British

The word British has several different uses. See the article on Britain for more details on the development and use of the word Britain.

Origins

British originates from the name Briton used to refer to the people who historically lived throughout the British Isles. The modern day Celtic people in Ireland, Scotland and Wales are probably most closely ancestrally related to the original Britons. In modern times people have begun to exclude the Irish from the term "British" despite the fact that many Irish people are ancestrally more closely related to the original Britons than other groups living in the British Isles. This is most common in Northern Ireland, where "British" is the word commonly associated with the 59% of the population who wish to remain in the United Kingdom, and "Irish" is the word often associated with the 22% of the population who would like Northern Ireland to merge with the Republic of Ireland (% figures from http://www.ark.ac.uk/nilt/2004/Political_Attitudes/NIRELAND.html 2004).

Related Topics:
Briton - British Isles - Modern day Celtic people - Ireland - Scotland - Wales - Northern Ireland - British - United Kingdom - Republic of Ireland - 2004

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