Do you have an affinity for your county?

strokemyclover

First and foremost, I am an Irishman. I can't say I'm proud to be Irish 100% of the time as this often-backward nation of ours will test even the strongest of characters during these harsh (soon to be harsher) times. I know I'm going to get a torrent of abuse for saying that but the fact that I remain determined to stay in this country throughout should come to my rescue.

Despite my Irish pride, I have no similar feelings towards my place of birth, Dublin. I have mostly enjoyed living in Dublin all of my life, a fair percentage of the people are great yet I often hesitate to call myself a Dub when the question is asked. Both my parents are from beyond The Pale and I'd like to think of myself in a similar way. This isn't out of snobbery or jealousy as I don't look down or up at any section of Dublin society, I just don't have an affinity for the place. I don't feel like I belong here and have felt more at home in my parents' counties at times than I do here.

I've met a few people over the years who are similar. So, are you proud of where you come from? If not, why not?

Where To

I have affinity for the 33rd county

orourkeda

Yes

St.Spodo

Affinity- ''A natural liking for something.''

Of course I have an affinity for my country of birth and residence, fcuking stupid question to be fair.

Thomas828

I've been feeling pretty Down lately...

TeddyTedson

There's a lot I like about Ireland, and then there's a lot I hate.
I am at times proud to be Irish, but it's generally when I'm in a different country.
It's all I know though really.

thehairyelbow

Yeah, big time. From Galway, and eventhough I've lived all over the place down the years I'm as happy as a dog with two mickeys to be back in the Whesht.

strokemyclover

St.Spodo wrote: »

Affinity- ''A natural liking for something.''

Of course I have an affinity for my country of birth and residence, fcuking stupid question to be fair.

Did I ask if you had an affinity for your country?

Chris P. Bacon

Yes very proud im from Waterford.

St.Spodo

strokemyclover wrote: »

Did I ask if you had an affinity for your country?

Same applies.

Cakes.

I love Ireland. I love the people, the language, the countryside, the music (new and old), the history, the hospitality.

Yeh, I love Ireland a lot.

Biggins

Yes.

It can be a pain in the ass to me - I can be a pain in the ass to it
...But is mine and I wouldn't want to be anything else but Irish.

Yakult

Meh, dont really have a choice.
It's quiet a depressing place to live most times with little opportunities available.
I envy those who are leaving.

Diabhal Beag

Yep. Proud of where I'm from. The place and the people make Galway. If I was from Dublin I don't think I'd feel anywhere near the same sense of community.

strokemyclover

St.Spodo wrote: »

Same applies.

Well I'm happy you feel at home where you come from. I just feel more at home in other parts of the country where I can't apply my trade.

St.Spodo

strokemyclover wrote: »

Well I'm happy you feel at home where you come from. I just feel more at home in other parts of the country where I can't apply my trade.

I obviously feel at home; it is my home and always has been.

Sunnyisland

This is where I was born & reared to the best of my parents abilities so with that I am very proud to be Irish and very proud to be from Dublin.

Buceph

Not proud of where I'm from, no reason to be. Happy to have lived here, enjoy living here and would tell people it's a great place though. So yeah I have an affinity for my county.

strokemyclover

St.Spodo wrote: »

I obviously feel at home; it is my home and always has been.

I have no comeback for that. As I said, I'm genuinely happy for you. But, calling myself a Dub doesn't sit as well with me as saying I'm Irish which for the most part is great.

OneArt

I haven't got an affinity for any of the countries I'm from.

Granted, as much as I dislike Ireland and can't wait to get out of here (one month left!), I would sooner be here than South Africa.

St.Spodo

strokemyclover wrote: »

I have no comeback for that. As I said, I'm genuinely happy for you. But, calling myself a Dub doesn't sit as well with me as saying I'm Irish which for the most part is great.

I just had a jam doughnut.

df1985

Proud Kildare man, hup the lillies!

My one wish is for kildare to win an all ireland in my lifetime and to be in croke park when they do it.I will cry like a little happy girl.

pragmatic1

Very proud Donegal man. Most of my family and friends are from here so naturally I have a strong affinity for the place. Good sense of community and good neighbours too.

