What I used to think of the Irish.

StormWarrior

Today I found an old family photo album from when I was growing up in the UK in the 80's. It had photos and cards in it from my first communion, and I went through it remembering the priests and Sunday school teachers and everyone else from the local church, who were all Irish. Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get. I thought that the Irish must be a really pure and holy bunch, God's favourites, and that every Irish person devoted their entire lives and every thought they had to God. After using Boards for the past few years though, I have come to the conclusion that my views were a little mistaken.

Danbo!

Congratulations

Sonnenblumen

Well the land of saints, scholars etc is proof enough that the Irish are good at publicity!

Degag

Not Mistaken. Naive.

prinz

Yeah me too, I used to look at newspaper of pictures of English soccer hooligans.... o no wait, that one doesn't work.

corkcomp

StormWarrior wrote: »

After using Boards for the past few years though, I have come to the conclusion that my views were a little mistaken.

Few years? That penny dropped for me the second I clicked onto boards tbh:D:p

ScumLord

StormWarrior wrote: »

I thought that the Irish must be a really pure and holy bunch, God's favourites, and that every Irish person devoted their entire lives and every thought they had to God.

God's favourites? He's a funny way of showing it, our history is littered with war, oppression and boyzone how could we be his favourites.

pickarooney

Cool, now you just need to revise your views on all the swan-eating invaders and you're sorted.

Let's hope the Swedish have a more balanced view of the UK.

Dravokivich

ScumLord wrote: »

God's favourites? He's a funny way of showing it, our history is littered with war, oppression and boyzone how could we be his favourites.

We also got Thin Lizzy...

Superbus

StormWarrior wrote: »

Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get.

You essentially thought the entire country was a seminary.


Sounds like fun.

stovelid

I also picture the OP as looking like either Spagna or Joey Tempest. Somebody with poodle hair and a leather jacket with studs and epaulettes.

I think it's the name and the sig.

The Hill Billy

Superbus wrote: »

You essentially thought the entire country was a seminary.

Would that make us all 'seminal'?

Coriolanus

ScumLord wrote: »

God's favourites? He's a funny way of showing it, our history is littered with war, oppression and boyzone how could we be his favourites.

Look at the Jews, and see how He showed them His favoritism. We got off facking lightly.

Dudess

StormWarrior wrote: »

Today I found an old family photo album from when I was growing up in the UK in the 80's. It had photos and cards in it from my first communion, and I went through it remembering the priests and Sunday school teachers and everyone else from the local church, who were all Irish. Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get. I thought that the Irish must be a really pure and holy bunch, God's favourites, and that every Irish person devoted their entire lives and every thought they had to God. After using Boards for the past few years though, I have come to the conclusion that my views were a little mistaken.

A demographic comprising millions of people globally in "Not all really pure and holy" shocker!

Overheal

StormWarrior wrote: »

Today I found an old family photo album from when I was growing up in the UK in the 80's. It had photos and cards in it from my first communion, and I went through it remembering the priests and Sunday school teachers and everyone else from the local church, who were all Irish. Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get. I thought that the Irish must be a really pure and holy bunch, God's favourites, and that every Irish person devoted their entire lives and every thought they had to God. After using Boards for the past few years though, I have come to the conclusion that my views were a little mistaken.

That should be your sig

Dudess

Overheal wrote: »

That should be your sig

It's not THAT insightful really - it's also something that's communicated by many, many other platforms besides Boards.

Min

Nevore wrote: »

Look at the Jews, and see how He showed them His favoritism. We got off facking lightly.

Yes, it said in the bible the Jews would be banished from Israel for going against God and it would be particularly hard as they were the chosen people, they would end up hated and would be hunted down, they would fear every moment wishing night was day and day was night as they would have to suffer, only after that could they return and Israel restored.....

Hazlittle

Nevore wrote: »

Look at the Jews, and see how He showed them His favoritism. We got off facking lightly.

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years. Our death toll must be beyond 2million(official figures) or 6million(estimated figures). Ukrane Holocaust was higher than that.

pickarooney wrote: »

Cool, now you just need to revise your views on all the swan-eating invaders and you're sorted.

Let's hope the Swedish have a more balanced view of the UK.

Killing a swan used to be punishable by death. I wonder why?

Dudess

I do believe you're saying historical oppression experienced by the Irish is worse than that experienced by the Jews (which was considerably more than a decade by the way - there were pogroms elsewhere besides Germany and they took place a long time before the 1930s/40s)...

prinz

Hazlittle wrote: »

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years. Our death toll must be beyond 2million(official figures) or 6million(estimated figures). Ukrane Holocaust was higher than that.

:rolleyes: Has the standard of knowledge of history really dropped to that level?

CrazyRabbit

StormWarrior wrote: »

Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get.

Superbus wrote: »

You essentially thought the entire country was a seminary.


Sounds like fun.

...not for all the kids surrounded by so many priests.

