@clacke Oh no no, no one says that. There are 32 counties in Ireland, of which 6 are in Northern Ireland, and 26 are in the Republic. There's no need to adjust language to try to make the partition seem natural.
BTW, that article's title does not use neutral language. "The British Isles" is a strongly politically loaded term, by which Britain lays claim to some natural possession over Ireland. You won't find the term used in Ireland, except by the most extreme unionists.