" Dubliners have more in common with the British than with fellow Irish "

freddiek

from interesting opinion piece in today's Indo.


DARRAGH MCMANUS – 07 FEBRUARY 2014

Garth Brooks fever has surely now been officially upgraded from "interesting moment" to "bizarre phenomenon". Over 400,000 tickets and five sold-out concerts make it this year's main 'cultural' event. So why are the critics so pompous about it?

"How dare these morons watch a bland pop-country singer whose heyday was two decades ago?!" Who cares, really – it's just entertainment, there's no need to cry about it. You couldn't pay me to see the guy, but however people choose to spend their time and money, leave them at it.

What's really interesting about Garth-mania is how it highlights an urban-rural rift. Tickets were overwhelmingly sold in the provinces; we saw folks queue for days in small towns, while people in Dublin, Cork and Limerick remained mostly immune to his pastoral charm.

MOD please refrain from copying full articles and include link to the original source, which is http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/culchies-love-garth-but-urban-snobs-have-friends-in-low-places-of-their-own-29987658.html

biko

Ooh, you gone and done it now boy.
Culchie/jackeen war number fiftyeleven about to start.

For Forks Sake

Obvious trolling journo is obvious.

o1s1n

The author don't seem to realize that there are British people living in their countryside too.

super_furry

So to paraphrase; "If you don't like Garth Brooks, you're a Brit."

And of course it's from the Indo, a rag that has as much relevance as a dead squirrel.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

it must be really really easy to get a job as a journalist

frag420

I hear Sinn Fein are announcing him as a candidate in the European Elections................Yee Haw!!!

tin79

Can they not build a culchie bowl or something in the midlands for this type of thing? We dont need this lot on the streets of the capital. Looks bad in front of the British.

tin79

super_furry wrote: »

So to paraphrase; "If you don't like Garth Brooks, you're a Brit."

And of course it's from the Indo, a rag that has as much relevance as a dead squirrel.

I disagree. A dead squirrel could be relevant in some context (in a study of squirrel deaths for example). The Indo cant match that.

Menas

Ah, the magic of a Dublin vs rest of ireland thread. And bonus points for getting Garth Brooks in there too!

Now, any way to sneak 'flamin dole heads' in there too?

DrGreenthumb

They just want a day out in the big smoke, might even sell my old Gareth Brooks callcard as a VIP pass to a unsuspecting culchie

6541

How's it going there Bud, can I get a jab of smack with me bleeding burger !

iDave

I saw people queuing in Dun Laoghaire for tickets

SEPT 23 1989

Well we were the second city of the empire untill the country folk arrived during the famine and lowered the whole tone of the capital

GLaDOS

I've seen, for instance, Irish urbanites join "anti-ginger" Facebook groups – anti-Irish prejudice by another name.

Top notch journalism right there

FunLover18

Being ginger is an element of being Irish?

anncoates

I'd rather sell my arse on the streets than put my name to an article like that.

Hande hoche!

FunLover18 wrote: »

Being ginger is an element of being Irish?

A touch of it in the beard is atypical.

crockholm

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Well we were the second city of the empire untill the country folk arrived during the famine and lowered the whole tone of the capital

We honestly thought that ye were hoarding all the good spuds there:D


As for the whole "Second City" spiel-A title also claimed by Glasgow,Liverpool and Birmingham (Ye'r in great Company there).Kinda like a bunch of groupies argueing over who the star (London)is going to take back to his hotel room and bang first;)

Napper Hawkins

How old is the journalist?

drumswan

The usual cultural fascism that emanates from the bogswamps. If you arent an alcoholic, gombeen FF supporting, GAA jersey wearing, kiddy fiddling papist you arent really Irish. You can keep your supposed Irish identity so.

Santa Cruz

tin79 wrote: »

Can they not build a culchie bowl or something in the midlands for this type of thing? We dont need this lot on the streets of the capital. Looks bad in front of the British.

Oh yes. We must make a good impression on the British. It goes with our slave mentality.

TireeTerror

That article is hilarious, purely for the fact the moronic journalist has tried to pass it off as serious.

The ginger part is hilarious too, passing it off as anti-Irish. Everyone knows gingers are genetic freaks of nature, its nothing to do with being anti-Irish.

crockholm

drumswan wrote: »

The usual cultural fascism that emanates from the bogswamps. If you arent an alcoholic, gombeen FF supporting, GAA jersey wearing, kiddy fiddling papist you arent really Irish. You can keep your supposed Irish identity so.

Ah come on,Dublin isn't all bad.Stephens Green is nice:)

ivytwine

Half-Brit, country girl living in Dublin here.

I don't know what I think :cool::D

Wibbs

crockholm wrote: »

As for the whole "Second City" spiel-A title also claimed by Glasgow,Liverpool and Birmingham (Ye'r in great Company there).Kinda like a bunch of groupies argueing over who the star (London)is going to take back to his hotel room and bang first;)

:pac::pac::D

iDave wrote: »

I saw people queuing in Dun Laoghaire for tickets

In Kingstown?:eek: *monocle falls*. Good god Sir! Though since the Pale came down we've had all sorts of undesirables through the gates. Then again Dun Laoghaire is a bit far out. Anyone who wasn't born and raised within the lines of the Grand and Royal canals is a feckin blow in to me. *harrumph*

Fratton Fred

TireeTerror wrote: »

That article is hilarious, purely for the fact the moronic journalist has tried to pass it off as serious.

