I dunno. All across the Netherlands, I’ve had plenty of awesome fries, with mayonaise and ketchup and hot sauce, served up in paper cones. The beer was good, too. And the horticultural skills of the Dutch (indoor hydroponic plant products) are nothing to be sniffed at. Delicious brownies and tea.
I believe the name ‘Great Britain’ comes from the Normans, who lived in Bretagne (Brittany) and migrated to Grande Bretagne - the bigger, or greater, Bretagne which they also ruled. I assume it refers to the single land-mass of England , Scotland & Wales only. But I think the phrase ‘British Isles’ encompasses Ireland and all the other bits.
I’ve heard Scotland being referred to seperately from England by Taiwanese, but don’t have any recollection of Ireland or Wales being considered distinct. I’ll usually do a little 5-min lecturette in my adult classes on this, but it doesn’t seem worth it for high-school classes.
Many of them know of Wales and Ireland but barely. . About half of them think all of Ireland is still a warzone. Almost all think Ireland is part of the UK
Until I ask them do you come from the mainland 
I love saying we are ‘duli’, independent. That always ends the conversation since they are often uncomfortable about that word. They know Scotland is distinct probably because of Braveheart which they frequently mix up between Scotland and Ireland. Since England, Canada, US , Australia and N.Zealand heavily promote their universities here they are much more prominent than other countries in Taiwanese minds (Irish government has switched allegiance to the commies big time meaning they have abandoned any promotion in Taiwan but are crawling all over Beijing)
Concur. Most Taiwanese I meet think Ireland is still a British colony.
Dreadful the way there’s no Irish office here. The Taiwanese chaps in Dublin have always been very personable with me when I’ve strolled in to blag a visa. You’d think the Ministry of Ignoring Taiwan could set up something here. Is it any wonder the locals think we’re English ? (The first thing they should do is promote the correct spelling of “Guinness”.
)
Most Taiwanese I’ve talked to think that New Zealand is ‘near Australia’. Come to think of it, most foreigners do too.
Brian
I met a guy here years ago who thought Ireland was Tasmania, and he was convinced he was right.
[quote=“stragbasher”]I believe the name ‘Great Britain’ comes from the Normans, who lived in Bretagne (Brittany) and migrated to Grande Bretagne - the bigger, or greater, Bretagne which they also ruled. I assume it refers to the single land-mass of England , Scotland & Wales only. But I think the phrase ‘British Isles’ encompasses Ireland and all the other bits.
[/quote]
During WWI, when regiments from Cornwall and Britanny were fighting side by side in the trenches against the Germans, they sang traditional songs from home to raise morale and while the time. The Breton and Cornish soldiers found to their surprise and delight that they shared the same traditional songs.
But how many Irish know where Tasmania is? 
[quote=“mod lang”][quote=“stragbasher”]I believe the name ‘Great Britain’ comes from the Normans, who lived in Bretagne (Brittany) and migrated to Grande Bretagne - the bigger, or greater, Bretagne which they also ruled. I assume it refers to the single land-mass of England , Scotland & Wales only. But I think the phrase ‘British Isles’ encompasses Ireland and all the other bits.
[/quote]
During WWI, when regiments from Cornwall and Britanny were fighting side by side in the trenches against the Germans, they sang traditional songs from home to raise morale and while the time. The Breton and Cornish soldiers found to their surprise and delight that they shared the same traditional songs.[/quote]
Interesting story. I have visited both places which are really beautiful and the people are friendly. Unfortunately the languages have died out. My teacher told me once he was able to converse with an old woman he met in Brittany in Gaelic. Was Bretagne Gaelic the language of the Gauls (asterix and co).?
Do the words Gaelic, Celtic , Gaels and Gauls all have the same root?
The Celts were supposedly the first people to bring agriculture to Europe. Thus they spread quickly, able to survive on land that older hunter-gatherer societies wouldn’t think important. There is a lot of debate about whether they can be thought of as a ‘culture’ at all though. They certainly weren’t a unified group. By Roman times Britain was largely populated by Celtic peoples, as was Britany. There was a lot of trade between Cornwall and Britany - they were very close. Around the 4th to 6th centuries, the germanic peoples - the Saxons, Jutes, Angles etc invaded Britan in several waves. This is the time King Arthur was supposed to have existed. He represents Romanised Celtic opposition to the Germanic invaders. The Celtic people were pushed back to or remained in the peripheral areas of Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Scottish and Irish Celts are different but related to the Welsh and Cornish Celts.
