Names of the Irish state

The front cover of an Irish passport showing the name of the state in its two official languages.

According to the Constitution of Ireland, the names of the Irish state are Ireland (English) and Éire (Irish).^[1] From 1922 to 1937, its legal names were the Irish Free State (English) and Saorstát Éireann (Irish). The state has jurisdiction over almost five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. In 1948 Ireland adopted the terms Republic of Ireland (English) and Poblacht na hÉireann (Irish) as the official descriptions of the state, without changing the constitutional names.^[2]

The terms Republic of Ireland (ROI), the Republic, the 26 counties or the South are the alternative names most often encountered. The term "Southern Ireland", although only having legal basis from 1921 to 1922, is still seen occasionally, particularly in Britain.

Until the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, British government and media declined to use the name Ireland, preferring Eire (without síneadh fada accent) until 1949 and Republic of Ireland thereafter.

^ Government of Ireland (1937). Constitution of Ireland. Dublin: Stationery Office.
^ "The Republic of Ireland". The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948. Government of Ireland. 1948. Retrieved 3 January 2010. It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.

[1] Government of Ireland (1937). Constitution of Ireland. Dublin: Stationery Office.

[2] "The Republic of Ireland". The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948. Government of Ireland. 1948. Retrieved 3 January 2010. It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.

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