Your own opinion about foreigners.

LegacyUser

Hi guys. I just want to know your opinion. Sorry for long post.

I am from Lithuania. I live in Ireland for almost three years. Recently, I was thinking a lot about what Irish think about people like me coming here from other countries and why is it so hard to find friends for me (and my friends) here. I do not expect that your answers will explain everything, but I think that in the internet you will be more honest

I will mention just few situations from last weekend here and please let me know your opinion because maybe I am just paranoid and there is no discrimination…

Saturday night we came back home around 9 pm, we were in a great mood, I was after my exams, relaxed etc Just for fun (I know that it was not smartest thing to do) I pushed my cars accelerator to make my friend lean from one side to another. I knew what I was doing and it was safe, there were no people or children around. But one of my neighbours came out form his house and screamed – go back to your country, what the f*** are you doing etc! First thing, I did not do anything wrong, it was not good thing to do, but there was nothing dangerous for him or his family etc.. I thought (and was wrong I guess) that we had good relationship with neighbours; we were friendly, did not have noisy parties, and tried to live in piece with them etc… We even did some favour for him.

Other situation was in nightclub. We went out, met some guys there, were dancing, had great time etc. Besides, I was with my boyfriend. After that, we were invited to after party. Other people in there were not so friendly to us, we even heard some hints.. So, I do not understand if Irish in general are not friendly to people they does know or they just do not like foreigners. Some people apparently ignored us…

I could mention here many more similar situations..

On the other hand, I have met some people here, but still we are not very close friends. I even have perception that its embarrassing for Irish to have friends from Eastern Europe.

Well, I hope I am wrong and this is my imagination…

Thanks for comments and sorry for my imperfect English:)

Beruthiel

LifeInHere wrote: »

I pushed my cars accelerator to make my friend lean from one side to another. I knew what I was doing and it was safe, there were no people or children around. But one of my neighbours came out form his house and screamed – go back to your country, what the f*** are you doing etc!

Perhaps to him it looked dangerous? Though that doesn't mean he had to tell you go back to your country.
Hey, my b/f is french, but only last week he was told to go back to Poland.
We had to laugh at the ignorance of these kind of people, he neither looks or sounds Polish People like this are idiots and don't have much a clue about most things.

I even have perception that its embarrassing for Irish to have friends from Eastern Europe.

You are going to find idiots everywhere, including Ireland. Your perception is incorrect. I know many people from Eastern Europe. One of my very close friends is from Belarus, I know him 10 years now.

I imagine no matter what country you go to, it's difficult to adjust and get to know the locals. Hell, if you move from one side of this country to another, it can be difficult.

As for people from other countries living here. They're welcome. Some irish seem to have short memories, there are some countries on this planet where the population is made up with a large percentage being of irish descendants.

spinandscribble

im going to say this and i hope you'll listen. a good few of the people i've met from aboard almost expect to encounter a problem with natives which can make me anyway feel uncomfortable. personally i have no problem with foreigners and i like meeting people from different cultures. some i've met have been very good craic but most seem quite shy. the odd one was downright rude tbh but that'll always be there in any mix i guess lol.
the nicest foreigners i meet would be in hobbies or sports. a shared interest is good for sparking interest. you're a student yes? does you're college have socs/clubs?

RedXIV

My lil sister's best friend for the last 6 years is a girl from latvia and she is the nicest girl i've ever met in my life. Without a shadow of a doubt, i'd welcome anyone of any nationality with open arms as long as they were nice people at the end of it. Now importantly, this is not to say that if someone threw a racist joke in the air WITH THE INTENT OF BEING A JOKE, i would laugh, but this mentality is not always shared with people who aren't native to this country. so while i laugh, and people who don't know me might say i'm a bit of a bast**d for doing it, i'd still have absolutely no problem with anyone, as long as they were decent people

AIR-AUSSIE

I find that Irish people are not just unfriendly to foreigners, people from certain parts of the country aren't even friendly to outsiders that are from the same country forget about further afield.

So it probably depends on what part of the country you live in.

