What does it mean to be Irish?

dunnomede?

I dont think theres an anthropological forum maybe there is?
Anyway what does it mean to be Irish?
What distinguishes us as a race?

Cool_CM

Nothing, except for a bit of a superiority/inferiority complex at times

Latchy

Pretty sure this has being done before ,possibly a few times .

For a start , my Irish passport means a lot to me .

Professey Chin

Means we're not fcukin English

SV

It means you get to hear Americans tell you how they're also Irish because a distant distant relative is Irish.

Naos

I really dislike those Americans.

demakinz

the GAA and everything about it makes us irish.its the uniqueness of it and the pride we have in it makes us different than every other nation on earth.

Steve01

dunnomede? wrote: »

What does it mean to be Irish?

Formerly - to be rich and ignorant
Formerly formerly - to be poor and ignorant
Currently - to be poor, ignorant, lazy and bitter

dunnomede?

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Means we're not fcukin English

Ya that was one of the points that came up in class.

I dont mean physical representations (passport drivers license etc) or having to listen to tourists declare their lineage but what does it mean to you?

Paddy Samurai

Sure begorragh and bejasus is’nt it a unique hard drinking , always cussing, fighting folk we be!.

Oh and we like the odd bit of ceili dancing at the crossroads in the rain ,........and the craic when we can get it.

taibhse

It means constantly moaning about everything but never getting up off your arse to do anything about it

topper75

We are unique in W. Europe. We are the only state that is not decidedly Latin or Saxon. Our language, which some seem intent on discarding, is remarkably ancient. Our diaspora is probably second only to the Jewish one in terms of the magnitude of its influence on shaping the modern world. Our contributions to world culture and our sporting achievements are disproportionately large for the size of our population.

Yeah, some people were backward-thinking conservatives in previous decades and some people became assholes in the Celtic Tiger years. Is there any poster here though that seriously believes that either of these groups characterises us?

The GAA is not what makes us unique but it is definitely a concrete manifestation of one of our key traits - a strong sense of place and community.

demakinz

i might not know what makes me irish but i for one am 100% proud to be irish and our of culture ,language and achievements.

komodosp

To have lived in Ireland long enough to have an Irish accent, and adapted Irish mannerisms and culture. To be Irish is pretty much to consider yourself Irish and have an affinity and understanding with other Irish people.

Abi

taibhse wrote: »

It means constantly moaning about everything but never getting up off your arse to do anything about it

+1

A nation of two faced fúckers. Rant to anyone and everyone, but not to who matters. We thought the shoe-thrower was mad, but he tried to make himself felt, if not heard. They celebrated his effort with a statue. I wanted to celebrate for him, but hadnt the funds. So I got a bird table from B&Q and etched his face into it. A shrine nonetheless. What was the question again?oh yah. Ireland sux donkey bawls.

K-9

demakinz wrote: »

the GAA and everything about it makes us irish.its the uniqueness of it and the pride we have in it makes us different than every other nation on earth.

YEP, We keep the fighting to the pitch, not the terraces and roads.;)

Having been to a few Premiership matches, it's amazing the difference in attitude.

CiaranC

demakinz wrote: »

the GAA and everything about it makes us irish.its the uniqueness of it and the pride we have in it makes us different than every other nation on earth.

Funny, Im Irish and I despise the GAA. So how does it make me Irish?

IHATELIBERTAS

i know some people are joking with the negative comments but don't be too hard on the old girl, shes come a long way.

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Guinness farts.

.

K-9

CiaranC wrote: »

Funny, Im Irish and I despise the GAA. So how does it make me Irish?

That's your choice. Try reversing it. You're still Irish!

demakinz

CiaranC wrote: »

Funny, Im Irish and I despise the GAA. So how does it make me Irish?

im sure you dont despise what the gaa stands for..its gives people a sence of belonging to there village/town/city..a pride in there community and there county.
it must be the only sport where you have 80,000 people turn up to watch 30 amatuers play two of the oldest games in the world.
where two rival teams can sit in a pub together and sit in a sports ground together without ant hassel.

surley you cant despise that part of the gaa.

it makes me proud to be irish when yanks and brits come to croker at a county and are blowin away by it all they cant understand it.not the rules but the way it all works so well with out hassel

allabouteve

Steve01 wrote: »

Formerly - to be rich and ignorant
Formerly formerly - to be poor and ignorant
Currently - to be poor, ignorant, lazy and bitter

It also means to be entertaining, articulate, self-deprecating, literate and likeable. Or I might just have been very lucky with all the Irish people I got to know.

taibhse wrote: »

It means constantly moaning about everything but never getting up off your arse to do anything about it

I think thats just being human.:)

Knocking on the back door of your local pub at 8am on a sunday morning in a desperate attempt to avoid the hangover from the night before, But then end up waiting for the day and drinking 20 pints of Guinness, then end up in your nearest nite club drinking vodka and red bull until 2am.

