Thursday, December 08, 2005
NI not in British travel guides - So what?
Some people seem to just want to complain for the sake of complaining! Check out this letter from Matthew Tennis in the Belfast Telegraph:
"The more I see it, the more angry, offended and upset I become.
"Go into the travel section of any good bookshop and you will find a reasonably large selection of travel guides covering either all or almost all of the world's countries.
"The three brands which predominate are Dorling Kindersley, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.
"Look up the guides for Britain and you will see something depressingly familiar. It is virtually impossible to buy a travel guide for the United Kingdom as a whole.
"Instead the policy is to publish one book for Great Britain (which excludes us by virtue of the name on the cover) and another book for the whole island of Ireland.
"When are travel guide publishers going to do it properly and stop airbrushing Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom?
"Oh for a travel guide for Britain which includes Northern Ireland!
"Oh for a travel guide which recognises Northern Ireland's rightful place within the United Kingdom and stops the ignorant practice of lumping it in with the Republic of Ireland, which is an alien foreign country."
MATTHEW TENNIS, Carnalea, Co Down.
I'm sorry but how can you be angered, upset and offended by this?!
The key sentence here from Mr Tennis is: "Oh for a travel guide for Britain which includes Northern Ireland!"
Mr Tennis, the North isn't part of Britain! Why on earth should it be included?
What's wrong with an all-Ireland travel guide? Surely that makes more sense as there's likely to be more north/south travel anyway. Imagine buying a travel guide in the North that doesn't give any details on the South. Wouldn't that be a bit stupid?
His last sentence is complete bollocks. The Republic is an 'alien' country? I myself wouldn't regard Britain as being an 'alien' country! Mr Tennis' comments are just too silly!
I think Mr Tennis should do us all a favour and go pick up this book!
"The more I see it, the more angry, offended and upset I become.
"Go into the travel section of any good bookshop and you will find a reasonably large selection of travel guides covering either all or almost all of the world's countries.
"The three brands which predominate are Dorling Kindersley, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.
"Look up the guides for Britain and you will see something depressingly familiar. It is virtually impossible to buy a travel guide for the United Kingdom as a whole.
"Instead the policy is to publish one book for Great Britain (which excludes us by virtue of the name on the cover) and another book for the whole island of Ireland.
"When are travel guide publishers going to do it properly and stop airbrushing Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom?
"Oh for a travel guide for Britain which includes Northern Ireland!
"Oh for a travel guide which recognises Northern Ireland's rightful place within the United Kingdom and stops the ignorant practice of lumping it in with the Republic of Ireland, which is an alien foreign country."
MATTHEW TENNIS, Carnalea, Co Down.
I'm sorry but how can you be angered, upset and offended by this?!
The key sentence here from Mr Tennis is: "Oh for a travel guide for Britain which includes Northern Ireland!"
Mr Tennis, the North isn't part of Britain! Why on earth should it be included?
What's wrong with an all-Ireland travel guide? Surely that makes more sense as there's likely to be more north/south travel anyway. Imagine buying a travel guide in the North that doesn't give any details on the South. Wouldn't that be a bit stupid?
His last sentence is complete bollocks. The Republic is an 'alien' country? I myself wouldn't regard Britain as being an 'alien' country! Mr Tennis' comments are just too silly!
I think Mr Tennis should do us all a favour and go pick up this book!
# posted by United Irelander @ 3:24 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
