Ireland isn't part of the UK but it is part of the EU. You need to make the distinction between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the separate independent country of Ireland.
That border was drawn as recently as 1992(?) I just managed to fall into this discussion elsewhere.
FWIW, google maps clearly shows Northern Ireland as a separate country. Which is odd, curious, or really ironic depending on how you look at it. The reason for that is, there are no drawn borders between, England, Scotland & Wales.
OK, underneath this line_________________________________________________is pure bulls***....sprinkled with the truth now & again>
Now Scotland, IIRC, was annexed around the time Mel Gibson painted himself blue and fought on the wrong side of the whole sordid blood bath. Or perhaps it might have been the middle ages. Erstwhile, "Steeleye Span", sings a song how about England used mercenaries to annex Scotland, "for hireling traitors wages", and so forth. Of course Scotland didn't have Sean Connery or they obviously would have prevailed...(y)
Actually, that's a Scottish folk song, thus:
Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name,
Sae fam'd in martial story.
Now
Sark rins over
Solway sands,
An'
Tweed rins to the ocean,
To mark where England's province stands-
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
What force or guile could not subdue,
Thro' many warlike ages,
Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitor's wages.
The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valour's station;
But English gold has been our bane -
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
O would, ere I had seen the day
That Treason thus could sell us,
My auld grey head had lien in clay,
Wi'
Bruce and loyal
Wallace!
But pith and power, till my last hour,
I'll mak this declaration;
We're bought and sold for English gold-
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
[2]
OK, the song was a poem by Robert Burns, and it isn't about that at all, (I don't think).
And so ends cranky's fractured history lesson. Thank God, finally! (I know what you're thinking).
BS ends at this line________________________________________________________________________________
In any event, here's the Google map of the UK, which clearly shows a country border between North Ireland and Ireland: I hope it will hold my zoom settings, but I doubt it. So, be prepared to do a little clicking, zooming, and dragging. That is of course, if any of you are still listening...
https://www.google.com/maps/@54.5017212,-4.4423002,7z?hl=en-US
Son of a gun! It actually does hold my zoom settings....! Google is as impressive as it is omnipresent
In feeble attempt to bring this back to topic, perhaps Elon Musk, carpetbagger extraordinaire, might find it worthwhile to stage his headquarters in NI, so he can suck up the same tax breaks that Apple does.
