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Culturally is Ireland any different to the UK ?

  • 06-09-2011 8:30pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭wexfordia


    I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,134 ✭✭✭x in the city


    apart from posh accents, and different food stuffs not really.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32 siobherz


    i've lived in both and there are only a few, i notice irish women make more of an effort when theyre out :p and the humour is pretty different in some ways but apart from that it's mainly similarities


  • Posts: 4,149 ✭✭✭ Lorenzo Obedient Shuffleboard


    wexfordia wrote: »
    I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

    Apart from the class system that's ingrained in British society,no.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,573 ✭✭✭pragmatic1


    We're very similar but there are loads of differences. Even the way English people converse with eachother is different to here.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 184 ✭✭The House Of Wolves


    The only thing really is the humor, and the whole "my uncles neighbour's sister knows so-and-so too" thing. I don't think Britain has that, really.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,669 ✭✭✭policarp


    Culchieally quite different. . .


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 34,418 ✭✭✭✭hondasam


    Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
    we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32 siobherz


    Apart from the class system that's ingrained in British society,no.

    to be honest that's not really thought of anymore over there, not with working and middle classes anyways, i wouldnt say that's a big difference between here and there nowadays


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,784 ✭✭✭Superbus


    They have all that rock and roll and young people.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,239 ✭✭✭✭KeithAFC


    hondasam wrote: »
    Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
    we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.
    Aye right.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,089 ✭✭✭DjFlin


    There are a lot of similarities yes, but also a lot of differences. Certainly we may seem identical through the eyes of another nation. Take Germany and Austria for example, to me, they've pretty much got the same culture, but I'm sure a German/Austrian could explain their differences.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 101 ✭✭catchup


    wexfordia wrote: »
    I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

    I wonder have you lived in GB? I have and found it quite different. Not better, not worse, just culturally different.

    I saw the same when I lived in countries where english is not the first language. But there I expect to see differences. It takes a while in GB to realise we are not the same!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,439 ✭✭✭Kevin Duffy


    Having lived in both, yes, they're hugely different in so many ways.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 243 ✭✭Ouchette


    Yeah, I think there's quite a lot of difference.

    The UK's way less religious, for one.

    Also, I think snobbery works differently. More keeping up with the Jones's in Ireland in my experience, and people being ashamed to shop in cheap places like charity shops. In England, I often hear quite wealthy people proudly telling everyonewhat a bargain they found in the charity shop/TK maxx/Aldi. Never once heard that in Ireland.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,619 ✭✭✭fontanalis


    hondasam wrote: »
    Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
    we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

    A certain Joe Duffy would disagree with you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭Saruman


    hondasam wrote: »
    Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
    we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

    Wait, complaining is Ireland's number one pastime, it must be depressing in the UK then.

    There are more similarities than differences I would say. Sure we don't even support our own football teams, we support theirs. Do people in France or Italy support British teams (assuming they are not British themselves)?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 88,968 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Yes its culturally different, no-one ever started a thread on a UK board asking

    "Culturally is the UK any different to Ireland?"


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,280 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    the muslims havent taken over half of our capitol, a girl pregnant at 12 is still shocking and we still cant get special brew here :(


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,940 ✭✭✭4leto


    wexfordia wrote: »
    I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

    :D F***** sadly is tragically right.

    The only minor difference I noticed is family, for most here we tend to keep in touch with family and extended family. I was surprised that is not the case in a lot of Brits I met while living there. It was usually weddings and funerals only and only for immediate family.

    We took that family thing to wherever we emigrated to which is the reason there is an Irish quarter everywhere.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Britain isn't even culturally the same. Scotland is vastly different to England.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,257 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    Ouchette wrote: »
    Yeah, I think there's quite a lot of difference.

    The UK's way less religious, for one.

    Also, I think snobbery works differently. More keeping up with the Jones's in Ireland in my experience, and people being ashamed to shop in cheap places like charity shops. In England, I often hear quite wealthy people proudly telling everyonewhat a bargain they found in the charity shop/TK maxx/Aldi. Never once heard that in Ireland.

    Many people here seem to be going round to their way of thinking on that one.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,899 ✭✭✭✭BBDBB


    very different cultures, very different attitudes to life, death, work and socialising


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,674 ✭✭✭Dangerous Man


    Night and day. Anytime I visit England or the UK for that matter I'm taken aback at how different we are to them. Not necessarily in a bad way and it has nothing to do with superiority / inferiority - we're just very different.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 124 ✭✭Musicman2006


    The only difference is you cant get Worcester sauce flavour crisps here. Other than that - identical.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 146 ✭✭wexfordia


    catchup wrote: »
    I wonder have you lived in GB? I have and found it quite different. Not better, not worse, just culturally different.

    I saw the same when I lived in countries where english is not the first language. But there I expect to see differences. It takes a while in GB to realise we are not the same!