For Forks Sake

Very much so. Will probably go into hyperdrive once the football starts next week

have a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1k4uK1vjzI

krudler

I'm from Limerick so...not really, I live here, its meh.

osnola ibax

I like the County of Wexford, I have some great friends here and have met some great people. There are obviously the small minded and the GAA but they have little or no impact on my day to day.

However, I do not buy into a national pride or identity. I think our government is the most unethical, dishonest, colluding mess I have ever witnessed, regardless of which party holds power. However the same could be said for European governanace, so whereas I used to feel European, I no longer do. Increasingly, I feel like an individual or at best an advocate of the immediate family. You must stoke the home fires first and foremost and everthing else is just gravy.

Where all of this falls assunder for me though is Sport and in particular Soccer. I love the way that we have acheived beyond the size of our population. The same holds true for golf, athletics and others but mostly I love the game of soccer so that has a particular resonance with me. I feel so much pride when I think of Houghton v England, Duff v Spain, McGrath V Italy etc etc and then I'm glad to call myself Irish.

I'm also glad to day I'm from Wexford but don't strongly identify myself to the place. More that its just a nice safe County.

bonerm

Yes. I'd go as far as to say country (or city at least) before country.

Dangerous Man

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Yep. Proud of where I'm from. The place and the people make Galway. If I was from Dublin I don't think I'd feel anywhere near the same sense of community.

There's pride and then there's idiocy.

solerina

Im from Tipperary.....Love It.........C'Mon the Premier !!! I think if your into GAA you have a huge affinity for your county and are proud of any achievements /efforts !!!

Wolfe Tone

I would like to say I'm proud to be from Drogheda, but I can't.

hondasam

Yes most definitely.

Kanoe

not at the moment, Ireland is a nice place and naturally if you're away from it for any length of time you long to go back. Just don't feel that way right now.

Wild_Dogger

Thomas828 wrote: »

I've been feeling pretty Down lately...

put a cork in it

For Forks Sake

solerina wrote: »

Im from Tipperary.....Love It.........C'Mon the Premier !!! I think if your into GAA you have a huge affinity for your county and are proud of any achievements /efforts !!!

Michael Lowry?

Royal Seahawk

osnola ivax wrote: »

I like the County of Wexford, I have some great friends here and have met some great people. There are obviously the small minded and the GAA but they have little or no impact on my day to day.

However, I do not buy into a national pride or identity. I think our government is the most unethical, dishonest, colluding mess I have ever witnessed, regardless of which party holds power. However the same could be said for European governanace, so whereas I used to feel European, I no longer do. Increasingly, I feel like an individual or at best an advocate of the immediate family. You must stoke the home fires first and foremost and everthing else is just gravy.

Where all of this falls assunder for me though is Sport and in particular Soccer. I love the way that we have acheived beyond the size of our population. The same holds true for golf, athletics and others but mostly I love the game of soccer so that has a particular resonance with me. I feel so much pride when I think of Houghton v England, Duff v Spain, McGrath V Italy etc etc and then I'm glad to call myself Irish.

I'm also glad to day I'm from Wexford but don't strongly identify myself to the place. More that its just a nice safe County.

What did Duff ever do against Spain?

OPENROAD

From Dublin and yes definitely, to be honest I have only been in a couple of counties, Kildare a few times and Galway once which was awful, so don't really feel a connection with the rest of the country, because I haven't seen it yet.

Spudmonkey

I'm very proud to be both Irish and from Limerick.

mikemac

solerina wrote: »

Im from Tipperary.....Love It.........C'Mon the Premier !!! I think if your into GAA you have a huge affinity for your county and are proud of any achievements /efforts !!!

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Michael Lowry?

solerina is from South Tipp so you can hardly quote Michael Lowry
A bit like blaming Dublin South for Bertie or Dublin Central for Liam Lawlor, different area, nothing to do with them

You could have quoted Mattie McGrath though!

Il Trap

osnola ivax wrote: »

I like the County of Wexford, I have some great friends here and have met some great people. There are obviously the small minded and the GAA but they have little or no impact on my day to day.

However, I do not buy into a national pride or identity. I think our government is the most unethical, dishonest, colluding mess I have ever witnessed, regardless of which party holds power. However the same could be said for European governanace, so whereas I used to feel European, I no longer do. Increasingly, I feel like an individual or at best an advocate of the immediate family. You must stoke the home fires first and foremost and everthing else is just gravy.