I don't think Irish people are generally racist, certainly not to the extent I've experienced in say England. Think as a people we may take a while to get use to new things and change.

Steve_o

I think its great, plenty of my friends are non-nationals and its cool, the olny thing i don't like are people who come to ireland purely to benefit from the good social welfare...that annoys me, other than that i think its great, Irish people emmigrated for years and years to the US, UK etc... i think anyone who gives out about non-nationals for no reasons, should be reminded of this fact!

calahans

How friendly are people in your country? I have been there on holiday and its didn't find people particularly friendly.

You need to understand that some people are afraid on people coming over here taking jobs etc. The economic downturn will exacerbate this. Maybe he is worried because you are flying around in your car in an estate - will bring down the neighbourhood etc?

I have lived in Ireland, England, Germany and Australia for more than a year, and I certainly find Irish the most friendly. I know its biased but its the truth for me.

Dizzyblonde

I love the fact that Ireland is now multi-cultural and I welcome immigrants. I don't know anybody who objects to foreign workers, but there will always be a minority who do - just as there will be a minority of foreign immigrants who don't like Irish people.
I suppose it's just human nature.

alexmcred

LifeInHere wrote: »

I pushed my cars accelerator to make my friend lean from one side to another. I knew what I was doing and it was safe, there were no people or children around. But one of my neighbours came out form his house and screamed – go back to your country, what the f*** are you doing etc! First thing, I did not do anything wrong, it was not good thing to do, but there was nothing dangerous for him or his family etc.. I thought (and was wrong I guess) that we had good relationship with neighbours; we were friendly, did not have noisy parties, and tried to live in piece with them etc… We even did some favour for him.

that was an incredibly stupid thing to do and if some idiot did that in my estate did the same thing I would be out shouting at them kids often run around and cannot be seen. You may have though it was safe but this is how accidents happen.

Fair enough his remark may be out of line but you should have apologized about this a car is not a toy.

Slightly off topic but I presume you have Irish tax and insurance and your car is Irish registered so that if you are messing and you hit someone they can claim from you!

MIN2511

Being foreign i can relate to your experience but these days nothing really bothers me... I have friends from everywhere and sometimes my mates taunt me by telling me to go back to my country e.t.c. but such is life

No one can be 100% accepted anywhere, be it at home or abroad.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Irish people are very territorial. We don't mind visitors and passers-through, but when it comes to sharing wat we've got with other people? No. Hypocritical, absolutely, but through.

Even when we go abroad, we stake it otu little pieces of land and build pubs on them.

topper75

Who knows?

Your neighbour could be regretting a kneejerk reaction and genuinely feared for his kids safety. What you did was silly - you must accept that. We all do silly things now and then. What about calling in and saying you are sorry about it and promise you won't ever do it again. If you get him at a calmer moment, ye can both put the incident behind ye.

I am proud of people getting opportunities in my country if they are law-abiding. You are most welcome. My difficulties in the past with foreigners is their reluctance to reach out to Irish and sometimes omit simple 'please' 'thanks' etc. You have no such difficulties in reaching out it seems, and that is good. Don't give up just because of a few idiots. Those people at the party weren't worth knowing anyway. But there are a hell of a lot of Irish people out there who are definitely worth getting to know.

Zulu

You are not exactly clear what you were doing - were you speeding around a housing estate? (How else would you move your friend from side to side??)

If so, while "go back to your country" wasn't very nice, you were doing something ridiculously stupid.

One thing about the Irish - we expect you to understand our social etiquette. We won't explain the faux-pas you make, but we will hold it against you. Thats not reserved for foreigners - that applies to everyone, Irish included.

Personally I think people from different backgrounds are a welcome asset to this country.

mikemac

I was commenting on resentment but I'll defer to the mods and edit it out

THanks

Beruthiel

micmclo
Your comment has nothing to do with the OP's thread.
B

Abi

LifeInHere wrote: »

Saturday night we came back home around 9 pm, we were in a great mood, I was after my exams, relaxed etc Just for fun (I know that it was not smartest thing to do) I pushed my cars accelerator to make my friend lean from one side to another.

