The diplomatically neutral term is "the island of Ireland" for the whole thing. "These islands" refers to the British Isles, in the context of Anglo-Irish rela

The diplomatically neutral term is "the island of Ireland" for the whole thing. "These islands" refers to the British Isles, in the context of Anglo-Irish relations. It's some fascinating wordplay, born out of the Good Friday Agreement, trying not to step on various people's buttons.