Back in the 1970s the Goverment Papers were released under the 50 year rule as it was then. They are now released after 30 years has elapsed. These papers as reported in the Press showed that the Ulster Unionist leaders had argured with their Westminster Masters for the name 'Ulster' to be used for the new state to be. The Westminster Masters would not agree and insisted on Northern Ireland being the name,.
Iam reminded of this by the History Column in the Irish News....
'In 1949,in reaction to the south's decision to declare a republic,the Unionist PM Lord Brookeborough sought to change the official name of Northern Ireland to Ulster. His plea was rejected by the otherwise sympathetic Attlee Labour goverment on the grounds that 'the north was not Ulster' while such a move would outrage Irishmen in the dominions'.
Eamon Phoenix,Irish News, Friday November 19 2010
So there you have it. The founding fathers preferred the 'Ulster' name,and so it was 20 years later. However,on both ocassions the Westminster Masters rejected these requests. But it does show that 'Ulster' was the name they wished their country to be called. And of course away before all that they had set up a Provisional Goverment of Ulster.
But the above article also shows that Attlee believed it would ''outrage the Irishmen in the dominions''. So it would seem that Northern Ireland would NOT cause them to be 'outraged',but 'Ulster' would. That seems to answer those within unionism who say that the Irish don't want unionists to say they are Irish. On the contrary, they (according to Attlee) would welcome the NI name rather the 'Ulster' one
