Sir, – Dave Kavanagh has trouble with the term “all-island”. (Letters, November 28th). Could there be a country on the face of this earth with so many options for what the totality, its regions, particularly the northern one, even for one of its cities are called?
The term “North of Ireland”, for instance, has crept into common parlance in recent years. This now seems to be a generally accepted code for those who think they are staying on-side, striking a blow for freedom by refusing to say Northern Ireland, just as some on the non-conformist wing of politics refuse to say the “Republic of Ireland”, they prefer “Free State”, “26 counties” or “the South”.
Yes, Mr Kavanagh, “all-island” is a usage which takes the sting out of the well-worn and legitimate and long-established all-Ireland label, with its sporting connotations. If there is ever to be peace on this island, perhaps a starting-point would be that we all stop using language which knowingly rubs salt into smarting wounds. The unionist population of Northern Ireland will cling to their preferred name for the place they love and call home, and all the linguistic acrobatics in the world won’t change that.
The “majority” population of the island would do well to respect that. Time we were all a wee bit kinder to each other? – Yours, etc, PADDY McEVOY Holywood, Co Down.