Trying not to piss off either side of the political divide is hard for the BBC and ITV in Northern Ireland. Foyle was a perfect choice for the Derry/Londonderry station. Ulster was the only available name really for the BBC. Now that Radio Ulster is widely available on the Irish republic, the name means not much.
And Northern Ireland isn't universally accepted either. There are many unionists that would prefer Ulster.
And Northern Ireland isn't universally accepted either. There are many unionists that would prefer Ulster.
You’re right that Northern Ireland isn’t universally accepted, but it’s actually nationalists who object. Some see NI as an artificial state that should never have come into being in the first place, and their aspiration is that one day it will cease to exist when Ireland is united. For that reason, some even refuse to use the term and instead refer to it as “the north of Ireland.”
For all its faults - and contrary to much of the educated guesswork that’s been going on in this thread - the term Ulster is actually less contentious.
There are also many unionists that prefer Ulster, rather than use something that's got Ireland in it. Like you say, on balance, Ulster is certainly no more contentious, if not less.
For all its faults - and contrary to much of the educated guesswork that’s been going on in this thread - the term Ulster is actually less contentious.
Not in my experience. Northern Ireland isn’t necessarily everyone’s
favourite
name for the place, but it is the most widely accepted name, and it also has the obvious distinction of being the official term.
MR
mr_vivian
As someone who has lived here all my life Ulster/Northern Ireland isn't an issue. If it is.. it's a small percentage.
They are 2 different things.
Ulster is 9 counties
NI is 6 counties
It's like saying the English have an issue with saying it's England and that they prefer the term Great Britain.
They mean 2 different things and one is more accurate in terms of describing the actual area than the other.
As someone who has lived here all my life Ulster/Northern Ireland isn't an issue. If it is.. it's a small percentage.
They are 2 different things.
Ulster is 9 counties
NI is 6 counties
It's like saying the English have an issue with saying it's England and that they prefer the term Great Britain.
They mean 2 different things and one is more accurate in terms of describing the actual area than the other.
Typical case here of the English not having the first clue about what goes on in this island! The most sensible answers in this thread have come from people who actually live in ‘the province’. Any concerns about the name Ulster have been firmly put to bed by the success of the Ulster rugby team and how they’re embraced by ALL sides of the community.
There are also many unionists that prefer Ulster, rather than use something that's got Ireland in it.
Sorry, but I’ve lived in Northern Ireland all my life, and that simply isn’t true.
I think that was true in the past (the Unionist government in NI tried to get the official name of NI changed to Ulster in the 50s) but not really now.
When ITV arrived in NI, it was a UK Government matter rather than a devolved one. The ITA awarded the licence to a group of companies that represented the whole community.
The name wasn’t welcome in all areas, and, for example the nationalist Derry Journal initially listed it as “Ulster” TV with the quotes as shown.
There are also many unionists that prefer Ulster, rather than use something that's got Ireland in it.
Sorry, but I’ve lived in Northern Ireland all my life, and that simply isn’t true.
I think that was true in the past (the Unionist government in NI tried to get the official name of NI changed to Ulster in the 50s) but not really now.
When ITV arrived in NI, it was a UK Government matter rather than a devolved one. The ITA awarded the licence to a group of companies that represented the whole community.
The name wasn’t welcome in all areas, and, for example the nationalist Derry Journal initially listed it as “Ulster” TV with the quotes as shown.
That's mostly correct - Ulster was proposed however it was rejected in 1949 mainly due to no agreement from the Republic of Ireland and that's 10 years before Ulster TV was launched in 1959. BBC Radio Ulster was then launched 26 years after the decision in 1975.
So, from our point of view Northern Ireland is inside Ulster and both terms are correct and so there's really no issue here.
It's just interesting that ITV chose describing their well known news service as "ITV Ulster" over "UTV Live".
I feel it'll be the new name if/when UTV becomes itv and you may only see Ulster mentioned for the news. It would streamline it for them.