Where all of this falls assunder for me though is Sport and in particular Soccer. I love the way that we have acheived beyond the size of our population. The same holds true for golf, athletics and others but mostly I love the game of soccer so that has a particular resonance with me. I feel so much pride when I think of Houghton v England, Duff v Spain, McGrath V Italy etc etc and then I'm glad to call myself Irish.

I'm also glad to day I'm from Wexford but don't strongly identify myself to the place. More that its just a nice safe County.

Agree with alot of this. VERY proud of my Irishness and the great things that we have achieved despite the size of our nation. My county (Louth) is something I'm indifferent about. I've moved to Dublin and feel much more content here. Going home to Dundalk is not something I look forward to often. Just seems to me quite insular at times and lacks the vibrancy of a major city like Dublin.

D1stant

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Yep. Proud of where I'm from. The place and the people make Galway. If I was from Dublin I don't think I'd feel anywhere near the same sense of community.

Phew. Me too. Im so helpless and empty inside that if I didnt get the life enforcing waters of the Lee into me on my first day on earth I dont know where I'd have ended up

thehairyelbow

D1stant wrote: »

Phew. Me too. Im so helpless and epmty inside that if I didnt get the life enforcing waters of the Lee into me on my first day on earth I dont know where I'd have ended up

So they ecked ya in the river??

For Forks Sake

feelingstressed wrote: »

solerina is from South Tipp so you can hardly quote Michael Lowry
A bit like blaming Dublin South for Bertie or Dublin Central for Liam Lawlor, different area, nothing to do with them

You could have quoted Mattie McGrath though!

Well excuse me for failing to know the background and exact location of a poster in teh internets

Mattie McGrath it is then.

rounding tattenham Corner

i never really got this patriotism or affinity thing, maybe its my parents were not into sport or the like, i have an affinity for my family and friends but affinity for a land where a quirk of birth means i live here then I've zero affinity.

I'm happy living and working here but if my close friends and family where all to move to another country then i can't think what i would ever come back for......

mikemac

Michael Lowry and Mattie McGrath are as bad as each other

johnr1

Im from Kerry (south), and definitely very proud of it, despite it being a constituency which votes in the same stroke pulling family of money obsessed bloodsuckers election after election.
I feel a strong affinity and a high respect for the other counties Ive lived in too though, - Cork, Limerick and Tipp as well as those Ive visited a lot, Rosscommon, Armagh, Dublin and Clare. Each have their own proud traditions and quirky differences, and I think I'd have been almost as proud to be from any of them.

solerina

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Michael Lowry?

Im from south tipp so he doesnt represent me, but I have heard that he is an amazing public representative.....and he didnt do anything most of the others havnt done....his only real problem was getting caught when people still though that our TDs were good guys (or kinda good guys anyway !!)

One person doesnt make /break a county...Id prefer Michael Lowry to a lot of others (Larry Murphy for instance !!)

pragmatic1

rounding tattenham Corner wrote: »

i never really got this patriotism or affinity thing, maybe its my parents were not into sport or the like, i have an affinity for my family and friends but affinity for a land where a quirk of birth means i live here then I've zero affinity.

I'm happy living and working here but if my close friends and family where all to move to another country then i can't think what i would ever come back for......

Dont get this attitude at all. Did you get an education in this country and if you were ever ill, did you recieve medical attention. Yet no affinity.

rounding tattenham Corner

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Dont get this attitude at all. Did you get an education in this country and if you were ever ill, did you recieve medical attention. Yet no affinity.

i don't get what your saying, education and health are paid for out of tax same as uk oz etc while i work here i'm happy to pay tax contribute to society if i moved to the UK tomorrow i'd pay tax there

pragmatic1

rounding tattenham Corner wrote: »

i don't get what your saying, education and health are paid for out of tax same as uk oz etc while i work here i'm happy to pay tax contribute to society if i moved to the UK tomorrow i'd pay tax there

Theres only a small minority of countries in the world that offer their citizens the level of social welfare that Irish people enjoy. Assuming you got a free education and medical attention when required, its a bit much to say you have no affinity for the place even when tax is factored in.

Dudess

I am if telling idiots who attack Cork people on the basis of a few (and aren't messing) that they're idiots counts. But otherwise no, I don't do "proud to be from Cork" stuff.

careymary

From Galway, Live in Galway, Love Galway!!!