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"Ireland" Don't Play Football
TV Channel: BBC Three
Programme Name: Germany vs Republic of Ireland
Transmission Date: 02/09/06
I was disappointed when I switched over to the above football match to see the latest score information in the top left of the screen display "Germany 0 Ireland 0".
However it wasn't the lack of goals so-far that had attracted my attention but the inaccurate representation of one of the teams playing as "Ireland". There has not been a football team called Ireland for many decades now, and the original Ireland team was the Irish FA one based in Belfast, not the one run by the FAI.
It's bad enough to hear this team repeatedly referred to informally as Ireland during commentary, but when showing statistics etc the correct name of the team should really be used. In this particular instance, misrepresenting the name of the team causes no small amount of offence to those of us in Ireland who follow (for our sins) the other team on the island.
This sort of mistake is common on Sky, but one would generally expect higher standards from the BBC.
I'm pleased to see BBC Three covering live sport and hope this trend continues, however please try harder with the presentation of the match in future.
I've emailed this to the BBC and requested a reply, and would urge others to do the same. If/When I receive a reply I will post details here.
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25 comments
Perhaps you would like to link to my blog?
Even better was thr ITN news who reported that 'The Republic of Ireland' have the most difficult task of all the Home Countries'.
Strange but true.
Even better was thr ITN news who reported that 'The Republic of Ireland' have the most difficult task of all the Home Countries'.
Strange but true.
03 Sep 2006 @ 17:26
Yeah I think it depends on who's speaking, but sometimes sometimes the Republic would be included (which would seem to be consistent with wikipedia). Obviously in rugby, Ireland would be included so I suppose I can forgive them getting mixed up on that one.
03 Sep 2006 @ 17:49
Perhaps they should show FST for Free State and have a caption of Eamonn De Valera beside it?
I have also emailed the BBC, asking them to withdraw their illegal propagande machine from Ireland. The first B in BBC stands for British and as a results should confine its broadcasts to the island of Great Britain.
Yours pedantically,
Dantheman
I have also emailed the BBC, asking them to withdraw their illegal propagande machine from Ireland. The first B in BBC stands for British and as a results should confine its broadcasts to the island of Great Britain.
Yours pedantically,
Dantheman
04 Sep 2006 @ 15:38
Why would they call them the Free State when the team's called the Republic of Ireland, dan?
04 Sep 2006 @ 18:23
Comment from: Dublin Prod [Visitor] 
Beano there's one answer to that problem. make one Ireland football team and fuck the national anthem, just play Ireland's Call at all matches- home and away. I'd love to see an all Ireland football team. Why not?
04 Sep 2006 @ 18:29
Sorry Dan's comment seems to be displaying out of order for some reason.
DP - I have a team thanks and I'm quite happy with it, why would I want it absorbed into another one?
DP - I have a team thanks and I'm quite happy with it, why would I want it absorbed into another one?
04 Sep 2006 @ 18:40
Comment from: Dublin Prod [Visitor]
why would you be happy with that team? losing at home to Iceland. such a great team. I know one Ireland football team would be much better. you know it aswell.
04 Sep 2006 @ 18:55
One UK team (or a British Isles team) would be better again DP. Don't want that either. RoI fans just don't seem to get that it's about more than just winning.
04 Sep 2006 @ 19:24
Comment from: londonderry_loyal [Visitor]
This inaccuracy doesnt surprise me from the BBC. The corporation is full of nationalists who play by their own agenda!!
05 Sep 2006 @ 08:52
That's a bit harsh LL, especially considering BBC Three is a national channel and presumably doesn't have any kind of base in Northern Ireland. I'm sure it's ignorance rather than malice.
05 Sep 2006 @ 10:43
Comment from: Barry in Canada [Visitor]
We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland!
07 Sep 2006 @ 02:32
Comment from: andy [Visitor]
The Fai was formed out of necessity. The IFA were reluctant to promote soccer outside of the Belfast area for whatever reason. Probably the usual superiority complex that has defined unionist opinion for hundreds of years
07 Sep 2006 @ 16:41
Comment from: andy [Visitor]
In another exercise in pedantry (im sure beano will love this considering the above topic) this site should be called "Everything Northern Ireland" as Ulster is still in existance across both jurisdictions. You seem to think that Northern Ireland and Ulster are one in the same, they are not.
07 Sep 2006 @ 17:18
Yawn.
Most of the clubs were based in Ulster so the finals were usually played in Belfast. It was only sense, but the Dublin clubs took a huff and broke away (imagine the gall of basing an all-Ireland body outside Dublin, the cheek of it).
"Ulster is still in existance across both jurisdictions."
Only for the purposes of GAA and rugby.
You seem to share Dan's penchant for going off topic so I'll tell you what i told him. If you want to comment on the topic feel free to do so. If you wish to discuss other issues (such as what I choose to call my site) then feel free to email me.
Most of the clubs were based in Ulster so the finals were usually played in Belfast. It was only sense, but the Dublin clubs took a huff and broke away (imagine the gall of basing an all-Ireland body outside Dublin, the cheek of it).
"Ulster is still in existance across both jurisdictions."
Only for the purposes of GAA and rugby.
You seem to share Dan's penchant for going off topic so I'll tell you what i told him. If you want to comment on the topic feel free to do so. If you wish to discuss other issues (such as what I choose to call my site) then feel free to email me.
07 Sep 2006 @ 18:36
Beano,
This topic has backfired.
One one hand you slate the BBC for refering to the ROI as Ireland, when part of Ireland is preesented.
On the other hane, you have a map of NI and call your website Everything Ulster, when part of Ulster is not represented.
