Ok, lets put this to bed once and for all!!

AB03

Ok, I'm gonna try to get to the bottom of the following ongoing arguments on here!!

Self-loathing/Irish are ugly/I hate Dublin and/or Ireland/Things are ****

-versus-

I Love Dublin and/or Ireland / Everythings grand / Will ye ever shut up, the countries only great shure and we're all riyeds by the way!

Frankly, I'm of the former opinion and before someone says it, I did **** off and leave the country already.

But, my point and question is this...

I honestly think that these threads (and issues noted within them) are completely relative.

Please post your feelings on the country (yes..again), but both positive and negative in this thread...
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, POST WHERE U LIVE AND HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME, YOUR BACKGROUND ETC...

(eg.. Dub (south/west/north/inner) or outside, if you drive, how old you are, whether you come from a wealthy background, what or where you work at, anything else that maybe of use in defining the lifestyle you lead in Ireland)

For example...

Background:
My life in Dublin consisted of living in the Ballyfermot/Cherry Orchard/Clondalkin area.

I was raised in Ringsend/Sandymount and I come from a single parent background with no brothers or sisters.

I didn't work before I left so had to get rid of my car and use public transport.


Observations:
I feel there is nothing for young people in Ireland in general, be it culturally, artisically or work/business related.

I truly feel the cities junkie/scumbag problem is absolutely disgraceful and well beyond out of hand. I feel threatened walking around Dublin, esp at night, I can only imagine how tourists feel.

I feel top-level highly armed drug dealers have and are gaining massive amounts of power, much more so than gardai in many areas.

I feel there is no value for money in Dublin at least and the quality of living in comparison to pricing is terrible.

I feel Irish looks have gone out the window in the last 10 years, diet, income, who knows, people are letting go.

I feel the governments of the previous 20 years have let us down constantly and we never experienced anything of the so called Celtic Tiger.

and ultimately...

I was back there a few weeks ago and most of the above points seem to have gotten worse (a lot in some cases).

So people...
Bitch and moan.....or big up the place.... but please, explain the reasoning and background behind why you feel the way you do.
I have an inkling, those who live a more privileged life are the ones who love the place whilst those who hate it are the ones who actually see and have to live with the real negative sides every day.

DetectivFoxtrot

tl dr

mink_man

meh do people really care what other people think? what difference does it make to me if you think ireland is a dump? yawn

AB03

well considering the amount of replies on both sides of the argument in other threads, i reckon people do care...

and considering tons of people are leaving the country, I reckon it does kinda matter...

but whatever....and yeh, sorry for the long thread but its kinda necessary to differentiate between the other one-sided threads of this nature..
ill try and shorten it ; )

AB03

ok *slightly* shorter now

ejmaztec

AB03 wrote: »

well considering the amount of replies on both sides of the argument in other threads, i reckon people do care...

and considering tons of people are leaving the country, I reckon it does kinda matter...

but whatever....and yeh, sorry for the long thread but its kinda necessary to differentiate between the other one-sided threads of this nature..
ill try and shorten it ; )

I'm too disappointed to give a sh1t:(

Hazys

I see a solution to this debacle:

Just start a thread called "America is great"...and see the hate and love for Ireland move to hate and love for America...and then next week when we are all bored of the America bashing and loving, we can start threads on foreigners, then the week after people on the dole, then transgender people and so on...until we get back to hate and love for Ireland again and the cycle re-starts...its how AH operates.

mink_man

why do people care what people think? jaysssuus!

Killer Pigeon

IRELAND IS GREAT! We should call our island 'Great Ireland' like the British call their island 'Great Britain'.

GREAT IRELAND IS GREAT!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygzJtJwPnk

Hank_Jones

What is with the spate of these kind of threads?

Mustn't be much in the Daily Mail these days...

mikemac

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

IRELAND IS GREAT! We should call our island 'Great Ireland' like the British call their island 'Great Britain'.

Great Britain and Minor Britain
Great is for the larger size, nothing to do with being fantastic

Killer Pigeon

feelingstressed wrote: »

Great Britain and Minor Britain
Great is for the larger size, nothing to do with being fantastic

I don't care, Ireland should be called Great Ireland 'cause we're graysh!

