People who have never left Ireland, EVER!

Femme_Fatale

shane9689 wrote: »

to counter the "ireland is already globalised, i can meet anyone" argument... i have to say, yes you do get people from around the world here, but you dont fully experience their culture, you only get glimpses of it because they change their ways when they come here so they can live in our culture. just as you would say, stop playing gaa if you went to china etc.... the Chinese wont get to see you play gaa just as you dont get to see the people that come here do other things that they would do at home. also, on top of that, how many of the foreingers that come here, do you actually try learn about? beyond their life in ireland? no one really does that, it would be odd anyways to do that. you really need to travel to these places to fully understand other ways of life

Yeh I agree with that. The problem though is when people who do enjoy travelling far afield (and fair play) look down on people who don't. It's just an interest and not something people should feel obliged to do. Not being interested in it isn't necessarily = narrowminded either.

shane9689

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Yeh I agree with that. The problem though is when people who do enjoy travelling far afield (and fair play) look down on people who don't. It's just an interest and not something people should feel obliged to do. Not being interested in it isn't necessarily = narrowminded either.

but the argument is against people whove never tried it to begin with. If youve tried it and thought "well this isnt for me" fair enough, atleast you gave it a go and you have the experience to say you dont like it, but someone whos never travelled cant say travelling isnt for them because they never tried it in the first place! its like saying you dont like chocolate yet you've never tasted it.

LordSutch

I would have thought it very rare nowadays for a person not to have set foot outside of this island by the time they are nineteen. Flying aside, what about the boat over to Britain or the isle of Man? surely by nineteen most people would have ventured next door, either with their parents or with friends, if for no other reason than curiosity, to see what's across the water? Mind you I did have an uncle who was clostrophobic, so he was unable to travel by plane or boat due to the confined space, so he never left this island.

ixoy

shane9689 wrote: »

you really need to travel to these places to fully understand other ways of life..

But does travelling actually give you a real glimpse of it? It's surely just, for the large part, a sanitised slice of it. The sites people hit are the tourist sites mixing with other tourists and seeing broadly a particular view point. It's not largely mixing with the locals but mixing with other tourists. I certainly can't see it giving you a full understanding or even close to it. Better than from at home - absolutely. But you're kidding yourself if you think the vast majority of people visiting a foreign country at tourist hot-spots would give them a real understanding of that culture.

paddy147

FinnLizzy wrote: »

My OH's course went on a trip to Dublin the other day from Sligo. One of the girls, who's 19, was amazed by stuff like the spire and junkies.

Then she later mentioned that she never had a passport and was never abroad, not even England!

I also know an auld one from the village where my mum comes from, who never left Sligo until a few years ago, when she had to go to Dublin for medical reasons.

The first time I can remember going abroad was at the age of 8, but that was to go to England, and things didn't seem all that different. I wonder what it would be like now, at the age of 20, to go abroad for the first time and just be captivated by minor cultural differences.

Do you know anyone who has never been abroad? (specifically Ireland). And does it affect their worldview?

Remember the country fella that won the Lotto earlier this year.

He had never been on a holiday before.


What did he do?????


He bought a ticket to go and see the world snooker final in the Sheffield....:pac::pac:

http://www.thestar.ie/star/simon-fagans-not-in-a-lotto-hurry-to-collect-his-e3-6m/


Sheffield.......come on like......you just won 3.6 million and all you can think of is Sheffield??????:eek::(:pac::D

jimjimjimmy

Both of my father's parents have never left the island of Ireland and they're in their mid 70's. Have cousins from Leeds that visit every summer but they flat out refuse to go over to them. Just won't get on a plane or a boat, they reckon its not safe. They're perfectly content to never have left.

I'm the exact opposite, I live in Australia and I never want to go back.

kippy

paddy147 wrote: »

Remember the country fella that won the Lotto earlier this year.

He had never been on a holiday before.


What did he do?????


