Opinion of Ireland.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Well?

Might aswell get with the trend.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The bus drivers are insane.

[afleitch]

Best breakfasts ever

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The bus drivers are insane.

Very, Very True. Pity we have quite possibly have the worst system of Rail transport in the Western World. (Seriously you Brits who complain about Railtrack\Network Rail have no idea how lucky you have it.)

But yes there are plently of bus drivers' stories to tell. May I ask were you travelling just in Dublin or out on the National bus service.

Best breakfasts ever

Not a fan of a hot breakfast sadly. Really more of a cereal man. Perhaps that's because I live in the most Americanized\Anglocized parts of the country but nah.. never got the whole Sausage and egg at 8am thing..

[afleitch]

Not a fan of a hot breakfast sadly. Really more of a cereal man. Perhaps that's because I live in the most Americanized\Anglocized parts of the country but nah.. never got the whole Sausage and egg at 8am thing..

Well in Glasgow we have that at 8 am, then elevenses, noon, afternoon fry up... Actually I'm a cereal man too (but only after I've been awake for half and hour) Glasgow's plethora of mock Irish pubs try and give it a fair attempt in those 'all day breakfast'option on the menu but it doesn't quite work.

[Eraserhead]

Mostly favorable.

[Gabu]

I'd like to visit it sometime.

[Joe Republic]

Dearfach.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Very, Very True.

The worst ones all had moustaches for some reason.

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National...

[??????????]

Should be reunited. Positive though, especially county Monaghan, where one side of my family is from.

[opebo]

Alas, every Irish I have met over here is very prone to breaking into song.  Enough said!

[Ban my account ffs!]

I have quite a bit of Irish blood in me, but I've never really researched it much.  I know much more about the Scottish, German, and Norwegian... but my temper is pretty short, which I like to blame on my Irish blood.

I'd also love to visit Ireland, but like England, it'd probably be terribly expensive.  And I think the weather would drive me nuts.. I guess all that emerald green comes at a price

Overall, my opinion of Ireland is moderately positive.  They've had a tough last oh... 1,000 years or so.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Very, Very True.

The worst ones all had moustaches for some reason.

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National...

Ah yes, well perhaps needless to say if you travelling a good distance outside the Pale well then you might have problems with the roads for one thing.

As for Moustaches, it seems to be a fashion thing (seen it plently of times). Though nowadays I'd say half of the bus drivers are of non-Irish origin. Still they are picking the crazy up somewhere.

Alas, every Irish I have met over here is very prone to breaking into song.  Enough said!

I have a friend who is going over to Thailand in the summer btw; if you ever meet him I doubt he'll break into song. But you won't meet him, what you do isn't his thing. Most Irish people have more self-respect than you.

Should be reunited. Positive though, especially county Monaghan, where one side of my family is from.

Why do you hate Ireland?

[??????????]

Why do you hate Ireland?

I surely do not. I fully support Irish re-unification and the freedom fighter corps aka IRA.

[afleitch]

Why do you hate Ireland?

I surely do not. I fully support Irish re-unification and the freedom fighter corps aka IRA.

Makes an angry face.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I have quite a bit of Irish blood in me, but I've never really researched it much.  I know much more about the Scottish, German, and Norwegian... but my temper is pretty short, which I like to blame on my Irish blood.

I'd also love to visit Ireland, but like England, it'd probably be terribly expensive.  And I think the weather would drive me nuts.. I guess all that emerald green comes at a price

Overall, my opinion of Ireland is moderately positive.  They've had a tough last oh... 1,000 years or so.

Potato Famine aside what's happened in Ireland in the past 1,000 years isn't really much worse than any other country. Quite alot of Irish people (Catholics and Protestants; though Catholics only really after 1829 or so) benefitted fairly well from the British Empire; often among the Merchant classes we were more the exploitees than the exploited.

