Home Nations

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Home Nations is a term used to refer to the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — collectively but as separate entities, distinct from the United Kingdom as a whole. The term is also sometimes used to refer to England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland together. However, Ireland is generally only included when referring to sporting events, mainly rugby union but occasionally other sports. Its usage is rare (especially outside the UK) and somewhat controversial in some quarters, although it is more common in sporting contexts.

Sometimes the term is used to include all the self-governing nations or states of the British Isles (thus including the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey); however, some consider this usage to be incorrect. There is some debate, both popular and academic, as to whether Cornwall should be considered a constituent country of the UK in its own right (it is normally considered part of England) and therefore a Home Nation [1], with the Cornish nationalist movement often supporting this view.

The term is often used when referring to sporting events in which each Home Nation competes separately, such as the now defunct British Home Championship in football. When the term came into use is not known, but it is fair to assume that before the partition of Ireland into the still-British Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in 1922, that all of Ireland was considered to be a Home Nation (as all of it was part of the UK). This traditional usage is still seen today in the context of sports such as rugby union; the Ireland national rugby union team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is still common in Britain and elsewhere, for the team to be referred to as a Home Nation team. Examples of such usage can also be found in the media in the Republic of Ireland and on the official site of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The term 'Home Union' is used to refer to the governing bodies of the four teams.

For example, within the Six Nations Championship in rugby union, the Home Nation teams play for the honour of winning the Triple Crown, send players to the British and Irish Lions and take part in hosting Grand Slam tours.

Other sports which use the term 'Home Nations' include rowing, skiing, swimming, cycling, hockey, tennis, mountaineering, boxing and golf.