ConmanTheKiller

Hazlittle wrote: »

Killing a swan used to be punishable by death. I wonder why?

Aren`t all the swans in england on public waterways owned by the queen or something

Coriolanus

Hazlittle wrote: »

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years. Our death toll must be beyond 2million(official figures) or 6million(estimated figures). Ukrane Holocaust was higher than that.

Lolsome.

latenia

Hazlittle wrote: »

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years. Our death toll must be beyond 2million(official figures) or 6million(estimated figures). Ukrane Holocaust was higher than that.

Dude, seriously? From 2500 years ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Egypt#Ancient_times

From last month:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/08/jobbik-hungary-move-from-fringes

dotsman

StormWarrior wrote: »

Today I found an old family photo album from when I was growing up in the UK in the 80's. It had photos and cards in it from my first communion, and I went through it remembering the priests and Sunday school teachers and everyone else from the local church, who were all Irish. Because they were all Irish, and I didn't know anyone Irish from outside the church, I always assumed that becoming a priest, nun or Sunday school teacher was the only job that an Irish person could get. I thought that the Irish must be a really pure and holy bunch, God's favourites, and that every Irish person devoted their entire lives and every thought they had to God. After using Boards for the past few years though, I have come to the conclusion that my views were a little mistaken.

But?...according to your location - your still in the 80's

Nodin

Hazlittle wrote: »

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years.

Go. You have reading to do.

Nodin

prinz wrote: »

:rolleyes: Has the standard of knowledge of history really dropped to that level?

It was always crap. In one ear out the other, if it went in the one at all. I used be enraged by the lack of knowledge of Irish history, until I realised the same had no fucking clue of anyone elses either.

Cullen82

OP grew up in the 80's? So I'm guessing must now be hitting 30 or thereabouts

How can someone take until their late 20's to come to this conclusion (through the internet:o) about Irish people not being how OP had first thought....

Need to get out more buddy

Pittens

Go. You have reading to do.

Acutally he is right that the over-emphasis Jewish holocaust is really a form of victors history. Was it a genocide - in Europe perhaps. But thats half a genocide since half the population were elsewhere. It was similar to, for instance Cromwell's slash and burn campaign in Ireland which reduced the population by 40%. But lets move away from picking ourselves as victims of history.

Lets look elsewhere, the US for instance eliminated higher numbers of indigenous peoples as a percentage of their population - not half in one continent, but most in their only continent - and there were dozens of such ethnic groups - and then the British Empire, and others around the world did the same.

( I hope the fact that I am placing the blame of these holocausts on Europeans exempts me from charges of being a white racist, but I suspect not).

Back in history genocides were common. The bible mentions a few. The Romans destroyed ethnic groups - Carthage, and it's colonies. and others.

Nodin

Pittens wrote: »

Acutally he is right that the over-emphasis Jewish holocaust is really a form of victors history. .

The quote in full.

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years

This omits the inquisition, the various pogroms during the crusades and the middle ages, as well as the persecution under the tsars, not forgetting sanctioned discrimination and ghettoisation. Thus his statement "the (sic) got a decade of oppression..." is utterly incorrect.

Pittens

I suppose have to reluctantly concede that that is correct. There was more than a decade for sure.

jimmycrackcorm

OP forgot to mention how drunk we Irish always are. At least that would have some modicum of truth

Coriolanus

Pittens wrote: »

Acutally he is right that the over-emphasis Jewish holocaust is really a form of victors history. Was it a genocide - in Europe perhaps. But thats half a genocide since half the population were elsewhere. It was similar to, for instance Cromwell's slash and burn campaign in Ireland which reduced the population by 40%. But lets move away from picking ourselves as victims of history.

Eh what? The definition of genocide doesn't rest on whether or not the entire target population is wiped out, it rests on the intent. Take a look at the Rome Statute or the ECHR judgement against Germany from the nineties.
Just because some Jews survived, be they in Nazi controlled territory or not, doesn't somehow degrade the status of the genocide.

Nodin

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

OP forgot to mention how drunk we Irish always are. At least that would have some modicum of truth

Funny enough, this arrived in my inbox earlier today. It would appear that being senseless drunk on your debs is low order stuff, compared to some places...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0525101freedom1.html

Presumably next year, they've booked the holocaust museum.

Sonnenblumen

Hazlittle wrote: »

Lightly? The got a decade of oppression and we got 800 years. Our death toll must be beyond 2million(official figures) or 6million(estimated figures). Ukrane Holocaust was higher than that.



Killing a swan used to be punishable by death. I wonder why?

I think you should change your name to HazLittleUpstairs!

ricman

Its like the irish language ,irelands a catholic country but most people dont speak irish , 90 per cent of people just use the church as a social place to go to weddings /funerals.if you have kids you have little choice but to send them to a catholic primary school.I think the usa is actually a much more religious country than ireland.AT some point the government will have to take over the schools because of a shortage of priests/ nuns.