As for it being expensive, well Dublin is pretty damn expensive to live in (which is why I hope to emigrate after I complete my undergrad; though that's not the only reason) and alot of the country especially west of the River Shannon is very economically dependant on tourist income. Apparently we are second most expensive country to live in the EU behind Finland. Oh dear.

[Јas]

Well?

Might aswell get with the trend.

Surely wrong forum?

Dearfach.

Agreed.

Should be reunited. Positive though, especially county Monaghan, where one side of my family is from.

And both sides of my family.

By the by, for a lesson on Monaghan vernacular (through satire) see here. Those familiar with Kevin Myers may benefit most (I presume I've just eliminated everyone but Gully there). Also, I should say that those easily offended by coarse language probably had best avoid that.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Why do you hate Ireland?

I surely do not. I fully support Irish re-unification and the freedom fighter corps aka IRA.

It's funny States because I doubt you like to associate yourself with basically the only people left in Ireland who strongly support a united state. (As a reality; not as a mere hypothetical.) And they are:

1) Hard left Socialist-Nationalists; and Ireland has a history of left-wing Nationalism - basically people who see the current Dublin goverment as British pawns in the fight against the British capitalist system which once defeated will give us a Gaelic utopia for us all.

2) If you ever travel in Ireland for long enough (actually that not long) you will inevitably see graffiti written walls with slogans like "Up the 'Ra" or "Eire 32" - generally these people tend belong to the "Young thugs" caste you seem to hate so much.

Btw, Lol@Kevin Myers. Believe it or not for a long time he was something of a hero (slight overstatement; but only slight) to me.

[afleitch]

Alot of people when it comes to Ireland (and Scotland too) seem to think things are alot more 'conservative' (for want of a better word) than they actually are.

[Јas]

Should be reunited. Positive though, especially county Monaghan, where one side of my family is from.

Why do you hate Ireland?

Controversial.

Potato Famine aside what's happened in Ireland in the past 1,000 years isn't really much worse than any other country. Quite alot of Irish people (Catholics and Protestants; though Catholics only really after 1829 or so) benefitted fairly well from the British Empire; often among the Merchant classes we were more the exploitees than the exploited.

Don't think I can bring myself to agree with all of this. Certainly, there were Irish who benefitted from the Empire and the whole 800 years of oppression thing is certainly overplayed, but there have been a series of very significant grievances.

As for it being expensive, well Dublin is pretty damn expensive to live in (which is why I hope to emigrate after I complete my undergrad; though that's not the only reason) and alot of the country especially west of the River Shannon is very economically dependant on tourist income. Apparently we are second most expensive country to live in the EU behind Finland. Oh dear.

Dublin is ridiculous. In all sorts of ways, but particularly expense wise.
I'd advise avoiding Dublin in favour of the great beyond myself.

[Јas]

Why do you hate Ireland?

I surely do not. I fully support Irish re-unification and the freedom fighter corps aka IRA.

It's funny States because I doubt you like to associate yourself with basically the only people left in Ireland who strongly support a united state. (As a reality; not as a mere hypothetical.) And they are:

1) Hard left Socialist-Nationalists; and Ireland has a history of left-wing Nationalism - basically people who see the current Dublin goverment as British pawns in the fight against the British capitalist system which once defeated will give us a Gaelic utopia for us all.

2) If you ever travel in Ireland for long enough (actually that not long) you will inevitably see graffiti written walls with slogans like "Up the 'Ra" or "Eire 32" - generally these people tend belong to the "Young thugs" caste you seem to hate so much.

I don't think that's a particularly fair argument. I don't think either of the two groups you put forward are actually overly concerned with unity - the hard left has essentially abandoned republicanism altogether and those young thugs really have no broad political ideology that has any amount of thought put into it.

The aim of a United Ireland is just about the only thing that really binds Fianna Fáil together, the move into Northern politics underlines how important it is to their pysche.

