Nope!
<*))))))><
I actually work with these all the time at the UN and am super familiar with all of the official (and the official informal/shorthand) names of countries and regions. History usually has little to do with it, to be honest; it’s about what the country actually states are the names of their own regions to international organisations. They’re administrative and little more.
European Union member states use the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics to define their sub-regions and the official names of those sub-regions. Ireland doesn’t actually use ‘county’ to preface any of these regions, so the most accurate formal name is one that doesn’t include the word ‘county’.
1 Like
I think we should use Dublin Territorial Unit then and so on. Rules are rules after all 
I’m half Irish and have spent well over of a year of my life there over time.
I’m basing this judgment on the many hours I’ve spent in pubs with friends and relatives.
In the main, during conversation, people refer to them as county x and county y.
Remember Johnny Mullen … he moved to county Clare.
I went down to Tara in county Meath last weekend.
Not always the case but most folks I interact with say county.
Trying to give this some on the ground context not just surmising over a printed list that suits some beer geeks.
4 Likes
We are going to have to be careful about the Derry / Londonderry thing in NI, don’t want to alienate potential customers.
As for the County prefix argument, I’m wondering whether it could be dropped. Like in England it comes from Norman occupation and we don’t use it for Durham, where County Durham is often used. We could just as simply the un-prefixed name.
Dublin has always had its own Administrative Territory and should definitely be kept that way.
Belfast is a bit of a nightmare as it crosses into 2 of the counties.
Obviously I wrote my input at the same time as you Colin. I don’t have the same on the ground experience that you have so I’m happy to go along with you on this. I only visited for work a few times and that’s my sum experience.
More than half Irish and for the last five or so years an Irish citizen (thanks Brexit). And having spent a significant amount of time in the Ireland I second this.
It may seem strange to people that ordinary folk speak like this, but as far as I’ve seen (speaking from a County Wexford + Country Tipperary angle here), this is indeed how it is.
Either way, I will be glad to see Ireland broken down into regions. 
3 Likes
FWIW, I’m completely used to seeing Co. This and Co. That in every single address of a brewery or something in Ireland. It’s always used that way, would just look silly without it IMO.
Seems the actual (part-)Irish tend to agree, which is cool.
3 Likes
This is true for the city of Londonderry / Derry. It is far less controversal for the County Londonderry. There has never existed a County Derry, unlike the city that was renamed from Derry to Londonderry.
2 Likes
As an Northern Irish native I agree that County prefix should remain.
4 Likes
Hmmm, perhaps we should call it County Coleraine 
. It was of course this until 1613 until King James renamed it, County Derry is quite a commonly used term in certain parts of NI, as I learned while working nearby. It’s always a touchy subject there.
This all makes a lot more sense. If you’d said this in the beginning, civilly, it would be easier to get quorum on these topics so we can do what we all want to do and get more stuff split. It just seemed silly to call the names like that in Ireland when we don’t in the UK or Scotland. But if that’s literally how people speak, then it’s a different story. In Canada we don’t say Province of Alberta, but we do say Northwest Territories
1 Like
This is a little semantic but even in the DC area, it seems like people do say Montgomery County or montco, but seem to just say Fairfax as opposed to Fairfax County… even though there is also a Fairfax City independent of the county…
The provinces would be an interesting stat but since Ulster spans NI and Ireland I don’t think it works unfortunately.
Knowing some Irish people i can confirm that (London)Derry is controversial topic. Maybe the brackets help?
But if what @mR_fr0g said in his post above then this is a non-issue? I’m under the impression the problem lies with the city that was renamed, not with the county which has apparently always been Londonderry?
1 Like
Don’t come on here after a 7 month absence and bang your drum !
And name these mystery Irish people FFS !
1 Like
Good to see you back.
1 Like
Agreed! Welcome back @The_Osprey ! Other forums are a little friendlier…