He bought a ticket to go and see the world snooker final in the Sheffield....:pac::pac:

http://www.thestar.ie/star/simon-fagans-not-in-a-lotto-hurry-to-collect-his-e3-6m/


Sheffield.......come on like......you just won 3.6 million and all you can think of is Sheffield??????:eek::(:pac::D

Id say it was the event more than the venue thatdrew him there being fair......and I am sure he has been elsewhere since.......


People are entitled to do what they want in relation to travel. Looking down on those just because they havent left the country is plain daft.

kippy

shane9689 wrote: »

to counter the "ireland is already globalised, i can meet anyone" argument... i have to say, yes you do get people from around the world here, but you dont fully experience their culture, you only get glimpses of it because they change their ways when they come here so they can live in our culture. just as you would say, stop playing gaa if you went to china etc.... the Chinese wont get to see you play gaa just as you dont get to see the people that come here do other things that they would do at home. also, on top of that, how many of the foreingers that come here, do you actually try learn about? beyond their life in ireland? no one really does that, it would be odd anyways to do that. you really need to travel to these places to fully understand other ways of life.......anyways, i dont think either side is going to change their argument on this one...a poll would be interesting though

Thats pretty much nonense if you ask me......some people couldnt care less either way.
And to counter your argument. There are pockets of irish people all over the world who tend to socialise together to keep that bit of irish culture going.... oh and yeah...there are GAA clubs in China and other far flung places....thought seasoned travellers would know that.
its a nonsense argument. If you want to meet people from different cultures etc you dont need to travel the world.

Leftist

you don't know your own country unless you've lived in another two.

cupcake83

Are you kidding? I live in the US and know people who have never been out of their home state! Lol

thegreatgonzo

I love travelling myself but lately for me I'm enjoying exploring my own country more than anywhere else. I didn't always have a car so I used to find it easier to get myself to the airport and go abroad. But I always used to feel pretty ignorant when I met people from other countries who'd been to Ireland and were asking me about places here I'd never been to. I love going around Ireland now seeing it through a tourist's eye. About travel broadening the mind, it all depends on the mind. One thing that really irritates me when travelling is meeting travel snobs who try to put across that no one else is getting as much out of their trip than they are. There are quite a few of them about and there is nothing broad minded about them.

Leftist

kippy wrote: »

Thats pretty much nonense if you ask me......some people couldnt care less either way.
And to counter your argument. There are pockets of irish people all over the world who tend to socialise together to keep that bit of irish culture going.... oh and yeah...there are GAA clubs in China and other far flung places....thought seasoned travellers would know that.
its a nonsense argument. If you want to meet people from different cultures etc you dont need to travel the world.

think you're missing the point. You can meet people from different cultures but you can't get a realistic understanding of their culture until you go to their country.

I worked in america and had an american tell me he doesn't need a passport because if he wants to see irish culture he can go to boston, cuban culture in miami, italian in ny, chinese in San Fran etc. Absolute bollox.

Ray Palmer

I really don't get the defence that some people just don't want to travel as they have no interest outside the area. That is exactly the problem. These people are closed minded. They are as closed minded as the people who go somewhere and then only eat what they would eat at home and go to Irish bars. They aren't just choosing to stick with what they know but rather not want to know anything else, choosing to have ignorance.

I always try to try something new when away. Food and drink is certainly a big draw when away to try something new. Art, buildings and wildlife are other massive draws.

Anybody telling you they know a place from TV must be have somehow missed growing up in Ireland. News reports from the UK were always a prime example of how the media were dishonest. All the foreign TV programs that had Irish people in them showed how unrealistic the view of Irish people was.