Hi - Im dont quite understand what it was you were doing in the car. But if you and your company were being pretty rowdy, it might have explained the neighbours reactions. Justified or not.

Now, I can only speak for myself. But Eastern Europeans scare me on the road. They, from what I've perceived - drive large cars and extremely fast. They often dont seem to think much of getting into their cars while drunk either.

Im not saying the Irish are angels, but its just what I've noticed. There was a guy over in the Sleeping / Dreaming forum complaining he couldnt sleep and when he did he had nightmares. An Eastern European man droven head on into his car, while drunk and way over the speed limit. This is not uncommon.

Please dont feel judged by what I've said, Im smart enough not to tar everyone with the same brush. But as I have said, I've seen it often enough to scare me.

And regarding the house-party situation; if people seemed to be looking down their noses at you, then they definitely arent the kind of company you want to keep anyway. But you will find people like that in any country, try not take it to heart.

petethebrick

I reckon the problem is self-perpetuating. A lot of foreigners get some stick from a few idiots and think that the majority of us are like that. This leads them to be cautious about Irish people in general which in turn makes it harder for us to interact with them and make friends...just a theory.
And I'd agree with the other comments about other countries being the same. Especially when living in Korea I used to get abuse from time to time, usually along the lines of 'go home you stupid american' ( in the local language of course, thinking I couldnt understand). Never really bothered me as I knew it was only a minority thought like that plus when people realised I was irish was a different story altogether.
I think xenophobia exists in pretty much all countries ,hopefully things will iron themselves out in a few years when people get more used to things.

biko

I think it's the sheer numbers - estimated between 70,000 to 200,000 (wiki) :rolleyes: the Poles are the largest minority in Ireland, second only to Brit expats. I know OP is Latvian but to a lot of Irish cannot differentiate between various EE (Eastern European) languages or looks.

Polish/EE is spoken everywhere, on the streets, in the shops. In only a few years Polish/EE people has gone from being a novelty to someone who is competing with you for a job/ a house/ a girlfriend.
When a country is thriving and there is plenty to go around most people don't mind sharing the riches, the problem is when there is not so much to go around any more.

JDLK

Personally I've never had a problem with any foreigners, I just take each person as they come- Im sure some foreigners are a55sholes and Im positive some Irish are aswell which just goes to prove that it doesnt matter where you come from.

I will say this though Eastern European women are hawwwwwwt!!!!!!

funkycat83

Im Irish and one of my good friends is Latvian, she is one of the soundest people I know. Im open to all cultures coming in to the country. However I do draw the line at Roma Gypsies trying to rob me when im going to the ATM and i know enough not to tar everyone wit the same brush but when Irish people have negative experiences like these they become wary...

milkerman

I don't think the Irish are any different to other nationalities. I worked in Spain for some time and was the victim of snide remarks but usually work related.
The adage 'When in Rome etc' should be remembered by all immigrant people. You chose to come here so you should also be willing to live by our rules. In regards of your driving in a housing estate, have a look at the numbers of Eastern European people in the road accident fatalities. Were you trying to be a statistic?
The greatest barrier for any immigrant is going to be language. There are two Polish lads in a club of which I am a member. Now the lads are accepted but miss out on a lot of the craic because most of the conversation goes over their heads.
There are some immigrant groups in Ireland that don't work, won't work and leach off our social welfare system. I dont welcome these people, but then again they are not even welcome in their home countries and probably for the same reasons.
I hope some Eastern Europeans do find a home here & settle down but most are simply following the jobs and will probably leave this country in droves if the economic downturn continues.

Kintarō Hattori

OP you can't please everyone. Some people are going to dislike immigrants simply because they are immigrants while other people will welcome you and either like or dislike you based on who you are and your actions.

My girlfriend is Polish and we've been with each other for almost 4 years. In that time I've gotten to know many many polish people and have always found them to be decent people. Sure I've met one or two assholes but not because they weren't Irish. I like most other's judge people on who they are.

