Eire

See also: eire, Éire, and Eiré

English

Alternative forms

• Éire

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Éire.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛəɹə/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ), -ɛəɹə

Proper noun

Eire

2. (chiefly dated, sometimes proscribed) The Republic of Ireland.
   • 1940 May, “The Irish Railways Today”, in Railway Magazine, page 295:

     The neutrality, however, causes some peculiar situations, such as that arising from the prohibition of uniforms other than those of the Eireann Defence Forces and the Diplomatic Corps. This would be simple if no one from Eire were a sailor, soldier, or airman in the British Forces, but thousands of them are, and as such they may not wear mufti unless on leave from the B.E.F.

4. The island of Ireland, consisting of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
   • 1887, U. J. Bourke, Pre-Christian Ireland, Browne & Nolan, page 1:

     […] ; above all, from their language, which, to this day, has left its impress on the lands through which they journeyed from Aria to Ara, from Iberia to Eire.

   • 1996, John Wilson, Understanding Journalism; A Guide To Issues, Routledge., →ISBN, page 269:

     Eire - now an oddity rarely used, an out-of-date reference.

   • 2004, Douglas Clark, Belfast: A Novel of the Troubles, Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, →ISBN, page 211:

     “No. My father and Uncle Terry agreed on most things, including a united Irish Republic that included all of Eire. […] ”

   • 2005, Kieran Wasserman, The Battle for Eire, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 310:

     “No, I do not,” she replied. “Eire was not meant to be won by force, as the Romans intend. […] In attacking them, you avenge your kin and maintain the peaceful island of Eire. […] ”

Usage notes

The acceptability of the name Eire or Éire in English has varied over time. Although some Irish politicians after independence preferred this name, and the term appeared in a few official titles such as "Attorney General of Éire", the policy of the British government to use Eire rather than Ireland to refer to the state led Eire/Éire in English to be perceived by most Irish people as a deliberate exoticism or a provocative rejection of Irish claims on Northern Ireland. Bilateral treaties published by both governments would use Eire or Republic of Ireland in the British edition and Ireland in the Irish edition. In 1998, the British government abandoned the practice with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the term largely fell into disuse.

Translations

Republic of Ireland

• Japanese: エール (ja) (Ēru)

island of Ireland

• Japanese: エール (ja) (Ēru)

Further reading

• “Eire”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• Erie