Irish, Welsh, Scots and Brits

[RobMasters]

Can anyone explain why a person from Ireland is Irish, from Wales, Welsh, from Scotland, Scottish but from England, British (or a 'Brit')?

[5jj]

People from The Republic of Ireland are Irish. Those from Scotland are Scottish and British, those from Wales are Welsh and British, and those from England are English and British.

There is a certain political sensitivity about people from Northern Ireland. They are British, in the sense that they are British citizens, but they may describe themselves in different terms depending on their religious and political beliefs. Many Unionists do not consider they are Irish (they are certainly not Irish citizens), but many Republicans do feel that they are Irish (though they are British citizens).

[SoothingDave]

Can anyone explain why a person from Ireland is Irish, from Wales, Welsh, from Scotland, Scottish but from England, British (or a 'Brit')?

I thought people from England were English.

They all (except Irish) also qualify as British, since the island itself is called Great Britain.

[RobMasters]

I thought people from England were English.

They all (except Irish) also qualify as British, since the island itself is called Great Britain.

Interesting.
The island that contains England, Scotland and Wales is not called Great Britain. And, in actual fact, there is no such physical place as 'Britain'. There is a Kingdom of Britain, however, to which England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all belong. Hence a Scot is as much a 'Brit' as is an Englishman.

[SoothingDave]

That's not what I was taught.

Great Britain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Great Britain or Britain (Welsh: Prydain Fawr, Scottish Gaelic: Breatainn Mhòr, Cornish: Breten Veur) is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles.

[5jj]

The island that contains England, Scotland and Wales is not called Great Britain. And, in actual fact, there is no such physical place as 'Britain'. There is a Kingdom of Britain, however, to which England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all belong. Hence a Scot is as much a 'Brit' as is an Englishman.

As Soothing Dave correctly pointed out, that is not correct at all.

There is an island called Great Britain. There is no Kingdom of Britain. There is a sovereign state whose official name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Informally, there certainly is a place called Britain.

By the way, 'great' means 'large'.The 'small' one is now known in English as Brittany.

[RobMasters]

That's not what I was taught.

Great Britain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I owe you an apology
I misread your post - Thought you had just written 'Britain' (and I was nitpickin anyway about the 'Great').
So serves me right, I guess.

[Barb_D]

The 'small' one is now known in English as Brittany.

You learn something new every day!

[SoothingDave]

As Soothing Dave correctly pointed out, that is not correct at all.

There is an island called Great Britain. There is no Kingdom of Britain. There is a sovereign state whose official name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Informally, there certainly is a place called Britain.

By the way, 'great' means 'large'.The 'small' one is now known in English as Brittany.

Do you mean the island containing the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland?

[5jj]

I misread your post - Thought you had just written 'Britain' (and I was nitpicking anyway about the 'Great').

Your first question was an odd one for someone from England to ask. post #4 contains incorrect information. I don't see how misreading Dave's post would have made any difference to your answer - you were the one who first used 'Britain' without 'Great - incorrectly.

Please think about your messages before you post them. People not unnaturally assume that a retired academic from England will give accurate information.