The ginger part is hilarious too, passing it off as anti-Irish. Everyone knows gingers are genetic freaks of nature, its nothing to do with being anti-Irish.

Sounds like the journo not only smells of pig ****, but also has ginger hair.

That would explain the chip on his shoulder.

WoollyRedHat

super_furry wrote: »

So to paraphrase; "If you don't like Garth Brooks, you're a Brit."

And of course it's from the Indo, a rag that has as much relevance as a dead squirrel.

I really must get myself some dead squirrel. HEY BRANDINE!

Emme

The people in some rural towns have more in common with the British than the Irish. This applies to former garrison towns. Irish people are known for being friendly and welcoming but in former garrison towns newcomers are treated with suspicion and hostile indifference. Even after 20 years newcomers aren't made welcome. Perhaps these places have more in common with rural Britain than urban Ireland.

What I'm saying is that former garrison towns in rural Ireland have more in common with the British than the Irish because they're so unfriendly and unwelcoming. These towns don't even welcome new business.

TireeTerror

Emme wrote: »

The people in some rural towns have more in common with the British than the Irish. This applies to former garrison towns. Irish people are known for being friendly and welcoming but in former garrison towns newcomers are treated with suspicion and hostile indifference. Even after 20 years newcomers aren't made welcome. Perhaps these places have more in common with rural Britain than urban Ireland.

What I'm saying is that former garrison towns in rural Ireland have more in common with the British than the Irish because they're so unfriendly and unwelcoming. These towns don't even welcome new business.

You find British people to treat you with suspicion and not make you feel welcome?

Gran Hermano

Awful whiff of inferiority complex from living in small insignificant rural town from that journalist.
Probably struggles to identify with either city or rural folk.

joseph brand

TireeTerror wrote: »

That article is hilarious, purely for the fact the moronic journalist has tried to pass it off as serious.

The ginger part is hilarious too, passing it off as anti-Irish. Everyone knows gingers are genetic freaks of nature, its nothing to do with being anti-Irish.

Gingers just get a bad rap because they sleep with their eyes open. Some find it unsettling.

OldNotWIse

TireeTerror wrote: »

You find British people to treat you with suspicion and not make you feel welcome?

What I always noted with amusement was the way one can be treated with hostility and suspicion in a foreign country when those around assume that you are British (because you speak English)...and then how nice they are when they realise that you are, in fact, Irish

ivytwine

TireeTerror wrote: »

You find British people to treat you with suspicion and not make you feel welcome?

Exactly! Got such a warm welcome in London the last time I was there (on my own incidentally). Everyone from the hostel I stayed in to the restaurant I ate to the people I was there to meet (interview). Even the girl behind the desk at the Tube when I bought my Oyster card was a delight.

Come back to Dublin to be assailed by junkies, now which country is more unfriendly?

I do agree with the garrison town thing to a certain extent. It's way more complex than the Indo article would suggest (hardly the first time I've used this sentence).

There ARE Dubs going to Garth Brooks, there are country people who live as if they are in Milton Keynes, there are British people who have moved all over Ireland or have come home as second generation. Some act as if they are still in Britain, some are more Irish than the Irish.

Also, if you look back at the history of Irish republicanism, you'll see that there were plenty of Dubliners and Anglo-Irish involved. Even Pearse's father was an English stonemason.

OldNotWIse

ivytwine wrote: »

Exactly! Got such a warm welcome in London the last time I was there (on my own incidentally). Everyone from the hostel I stayed in to the restaurant I ate to the people I was there to meet (interview). Even the girl behind the desk at the Tube when I bought my Oyster card was a delight.

Come back to Dublin to be assailed by junkies, now which country is more unfriendly?

I do agree with the garrison town thing to a certain extent. It's way more complex than the Indo article would suggest (hardly the first time I've used this sentence).

There ARE Dubs going to Garth Brooks, there are country people who live as if they are in Milton Keynes, there are British people who have moved all over Ireland or have come home as second generation. Some act as if they are still in Britain, some are more Irish than the Irish.

Also, if you look back at the history of Irish republicanism, you'll see that there were plenty of Dubliners and Anglo-Irish involved. Even Pearse's father was an English stonemason.

Junkies aren't unfriendly though, they're just a drain on society and mildly irritating.

El Siglo

"Rural Irish are also more likely to be culturally and politically nationalist, and to still go to Mass"

He's obviously never been to West Belfast...

"Large parts of our cities are virtually indistinguishable from Britain, unashamedly so"

This is what happens when you have colonialism (I suppose it's too much to overlook 800 years of it, that the UK is the largest trading partner of Ireland etc...).

