On 11 Feb 2016, at 07:30, Greg Chalik <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> For the English, as soon as they became colonisers, the islands became Great Britain, even if it wasn't so great for the Celtic demographic.

Q: what puts the "Great" in Great Britain?
A: a collection of small islands off the coast of Scotland.

The "British Isles" includes Ireland but "Britain" is just the mainland.

This was not a problem when we first started colonising, back then it was "England".

The problem came with the "Treaty of Union" in 1707, when a name was needed for the union of England, Scotland and Wales plus all the surrounding islands, except Ireland.

The celts' problem was in part becoming foreigners in their own country - the word "Welsh" deriving from a Germanic word for foreigner*.

*it could also mean "Celt-Speaking" but that spoils the story.

All info vaguely remembered from Qi episodes and checked on Wikipedia.
I accept no liability for the consequences of its use in exams, job interviews or in the presence of anyone who knows, or thinks they know, anything about anything.

Phil Kitching