The language we use always has weight to it, but especially when discussing places of contention. Take, for example, the stretch of land on the northern end of the isle of Ireland. While officially it’s known as Northern Ireland, simply using that term is a political statement in and of itself, tacitly accepting British rule over the six counties ceded by the Republic of Ireland just over a century ago in exchange for its independence. Some people call it the North, implying that the region is still a part of the nation of Ireland, only temporarily under the control of colonizers.
In press materials for their new album Days of Heaven, Belfast band Junk Drawer refer to their home as Ulster — a province that not only includes the six counties of Northern Ireland,…