It was sound advice for anyone visiting Northern Ireland in 1999 and remains so today: do not refer to Protestants as “Prods”, or to Catholics as “Fenians” or “Taigs”, and whatever you do don’t refer to your visit as “being out here”.
The tips were part of a briefing paper for Peter Mandelson after he became the Labour government’s Northern Ireland secretary, according to files declassified on Thursday.
Stormont officials spelled out linguistic pitfalls that could offend nationalists and unionists in a 164-page guidance document for Mandelson and other new NIO ministers.
Geographical terms were not neutral, it warned in a section titled “Terminology, including expressions best avoided”. Great Britain, for instance, was not to be referred to as “the mainland”. “A term used by unionists but not generally acceptable. Reference should be made to GB.”
Northern Ireland was preferable to “Ulster” or “the province”, especially when talking to nationalists. “The North”, in contrast, was an acceptable colloquialism used by both communities.
When visiting the region, it was best to avoid the phrase “being out here” because “it smacks of the colonial outpost attitude”.
What to call Northern Ireland’s neighbour presented other perils. “The Free State – official name of the Republic from 1922-37. Sometimes used as a derogatory term by unionists and republicans. Unacceptable.”
So too was “Eire”, even though it was the official name of the Republic in Irish. “Refers to the island of Ireland and implies claim to the six counties comprising Northern Ireland. Unacceptable.”
Under no circumstances were ministers to refer to “the republican government – a term occasionally used to describe the government of the Republic of Ireland. To be avoided at all costs, as being deeply offensive to that government.”
Even casual visitors to Northern Ireland tend to know not to use “Prods”, “Fenians” or “Taigs”, but the briefing paper authors made that explicit to the incoming ministers.
Other declassified files from the 1960s show that the Northern Ireland government discussed a proposed tunnel to Scotland. Several district councils and a US firm, Technical Studies Inc, championed the idea, but Stormont officials scotched it as impractical and too expensive. “I believe that not enough thought has been given to the human side of the proposition,” said one note. “Homo sapiens does not like tunnels – even short ones.”