I work for a retailer and we've employed several different nationalities over the years and I've never had a problem with anyone or disliked someone based on where they were from or skin colour etc. I know within the company I work for our immigrant workforce is thought of very highly as they've always presented themselves well and worked hard.

As I said you can't please everyone so don't try. Just work hard, behave yourself and try to enjoy your time here. If you want to meet Irish people and integrate do what most people do, join some sort of club or take up a hobby that will bring you into contact with other people.

LegacyUser

About that incident with car.. The distance of speeding was 30 metres before I stopped to park.. I was not speeding around in estate. It just was noisy for few seconds. Anyway, I know it was stupid. I apologised, but he just called us bitches etc..

I have to agree that some people from EE drives very dangerously and this is huge problem in my country. I have same opinion about this.

And back to main thread.. Maybe it is my own and my friends problem.. I hope there are more Irish with same opinion like some of you

JDLK

LifeInHere wrote: »

I apologised, but he just called us bitches etc..

Well there you go, any man who has the lack of manners to call a woman a bitch is not worth worrying about.

LaVidaLoca

I think the reason why there is some racism/hatred of foreigners in Ireland is due to some Irish people's low self-esteem.

I remember seeing some Brazilians doing that Brazilian martial art thing on Grafton street and there was a big crowd thronging around them.

These guys were good-looking: Black, Fit as hell, six packs every one, jumping up and down, full of joy and life and you could see the Irish girls looking at them and see what they were thinking "Wow, look at these guys!"

And behing them, the Irish guy with a beer belly and a cigarette, scowling at them for being younger, fitter, soberer and more alive than them:

And I thought: That's it right there.

We Irish have always been a small country and have had our cultural norms: We forgive a lot of flaws in ourselves and we're a very relaxed people and have always tended to be suspicious of people who try too hard to better themselves:

On top of that we are also, probably the only post-colonial country in the world that people are emigrating to, rather than the other way round.

As a result we are seeing a unique position: Normally mass emigration occurs into countries that were former colonisers or very powerful - Europe , U.S, in our case it's happening into a country that does not have the strong sense of itself that such countries have.

By sheer accident of history, we became a rich country that foreigners want to emigrate to. We never had partularly high self-esteem as a nation, yet suddenly here we are absorbing immigrants at a rate comparable to the UK.

Kold

Try being English ^_^ I get told to go back every other night! Oh, and if it's one of my mates with English blood they tell me to go back to Asia.

JDLK

Kold wrote: »

Try being English ^_^ I get told to go back every other night! Oh, and if it's one of my mates with English blood they tell me to go back to Asia.

Hahaha, thats just the 800 years of oppression thing- dont worry about that, we're nearly over it

Zulu

LifeInHere wrote: »

About that incident with car.. The distance of speeding was 30 metres before I stopped to park..

Look - not condoning his response, but kids play in housing estates. They hide behind cars etc and run out without looking. A 4 year old girl was knocked down a killed in my girlfriends estate recently.

Speeding - even for 30 metres, is unacceptable.



...but you've apologise for that so...

ambro25

JDLK wrote: »

Hahaha, thats just the 800 years of oppression thing- dont worry about that, we're nearly over it

Glad you find it funny - me, I'm throwing in the towel after 4 years in the Big Smoke, and going back there. Can't wait, I tell you.

I'm a third generation economic migrant, and at my 5th EU country in 17 years. All told & considered, if I were to rank the countries I've lived and worked in terms of opportunity/quality of life, I have found Ireland a close 4th, just above Germany at 5th, with Luxembourg 3rd, Belgium 2nd and the UK 1st by a country mile. A personal, entirely subjective chart, of course.

@ OP, it's not an EE-specific thing. In my experience (as it happens, shared by very numerous other 'New Irish' (or 'Non - Nationals', take yer pick :rolleyes: ) we know well), it's been happening increasingly over the past year or so, as the auld 'Celtic Tiger' has started running out of puff. So much so that we're only one family unit amongst quite a few others 'jetting out' this year. And it will only get worse.

