Ireland - Always the poor mouth -and nothing to show for itself.

Lapin

Apart from a few dreamers winning Nobel Prizes for Literature and the odd medal in the Olympics , what have we achieved?

Two Grand slams in the 100+ years of the 5/6 Nations.

Eurovision wins - Wow !

A few rock stars that hang out with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton and Oama for mutual ego building purposes.

Have we any architectural landmark buildings that anyone anywhere can point to and say 'Thats Ireland' in the same way that our nearst neighbours can do about any amount of structures in their capital city alone'?

We have nothing that says 'Ireland' in the same way that an image of the Sydney Opera House says Australia or the bravery of the Guggenheim in Bilbao exert themselves as landmarks.

Architecture is only one example. We have nothing to show for ourselves after 90 years as a nation in many other areas.

No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them.

My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now.

Infrastructure - From day one we have begged, srounged and prostituted our dignity before our European partners with the con of optaining funding for our bad roads, railways and cargo terminals in our ports etc.

What did we do with it?

Our town centres are being boarded up as people flock to the German and British stores on the edge of town.



Ireland as a nation has fuckall to show for itself.

Apart from a few trinkets .

Czarcasm

Newgrange?

longhalloween

Lapin wrote: »

.

Apart from a few trinkets .

Whores will have their trinkets...

131spanner

Lapin wrote: »

Apart from a few trinkets .

That word is highly offensive, they're an ethnic minority.

Ruu

We love the auld tae.

Insect Overlord

The bitterest Internet users in the world.

Lenin Skynard

Wow that's a lot of self-loathing. I love Ireland and I love living here. We're not Germany or Britain and we never will be. We've done well for a small country when it comes to arts, science and infrastructure in my opinion.

_Redzer_

Well to be fair, we were always poor as fcuk and emigrating/suffering hardship -which lead to severe brain-drain and our talent fleeing.

It's only now in the last few decades we're getting really stable, educated and wealthy and catching up to many of our neighbours.

Give us time, we're generally an intelligent and hardworking nation, and we do get revered for that by other countries, when they're ignoring the stereotypes.

There have been great contributions by Irish people to art, science, architecture, and other things. That can only improve as we progress.

Lapin

Czarcasm wrote: »

Newgrange?

I'm trying to get a 21'st century thing going here.

Name one thing Ireland built in the last 100 years that stands out amonst the rest of the world?


One thing ?

It wasn't me!

Lapin wrote: »

Name one thing Ireland built in the last 100 years that stands out amonst the rest of the world?


One thing ?

A reputation as a nation at the forefront of international peace and dialogue efforts, which was begun even before the state existed. I'll take that over any building, all day, every day.

Lapin

An File wrote: »

The bitterest Internet users in the world.

Not bitter at all.

Just sad that people like you are content to sit back and swallow shít.

Thats why Ireland has fuckall to show for itself.

wp_rathead

least we are better than wales

_Redzer_

Lapin wrote: »

I'm trying to get a 21'st century thing going here.

Name one thing Ireland built in the last 100 years that stands out amonst the rest of the world?


One thing ?

jeni

Ireland rocks, we have a really rich history, we have a beautiful country to be proud of, the Irish people are the soundest out of all, why else would half the worlds population claim to be from here,

I brought my daughter into town and I was proud and quite surprised how much I had to show her, GPO, Grafton St, Trinity college as we walked past temple bar I heard an excitef tourist running towards it saying look they really have the cobble stones, the bridges my daughter was amazed by them, and the tall ships, she thought the buskers were a free concert

I am proud to be and say I am Irish

In Lonesome Dove

Lapin wrote: »

Apart from a few dreamers winning Nobel Prizes for Literature and the odd medal in the Olympics , what have we achieved?

Two Grand slams in the 100+ years of the 5/6 Nations.

Eurovision wins - Wow !

A few rock stars that hang out with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton and Oama for mutual ego building purposes.

Have we any architectural landmark buildings that anyone anywhere can point to and say 'Thats Ireland' in the same way that our nearst neighbours can do about any amount of structures in their capital city alone'?

