Why is there a knowledge gap about Ireland in the UK? As journalists scrambled to put together basic facts about Northern Ireland in the wake of the 2017 UK election, the country's blind spot about one of its own constituent nations became painfully evident. The Brexit debate further highlighted that many were unaware of the sovereign independence of the UK's closest neighbour, the Irish Republic. We talk to journalists and authors about the phenomenon, while Naomi digs up some rather worrying evidence from a contemporary UK school history book.