Quote Originally Posted by Phil View Post
But Northern Ireland is Ireland. Am I missing something?
Maybe some teeth, depending whereabouts you say it
Just joking, it's all in the ear of the beholder, really. I can think of some places where I wouldn't say it, though.

Feckin is marketed as a "fun" brand for the export market. I don't know how much care the foreign market takes when looking at origins, but usually if something is marketed as being "genuine Irish", in other words, south of the border, it's marked "Made in Eire" or "Made in the Republic of Ireland".
Items marked "Made in Northern Ireland" means, technically speaking from an export point in terms of tax, Made in the UK. The license to make alcohol will be a UK license. Buying an "Irish Whiskey" labelled Made in the UK would not have the same ring to it, and you are paying a tax to the UK government, so hence it can be seen as a bit of a marketing ploy.
To be honest, would it make a difference? From 1932 until 2005 the vast majority of Guiness was brewed in London, England. In Ireland the company was so anti-Catholic that up until 1939 if a Guinness worker wanted to marry a Catholic, his resignation was requested, (This is one of the reasons some Irish regiments drink Carlsberg), yet in my travels I have seen it enjoyed by many of the Irish diaspora as an authentic taste of Ireland. Guinness is certainly far more popular in England than it ever has been in Ireland where sales continue to decline. The biggest market for Guinness has always been the UK, followed by Ireland, then Nigeria with the USA fourth.
I think the Feckin marketing is careful, if a bit opportunistic, but maybe these days, not entirely necessary.