I have no doubt that a vote on unity would pass by a huge margin on this side of the border.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Alot of people when it comes to Ireland (and Scotland too) seem to think things are alot more 'conservative' (for want of a better word) than they actually are.

Only people who abuse the word conservative.

I don't think Ireland is a conservative place; a more accurate term I'd say is complacent. (And still is; while attitudes towards "moral issues" ie. issues relating to sex have somewhat liberalized over the past 30 years - especially the last 10 and the Catholic church's institutional power has declined significantly - though it's still not completely irrelevant as many would think - I don't think the general attitude of the average Irish person has changed too much over a really long period of time.)

As Jas would know, I don't exactly hold a high opinion of "middle Ireland".

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But that means we'll have to give up such modern convincies like flushing toilets and central heating. I mean I almost live in Kildare now FFS and it's full of bleedin' savages who eat their young. (Note: not actually a joke when referring to Naas. No really..... Sorry, not really.. Yes I think only Jas would understand the reference but it was worth it anyway) I mean I can't imagine what voodoo magic and cant you produce down the country.. I'll have to farm next.

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Undoubtely the problem is with trying to make a balanced history is you have to emphasize the bits which are often left out. (Daniel O'Connell was a strong supporter of the British Empire and there was a significant Catholic element which after emancipation did quite well out of it, Wolfe Tone was an atheist.. something many nationalists don't like bringing up, etc.)

[Јas]

Alot of people when it comes to Ireland (and Scotland too) seem to think things are alot more 'conservative' (for want of a better word) than they actually are.

Americans, yes - but I don't think that applies to most others (Europeans, Australians, etc.).
American tourists in particular seem to expect to find something much more...quaint, than the reality.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

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Well the far left is so fragmented over here that it's often hard to tell. The major *sn* far left group seem either obssesed with the cult of Che Guevara and good-ole America bashing (the SWP) while the other is an organization almost entirely dependent the figure of one man (The Socialist Party). Of course neither group is particularly Republican but there is still a significant republican element among far left group. And I'd say the majority of Ideological republicans have left wing sympathies.

As for Fianna fail, pardon my cynicism while I state that the only thing I think holding FF together a bunch of politicians protecting their careers. FF being the party of whatever happens to be in Fashion ATM, I doubt a united Ireland is much more than aspirational aim among FFers and that would be true nowadays of FGers too except for perhaps the most commited Anglos in the party.

I would think a referendum on unification would be close once it became apparent how much it would cost and the fact that we would have put up with Unionists for the unforseeable future.

[Јas]

Alot of people when it comes to Ireland (and Scotland too) seem to think things are alot more 'conservative' (for want of a better word) than they actually are.

Only people who abuse the word conservative.

I don't think Ireland is a conservative place; a more accurate term I'd say is complacent. (And still is; while attitudes towards "moral issues" ie. issues relating to sex have somewhat liberalized over the past 30 years - especially the last 10 and the Catholic church's institutional power has declined significantly - though it's still not completely irrelevant as many would think - I don't think the general attitude of the average Irish person has changed too much over a really long period of time.)

As Jas would know, I don't exactly hold a high opinion of "middle Ireland".

Not so sure that attitudes aren't changing...
Majority of women want abortion legalised - Front Page of last Saturday's Irish Times.

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But that means we'll have to give up such modern convincies like flushing toilets and central heating. I mean I almost live in Kildare now FFS and it's full of bleedin' savages who eat their young. (Note: not actually a joke when referring to Naas. No really..... Sorry, not really.. Yes I think only Jas would understand the reference but it was worth it anyway) I mean I can't imagine what voodoo magic and cant you produce down the country.. I'll have to farm next.

And I'm now back in Dublin *shudder*

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Undoubtely the problem is with trying to make a balanced history is you have to emphasize the bits which are often left out. (Daniel O'Connell was a strong supporter of the British Empire and there was a significant Catholic element which after emancipation did quite well out of it, Wolfe Tone was an atheist.. something many nationalists don't like bringing up, etc.)

True