To use the same media to figure out other countries requires people to ignore what they actually know about the source material and how it relates to Ireland.

fishy fishy

AndonHandon wrote: »

Not once did you mention "people". My primary reason to travel is to meet people from different cultures and interact with them. From the way you described your reasons for disliking travel it is clear that you live a non-complex life.

what does non-complex life mean. are you saying that just because someone goes abroad their lives are more "complex" than someone that doesn't.

fishy fishy

shane9689 wrote: »

to counter the "ireland is already globalised, i can meet anyone" argument... i have to say, yes you do get people from around the world here, but you dont fully experience their culture, you only get glimpses of it because they change their ways when they come here so they can live in our culture. just as you would say, stop playing gaa if you went to china etc.... the Chinese wont get to see you play gaa just as you dont get to see the people that come here do other things that they would do at home. also, on top of that, how many of the foreingers that come here, do you actually try learn about? beyond their life in ireland? no one really does that, it would be odd anyways to do that. you really need to travel to these places to fully understand other ways of life.......anyways, i dont think either side is going to change their argument on this one...a poll would be interesting though

Also you can travel to any place in the world and not experience their culture either - and I bet if you ask any of these so called "well travelled ones who cannot understand older people not traveling" their travels include heading to majorca or lanzarote to sit by a pool and then go to the local bar and get langered while staying in a tourist area for the "craic".

fishy fishy

shane9689 wrote: »

but the argument is against people whove never tried it to begin with. If youve tried it and thought "well this isnt for me" fair enough, atleast you gave it a go and you have the experience to say you dont like it, but someone whos never travelled cant say travelling isnt for them because they never tried it in the first place! its like saying you dont like chocolate yet you've never tasted it.

well I know skydiving or parachuting isn't for me - and I don't have to try it to know that. so your argument is silly.

Mike 1972

TreesAreCrowd wrote: »

Yeah, people who can't get €40 together to fly into mainland Europe have significantly larger issues with their lives than not being able to travel.

Do you live next door to an airport and If so which European cities have the best park benches ?

Ray Palmer

fishy fishy wrote: »

Also you can travel to any place in the world and not experience their culture either - and I bet if you ask any of these so called "well travelled ones who cannot understand older people not traveling" their travels include heading to majorca or lanzarote to sit by a pool and then go to the local bar and get langered while staying in a tourist area for the "craic".

I'd class them the same as people who don't travel. The thing is I don't know anybody who does that claims they are great travellers. They are the first to admit they are only going for the sun.

fishy fishy wrote: »

well I know skydiving or parachuting isn't for me - and I don't have to try it to know that. so your argument is silly.

Silly argument. An extreme sport is not compatible to going to another country and trying to understand their culture and soak up their history , art and cuisine.

If you are going to say I don't want to gain any of that experience you are saying I choose ignorance or I only care for how I live. It is blocking yourself off from other cultures an often indicated xenophobia .

If you have a fear of modes of transport that is about the only understandable bit I get.

mikom

"They" say travel broadens the mind...........

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

Yep, a "complex" life.

fishy fishy

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I'd class them the same as people who don't travel. The thing is I don't know anybody who does that claims they are great travellers. They are the first to admit they are only going for the sun.


Silly argument. An extreme sport is not compatible to going to another country and trying to understand their culture and soak up their history , art and cuisine.

If you are going to say I don't want to gain any of that experience you are saying I choose ignorance or I only care for how I live. It is blocking yourself off from other cultures an often indicated xenophobia .

If you have a fear of modes of transport that is about the only understandable bit I get.

some people would consider flying an extreme sport. And no I don't think people are the first to admit they only go on a sun holiday, yet spout on as if they were world traveling for the last year or so.

How exactly would you soak up a countries History, Art and Cuisine - you can actually do that by reading books - and not leaving your couch. Or visiting the country - going out one night after visiting a museum and library and ordering the national dish.

If you think experiencing a country is doing that, the go ahead. I would't be spouting on about being immersed in their culture tho.

old_aussie

I've been to Dapto

Ray Palmer

fishy fishy wrote: »

some people would consider flying an extreme sport.

Who would class flying in a commercial plane as an extreme sport? Only somebody who doesn't understand what a sport is and what extreme means.

fishy fishy wrote: »

And no I don't think people are the first to admit they only go on a sun holiday, yet spout on as if they were world traveling for the last year or so.
.

Never met anybody like that and if I did I would laugh at them.

fishy fishy wrote: »

How exactly would you soak up a countries History, Art and Cuisine - you can actually do that by reading books - and not leaving your couch. Or visiting the country - going out one night after visiting a museum and library and ordering the national dish. .