    No I have never lived in the UK catchup. My perception has long been that we are very similar to them but maybe I'm wrong ! :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,619 ✭✭✭fontanalis


    Like the t-shirt says same same but different


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 243 ✭✭Ouchette


    ejmaztec wrote: »
    Many people here seem to be going round to their way of thinking on that one.

    There's a loooong way to go before the 2 are even close, at least compared to England. Obviously Northern Ireland and bits of Scotland are different. It's still culture-shock different (or was for me, anyway.)

    Anyway, here's another one. When good LC results come out, Ireland is pleased. When UK gets record GCSEs, everyone moans about how much the exams must have been dumbed down and how different it was when they were at school. Not sure what that's symptomatic of, but it's more than just complaining. Irish people do seem to be able to be happy for their country though, which is something the English rarely seem to be.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

    Good luck with that.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,619 ✭✭✭fontanalis


    First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

    Good luck with that.

    And irish culture!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    fontanalis wrote: »
    And irish culture!

    Probably a hell of a lot easier because we're more homogeneous.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 346 ✭✭hatful


    Of course the class system in the U.K is more embedded. They have a much bigger immigrant population and hence more inequality which impacts on health, industry, society etc... Where exactly are you coming from with this line of questioning? Do you have BBC 1 ????


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,228 ✭✭✭epgc3fyqirnbsx


    First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

    Good luck with that.

    Good point. Culture is a very vague term, does it boil down to having different traidtions? If so then yeah, we have different cultures.
    Attitudes? Our attitudes, and humour, would probably be more similar than different when compared with other countries.
    But when it comes down to the individual sure we're all different


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,619 ✭✭✭fontanalis


    Probably a hell of a lot easier because we're more homogeneous.

    Oops, misreading on my part. I thought it said English for some reason.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 243 ✭✭Ouchette


    Attitudes? Our attitudes, and humour, would probably be more similar than different when compared with other countries.

    Humour, yes, without a doubt, but I'm not sure at about attitudes. I've lived in Ireland, UK, Sweden and Germany and I'd rate them as all about as different as each other in terms of attitudes.


    (and England v Northern Ireland would be as big a difference as any of them)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,692 ✭✭✭✭OPENROAD


    Very very little difference between Ireland and England imo

    For me maybe we take the mick out of ourselves a bit more compared to the English , and the English particularly Londoners are more polite and mannerly.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭bayern282


    There are more individualistic / eccentric types of people in England that you don't get here, you can't really compare like for like with a country of 50+million and one of 4m

    Don't bother going to London or Birmingham etc to look for them, the English live in places like Devon, Norfolk or Cumbria.

    The skanger / underclass element of people in the UK also tend to be a lot rougher and dumber and there's far more extreme cases of murder etc over there.

    If we'd have followed the Finnish / Norwegian way of running our affairs instead of the Anglo-U.S greed is good, look after #1 model, I'm sure the differences would be more marked and better as well.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,316 ✭✭✭✭amacachi


    dlofnep wrote: »
    Britain isn't even culturally the same. Scotland is vastly different to England.

    Aye, and "The North" is very different to those poofters down south. :pac:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,100 ✭✭✭johndaman66


    mike65 wrote: »
    Yes its culturally different, no-one ever started a thread on a UK board asking

    "Culturally is the UK any different to Ireland?"

    Probably because Ireland is a small country compared to the UK, in terms of population anyway and the UK is our only immediate large neibhbouring country. On the face of it, its always going to be likely that UK culture will impact ours (certainly certain aspects of it anyway) whether you like to accept it or not. It stands to reason that Ireland being a much smaller country will not impact UK culture to the same degree

    By the way how are you so certain no such thread was ever started on a UK board?;) A pound to a penny it probably was...
    The only difference is you cant get Worcester sauce flavour crisps here. Other than that - identical.

    Do remember that you certainly wont find red lemonade over there in a hurry;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 882 ✭✭✭LondonIrish90


    First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

    Good luck with that.

    Britain has probably had more of a cultural impact on the world than any other nation.

    From literature - shakespeare, dickens, chaucer, austen, hardy, keats, conan doyle etc to theatre, music, film, and art.
    From sport - football (the oldest clubs and leagues in the world, the oldest international derby), rugby (enough said) and cricket (Lords - the home of cricket, the ashes), and of course wimbledon.
    From the royal wedding to remembrance day, the military tattoo to the trooping of the colour. London's empirical architecture to the compact streets of Edinburgh.
    Music, From the proms - Rule Britannia, Land of hope and glory, jerusalem, to the beatles, the rolling stones, the who etc
    Film - From bond, Hitchcock, to harry potter.
    TV, Fawlty Towers, to only fools, from monty python to Dr Who.
    Science and technology - darwin, newton, the spinning jenny, stephenson, brunel, watt etc.
    Exploration and military prestige - nelson, wellington, raleigh, drake, cook, livingstone etc. Trafalgar, to waterloo, to rorke's drift.
    food - from curries coming back from British India, to traditional sunday lunch, to English ales and Scotch whisky.
    British people have more to identify with, associate with, and be proud of than just about any other nation on earth. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 882 ✭✭✭LondonIrish90


    dlofnep wrote: »
    Britain isn't even culturally the same. Scotland is vastly different to England.