The article, at best is lazy trolling and a fairly shite attempt at humour and at worst, sickening to hopeful journalists who would like to write about real issues but get pushed out by idiots like McManus.

drumswan

ivytwine wrote: »

There ARE Dubs going to Garth Brooks

Second generation culchies maybe

ivytwine

Emme wrote: »

The people in some rural towns have more in common with the British than the Irish. This applies to former garrison towns. Irish people are known for being friendly and welcoming but in former garrison towns newcomers are treated with suspicion and hostile indifference. Even after 20 years newcomers aren't made welcome. Perhaps these places have more in common with rural Britain than urban Ireland.

What I'm saying is that former garrison towns in rural Ireland have more in common with the British than the Irish because they're so unfriendly and unwelcoming. These towns don't even welcome new business.

Actually, I would say it's way harder to fit in a small Irish village than a town.

In the part of North Cork I come from (the town was founded as a bit of vanity project for the local landlord, making us very unusual) we would have a really long history of republicanism. Everyone's granddad was in the old IRA including my own. However, if you come from slightly lower down in Cork you are a blow-in- such as my best friend's mother. I had girls from a local village which is infamous for being clannish tell me after FOUR years of school they didn't know us well enough to practice their dance routine in front of the townies. Or my mother was told not to even bother applying for a job in the village as a village person would get it.

Irish villages would give Royston Vasey a run for their money.

ivytwine

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Junkies aren't unfriendly though, they're just a drain on society and mildly irritating.

They're a bit too friendly!

ivytwine

drumswan wrote: »

Second generation culchies maybe

Kinda disproves the article though? I mean a lot of Dubliners have culchie roots... It's almost like we're the same people...

TireeTerror

ivytwine wrote: »

Actually, I would say it's way harder to fit in a small Irish village than a town.

There is an element of truth in that. Im Scottish and have lived here for three years. Year one I was in Malahide and people never treated me any differently, maybe even they were a bit more friendly because they liked my accent. Moved to Louth and Ive been out at a couple of pubs, small ones. Three out of the 4 times Ive been out in those small pubs I have been asked "So what are you, Celtic or Rangers?" and I just groaned and walked away.

TheMza

100% agree, I'd have more in common with people from England than Cork or some other place down the country.

Aphex

TireeTerror wrote: »

There is an element of truth in that. Im Scottish and have lived here for three years. Year one I was in Malahide and people never treated me any differently, maybe even they were a bit more friendly because they liked my accent. Moved to Louth and Ive been out at a couple of pubs, small ones. Three out of the 4 times Ive been out in those small pubs I have been asked "So what are you, Celtic or Rangers?" and I just groaned and walked away.

Well....

orangesoda

You could say the same about Corkonians and Belfastians, it is just because the irish image abroad has always been of the countryside. Im a proud culchie myself though

suicide_circus

this is a photo of the author of that piece

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2009/10/16/1255690770426/Darragh-McManus-002.jpg

I sh1t you not

JONJO THE MISER

Most People from the west and south have known this for years, dublin culture is very similar to U.K culture.

OldNotWIse

orangesoda wrote: »

You could say the same about Corkonians and Belfastians, it is just because the irish image abroad has always been of the countryside. Im a proud culchie myself though

Thats fair enough, but I dont get why we get to be proud because of where we are from - it's not like we had anything to do with it! Be proud because of something you've achieved, not a circumstance. There's nobody better or worse than anyone else just because of where they are from. We're so small, we should stick together. The whole Dublin v The Rest of Ireland mentality saddens me tbh. I was at a work meeting one day and got chatting to someone about a match and she said she was happy X county had won. "Oh", I said, "Are you from there?" and she looked at me like I had two heads and said, "No, but you know...anyone but Dublin to win" - she practically sneered. What's that about? By all means support your own county but she was practically malicious

ivytwine

OldNotWIse wrote: »

Thats fair enough, but I dont get why we get to be proud because of where we are from - it's not like we had anything to do with it! Be proud because of something you've achieved, not a circumstance. There's nobody better or worse than anyone else just because of where they are from. We're so small, we should stick together. The whole Dublin v The Rest of Ireland mentality saddens me tbh. I was at a work meeting one day and got chatting to someone about a match and she said she was happy X county had won. "Oh", I said, "Are you from there?" and she looked at me like I had two heads and said, "No, but you know...anyone but Dublin to win" - she practically sneered. What's that about? By all means support your own county but she was practically malicious

I hate the anyone but the Dubs mentality, especially from people who last went to Dublin when it was Nelson's Column. I go for the Dubs (if they're not playing Cork of course) purely because the other 31 counties aren't

orangesoda

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Most People from the west and south have known this for years, dublin culture is very similar to U.K culture.

Not all off the Uk has the same culture, england has several cultures, wales have their own, scottish and then there is the obvious n.ireland cultures

ivytwine

orangesoda wrote: »

Not all off the Uk has the same culture, england has several cultures, wales have their own, scottish and then there is the obvious n.ireland cultures

Agreed. A west of England farmer would have more in common with a farmer from Cork than he ever would with a Londoner.

dd972

There's a grain of truth in the thread title, especially as Dubliner's live in an 'English city' and are the only real urbanised people in the 26 counties. I've always considered Dublin junkie / skanger / criminal types more as ''West Brits'' than in it's usual pejorative context.