If you were once a big fish in a little pond (family/school), you will know the feeling of moving on (university/work). There is always a bigger fish. Ptolemy referred to Great Britain to distinguish it from Little Britain (Ireland). While Great Britain is the largest European island, it is the ninth largest island in the world. Ireland has a population of 6.4 million. Its historic peak was 8.5 million in the 1840s. The great famine between 1845 and 1852 killed an estimated one million people, with another million emigrating. From 1801-1923 Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, but the famine became a rallying call for Irish Nationalism. An estimated 80 million people self-identify as being part of the Irish Diaspora, including more than 10% of Americans and 14% of Canadians. The little Irish fish swam a long way. Ireland became independent of the United Kingdom in 1922. Northern Ireland remains a constituent part of the UK, having the UK's only land border.
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