That said, I'll be quick to add that I'm not broad-brushing/lumping 'all the Irish' in the same bandwagon. I have had the pleasure and honour of meeting some of the most interesting, smart and professional people in my short time here, and I look forward to maintain good relationships with them.

JDLK

ambro25 wrote: »

Glad you find it funny - me, I'm throwing in the towel after 4 years in the Big Smoke, and going back there. Can't wait, I tell you.

I'm a third generation economic migrant, and at my 5th EU country in 17 years. All told & considered, if I were to rank the countries I've lived and worked in terms of opportunity/quality of life, I have found Ireland a close 4th, just above Germany at 5th, with Luxembourg 3rd, Belgium 2nd and the UK 1st by a country mile. A personal, entirely subjective chart, of course.

@ OP, it's not an EE-specific thing. In my experience (as it happens, shared by very numerous other 'New Irish' (or 'Non - Nationals', take yer pick :rolleyes: ) we know well), it's been happening increasingly over the past year or so, as the auld 'Celtic Tiger' has started running out of puff. So much so that we're only one family unit amongst quite a few others 'jetting out' this year. And it will only get worse.

That said, I'll be quick to add that I'm not broad-brushing/lumping 'all the Irish' in the same bandwagon. I have had the pleasure and honour of meeting some of the most interesting, smart and professional people in my short time here, and I look forward to maintain good relationships with them.

Hold on, you're an economic migrant who has lived in 5 different EU countries in the past 17 years and now that the Celtic Tiger is finishing you're moving out of here aswell? No offence mate but migrants like you wont be missed- you came here for the money and you're leaving for the money like the other 4 countries you lived in- thats all fair enough- you're an EU citizen but dont go making out you're leaving because of any other reason

ambro25

I was recruited by an Irish company which could not find my skills locally, at a time such a move made career sense. As I am now leaving, they will need to import the expertise again.

I do not consider the move in (and now out of) Ireland "for the money": I'd happily stay, if I and my family were happy enough here, as on the professional front, it's about as hunky dory/rosy as can be. But we're not happy here anymore, for reasons alluded to above in the thread and others, and with our forthcoming move I'm taking a pay cut and improving my quality of life.

craichoe

JDLK wrote: »

Hold on, you're an economic migrant who has lived in 5 different EU countries in the past 17 years and now that the Celtic Tiger is finishing you're moving out of here aswell? No offence mate but migrants like you wont be missed- you came here for the money and you're leaving for the money like the other 4 countries you lived in- thats all fair enough- you're an EU citizen but dont go making out you're leaving because of any other reason

Ah ffs man....

A. The Irish did it first, with the States, Australia, UK. We went to where the money was.

B. We got a fair few bucks off the EU in the first place.

C. I have no problem with someone that comes to a country to work and not just try to get sh*t for free.

Ireland is no more racist than any other country, actually OP, if anything i'd say theres more racism/resentment toward the Germans than the Eastern europeans. I.E. don't park a car with German plates in Rotterdam.

The Irish are a the same, even if your from Kerry and travel to Dublin your called a 'bogger' and all sorts.

Come to think of it the Americans get a fair bit of stick too, but their well used to it

JDLK

craichoe wrote: »

Ah ffs man....

A. The Irish did it first, with the States, Australia, UK. We went to where the money was.

B. We got a fair few bucks off the EU in the first place.

C. I have no problem with someone that comes to a country to work and not just try to get sh*t for free.

Ireland is no more racist than any other country, actually OP, if anything i'd say theres more racism/resentment toward the Germans than the Eastern europeans. I.E. don't park a car with German plates in Rotterdam.

The Irish are a the same, even if your from Kerry and travel to Dublin your called a 'bogger' and all sorts.