We have nothing that says 'Ireland' in the same way that an image of the Sydney Opera House says Australia or the bravery of the Guggenheim in Bilbao exert themselves as landmarks.

Architecture is only one example. We have nothing to show for ourselves after 90 years as a nation in many other areas.

No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them.

My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now.

Infrastructure - From day one we have begged, srounged and prostituted our dignity before our European partners with the con of optaining funding for our bad roads, railways and cargo terminals in our ports etc.

What did we do with it?

Our town centres are being boarded up as people flock to the German and British stores on the edge of town.



Ireland as a nation has fuckall to show for itself.

Apart from a few trinkets .

As read the last part of this as:

'Apart from a few tinkers'

Shakespeare's Sister

Wow, will some Irish people ever get over the self flagellation craze and stop dissecting how this country appears to the rest of the world, much of which doesn't even know about it?
It's a small country - never had much clout economically/politically. It's not on a par with America, Britain, France or Germany. Same with lots of countries. I wonder are chunks of their population so self flagellating though.
Iceland and Estonia - why don't you have architectural landmarks and well known sh-t damn you?!

Insect Overlord

Lapin wrote: »

Just sad that people like you are content to sit back and swallow shít.

I enjoy delicious beef and some top quality craft beers, all Irish. Frequently. So there.

amkin25

The Spire,a feat of construction that will never be rivaled.

porsche959

An File wrote: »

The bitterest Internet users in the world.

I blame the gubbimint.

Lapin

_Redzer_ wrote: »

I note your confusion.

My question was related to what we have contributed to the global community since independence, a time period that equates to the last century in the main.


So - any suggestions ?

stefan idiot jones

wprathead wrote: »

least we are better than wales

Ahem. We have the best flag in the world.

Double figure Grand Slam wins and The Stereophonics.

That makes us considerably better than you.

Lenin Skynard

Oh you silly goose, Wales isn't a country.

wp_rathead

Lapin wrote: »

I note your confusion.

My question was related to what we have contributed to the global community since independence, a time period that equates to the last century in the main.


So - any suggestions ?

We built New York.

chuckyarelaw

We have a Defence Force - we don't however have an army.

Lapin

wprathead wrote: »

We built New York.

And they knocked it down since and built over it.

In the meantime, we built Hawkins House - and its still there.

It wasn't me!

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

We have a Defence Force - we don't however have an army.

Wrong. Our Defence Forces comprises the Army, the Air Corp and the Naval Service.

pidgeoneyes

More PS3s per head of population outside of Japan! Irish men designed the White House and the modern submarine.

Lapin

Lapin wrote: »

I'm trying to get a 21'st century thing going here.

Name one thing Ireland built in the last 100 years that stands out amonst the rest of the world?


One thing ?

The celtic tiger

Lapin

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

We have a Defence Force - we don't however have an army.

My point summed up here.

We have Army, Navy and Air Corps defence forces (and I'm damn proud of all three).

But as long as successive governments treat them as revenue collectors rather than men and women who deserve to serve the state at a higher level on the international stage, they will always be no more than a sourse of cheap jokes through no fault of their own.

And they don't deserve that.

WakeUp

We our known around the world for our stunning landscapes and the warmth of our people. gimme a rugged wild ancient Atlantic coastline and such along with a pint and a session in one of the many taverns throughout the land over a concrete opera house in Sydney and the whatever in Bilbao. any day of the week. we win as far as Im concerned. whooya for nato though. lets buy tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3VwANi674

Lenin Skynard

Lapin wrote: »

they will always be no more than a sourse of cheap jokes through no fault of their own.

Several of my family members are in the army and have served in Lebanon as peacekeepers. I've never once heard them speak of being mocked or otherwise, they're spoken of very highly around the world. Why on earth would a country of four million people have a big army? This isn't North Korea. You should maybe have a closer look at yourself as the "sourse" of your unhappiness rather than blaming the country for it.

The Diabolical Monocle

theres only fvcking 4.5 million of us in the republic.

what do you want ? - skyscrapers, aircraft carriers and bullet-trains.

Da Shins Kelly

How often are these "Ireland is ****" threads going to come up? The conversation has been done to death.

