Originally Posted by
DannyInvincible
The argument goes that there is more than one Irish identity. The independent national identity channelled officially through the Irish state is just one of those. Others might be different in nature - and thus I think worthy of distinction for the sake of understanding - but they might still be called Irish by virtue of being of the island of Ireland.
Think of the Irish language... There's the Irish language - Gaelic - and then I suppose you could say there are other Irish languages by virtue of them being spoken on the island; they might include (Hiberno, Mid Ulster and South Ulster) English, (Ulster) Scots or Shelta. Obviously, they still require distinction from Gaelic.