Then into work Monday morning as sick as 40 tinkers.

LeahBaby

Freckles and the being allowed use the word Gob****e

Ironbars

Its were Im from and nothing else

Pigman III

It means not giving a fcuk about what happens 'up there' even though they think you do.

UpCork

Being Irish means a lot to me.

My Irish passport means a lot - the fact that I live in a country that fought for it's freedom, stood up for what it believes in.

The fact that we came from nothing, to a modern, cosmopolitan country (I know things are rough at the minute, but we've pulled ourselves out of worse before)

The fact that we have our own language (a unique thing!)

The fact that the Irish are liked throughout the world is important to me.

I can honestly say, I wouldn't be any other nationality & if I was ever to live anywhere else, I would not become a citizen of that country.

Overblood

We have our own lammidge.

We are worshipped around the world for some reason.

We drink lots. The foreigners I work with say to me "Hey this country is supposed to be mad about drink but you can't fecking buy it after 10pm or in the morning and pubs are closed too early etc. it's way too controlled" and I say that if we could get drink at all hours or if the pubs stayed open till 5am or 6am, the country would stop working. Housepartys end when we run out of drink. If we were allowed pop over to tesco at 5am and get more, we'd be dead by 9am.

Earthhorse

It means posting on internet forums to get people to do your homework.

minidazzler

Being Irish to me, means I was Born on the Island of Ireland, under the government of Ireland. Simple as.


I have noticed though, we do drink alot more than most other people, which is great fun!!!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Being ass-raped by the govenemnt, whinging about it, getting to drunk to care, whinging about the cost of getting too drunk to care, not being able to get a taxi home, whinging about it again, doing it again three nights later and then voting in the same government the screwed us in the first place. Oh, and hitting a ball around a field with a stick and 29 ther idiots who think they're God's gift to European Ahtleticism.

Jesus, why'd I ever leave...?!

seraphimvc

i'll let someone talk about the obvious fine quality of being an irish (friendly ,less racist,easier living here than UK etc) while i am taking a p*ss here

the dumbness or should i say the ignorance is the very first thing comes into my mind if i am hiring an irish worker:i am always impressed by people who can talks hours nonstop on nonsence stuffs - like we(some foreigners) did back when we were in primary school,can we please talk about something interesting/news/experience etc that we can hear/learn something new in the end of conversation?*this doesnt apply to boardsie:pac:*

and the most annoying thing is f*ck me with the 'i dont care/who gives a damn' attitude on everything - this is somehow related to the ignorance i guess,people seems dont give a sh!t on anything which most 'normal' people on earth pursue with their whole life:successful career,money,power etc.(not that i am a power hunger c*nt or something,i am just an ambitious young dude)

Meaning that most people tend to call those hardworking colleages/classmates geek/loser/no life - slagging on someone 'better' than you rather than showing your respect and admire/interest on them, which most 'normal' people do.

This phenomenon is so bad on the image of irish because in the end of the day,people do care alot about their job/work/study - people is pretending that they dont.This further meaning that there is alot of untruthful words/lies in people's conversation.Plus the drinking culture/friendship based on having craic,it is extremely difficult to make a decent converstaions/friends in this country.In the end of every night out,i still know nothing of the people we were laughing for earlier hours before - not exactly a socialising event isnt it?not that i am asking for all people to do that,but this happened 100% of the time

this may link to the other thread about leave or stay in ireland:pac: a nice place for short term living,but long term?i am highly sceptical with it.

and yes,me speaking as a foreigner,after staying here for 4years now.

LeahBaby

It means with our pale complexions we can go camoflague in the snow.