Lando Griffin

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

I don't care, Ireland should be called Great Ireland 'cause we're graysh!

Or middlen Ireland for those not so happy about it.

AB03

jasus...i should have known, asking for a serious response in AH is just gonna make the replies even more far from the point!
ahh well.. i tried!

bonerm

AB03 wrote: »

Frankly, I'm of the former opinion and before someone says it, I did **** off and leave the country already.

Where did you go out of interest?

I ask because I've found that UK and US ex-pats think about Ireland fondly whereas in places like Australia and continental Europe for example there's more of a bitterness towards the old country from the expats. Again, personal experience there.

Killer Pigeon

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Or middlen Ireland for those not so happy about it.

Sorry, it's now the Republic of GI.

cuppa

Did you expect this thread to turn out any different than and other similar threads in after hours.

My thoughts are, every where is a dump ,unless you do something that makes you happy.

AB03

bonerm wrote: »

Where did you go out of interest?

I ask because I've found that UK and US ex-pats think about Ireland fondly whereas in places like Australia and continental Europe for example there's more of a bitterness towards the old country from the expats. Again, personal experience there.

Continental Europe mate...

Cheap Thrills!

I'm from Grashe Ireland.
I'm a medium sized smurf by profession, except on Tuesdays which is my day off which I spend whittling turf.
I drive a bewildering array of machines including truckasauruses and amphibious kettles.
I was raised in a turnip in a fairy ring.
I'm proud of my lust for traditional Irish dishes like spuds/dinner sangwitches and cabbage and stinkyfish soup.
The thing that makes me most sad and ashamed about Grashe Ireland is skangers, yahs with pink iPhones and expose (with a tiny fada at the end)
The thing that makes me most proud is how much sh!te we can fit into a hole in a field in Laois every August-September.

AB03

cuppa wrote: »

Did you expect this thread to turn out any different than and other similar threads in after hours.

My thoughts are, every where is a dump ,unless you do something that makes you happy.

spose thats a good way of looking at it but i just found it so hard to find things that make me happy back there...

Killer Pigeon

Cheap Thrills! wrote: »

I'm from Grashe Ireland.
I'm a medium sized smurf by profession, except on Tuesdays which is my day off which I spend whittling turf.
I drive a bewildering array of machines including truckasauruses and amphibious kettles.
I was raised in a turnip in a fairy ring.
I'm proud of my lust for traditional Irish dishes like spuds/dinner sangwitches and cabbage and stinkyfish soup.
The thing that makes me most sad and ashamed about Grashe Ireland is skangers, yahs with pink iPhones and expose (with a tiny fada at the end)
The thing that makes me most proud is how much sh!te we can fit into a hole in a field in Laois every August-September.

I know, it's graysh!

Biggins

The problem is that we should "Fight the good fight - not just every one of them!"

seensensee

mink_man wrote: »

why do people care what people think? jaysssuus!

Curiosity perhaps, Why do you read a newspaper... to see what some journalist thinks? to learn something new? to find concurrence with what you think? Why do you read B.ie?

I'm interested in knowing what are the peoples negative opinions regarding Ireland and the Irish, if a pattern starts to emerge it gives me certain points of reference to explore further, without knowing what problems exist in society how are we going to get it right?

I went abroad recently to start a new life, There was loads of work available in a society that would be more to my liking, you see I,m a bit pissed off with how the Irish village elders decided to use "Ireland inc." (your country) as collateral against potentially devastating losses on bank and property investments, Schemes designed to benefit private cartels and how all the money ended up offshore and not reinvested in National Development Plans which could have provided for employment in new Industries adding to the general prosperity of the nation.
2010 and we inherit an austere and punitive ( for ordinary people ) system. The rich get richer while the rest of us are expected to earn less, pay out more in bills, taxes and charges. Huge long term unemployment ensures more ordinary people face greater poverty while sliding into debt.

People on these boards complain (rightfully so) of crime, anti social behaviour, junkies ect ect and it makes me wonder about the causes of such...
Care enough to listen to what people think, so when considering to stay or go abroad to start a new life I'll know I made an informed choice for the right reasons.

force majeure

I loov me so...............
I'm Orish a kerry man [bogman] and a paddydapper all rolled in to one
What does that make me?:cool:
Answers on a postcard to the Late Late show.
prize a trip to Dublin for 2 and 250 euro spending money.

