Trump's 'Gulf of America' inspires social media users to rename Welsh waters

Stephen Price

Social media users have taken a leaf out of Donald Trump's book and called for the use of Welsh names for the Bristol Channel, St George's Channel and the Irish Sea.

Writing on Facebook, popular account, the Welsh Histories page which has over 50,000 followers shared: "It would appear as though the Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America/Gulf of Meximurica debacle is the talk of the internet at the moment...

"...Well, did you know that, long before it gained its English name, the "Bristol Channel" was known as Môr Hafren in Cymraeg (Welsh) and Mor Havren in Kernowek (Cornish)?

"In fact, it was largely referred to as this all the way until Tudor times (though it is still referred to as Môr Hafren by Welsh speakers). Donald Tudor clearly read their gameplan! (A big diolch yn fawr goes to Padrig for making me aware of this)."

Gareth Morgan commented beneath the post: "What does the name Hafren mean? The Severn's Welsh name is Hafren – a strong clue to its probable origin.

"In Modern Welsh, haf means 'summer'. It derives from the Proto-Celtic *samo- 'summer', which is also the ancestor of Irish Samhain. The second element is most likely from the Proto-Celtic *renwo- 'quick' and 'fast' – i.e. 'fast summer river'.

"When looking across the Channel your looking towards Gwlad yr Haf. Somerset literally: "land of the summer." Whose emblem is a red dragon."

Rob Linegar responded: "Many older British/English sources refer to it as the Severn Sea & older ones, especially Roman iirc.. Sabrina which is cognate with Hafren"

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The Irish Sea

In another post from Difflomats, a Facebook page dedicated to promoting Cardiff (or The 'Diff), one writer shared an idea from Ted Richards, saying: "I always call the Bristol Channel, THE SEVERN SEA aka MOR HAFREN. I've even been rebuked by Difflomats' readers for doing so.

"Yes, St George's Channel is very galling. Of all the names to choose, when its waves don't lap any coast of England; just Wales and Ireland.

"It should be ST DAVID'S CHANNEL, quite rightly so. The French after all have their own name for the English Channel."

Embedded in the image is the text "And don't get me started on the Irish Sea" which commenters said should be renamed "The Welsh Sea" or "Môr Cymru", while St David's Channel would be "Sianel Dewi Sant"

Nigel Robert clarified, however: "According to historic Welsh legend, St George's Channel / Sianol San Sion is the route that the St George (or Sion) voyaged to Celtic Britain from the Roman Empire, likely to pre-date its specifially English connotations and long pre-dates St David, although of course the current name is an anglicisation."

While Martin Williams diplomatically said: "Multiple names can coexist. The Strait of Dover is also the Pas de Calais."

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Trwmp

Apple renamed the Gulf of Mexico 'the Gulf of America' on its maps after an order by President Donald Trump was made official by the US Geographic Names Information System.

The move follows Google, which announced last month that it would make the change once the official listing was updated and wrote in a blog post on Sunday that it had begun rolling out the change.

In Google’s case, the company said people in the US will see Gulf of America and people in Mexico will see Gulf of Mexico. Everyone else will see both names.

After taking office, Mr Trump ordered the water bordered by the southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed.

The US Geographic Names Information System officially updated the name late on Sunday. Microsoft has also made the name change on its Bing maps.

The body of water — named the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years — also borders Mexico.Mexico’s president responded sarcastically and others noted that the name change would probably not affect global usage. Mr Trump also decreed that the mountain in Alaska known as Mount McKinley and then by its Indigenous name, Denali, be shifted back to commemorating the 25th president. President Barack Obama had ordered it renamed Denali in 2015.