The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word EIRE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
I
R
E
More clues leading to the result EIRE
- Free Ireland! encapsulates it
- Ecstasy and anger in Ireland
- Country’s pedigree showing through here and there
- Land secured by heiress
- Big lake rising in Ireland
- Heiresses maintain Ireland for the Irish
- Country base that is without a castle
- Country’s name as before, having gained independence
- English anger seen in nearby country
- Country or Empire with no politician
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "in nearby country" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in nearby country = eire.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.