The make up of the British Isles, the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Ireland, Northern Ireland and many others is confusing to many people who live in these islands. For people in other parts of the world these things are seemingly impenetrable. This article attempts to explain the various components, give a bit of history about why these parts are so intertwined, and shed a little light on the sporting representation of the countries involved.
Great Britain (GB) is a group of islands formed of three countries; England, Scotland and Wales. Neither GB nor the three constituent countries are "Sovereign States recognised by the United Nations (UN)".
The United Kingdom (UK) is the three countries in GB, plus Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is the northern part of the Island of Ireland - more on that below. The UK is a Sovereign State recognised by the UN.
The Island of Ireland consists of two countries; Northern Ireland (mentioned above) and the Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is completely independent from the UK, and is a Sovereign State recognised by the UN.
The final components of the British Isles are the Crown Dependencies. These are the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The the Bailiwick of Jersey is the island of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey is all the other islands of the Channel Islands (more on these below) and the Isle of Man is an island in between the island of GB and the Island of Ireland. None of these is part of the UK and they are self governing; however, none is a Sovereign State recognised by the UN.
The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of France, with the main islands being Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark.
- British Isles
- United Kingdom
- Great Britain
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland (on the Island of Ireland)
- Great Britain
- Island of Ireland
- Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom
- Crown Dependencies
- Channel Islands
- Bailiwick of Jersey
- Bailiwick of Guernsey
- Isle of Man
- Channel Islands
- United Kingdom
At one point in history the three countries in GB and the Crown Dependencies were all independent. Also, Ireland was independent, occupying all of the Island of Ireland.
It was King Henry VIII who started to change things in 1536, when an act of parliament made Wales part of England.
In 1542 an act was passed the made the King of England the King of Ireland as well.
In 1603 King James VI of Scotland (Scotland had its own Kings and Queens) became King James I of England and Ireland when the two Crowns were united.
In 1707 the Kingdoms of England and Scotland were merged, which created Great Britain. Queen Anne changed from Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland to Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.
In 1801 the Kingdom of Ireland was united with Great Britain to make the United Kingdom. King George III was the first King of the United Kingdom.
In the early 1900s Ireland wanted to be independent leading to the Irish War of Independence. In 1922 what eventually became the Republic of Ireland became independent.
However, parts of the Irish Province of Ulster wanted to remain in the UK, and the Island of Ireland was partitioned with six counties becoming Northern Ireland, which remained in the UK, and the remainder becoming the Republic of Ireland.
And so to sport . . .
In many sports (eg Football and Netball) England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete separately.
In a few sports (eg Rugby Union and Cricket) the entire Island of Ireland competes under the name Ireland.
In Cricket the England team actually represents England and Wales, with Scotland competing separately. Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man also have their own teams.
At the Olympic Games Team GB represents Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland also competes. Anyone in Northern Ireland can choose to compete for either of these teams. Residents of the Crown Dependencies compete for Team GB.
At the Commonwealth Games England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all compete separately. The Republic of Ireland is not part of the Commonwealth. In addition, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man compete separately.
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man compete in the Island Games, another multi-sport event.
In Rugby Union any player who is qualified to represent any of the Channel Islands (which do not have their own international teams) can play for England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
Complicated isn't it!
Ireland is not in the British Isles. Hasn’t been for ages.
Calling Ireland part of the British Isles is about as obnoxious as saying that Ukraine is part of the Russian Steppe. Though there are indeed people who do that too.