The "from" question...

DublinArnie

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

UCDVet

Nobody actually cares. They are just making small talk. Say whatever you want.

stoneill

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

I bet it's Dublin, though.

DublinArnie

stoneill wrote: »

I bet it's Dublin, though.

What gave it away?! :eek:

The place I lived for most of my life.

I lived with my parents til I was 17, then I lived in a few different places, and I've been living in the current place for 7 years.

I always say "I'm from (Place I grew up) but living in (place I live) for the last few years"

If I stay here long enough I'll end up being "from" here but that won't be for many many years.

Eeden

This one gets me as well. Born UK, lived in USA until aged 11, Galway (mostly) since then. Parents Irish. I usually say Galway, but people don't believe me as I still sound a bit American.

marshbaboon

UCDVet wrote: »

Nobody actually cares. They are just making small talk. Say whatever you want.

This. When I ask that question the reality is if I could care any less as to what the answer is I'd fade into oblivion

DoozerT6

Deleted User wrote: »

The place I lived for most of my life.

I lived with my parents til I was 17, then I lived in a few different places, and I've been living in the current place for 7 years.

I always say "I'm from (Place I grew up) but living in (place I live) for the last few years"

If I stay here long enough I'll end up being "from" here but that won't be for many many years.

Yep that sounds about right

The Dagda

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

I'll tell you what sounds stupid...


BOOGLES!

MadsL

I give where I live...

There's a pause. Then "No, where are you really from..."

I then have to give my life story apparently...

Rasheed

The place my parents are from, the place I was born and the place I live is the same place. The life of a home bird I suppose.

clairefontaine

I don't get asked this in the US.

In Ireland every single god damned day.

I want to tell hem I'm from up your ass.

Nodin

DublinArnie wrote: »

When someone asks "where are you from?", do you tell them your birthplace, the place you lived for most your life or the birthplace of your parents? This question always boogles me as I don't what to say when people ask this question . Sorry if this sounds stupid as it's an obvious question!

Produce a large detailed picture of an elderly persons vagina and say "here".

The Backwards Man

I tell them what planet I'm from.

MadsL

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I tell them what planet I'm from.

⸮sraM

Jimoslimos

The fusion of a male and female gamete.

Seachmall

I just say where I've lived for most of my life, although sometimes I'll inform them I was born in Dublin because for some reason I get my Dub accent back every now and then (particularly when I've a bit of booze in me).

To avoid this confusion I ask "Where you from?" when I want to know where they're living and "Where's that accent from?" if I notice an accent that suggests they originally lived elsewhere.

OneArt

Get asked it a lot in Germany when they notice something funny about my accent. If I say Ireland, it's all, "Oh, Irland, schoene Insel, Guinness, warste je in den Irish Pub, blah blah blah" and then they proceed to speak to me in as broken English as is my German. F*cking sick of it, learned to just say I'm English and that shuts most people up because they don't care about England.

stefan idiot jones

A loving womb.

Legs.Eleven

I was born in Drogheda but am too embarrassed to tell anyone about that (only spent a few days there ) although it's on and will be on my feckin' passport 'till I die (:mad:), so I say Dublin as it's where I spent most of my life.

Up da bleedin' Dubs. A True Blue, that's me. Brenin's Bret.

Taday's bret.....taday!

anncoates

I say Dublin generally because I've lived here two thirds of my life but I was born and lived in Manchester (to Irish parents) before here so I'll mention that if more detail is required.

I was born in one place, but didn't live there long enough to generate any lasting memories, so I just tell them I'm from the place I grew up.

delw

Q : Where are you from?
A : Dublin
Q : What part?
A : All of me

























* I'll get my coat

Gloomtastic!

At least once a week....

What part of England are you from?

Cavan

bodice ripper

Eeden wrote: »

This one gets me as well. Born UK, lived in USA until aged 11, Galway (mostly) since then. Parents Irish. I usually say Galway, but people don't believe me as I still sound a bit American.

I get this one too. Irish people are jerks on this. I say I am Irish, "ah but your not, are ye?". I say I am American, "ah sure you left when you were little."