Pretty hard to soak in cuisine from a book. Art is also pretty difficult to gauge from a photo especially for something like a sculpture. Buildings again are not something you can gleam from a book. History is about it and I doubt many people not interested in travel are going to be interested in history of somewhere that isn't local.

Walking around a place with the buildings ,smells and people you do soak up more of the culture than you will from TV or books. If you genuinely don't get that I'd be surprised

experiMental

FinnLizzy wrote: »

My OH's course went on a trip to Dublin the other day from Sligo. One of the girls, who's 19, was amazed by stuff like the spire and junkies.

I don't know anyone who has not left Ireland, but judging by this quote... sometimes it's best to stay in the comfort of your own local area.

EdenHazard

Ray Palmer wrote: »

I really don't get the defence that some people just don't want to travel as they have no interest outside the area. That is exactly the problem. These people are closed minded. They are as closed minded as the people who go somewhere and then only eat what they would eat at home and go to Irish bars. They aren't just choosing to stick with what they know but rather not want to know anything else, choosing to have ignorance.

I always try to try something new when away. Food and drink is certainly a big draw when away to try something new. Art, buildings and wildlife are other massive draws.

Anybody telling you they know a place from TV must be have somehow missed growing up in Ireland. News reports from the UK were always a prime example of how the media were dishonest. All the foreign TV programs that had Irish people in them showed how unrealistic the view of Irish people was.

To use the same media to figure out other countries requires people to ignore what they actually know about the source material and how it relates to Ireland.

...

Avoid museums. This might seem to be absurd advice, but let’s just think about it a little: if you are in a foreign city, isn’t it far more interesting to go in search of the present than of the past? It’s just that people feel obliged to go to museums because they learned as children that travelling was about seeking out that kind of culture. Obviously museums are important, but they require time and objectivity – you need to know what you want to see there, otherwise you will leave with a sense of having seen a few really fundamental things, except that you can’t remember what they were.

fishy fishy

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Who would class flying in a commercial plane as an extreme sport? Only somebody who doesn't understand what a sport is and what extreme means.

Never met anybody like that and if I did I would laugh at them.


Pretty hard to soak in cuisine from a book. Art is also pretty difficult to gauge from a photo especially for something like a sculpture. Buildings again are not something you can gleam from a book. History is about it and I doubt many people not interested in travel are going to be interested in history of somewhere that isn't local.

Walking around a place with the buildings ,smells and people you do soak up more of the culture than you will from TV or books. If you genuinely don't get that I'd be surprised

most hilarious paragraph of the whole thread.

Ray Palmer

EdenHazard wrote: »

Avoid museums. This might seem to be absurd advice, but let’s just think about it a little: if you are in a foreign city, isn’t it far more interesting to go in search of the present than of the past? It’s just that people feel obliged to go to museums because they learned as children that travelling was about seeking out that kind of culture. Obviously museums are important, but they require time and objectivity – you need to know what you want to see there, otherwise you will leave with a sense of having seen a few really fundamental things, except that you can’t remember what they were.

What is the source of this quote because you are making it sound like me. It doesn't seem to be your opinion either. Really don't get the point of this post

fishy fishy wrote: »

most hilarious paragraph of the whole thread.

Well if it so funny why not point out how a book makes you know what local food tastes like? How you understand the scale and atmosphere of physical things for yourself as opposed to another person's view from a book is a mystery to me.

Really don't get why you think it is funny other than the fact you dismiss other views on traveling .

CrabRevolution

Leftist wrote: »

you don't know your own country unless you've lived in another two.

Why exactly another 2? For triangulation purposes?

spodoinkle

uch wrote: »

I'm Dyslexic and thought that said "people who were never left handed"

:o

Dont you mean 'qeoqle who have never left Irelanb'

Balmed Out

The notion that travel broadens your mind is nonsense. Some of my most traveled friends have the least open minds / taste buds etc etc while the opposite also holds through.

MRnotlob606

first time i was out of ireland i was 17