IHATELIBERTAS

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Being ass-raped by the govenemnt, whinging about it, getting to drunk to care, whinging about the cost of getting too drunk to care, not being able to get a taxi home, whinging about it again, doing it again three nights later and then voting in the same government the screwed us in the first place. Oh, and hitting a ball around a field with a stick and 29 ther idiots who think they're God's gift to European Ahtleticism.

Jesus, why'd I ever leave...?!

Whats it like up there?

IHATELIBERTAS

UpCork wrote: »

Being Irish means a lot to me.

My Irish passport means a lot - the fact that I live in a country that fought for it's freedom, stood up for what it believes in.

The fact that we came from nothing, to a modern, cosmopolitan country (I know things are rough at the minute, but we've pulled ourselves out of worse before)

The fact that we have our own language (a unique thing!)

The fact that the Irish are liked throughout the world is important to me.

I can honestly say, I wouldn't be any other nationality & if I was ever to live anywhere else, I would not become a citizen of that country.

Idiots will have you believe that this 'irish being liked' around the world is a myth. I don't know why people feel say this but it seems to give them gratification.
+1 my friend, in the words of that songwe've come a long long way to be here through the good times...and the bad.

dtwhaler

Being Irish means that......

You dont need to adhere to any laws
You are corrupt beyond all belief from the top down (see messrs Ahern and Haughey)
You let your politicians away with all sorts
You can get your uncle's cousin to get you off of your speeding ticket cos he's a garda
Your planning applications are only approved if written on a brown envelope
You like spuds
You are more than likely backwards in some shpe or form
You have your own language ....... a dying language that isnt even the second most spoken language in your country
You can insist that so much money is wasted on promoting this dying language
Your main TV staions dont use your "own language"
You can moan and give out about non-use of your language when you cant speak it fluenty yourself
You get taxed to the hilt
You dont know what the tax gets used for
You have no health service to speak of
You're only decent roads are funded by Europe yet tolled and part of it goes to the government who didnt pay for it
You dont know how to drive properly
You have failed your test and still drive on your own with a provisional
You think its wrong that someone should try to stop this
You have been banned for drunk driving yet continue to drive
You can do no wrong in the eyes of "yer mammy"
You think everyone thinks you're great craic

I could go on but I wouldnt want to offend anyone .............

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

IHATELIBERTAS wrote: »

Whats it like up there?

I'm further south than you are. What's it like over there?

diverdriver

I was about to post when I read dtwhaler's post. Pretty much sums it up.

But I think the real answer is that we haven't really got a clue what it means to be Irish because we haven't actually been properly Irish EVER. We're more british (note lower case b not than anything else. We never really got away from them. In truth we don't want to. We talk like them, eat like them, drink like them, enjoy the same sports. Need I go on?

We won't really advance as a country until we make up our minds what we are.

Oh and don't anyone mention the GAA. There is nothing Irish about the GAA. It was simply a sport invented to stop people playing soccer and cricket. It's no more Irish than pocket billiards.

dtwhaler

Sorry for any confusion............ in answer to Ikky Poo 2 above............


Snowing

I hear the airport is closed again ?

Nodin

diverdriver wrote: »

Oh and don't anyone mention the GAA. There is nothing Irish about the GAA. It was simply a sport invented to stop people playing soccer and cricket. It's no more Irish than pocket billiards.

Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. The game, played primarily in Ireland, has prehistoric origins and is the world's fastest field team sport in terms of game play.[1][2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling

Gaelic football is one of the world's oldest games. It is one of the most played games in Ireland and is also commonly played in other countriesI][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed"][COLOR=#0000ff]citation needed[/COLOR][/URL][/I. One of the first records of football in Ireland comes from 1308, when John McCrocan, a spectator at a football game at Newcastle, County Dublin was charged with accidentally stabbing a player named William Bernard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_football

So the GAA was founded in Prehistoric times to stop us playing Cricket and football, which we were being bombarded with on our satellite dishes and in the tabloids......

Red Sleeping Beauty

It doesn't really mean a hell of a lot versus being classed as "British".
I'm sure there's men and women who've died for our independance but to be honest I don't see much of that anymore. Especially the current state of affairs the country's in.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Would the people whow say they'd die for their country take a pay-cut / tax-hike for their country?

dtwhaler

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Would the people whow say they'd die for their country take a pay-cut / tax-hike for their country?

Mmmmmm .........Dunno .............

