Posted on 10/03/2006 6:49:35 AM PDT by aculeus
IT MAY be 57 years too late for many an Irish republican, but yesterday Folens, the publishers, said it was introducing a more correct version of its school atlas that would no longer include Ireland as part of the British Isles.
The decision, according to The Irish Times, was taken after Mary Hanafin, the Republics Education Minister, received a complaint from a parent. She advised the writer to take the matter up with the teacher who was using the dated atlas in question, and with the company that published it.
A spokesman for the Irish Embassy in London said: The British Isles has a dated ring to it, as if we are still part of the Empire. We are independent, we are not part of Britain, not even in geographical terms. We would discourage its useage.
John OConnor, managing director of Folens, said that no final decision had yet been taken as to what would replace the British Isles title in the relevant section, but it might be simply Ireland and England although that would risk the wrath of the Scots and the Welsh.
Some things are just geographical realities...If they can figure out a way to get as isolated as Iceland, maybe people would stop lumping it with the lands nearby...
"Irish Isles are smiling"?
40,000 out of a population of under 2million not good enough for ye??
That gives me an idea... Iceland should be part of the British Isles!! :-P
Irish Isles.. English Isles.. Scottish Isles.. Welsh Isles.. Manx Isles....
;)
It is fine in it's context. However, the English were in a desperate battle. Had Germans overun the British Isles, the Irish, all 2 million would have had to fight, surrender or die.
Personally, I have never understood why the Irish government claimed to be neutral.
It's impossible to understand what motivated De Valera at the best of times!
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