Come to think of it the Americans get a fair bit of stick too, but their well used to it

Ive no problem with this lad coming here for money and Ive no problem with immigrants at all but he's trying to make out he's leaving because the Irish are getting intolerant (not because he's an economy hopper). The guy has lived in 5 countries in 17 years- which is an average of 3 years a country- fair play to him for going where the money is but its a bit rich complaining about Irish people when the only reason he came here (and is leaving here) was for money- which he got for the last 4 years. If he's leaving for money then fair play to him but dont put down a place that has given you a good living for the last 4 years. Its the people who stay through good times and bad times that make communities (whatever their nationality)

No country or community in the world is perfect and if people just up and leave at the first sign of bad times then they'll never be part of a community no matter where they're from- its a 2 way street. Yes Irish went to America but they didnt leave America once the depression hit- they stuck it out and became part of the fabric of American society because of it

ambro25

JDLK, you are making an awful lot of assumptions beyond what I post, to justify your tirade.

We are leaving because my family doesn't like being here anymore, despite now being at a time when "the going" should get a lot easier. I therefore found it fitting to comment in this thread. After that... :rolleyes:

JDLK

ambro25 wrote: »

JDLK, you are making an awful lot of assumptions beyond what I post, to justify your tirade.

We are leaving because my family doesn't like being here anymore, despite now being at a time when "the going" should get a lot easier. I therefore found it fitting to comment in this thread. After that... :rolleyes:

Fair enough, I am making a few assumptions but look, you (or anyone else for that matter) cant really complain about a community if you arent willing to become a part of that community. You've jumped from country to country every 3-4 years when it suited you to leave, if we all took that attitude then there would be no communities left.

Did you ever think that instead of running away from the problems here (or the other countries you were in) that you might work with the community and community leaders to resolve them??

I am actually very pro multi culturalism but nobody can put all the onus on the Irish to provide a ready-made, perfect society for immigrants, we need their help to build one aswell

Beruthiel

JDLK
This thread isn't about ambro25 or your views on his life.
Lets leave it at that and get back to the OP.
B

JDLK

Beruthiel wrote: »

JDLK
This thread isn't about ambro25 or your views on his life.
Lets leave it at that and get back to the OP.
B

Fair enough but the OP's question was what Irish people in general thought about foreigners in general

Which is a broad question by anyones standards, point taken though

ambro25

EDIT - had started typing this post before I refreshed/saw your own modding post, Beruthiel, so edited for relevance.

Beruthiel

ambro
My comments above include you too.
B

c-90

this is a subject that really gets to me (im irish).

some irish people really piss me off, my father worked in america for a few years and came back because he didnt like the country and the abuse he was getting over there yet he thinks it is okay to slag foreigners when they come here. in school there is a EE lad who is constanly bullied for no reason, there is a latvian girl who is very attractive yet none of the lads take any interest because she is latvian. the list goes on:(

in my opinion the majority of foreigners here are excellent citizens they as work hard and are good people, how many irish people can you say that about. hopefully i am wrong

marinchik

I believe it’s a two way street so to say. I’m Latvian and have been living in Ireland for the past 7 years and love it even though I got those racism moments too. One was that I could keep my job only if I to sleep with my boss, cos apparently we all Latvian are prostitutes, I said no, he said he’ll make my life miserable, I was scared and shared this with someone I barely knew then this lad said to him if he’ll touch me he’ll break his jaw and week later got me another job. So there you go bad fella good fella.

Tried to get in to a night club but couldn’t get in, because apparently first will get in Irish and then if place would be left they’ll let us in. Meh big deal… I went to another nightclub and had a great night out.

On the other hand I can give examples of how Eastern European people shouting at Irish calling them this and that. So turns out we are not that great either….

My point is that there are always going to be some gob****es in every nation, but we can’t put a stamp and say, “oh here, this nation is bad, do not be friends with them” its individuals are at fault. S**t happens, happened to you? Build a bridge and get over it…

spinandscribble

marinchik wrote: »

I believe it’s a two way street so to say. I’m Latvian and have been living in Ireland for the past 7 years and love it even though I got those racism moments too. One was that I could keep my job only if I to sleep with my boss, cos apparently we all Latvian are prostitutes, I said no, he said he’ll make my life miserable, I was scared and shared this with someone I barely knew then this lad said to him if he’ll touch me he’ll break his jaw and week later got me another job. So there you go bad fella good fella.

