===Chipping in=== 

 Originally, .ie referred only to the Republic of Ireland. It was expanded to include Northern Ireland in 2002 after a consultation process. (cf. Information Technology Law: Professional Practice Guide, Law Society of Ireland, 2004). This new context for the domain is underlined by WIPO, which follows suit and resolves disputes over .ie domains name in the context of the "island of Ireland". 

 I can understand that this may be irksome to editors who may desire the Irish border to be less porous that it actually is. However, we are in the business of recording reality. Reality is that the .ie domain applies to Northern Ireland as much as it applies to the Republic of Ireland. (The note in the info box could do a better job of explaining the situation, though.)