Pace2008

So to surmise: the OP has got older and grumpier.

lazyQuestions

goodnite debate, sleep tight

IM0

mink_man wrote: »

why do people care what people think? jaysssuus!

wont someone please think of the children whales.

Earthhorse

Thought this thread was going to be about brummytom...

caseyann

And opening a thread about it,is way to put it to bed:D

take everything

Cool story bro.

starbelgrade

What exactly has been put to bed?

Biggins

starbelgrade wrote: »

What exactly has been put to bed?

My interest.

Pittens

bonerm wrote: »

Where did you go out of interest?

I ask because I've found that UK and US ex-pats think about Ireland fondly whereas in places like Australia and continental Europe for example there's more of a bitterness towards the old country from the expats. Again, personal experience there.

Well the trains run on time in Germany. As an ex-pat myself I tend to like both the UK, and Ireland. I came for love. I stayed for a job. I may go back, dunno. Both countries have their problems.I wouldn't wish to live in London, although I sometimes visit it. Dublin would be better. The nice small middle class English city I have found myself in is better than Dublin. What I dont like about the UK and England is the bank holiday rush. Jesus wept, I am never trying to go to Cornwall again on a bank holiday. Never! The crowding in the South East is tremendous, remarkable that the system works so well in fact, but even the uncrowded South West has millions of people. But on a sunny summer day getting to the beach is a killer. But I know beaches in Cork which are empty mid-August. Impossible here.

I visit Germany quite a bit, nice but lacks a bit of humanity. The US? Friendly but over-competitive and California is a basket case.

See, its all relative.

Anyway, I dont love Ireland, nor do I hate it. It is a pretty good place, though, compared to most of the rest of the world. Same with the UK. The "haters" are possibly the flip side of the lovers. Bitter emigrants tend to appear in recessions because they have to leave. Those of us who left in the boom seem quite happy. Yet if you are bitter because you have to leave then maybe you like the place you left more than you think.

Pittens

In any case unless you go to Australia, the modern emigrant is not going to be the old style come home at christmas emigrant. I can arrange a pint in Dublin from the UK on Friday because I get in at 9pm, so I can go drinking at 10, or before. Using the magic of the internet my friends are on IM, facebook etc. I read these boards most days. Not really escaping.

So modern immigration is not the wrenching disappearing act it used to be. No need to huddle together in areas where they sell the Irish Press. I am closer to Dublin, than Dublin is to to Donegal. Thats a hard trip, not possible most weekends.

kfallon

I love Ireland, I love Dublin (I'm not from Dublin originally) and I love the people of this country.

All the begrudgers can fook off, our little country is great, what other country in the world has Tayto Cheese n' Onion and Club Rock Shandy

1-0 to the Paddies!!!

caseyann

kfallon wrote: »

I love Ireland, I love Dublin (I'm not from Dublin originally) and I love the people of this country.

All the begrudgers can fook off, our little country is great, what other country in the world has Tayto Cheese n' Onion and Club Rock Shandy

1-0 to the Paddies!!!

Your country is what you make it :cool:

kfallon

caseyann wrote: »

Your country is what you make it :cool:

Amen to that sister

*high five*

Scrap that, *big tens*

RachPie

Finest.

Born in the UK, raised in Ireland. Spent time going between both places.
Youngest in the family.
Seeing both Uk & Ireland, I can see what we're missing out on and what they have in comparison.
I'm not happy here - TDs can swindle the taxpayer and swan around like aristocracy while any other normal Joe would get 10 years in prison for what they're doing.
Health service, mental & physical is sh*te - experience.
Massive drink culture - no wonder so many underagers drink here, there is nothing else to do in the evenings for them, & the culture is strong.
Just the whole mental attitude of the place here.

I love my family and friends to bits, I'm in a great Uni course, I have a fantastic boyfriend & great work exp so I can't complain, but I'm just not completely happy here.

AB03

wow, there was some serious answers (20% serious aint bad for AH )
interesting..