Tried to get in to a night club but couldn’t get in, because apparently first will get in Irish and then if place would be left they’ll let us in. Meh big deal… I went to another nightclub and had a great night out.

On the other hand I can give examples of how Eastern European people shouting at Irish calling them this and that. So turns out we are not that great either….

My point is that there are always going to be some gob****es in every nation, but we can’t put a stamp and say, “oh here, this nation is bad, do not be friends with them” its individuals are at fault. S**t happens, happened to you? Build a bridge and get over it…

+1
fair play for seeing things as they are. i'd imagine its all too easy to see the bad all too easily in us irish considering the loudest are usually the ones with the least valid things to say.

LaVidaLoca

there is a latvian girl who is very attractive yet none of the lads take any interest because she is latvian

Really? Every Irish guy I know, including me, is tripping over his shoelaces in the rush to find a non-Irish girlfriend. Far better value for your effort.

wylo

OP, i work with a mix of irish and foreigners and I agree about another posters theory on this thats its just a bad chain reaction.

It was quite intimidating having masses of polish arrive, especially when they didnt seem as outgoing as irish. They seemed to not put in effort to learn english and not put in the effort to go out for pints or get involved with irish, this is changing alot as the polish that have decided to stay really are integrating and enjoying the irish lifestyle, not to mention the english is really really improving. I know your not polish but unfortunately we dont see much of a difference, just like I wouldnt expect an eastern european to see a difference between english and irish.

Alot of people underestimate the importance of the language barrier. When you talk to someone with a strong foreign accent and little english its difficult to have a nice free flowing conversation, every thing needs effort.
I think effort needs to be put in on both sides.
There are a few examples where it is working, like Gort( a small town in the west) has a huge brazillian population, it is working well because of the effort of the immigrants that is being put it. This takes away that intimated feeling from the irish and thus put more effort in themselves

Another small example: I work with one latvian guy and one polish guy, the latvian guy has only 1 or 2 other latvian friends, the rest are irish, he is really outgoing and friendly and is becoming a close friend to us irish in the group. Whereas I meet the polish guy EVERY week in a nightclub, I also bump into him around town alot more yet we are not are nearly as friendly, why? Because every time I meet him he is with loads of polish friends, very friendly people but offputting due to language and effort required on both sides.

I personally presume(wrongly so and im trying to stop) that when I meet foreigners working here that they have their own bunch of foreign friends and have as little interest in making friends with me as I do them. I need to get over this as do alot of irish.

minidazzler

In general you will find the Illeducated Secondary school drop-outs to be the ones who have a "problem" with foreigners. They consider every foreigner to be Polish or Nigerian.

Basically you just have to live with it, and I am sorry about it, but these idiots will not change.

IanCurtis

LaVidaLoca wrote: »

I think the reason why there is some racism/hatred of foreigners in Ireland is due to some Irish people's low self-esteem.

I remember seeing some Brazilians doing that Brazilian martial art thing on Grafton street and there was a big crowd thronging around them.

These guys were good-looking: Black, Fit as hell, six packs every one, jumping up and down, full of joy and life

That is one sad spectacle.

This is Ireland, not the bloody Rio carnival. I hate that crap and it's nothing to do with self-esteem. Try that in Madrid and see what reaction you get.

c-90

LaVidaLoca wrote: »

Really? Every Irish guy I know, including me, is tripping over his shoelaces in the rush to find a non-Irish girlfriend. Far better value for your effort.

i know! but im not complaining:D

LegacyUser

Well I'm a foreigner too, and I have to say even when I'm in the gym or in sauna and an Irish person approaches me as soon as they hear me talking with accent they just stop talking!!! Is it because they are afraid I wont be able to understand them or is it as OP said it before is just embarrassing talking to foreigners??? I agree with OP, it is very hard for us to find friends, the question is why???

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

IanCurtis wrote: »

That is one sad spectacle.

