Home Nations
Home Nations is a variously term used to refer to the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (collectively, but also as separate entities, distinct from the United Kingdom as a whole), or the "nations" of the British Isles (traditionally England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Its usage is rare (especially outside the UK) and somewhat controversial in some quarters, although it is more common in sporting contexts.
Sometimes the term is used to include all the self-governing nations or states of the British Isles (thus including the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey), although this usage is incorrect. There is some debate, both popular and academic, as to whether Cornwall (which is normally considered part of England) should be considered a constituent part of the UK and therefore a Home Nation[1], with the Cornish nationalist movement often supporting this view.
When the term came into use is not known, but it is fair to assume that before the partition of Ireland into the still-British Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in 1922, that all of Ireland was considered to be a Home Nation (as all of it was part of the UK). Occasionally this usage is still seen today.
The term is often used when referring to sporting events in which each Home Nation competes separately, such as the now defunct British Home Championship in football. In sports such as rugby union one team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, it is still common in Britain and elsewhere, for the team to be referred to as a Home Nation team. Examples of such usage can also be found in the media in the Republic of Ireland and on the official site of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
For example within the Rugby Union Six Nations Championship the Home Nation teams play for the honour of winning the Triple Crown, send players to the British and Irish Lions and take part in hosting Grand Slam tours.