BrensBenz

I think an answer indicating a general area is close enough.

It's those airheads who insist on telling me the exact distance (down to fractions of a mile) of their farder's house from some unheard-of crossroads, X.XX miles from an unheard-of bog, on the edge of an un-heard parish, etc. that set my teeth itching. It's probably an extension of our undying loyalty to everything within our own set of imaginary lines, drawn in the muck, hundreds of years ago, by the British, i.e. counties.

Precious flower

Always say I'm Irish but was born in England (always feel people are thrown by my accent which isn't really Irish or English) but I always feel like I have to counter that with 'But my parents are Irish'. I have no idea why, sometimes I even forget I was born in England as I feel 100% Irish (put Irish on my passport and didn't even realise I could have put English, but I feel Irish, never felt English until my friends remind me 'Oh you're English not Irish' but I only lived there until I was five and when we go over to London now I feel so disconnected to it (I suppose mainly because I've no family over there and my parents are Irish not English), the time I was there I hated how busy it was.

BrensBenz

BrensBenz wrote: »

I think an answer indicating a general area is close enough.
.

Yeh - usually goes like this:

If I'm outside Ireland: Ireland
If I'm in Ireland but outside Dublin: Dublin
If I'm in Dublin but outside my general constituency area: general constinuency area
If I'm in my general constituency area: See my previous post.

Why do people get annoyed by being asked that its chit chat that's all inconsequential chit chat something we are good at.

Feisar

Mullingar, but I haven't lived there since I was seventeen.
Fairly normal occurrence to move away at 17/18 for college/work but it's where I spent my formative years.

It's different IMO if one move at 5-12 years of age. I'm using those ages in approx/general terms.

Now if someone was born in one county but moved at a very early age it hardly counts as where they are from but if it is a different country its worth mentioning. People often say: "born in England/The States but grew up in ....."

Basically that's my thesis on the subject!

Dravokivich

I'd generally say where I was brought up between Dubs, or the county for those from outside of Dublin.

SharpshooterTom

One of the toughest questions I can be asked;

Born in Oxfordshire, England (lived there till my first birthday)
Moved to London, England (lived there till I was 6)
Moved to Ipswich, England (lived there till I was 14)
Moved to Omagh, NI (lived there full time till I was 19)
Moved to Belfast, NI (live there currently)

Thing is, even after living in Northern Ireland since the age of 14 (27 now) I have absolutely no hint of a Northern Ireland accent at all. Usually asked if I am on holiday here etc.

I don't feel English in the slightest, despite being constantly refered to as an Englishman (which I have no problem with). I don't feel Irish either. I regard myself as having no nationality and no hometown.

I constantly am on the move and will be on the move many more times in my life probably.

So in essence, I HATE being asked that question!

Cee-Jay-Cee

The place where I have lived most my life is where I'm from even though I don't live there anymore. I wasn't born there though.

ThomasFlynn

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

One of the toughest questions I can be asked;

Born in Oxfordshire, England (lived there till my first birthday)
Moved to London, England (lived there till I was 6)
Moved to Ipswich, England (lived there till I was 14)
Moved to Omagh, NI (lived there full time till I was 19)
Moved to Belfast, NI (live there currently)

Thing is, even after living in Northern Ireland since the age of 14 (27 now) I have absolutely no hint of a Northern Ireland accent at all. Usually asked if I am on holiday here etc.

I don't feel English in the slightest, despite being constantly refered to as an Englishman (which I have no problem with). I don't feel Irish either. I regard myself as having no nationality and no hometown.

I constantly am on the move and will be on the move many more times in my life probably.

So in essence, I HATE being asked that question!

I've had pretty much the same upbringing as you in similar places, only I lived in Dublin for 6 years as well. I pick up accents easily, so have had all of those accents, but I don't think it's weird if you don't. My brother was 9 when we moved to Ireland and he never lost his English accent. If people ask, I usually just say I'm Irish and English. When they ask where I grew up, I say both places.