This is Ireland, not the bloody Rio carnival. I hate that crap and it's nothing to do with self-esteem. Try that in Madrid and see what reaction you get.

Do you hate eveything expressive or are you just trolling again?

MissHoneyBun

IanCurtis wrote: »

That is one sad spectacle
This is Ireland, not the bloody Rio carnival. I hate that crap and it's nothing to do with self-esteem. Try that in Madrid and see what reaction you get.

To be honest I'd be inclined to agree with you. I am all for multi-cultural diversity however I think it should enhance the native culture, not detract from it. I am not against the influx of foreign nationals in Ireland however what I am against is the decline in all the things that make Ireland, *Ireland* in order to accomodate these people. The city where I live at the moment is saturated with Polish food aisles, exclusively Polish shops and even car garages with signs written in Polish in the windows. Personally, I think this is wholly unnecessary. If Polish people wish to live here, great, BUT they should adapt to fit in with Irish culture, not vice versa. At the end of the day, this is Ireland and it would be a huge task to find shops with signs written as gaeilge so it saddens me to think that we have shunned our own native language but yet are so keen to embrace those of our European counterparts.

miss no stars

I could be coming in for a lot of flak for this but here goes anyway

I am sick to death of feeling like a foreigner in my own country. Sick and tired of it.

I have no problem with foreigners who come here to work and do work and make an effort to socialise and integrate into our society. Provided they are willing to work by the laws of our land! (ie, not undercut Irish workers on things like minimum wage). I have no problem with those who follow our laws and enter here lawfully.

What I do have a problem with is:

1. "Be Tolerent" "Accept Multiculturism". I'm terribly sorry but I don't want this rammed down my throat. I will accept anyone, provided they are willing to conform to OUR society. I lived in a muslim country. Because it was muslim, we all covered up and respected THEIR societal norms and made sure our culture did NOT conflict with theirs. If you don't like our culture and society; leave.

2. Dole spongers. Everyone knows of the scams (mostly nigerian) where they bring tonnes of kids in, claim kids as theirs that aren't (like farmers used to do with sheep) to get more money off the state. Go work or get out. And why exactly should the state provide them with cars and phones? Piss off and get a job if you want one! Why do their kids get taxis to school? I got the bus!!!! Ya know, charity begins at home and we've our own people that need looking after. So long as immigrants get preference over irish people on housing lists etc (simply for being an immigrant), I will resent them.

3. Unhealthy immigrants. Irish had to pass a medical to get into the USA, why don't NON-EU immigrants have to pass one too? Our public health service is groaning under its current commitments yet we seem willing to accept every HIV infected illegal alien that lands here and we're being told to "Be Tolerant".

4. If a deportation order is passed down, that's it. Arrest the person and keep them in protective custody until they are deported. Don't spend millions giving them a dozen hearings in the courts.

5. To some this might seem like a moot point but it's been getting to me more and more. If I pick up the phone and try to book something or order food or whatever, I want the person on the other end of the phone to understand me. I don't want to be speaking pidgin english to them, only to find that they'll get half of it wrong ANYWAY. We need english (or irish) language proficiency to be a requirement for residency. We are not some charity state whose sole existence is to teach half of china how to speak english.

To the OP!!!
You seem like a really nice person that is actually contributing to our society. You seem fairly intelligant and willing to mix with Irish people which is the best possible type of person that can be adding to our multiculturalism. Please do not think that any of what I wrote is directed at you.

The reason why I wrote the above is because you asked why people might not want to mix with you. Personally, they are the reasons why the sudden flood of immigrants has been getting to me. Irish people are starting to feel like foreigners in their own country. Which is sad really. I wish the government was smart about immigration as if it had been handled properly, these problems might not exist.

I hope that you can understand what I'm saying above and perhaps think about how you would feel if that was happening in Lithuania and you were still living there yet felt like a foreigner.

Please don't think that was directed as you, I was just trying to clarify why some people might be sick of immigration. We were practically a nation state ten years ago and now you can't turn around without hearing 7 different languages.