ireland'' at all. Opposition politicians immediately proposed that the word ''Ireland'' be substituted for the word ''Éire'' throughout the English text. They argued that ''Ireland'' was the name known by every European country; that the name should not be surrendered; that the name ''Ireland'' might instead be adopted by [[Northern Ireland]]; and that the choice of ''Éire'' might damage the status of the state internationally by drawing a ''“distinction between the state...and what has been known for centuries as Ireland”''.<ref name="Bunreacht">Dáil Éireann - Volume 67 - [[25 May]], [[1937]], Bunreacht na hÉireann (Dréacht)—Coiste</ref> Responding, de Valera stressed that the Irish text of the constitution was to be the foundation text. In light of this, he said the name ''Éire'' was more logical and that it would mean an Irish name would become accepted even in the English language.<ref>On a later occasion de Valera was also to say that the name ''Éire'' would have helped to avoid confusion between the names of the island and the state. Although, clearly, where the Irish language was the medium of communication, the position would be the same (as ''Éire'' is both the name of the state and the island in the Irish language).</ref> However, he said he had ''"no strong views"'' and he agreed ''"that in the English translation the name of the state [would be] Ireland"''.<ref name="Bunreacht"/> When de Valera subsequently tabled an amendment to give effect to this concession, he proposed [[Constitution of Ireland|Article 4]]'s current wording: “The name of the State is ''Éire'', or, in the English language, ''Ireland''.” In doing so, he remarked that as ''“the Irish text is the fundamental text [it is as well] that ''Éire'' is used here and there.”'' With almost no debate, the wording was agreed to and subsequently became the law of the land.<ref>Dáil Éireann - Volume 68 - [[9 June]] [[1937]] Committee on Finance. – Recommittal. To the proposed wording, an opposition politician had responded that it was ''”rather a cumbersome name for the State”''. To this, de Valera replied, that ''“it was a very short name. There is the equivalent in the English language.”'' There was no further debate. The name ''Ireland'' was substituted for ''Éire'' in a number of places throughout the English text of the Constitution although the name ''Éire'' remained in the highly rhetorical preamble but nowhere else in the English text. The latter reference was probably also motivated by de Valera's wish to emphasise the pre-eminence of the Irish text.</ref> It is sometimes said that de Valera wished to reserve the names ''Republic of Ireland'' or ''Irish Republic'' for the day when a united Ireland might be achieved. These names were not discussed in the parliamentary debates on the Constitution. However, the reason which de Valera gave in the debates for omitting any reference to the word ''republic'' throughout the constitution was that he thought the constitution would gain broader support if it did not refer to a ''republic''.<ref>Seanad Éireann - Volume 36 - [[15 December]], [[1948]], The Republic of Ireland Bill, 1948—Committee and Final Stages. It is highly likely that practical considerations such as the possible ramifications of automatic exclusion from the [[British Commonwealth]] were also among his considerations.</ref> After the adoption of the [[Constitution of Ireland|Constitution]], de Valera's government generally encouraged use of the name ''Éire'' (rather than ''Ireland'') but not always. His government also appreciated the significance of the name ''Ireland''. So for example, when the Irish ambassador in Berlin, [[Charles Bewley]] sought instructions concerning the new name of the State, he was advised by [[Joe Walshe|Joseph P. Walshe]], for decades the top [[civil servant]] in the [[Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)|Irish Department of External Affairs]] that:<ref> Catriona Crowe; Ronan Fanning; Dermot Keogh; Eunan O'Halpin; and Michael Kennedy: Documents on Irish Foreign Policy: 1937-1939 Vol. 5</ref> {{quotation|“When informing the German Government of the change of the name of the State, you should not emphasis the Irish form. The change of name would not, of course, have the same political or national significance if ‘Éire’ were to be used by foreigners. As you are aware, it is the hope of everybody in this country that the use of ‘Ireland’ to describe the Twenty-Six Counties will have a definite psychological effect in favour of the unity of this country on both Irish and foreign minds”''.