Thing is, if you have sallow skin like me, whether you say you're Irish or English, you'll get 'where are you really from?' :mad:

Mint Sauce

Having spent half my life living in a different country from the one I was born in, then in a few different parts of one of them countries, the answer I give really depends on how much time I have.

Czarcasm

Does anyone remember when they were in school and people used write this on their school copies -


Dublin,
Ireland,
Europe,
The World,
Milky Way Galaxy,
The Universe...

Santa Cruz

"Limerick but I spent 15 years in Mountjoy so I'm more Dublin now. It makes it easier for the Register" End of questions

beano345

i say dublin although im living in carlow and get the usual (insert big scmoke jackeen joke) little do they realise im from a small seaside town in north dublin

Smudge_pot

I'm originally from Belfast but have lived in Leitrim most of my life. Would almost prefer just to say 'Belfast' to avoid the general disbelief/amusement that follows the 'Leitrim' answer!! every time...

Son Of A Vidic

UCDVet wrote: »

Nobody actually cares. They are just making small talk. Say whatever you want.

No, it's not really making small talk. It's used to lead up to the real question which is asked obsessively in Ireland. And that question is....."What do you do?"

Legs.Eleven

beano345 wrote: »

i say dublin although im living in carlow and get the usual (insert big scmoke jackeen joke) little do they realise im from a small seaside town in north dublin

Me too.



You're still a Dub to them though but not a Dub to the inner city Dubs. Identity crisis-arama.

Ghost Buster

The place I live in now and have been for over 17 years (almost half of my life) will not accept you as anything other than a 'blow in until such time as you have three generations ahind ye, been proven to have voted FF in every eliction for the last 37 years, have played GAA at a county level, go to mass and always claim that the priest never touched ya.
Im from elsewhere so.

Ghost Buster

Czarcasm wrote: »

Does anyone remember when they were in school and people used write this on their school copies -


Dublin,
Ireland,
Europe,
The World,
Milky Way Galaxy,
The Universe...

In my particular circumstance I just omitted the last 4 and started at 'The Milky Way Galaxy'. After that it got complicated.

clairefontaine

The question is a set up to find out if you know who they know, so when they start backbiting and gossipping they know what not to say.

beano345

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Me too.



You're still a Dub to them though but not a Dub to the inner city Dubs. Identity crisis-arama.

you might aswell be from the liberties to them ,even though were im from is a fishing/farming town and is a really picturesque irish postcard kinda town

Legs.Eleven

beano345 wrote: »

you might aswell be from the liberties to them ,even though were im from is a fishing/farming town and is a really picturesque irish postcard kinda town

It's gas the amount of people from outside Dublin who think Dublin county is O'Connell Street. Parts of north county Dublin are beautiful.

beano345

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

It's gas the amount of people from outside Dublin who think Dublin county is O'Connell Street. Parts of north county Dublin are beautiful.

i was delivering to a bar in some small wexford town the other day and the owner asks were im from..."oh no dubs allowed in here" so when he went i dropped the 11 stone kegs outside instead of carrying them in for him which i would have....and this towns only redeeming feature was a big fcuking rock in the town centre

Legs.Eleven

beano345 wrote: »

i was delivering to a bar in some small wexford town the other day and the owner asks were im from..."oh no dubs allowed in here" so when he went i dropped the 11 stone kegs outside instead of carrying them in for him which i would have....and this towns only redeeming feature was a big fcuking rock in the town centre

Seriously?

beano345

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Seriously?

yep and ive lost a job in toronto just for the simple fact...im from dublin!

Fighting Irish

Deleted User wrote: »

The place I lived for most of my life.

I lived with my parents til I was 17, then I lived in a few different places, and I've been living in the current place for 7 years.

I always say "I'm from (Place I grew up) but living in (place I live) for the last few years"

If I stay here long enough I'll end up being "from" here but that won't be for many many years.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=87159642&postcount=2

Tar.Aldarion

where i spent my youth, 18 years. It won't change if I live 40 years somewhere, it's where you came from, not where you are. Be hard enough on the guy with a million hometowns up there