I forget a lot of the terminology. I think Cymry or Cymric refers to British Celts. Gaelic is definitely Northern Celts. I forget exactly how the Gauls fit in, but I think they are more fo a Germanic people, related to the Franks. The word Gallic comes form Gaul, I believe.
Brian
About four years ago, the number of Cornish speakers was approximately 400.
I believe that Breton is still very much a living language as my Parisian friend of Breton descent can understand a lot of it and speak a little.
The celts are credited with destroying the ‘older hunter-gatherer societies’ in Britain when they arrived 2-300 years BC. When the Romans arrived at Stonehenge a few centuries later, and said “Wow, what’s that?”, the response was a gallic shrug. I have read that there are similar megalithic structures from the Atlantic coast of Spain all the way up to Norway, all predating the celts.
In fact… I think I’ve heard that tin from Cornwall was used to make bronze by the warrior aristocracies of ancient Greece, back in the days of Troy. Apparently carvings found at Stonehenge match those found at the palace of Knossos on Crete, which was built at roughly the same time.
Fast forward a bit. When the Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain to defend the heart of the empire, it left the colony open to attack by the Danes, Jutes etc., the vikings. The Saxons were not (initially) invaders, but mercenary soldiers hired by the provincial government to protect Roman civilisation.
‘England’ didn’t come into existence for several centuries more: Angle-land, the land of the Angles, whoever they were. (Some kind of Dane?)
Just for shits and giggles, I will also add that Roman Britain was troubled by seaborne pirate from across the water in Hexuan-land. St. Patrick was abducted from his home in Roman Britain as a young man by Irish raiders. The vikings later established a base from which to attack poor old Britain, and today it is known as Dublin. While this was going on the Scotti were attacking northern Britain from their home in southern Ireland. So successful were they that they got to name the top bit after themselves.
The English, therefore, are a nation of victims, a people subject to repeated invasions by all and sundry for thousands of years. Celts, Germans, Scandinavians, French, Romans, Irish, they’ve all had a go at us. All that stuff with the empire was just getting even.
None of this has anything to do with me, of course. I’m a European.
Also, the English can not be held responsible for any percieved poor taste. That too was brought in by foreign invaders:
Luxury! Imagine being a pommy reject!
HG
So, there is a possibility that St. Patrick was in fact English? This could burst the Irish bubble somewhat. Time to reclaim the Emerald Isle? Or have a George & Patrick Day and a VERY big piss-up…
[quote=“sheepshagger”]So, there is a possibility that St. Patrick was in fact English? This could burst the Irish bubble somewhat. Time to reclaim the Emerald Isle? Or have a George & Patrick Day and a VERY big piss-up…[/quote]Yes, he wasn’t Irish, But he did at least go to Ireland, St. George never even set foot in England, He was born in Turkey or somewhere, he lived the rest of his life in Palestine.
Time to reclaim Palestine then and put an end to all the nonsense over there. As for Turkey, well, if the Football Association hadn’t stopped all the English from going over for the match a few weeks back, then maybe we could have claimed that too. George was Turkish? That explains all the kebab shops.
I think St Patrick was Welsh, or at least Romano-Cambrian. I don’t think that sharing this gem with any passing paddy will do you much good. Most of them seem to be already aware of their forebear’s activities, and will just grin evilly at you. I think they regard it as a kind of anticapatory retaliation for the activities of Strongbow etc. later on.
St. Patrick was freed eventually (ransomed?) but chose to go back. You don’t get to be a saint for nothing, you know. (Did you read recently that the inventor of the cappuccino has been given a halo as well?)
It’s all water under the penny bridge now, and I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 days (masquerading as a psychiatrist) in Dublin, so no hard feelings chaps.
As for St George, what kind of national shame is that? A Turk, no less. On the other hand, Santa Claus was Turkish too.
When you start getting into your national traditions too deeply they’re not worth much, are they?
[quote=“stragbasher”]The celts are credited with destroying the ‘older hunter-gatherer societies’ in Britain when they arrived 2-300 years BC. When the Romans arrived at Stonehenge a few centuries later, and said “Wow, what’s that?”, the response was a gallic shrug. I have read that there are similar megalithic structures from the Atlantic coast of Spain all the way up to Norway, all predating the celts.quote]
Apparently, the megaliths are dotted all over europe and even the near east. major cities and religious sites are built on top of ruins that had megaliths, so their “religious” importance was continued kinda. for example, jerusalem is said to be a megalithic site.