Why not start asking Gerry Ryan, Pat Kenny and all of the overpaid politicians.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

dtwhaler wrote: »

Mmmmmm .........Dunno .............

Why not start asking Gerry Ryan, Pat Kenny and all of the overpaid politicians.

Kenny actually did, but I doubt any of them would die for the country. **** - just realsied this is in the wrong thread...

Red Sleeping Beauty

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Would the people whow say they'd die for their country take a pay-cut / tax-hike for their country?

Bono might eat for "his" country. Don't think he'd do anything positive,constructive or even remotely relevant to the people on the ground.


I don't know where his country his anymore though, I don't care but it's not fricking here anymore

topper75

dtwhaler wrote: »

You have your own language ....... a dying language that isnt even the second most spoken language in your country
You can insist that so much money is wasted on promoting this dying language
Your main TV staions dont use your "own language"
You can moan and give out about non-use of your language when you cant speak it fluenty yourself

Dying how? Has the recent growth in Gaelscoils escaped your attention? Can you not get TG4, Raidio na Life or Raidio na Gaeltachta reception? Have you not dropped into the Teach na nGealt forum here for a chat? Have you visited any Gaeltacht area? Youtube any of the Ceol '08 stuff? Checked your newstand for Foinse? Money spent on strengthening our cultural identity is 'wasted'? I may indeed moan about non-use, but I assure you that I am indeed fluent myself. The language has had it problems in the past and more needs to be done to heighten its profile, but to say it is 'dying' requires one to deliberately ignore the evidence around them. I'd like to know btw where you get your stats about the most spoken languages in this country? I think Irish is a fair bet to arrive in after English - but you feel otherwise?

diverdriver

So the GAA was founded in Prehistoric times to stop us playing Cricket and football, which we were being bombarded with on our satellite dishes and in the tabloids......

Puleeze Nodin, wikipedia is not famous for it's accuracy. In any I was referring to the GAA as it currently stands, founded in 1884. Hurling as it was re-invented bears almost no resemblance to the game played with sticks back in the time of Cuchulainn.

Myths and legends that's all, myths and legends.

topper75, despite your enthusiasm, he's right. Polish is spoken more. That may change of course. We dropped the ball on the Irish language years ago. It is dying but with the right medicine it could be saved. I doubt it though. My exposure to Irish led me to detest it. A very common reaction, I'm told. I have a better view of it now but am angry at how the whole language issue was and is handled. There is no excuse for all us not to be speaking fluent Irish. I visited Rhodes a couple of years ago. It's a Greek island but for centuries it was ruled by the Turks and then the Italians. They actively suppressed Greek. Only after WW2 were they returned to Greece. What language do you suppose is spoken there now? Greek. If they were Irish they would be speaking Turkish and Italian.

LordSutch

demakinz wrote: »

the GAA and everything about it makes us irish.its the uniqueness of it and the pride we have in it makes us different than every other nation on earth.

GAA, you are kidding :rolleyes: I play Rugby & my kids play Hockey ...........

dtwhaler

Dying because its only spoken in one wee small country. Dont try to count Scotland with their Gaelic. Thats even more of a dead language than here. It doesnt get you anywhere in the modern world. You dont hear of many other Europeans speaking or showing the slightest interest in speaking Irish do you ? You go to France .... you learn to speak French or you struggle .... TV, radio, everyday life. All French. Same thing with the German language in Germany. Italian in Italy. If you were serious about Irish in Ireland you'd have no choice but to learn it. English would be a second language the way it is in real countries.

You can speak it fluently .... fair play to you. I take my hat off to you cos its a damn difficult thing to do. I just dont see the point. It doesnt gain anything in the real world. Let it go. Move on. Its called progress.
Just think of the money that could be saved in these recessionary times if everything to do with Irish was just stopped. Life ouwl go on.

Yes, I have TG4. I wouldnt rate it as one of the main channels. Out of the four bog channels here I'd be pretty sure it has the lowest viewing figures. There's even English speaking programs on there every now and again. Whay if Irish is such a big thing ?

As for the second most spoken language I would have thought it was Polish ? Arent there more polish speakers here now than Irish ?

Nolanger

dunnomede? wrote: »

Anyway what does it mean to be Irish?

Conservative
Anti-intellectual
Sports mad - but only interested in team sports
Ugly
Overweight
Alcoholic
Spineless -except for Waterford Crytal workers