When's the North the north?

A Drogheda man earlier this week took to a Cavan section of the N3 - which he insists is the threshold of the north of Ireland - to launch his modest campaign highlighting the geographical inaccuracy of the name 'Northern Ireland'. Retired social worker, Kevin McCarthy, on Thursday afternoon had a taxi with a satellite navigation system bring him to the line of latitude, 54 degrees and 03 minutes, which he believes is a more accurate point for where the north commences rather than the more politically charged location at the Cavan-Fermanagh border. Curiously the line he selects isn't the centre of Ireland; but instead runs east to west intersecting the most southerly point of the Six Counties, at the Armagh-Monaghan county border. "It is a problem for a lot of Irish people living in England," explained Mr McCarthy, who has lived in London for many years, "that this constant repetition of a description, and the name allocated to a part of their country, is totally wrong. It is not backed up by basic facts of geography. "The word northern has been capitalised when there is no merit to it, there's no accuracy in it. It is irritating and so I'm making just a small effort to change things." Speaking ahead of his protest, he said he intended to hold up his signs stating: 'You are now entering northern Ireland - 54oN 03 minutes - supporting geography in defence of science', and hope that it will intrigue passersby. "If people ask 'What on earth is this nonsense?' I will have a discussion if they want to engage in a discussion," said Mr McCarthy.