Oh the irony of ironies.....
This topic has backfired.
One one hand you slate the BBC for refering to the ROI as Ireland, when part of Ireland is preesented.
On the other hane, you have a map of NI and call your website Everything Ulster, when part of Ulster is not represented.
Oh the irony of ironies.....
07 Sep 2006 @ 20:50
"One one hand you slate the BBC for refering to the ROI as Ireland, when part of Ireland is preesented.
On the other hane, you have a map of NI and call your website Everything Ulster, when part of Ulster is not represented.
Oh the irony of ironies....."
I wish I knew why your posts keep appearing out of sequence...
Anyway, Ulster's boundaries have moved over the centuries, those of Ireland have not.
Besides, until you start paying me to run this website, I'm not accountable to anyone so I'll call it what I like.
On the other hane, you have a map of NI and call your website Everything Ulster, when part of Ulster is not represented.
Oh the irony of ironies....."
I wish I knew why your posts keep appearing out of sequence...
Anyway, Ulster's boundaries have moved over the centuries, those of Ireland have not.
Besides, until you start paying me to run this website, I'm not accountable to anyone so I'll call it what I like.
07 Sep 2006 @ 21:06
Anyway, Ulster's boundaries have moved over the centuries, those of Ireland have not.
Indeed, however its current boundaries include Cavan. Monaghan and Donegal.
Indeed, however its current boundaries include Cavan. Monaghan and Donegal.
08 Sep 2006 @ 00:57
says you. Apparently the issue isn't clear cut.
Legally, Ulster doesn't actually exist under UK law (or, AFAIK, the laws of the Republic). The football teams, however, have official names, as registered with FIFA/UEFA. The issues are therefore not comparable, and I intend to post more on the Ulster thing another time.
Legally, Ulster doesn't actually exist under UK law (or, AFAIK, the laws of the Republic). The football teams, however, have official names, as registered with FIFA/UEFA. The issues are therefore not comparable, and I intend to post more on the Ulster thing another time.
08 Sep 2006 @ 01:05
"I intend to post more on the Ulster thing another time."
Looking forward to it, but I hope there is clarification as to when Ulster's boundaries were reduced to 6 counties, who made this decision and by what process, and what happened to the other 3 counties. Donegal aint in Connacht if thats what you are thinking. Should be interesting.
Looking forward to it, but I hope there is clarification as to when Ulster's boundaries were reduced to 6 counties, who made this decision and by what process, and what happened to the other 3 counties. Donegal aint in Connacht if thats what you are thinking. Should be interesting.
08 Sep 2006 @ 12:23
God, that is petty. You could follow up the pedantry with a discussion of Britain, British, Ulster and Northern Ireland.
30 Sep 2006 @ 21:42
I could understand someone outside these islands believing it to be pedantry, but there's no excuse for it from somwone who should know better, besides arrogance that is. "Ireland" doesn't stop at Dundalk.
01 Oct 2006 @ 15:42
""Ireland" doesn't stop at Dundalk."
Ulster doesnt stop at aughnacloy, belleek, strabane or derry. Your map would suggest otherwise. Any chance of settling the Ulster issue Beano??
Ulster doesnt stop at aughnacloy, belleek, strabane or derry. Your map would suggest otherwise. Any chance of settling the Ulster issue Beano??
10 Oct 2006 @ 23:10
Comment from: Goliath [Visitor]
Beano - Maybe i should let you and your friends have a real map of Ireland (Oxford map of course, not one of those Fenian maps!) to see that Ulster is 9 counties, now lets see, can you name the additional 3 counties in Ulster? Heres a clue, Rathlin Island is not a county!! :-)
11 Oct 2006 @ 09:59
Comment from: A Reader [Visitor]
"Maybe i should let you and your friends have a real map of Ireland (Oxford map of course, not one of those Fenian maps!) to see that Ulster is 9 counties, now lets see, can you name the additional 3 counties in Ulster?"
Cor, a "real" map of "Ireland"? I hope they're clever enough to realise that "Ireland" is only the name of the island and not some mythical nation that's only exists in the mind of romantic reactionaries
You may not know this; technically under international and constitutional law ,Ulster does not exist as a self-governing entity, so we can have as many counties in it as we like, doesn't really matter at that end of the day.
We could always invade the other three and bring them back to Mother Britannia, would that made you feel better?
Cor, a "real" map of "Ireland"? I hope they're clever enough to realise that "Ireland" is only the name of the island and not some mythical nation that's only exists in the mind of romantic reactionaries
You may not know this; technically under international and constitutional law ,Ulster does not exist as a self-governing entity, so we can have as many counties in it as we like, doesn't really matter at that end of the day.
We could always invade the other three and bring them back to Mother Britannia, would that made you feel better?
12 Oct 2006 @ 18:42
Comment from: Dal [Visitor]
"I have also emailed the BBC, asking them to withdraw their illegal propagande machine from Ireland. The first B in BBC stands for British and as a results should confine its broadcasts to the island of Great Britain.
Yours pedantically,
Dantheman"
You're not being pedantic Dan - you're just being wrong.
The word British isn't actually derived from the island of Great Britain, as confusing as that may seem to you.
Your website doesn't seem to exist by the way. Perhaps you should rename it to everything91counties.com
Yours pedantically,
Dantheman"
You're not being pedantic Dan - you're just being wrong.
The word British isn't actually derived from the island of Great Britain, as confusing as that may seem to you.
Your website doesn't seem to exist by the way. Perhaps you should rename it to everything91counties.com
26 May 2007 @ 07:23
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