    So?

    You as a person who sees Ireland and a 32 county state in future would surely not care about this? There is a vastly different culture and tradition among some in Northern Ireland compared to the majority in the republic. Does this mean you wont recognise them as one people, one country, one Ireland? I highly, highly doubt you will.

    Just because there are different cultural traditions from England to Scotland does not mean they cannot come together to form and interesting and diverse British culture. I see the union flag flying from edinburgh castle and from the houses of parliament and feel in the same country really.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    Very similar but if you are in England you would know its a different country. I think we have more in common with England than Northern Ireland. Northern Irelanders and Scots are just a completely different species to ourselves the english and welsh.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,221 ✭✭✭Greentopia


    hatful wrote: »
    Of course the class system in the U.K is more embedded.

    Money is to Ireland what the class system is to the U.K. I think, although we have a lot of class division and class consciousness here as well.

    Also we're a much more agriculturally dependant country than the U.K. (as a percentage of the number of people working the land and jobs derived from it I mean).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭Dionysus


    Signposts, street names, place names, etc are the most obvious difference to me at this moment. I thought their English-only signposts over there were very odd, lacking in warmth and culture. It took my going away to become more appreciative and interested in the Irish names on all our signs, etc when I came home.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,236 ✭✭✭Dr. Kenneth Noisewater


    Britain has probably had more of a cultural impact on the world than any other nation.

    From literature - shakespeare, dickens, chaucer, austen, hardy, keats, conan doyle etc to theatre, music, film, and art.
    From sport - football (the oldest clubs and leagues in the world, the oldest international derby), rugby (enough said) and cricket (Lords - the home of cricket, the ashes), and of course wimbledon.
    From the royal wedding to remembrance day, the military tattoo to the trooping of the colour. London's empirical architecture to the compact streets of Edinburgh.
    Music, From the proms - Rule Britannia, Land of hope and glory, jerusalem, to the beatles, the rolling stones, the who etc
    Film - From bond, Hitchcock, to harry potter.
    TV, Fawlty Towers, to only fools, from monty python to Dr Who.
    Science and technology - darwin, newton, the spinning jenny, stephenson, brunel, watt etc.
    Exploration and military prestige - nelson, wellington, raleigh, drake, cook, livingstone etc. Trafalgar, to waterloo, to rorke's drift.
    food - from curries coming back from British India, to traditional sunday lunch, to English ales and Scotch whisky.
    British people have more to identify with, associate with, and be proud of than just about any other nation on earth. :)

    Interesting point.

    In fairness, there are a few things in that list that few outside of Britain give a toss about;

    Traditional Sunday Lunch - Could vary greatly depending on where in the world you live

    English Ale - You'll do well to find a pint of that stuff outside mainland Britain/Magaluf

    Compact streets - Countless cities all over Europe would make Edinburgh's old town look like 5th avenue

    Cricket - Hasn't exactly spread like wildfire outside of the old empire

    Don't get me started about the Royal Wedding.



    If any country has impacted the rest of the world culturally in a major way then its the yanks.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,239 ✭✭✭✭KeithAFC


    Very similar but if you are in England you would know its a different country. I think we have more in common with England than Northern Ireland. Northern Irelanders and Scots are just a completely different species to ourselves the english and welsh.
    I agree with this. Although you could also Donegal too.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,125 ✭✭✭westendgirlie


    OPENROAD wrote: »
    and the English particularly Londoners are more polite and mannerly.

    Thank you very much :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    So?

    I voiced my opinion. Deal with it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 882 ✭✭✭LondonIrish90


    dlofnep wrote: »
    I voiced my opinion. Deal with it.

    I did deal with it. You seemed to not have any sort of mildly interesting response and went on to cut it out. Instead replying with this strange, semi-aggressive post that I have quoted. It would probably have been better for you to say nothing, but hey your post count went up by one.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,986 ✭✭✭Red Hand


    dlofnep wrote: »
    I voiced my opinion. Deal with it.
    I did deal with it. You seemed to not have any sort of mildly interesting response and went on to cut it out. Instead replying with this strange, semi-aggressive post that I have quoted. It would probably have been better for you to say nothing, but hey your post count went up by one.

    Alright, shake your dicks guys, the pissing contest's over.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭The Scientician


    Scotland always strikes me as quite similar to Ireland. England has more of an urban culture with nearly 10 times the population of either Scotland or Ireland. My cousin and friends who live in England say people in England are more anonymous, less friendly but I think again it's more to do with being more urban perhaps.

    There are I suppose national cultures, but even across this small island and population there are several quite distinctly Irish cultures. The same across Britain but even more diverse. They have four national languages, and huge migrant and 2nd/3rd generation populations from throughout the world.


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