}} [[Image:Ireland48cstamp.jpg|thumb|148px|Ireland uses ''Éire'' as the country name on its current [[postage stamp]]s.]] Indeed, while on the one hand encouraging the use of the name ''Éire'', de Valera's government sometimes insisted on the use of the name ''Ireland''. This is considered further [[#Name dispute with the UK|above]]. De Valera's decision to generally use the name ''Éire'' was sometimes severely criticised as a poor choice of name. Some argued that it was confusing.<ref>Dáil Éireann - Volume 96 - [[11 April]] [[1945]] - Ceisteanna—Questions </ref> Others said the name ''Éire'' might strengthen the claim of the government of [[Northern Ireland]] to the ancient name of Ulster for their state.<ref> [[Michael Hayes (politician)| Senator Michael Hayes]], Seanad Éireann Debates- Volume 25 - [[14 May]] [[1941]]. Indeed shortly before the Second World War, the Northern Ireland government considered [[Alternative names for Northern Ireland| adopting the name ''Ulster'']].</ref> However, the name ''Éire'' (generally misspelt as ''Eire'') quickly became widely accepted in English. Nevertheless, this only fuelled more criticism of the name, as once free in the English language, it evolved leading to what opposition politicians stated were ''"sneering titles such as Eirish"''.<ref>Dáil Éireann - Volume 96 - [[11 April]] [[1945]] -Ceisteanna—Questions </ref> These criticisms were aired at length in the [[Oireachtas]] when the [[Republic of Ireland Act 1948|Republic of Ireland Act]] was being debated. De Valera's use of the name ''Éire'' as well as the wording of Article 4 were sharply criticised. The [[Taoiseach]] of the day, [[John A. Costello]] said ''“that tremendous confusion ha[d] been caused by the use of that word ''Éire'' in Article 4. By a misuse by malicious people of that word, ''Éire'', they have identified it with the Twenty-Six Counties and not with the State that was set up under this Constitution of 1937.”''<ref>Dáil Éireann - Volume 113 - [[24 November]] [[1948]] The Republic of Ireland Bill, 1948—Second Stage. Costello also added that in ''“documents of a legal character, such as, for instance, policies of insurance, there is always difficulty in putting in what word one wants to describe the State referred to. [The new description of the State, the Republic of Ireland will provide] a solution for these difficulties, and those malicious newspapers who want to refer in derogatory tones to this country as ''Éire'' and who have coined these contemptuous adjectives about it, such as “Eireannish” and “Eirish”, and all the rest of it.”'' In a similar vein Costello also remarked that those ''”who may be disposed to jeer at our State, as they have done before in connection with the word “Éire”, will look at this [Republic of Ireland Act] and see that in the English text—which is the only one they can understand—... the description of the State is “the Republic of Ireland”...I want to stop any further nonsense.”'' Costello also criticised de Valera for using the term the ''“Éire Republic..., a term of decision and scorn”''.</ref> Despite these criticisms, de Valera initially called for the proposed Irish description of the state, ''Poblacht na h-Éireann'' to also be inserted into the English text of the Act in the same way both the Irish and English names of the state are used in Article 4.<ref>Dáil Éireann - Volume 113 - [[26 November]] [[1948]] The Republic of Ireland Bill (Resumed).</ref> However, de Valera subsequently retreated from this position and in what may be seen as an implicit acceptance of the criticisms made of the wording of Article 4 itself, de Valera accepted that it was better not to also use the Irish description in the English text.<ref>In the same Dáil debate, de Valera explained that a reason to use the Irish language description in the English text ''“would be if one wanted to bring in the use of the name Poblacht na hÉireann into ordinary speech, as the words “Taoiseach”, “Oireachtas”, “Dáil Éireann” have been brought into ordinary speech. Although I would like to see as many Irish words as possible come into the institutions of our State, I came to the conclusion that the Taoiseach is taking a better view. I think it is better for us in this case not to bring the Irish word into the English text; it is better to keep the English appellation, the English description, in the English text for some of the reasons the Taoiseach has mentioned."''