A NAME FOR SOUTHERN IRELAND SIR,—The. Irish friends, of Pharos
are surely un- reasonable. 'The Republic of Ireland' is too much of a mouthful, too long for headlines and itself misleading, since the republic does not in fact include all Ireland. Eire is by far the most convenient name to give the twenty-six counties and 'no -more incorrect than 'any other available. I may -add: that the word 'Ireland' came within a hair's breadth of disappearing altogether, save when coupled with the word 'Northern,' for Mr. de, Valera's constitution as originally drafted substituted 'Eire' -for 'Ireland' in both Gaelic and English versions, It was an amend- ment proposed .by myself and accepted finally by Mr. de Valera which secured the retention of the name 'Ireland' when speaking English. My hopes of seeing Ireland a united-- nation have diminished considerably since then.- --Yours faithfully,
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