British Isles naming dispute often rejected in the Republic of Ireland, because some claim its use implies a primacy of British identity over all the islands outside the United Kingdom, including the Irish state, the Crown dependencies of the Isle of Man and Channel Islands that was historically dominating and is currently inaccurate, since Ireland is neither Britain nor British. Many political bodies, including the Irish government, avoid describing Ireland as being part of the British Isles; Éamon de Valera corrected John Gunther when the journalist used the term during a private meeting in the mid-1930s. However, the term "British Isles" has been used
Terminology of the British Isles until 1949), is an association of independent states roughly corresponding to the former British Empire. (This has no connection with the Commonwealth of England, a short-lived republic replacing the previous kingdoms during the English Interregnum (1649–1660).) The adjectives used to describe the contents and attributes of the various constituent parts of the British Isles also cause confusion. In the absence of a single adjective to refer to the United Kingdom, "British" is generally used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. However, in a specifically physical geographical sense, "British" is used to refer to the island of Great