</ref> Despite not changing the ''name'', when the Republic of Ireland Act was passed, the name ''Éire'' quickly fell into disuse (except in the Irish language). However the name continues to linger on, particularly in the United Kingdom. Éire is also the only name of the Irish state to feature on a range of national symbols including the [[Official Seal of the President of Ireland]], [[Postage stamps of Ireland|Irish stamps]] and [[Irish euro coins]]. However, when used in the English language, it is considered by many Irish people to be illiterate. ==IE, IRL, EI == Under the [[International Organization for Standardization]]’s [[ISO 3166]] standard, the [[ISO 3166-1 alpha-2|two-letter]] code for Ireland is ''“IE”'' while the [[ISO 3166-1 alpha-3|three-letter]] code is ''“IRL”''. The ''"IE"'' code is the basis for the choice of ".ie" for Irish [[ccTLD|internet addresses]].<ref>Section 31 of the Electronic Commerce Act, 2000</ref> The ''IRL'' code features on Irish driving licences, passports and is most visible on contemporary Irish ''EU style'' vehicle registration plates.<ref>Regulation 11 of the Vehicle Registration and Taxation (Amendment) Regulations, 1999 (S.I. 432 of 1999).</ref> Under the [[Convention on International Civil Aviation]] Irish registered aircraft carry the nationality mark ''“EI”''.<ref>Regulation 11 of the Irish Aviation Authority (Nationality and Registration of Aircraft) Order, 2005 (S.I. 634 of 2005).</ref> ==Colloquial names== A variety of alternative names are also used for the Irish state. Sometimes alternative names are chosen because the name "Ireland" could be confused with the name of the [[Ireland| island the state shares with Northern Ireland]]. Other times alternative names are chosen for political reasons (some of which are apparent from the discussion [[#Name dispute with the UK|above]]). As well as the official description "Republic of Ireland", shorter unofficial names include "the Republic" or "the South" (Northern Ireland being "the North"). "Irish Republic" is common in Britain but disliked in the Republic, where "[[Irish Republic]]" refers to the revolutionary state of the [[First Dáil]] in 1919. The [[initialism]] ''ROI'' (that is, Republic of Ireland) is also often used outside official circles. [[Irish republicanism|Irish republicans]], and other opponents of [[Partition of Ireland|Partition]], often refer to the state as the "Twenty-Six [[Counties of Ireland|Counties]]" (with Northern Ireland as the "Six Counties") or even the "Free State" (a reference to the pre-1937 state - ''see above''). These names are pejorative and are intended to call into question [[Irish republican legitimatism|the legitimacy of the state]]. The names attributed to the state by the British media are sometimes the subject of discussion in the state. The [[style guide]]s of British news sources adopt differing policies for referring to the state: ;''[[The Times]]'':"'''Ireland''': the two parts should be called the Republic of Ireland or the Irish Republic (avoid Eire except in direct quotes or historical context), and Northern Ireland or Ulster."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/article986727.ece |title=Times Online Style Guide - I |accessdate=2008-07-05 }} </ref> ;''[[The Guardian]]'':"'''Ireland, Irish Republic'''. not Eire or "Southern Ireland""<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/styleguide/page/0,,184827,00.html |title=Guardian Style Guide: I |accessdate=2008-07-05 }} </ref> ;''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'':"'''Ireland''' includes Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Irish Government means the one in Dublin. Use Irish Republic or the Republic according to context, but not Eire."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1435302/Telegraph-Style-Book-Places-and-peoples.html |title=Telegraph Style Book: Places and peoples |accessdate=2008-07-05 }} </ref> ;''[[The Economist]]'':"'''Ireland''' is simply '''Ireland'''. Although it is a republic, it is not the Republic of Ireland. Neither is it, in English, Eire. "<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.economist.com/research/styleGuide/index.cfm?page=805709 |title=Economist Style Guide: Countries and Inhabitants |accessdate=2008-07-05 }} </ref> ;''[[BBC Radio]]'':"''Ireland'' is an island, comprising Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/radio_newsroom/1099593.stm#i |title=Radio newsroom: Alphabetical checklist |accessdate=2008-07-06 }} </ref> ==See also== *[[History of the Republic of Ireland]] *[[Politics of the Republic of Ireland]] *[[Southern Ireland]] *[[Alternative names for Northern Ireland]] *[[Hibernia]] *[[Ériu]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} [[Category:Politics of the Republic of Ireland]] [[Category:History of the Republic of Ireland]] [[Category:Country name etymology|Ireland]]