MultiUmm

So OP values a nations worth based off its architecture and the state of its military forces? What a ridiculous and silly notion.

We have a rich heritage and culture and bítch all you like but Ireland is not a terrible place to live and we are by no means paupers.

I hate this pessimism and self loathing that some Irish people are prone to, it seems to have permeated through some peoples mindset since the recession began a few years ago.

The up and coming generation has the potential to make this country great, better than great even. I'm not saying Ireland's perfect but we can learn from the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them.

Attitudes like the one OP has have no place in this future.

Elmer Blooker

We can belt out "The fields of Athenry" after ten pints can't we?

Zebra3

Lapin wrote: »

No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them.

My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now.

Yeah, let's cut back on spending on health and education and buy stuff that kills people.

Then we can send our kids off to serve the interests of American corporations in the Middle East.

That'll make us a real nation. :rolleyes:

pidgeoneyes

Have you ever heard Paul Brady sing The Lakes of Ponchartrain!

StupidLikeAFox

When you say "why havent we achieved anything as a country?"
you probably mean "Why isnt there stuff that other people have done that I can take some sort of credit for by virtue of the fact that we were born on the same rock?"

Lapin

WakeUp wrote: »

We our known around the world for our stunning landscapes and the warmth of our people. gimme a rugged wild ancient Atlantic coastline and such along with a pint and a session in one of the many taverns throughout the land over a concrete opera house in Sydney and the whatever in Bilbao. any day of the week. we win as far as Im concerned. whooya for nato though. lets buy tanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3VwANi674

Every country has its tourist videos.

We have green fields and sheep in abundance, Wow !!!

Fuck that like.


Showing a few yanks pictures of green fields doesn't cut it. What about those of us who live here? Why can't we point to someting to be proud of and built since 1922 and and say - This is us?

Something original - unique to us - and recognisible the world over ?



We have the talent to do it. And the space.

WakeUp

Lapin wrote: »

Every country has its tourist videos.

We have green fields and sheep in abundance, Wow !!!

Fuck that like.


Showing a few yanks pictures of green fields doesn't cut it. What about those of us who live here? Why can't we point to someting to be proud of and built since 1922 and and say - This is us?

Something original - unique to us - and recognisible the world over ?



We have the talent to do it. And the space.

There arent many places on this planet as lovely as this little island of ours. our landscape and people are unique to us, both are recognised the world over. and im proud of both. I agree we have the talent to do lots but why are you being so down on us. why do Irish people bash ourselves I dont really get that when I see it. yeah we arent perfect who is and we have our problems but every country does. anyways those are my thoughts for what they are worth.

Czarcasm

Lapin wrote: »

Every country has its tourist videos.

We have green fields and sheep in abundance, Wow !!!

Fuck that like.


Showing a few yanks pictures of green fields doesn't cut it. What about those of us who live here? Why can't we point to someting to be proud of and built since 1922 and and say - This is us?


Something original - unique to us - and recognisible the world over ?



We have the talent to do it. And the space.

And immediately I'm thinking Riverdance!

magentis

Lapin wrote: »

Apart from a few dreamers winning Nobel Prizes for Literature and the odd medal in the Olympics , what have we achieved?

Two Grand slams in the 100+ years of the 5/6 Nations.

Eurovision wins - Wow !

A few rock stars that hang out with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton and Oama for mutual ego building purposes.

Have we any architectural landmark buildings that anyone anywhere can point to and say 'Thats Ireland' in the same way that our nearst neighbours can do about any amount of structures in their capital city alone'?

We have nothing that says 'Ireland' in the same way that an image of the Sydney Opera House says Australia or the bravery of the Guggenheim in Bilbao exert themselves as landmarks.

Architecture is only one example. We have nothing to show for ourselves after 90 years as a nation in many other areas.

No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them.

My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now.

Infrastructure - From day one we have begged, srounged and prostituted our dignity before our European partners with the con of optaining funding for our bad roads, railways and cargo terminals in our ports etc.

What did we do with it?

Our town centres are being boarded up as people flock to the German and British stores on the edge of town.



Ireland as a nation has fuckall to show for itself.

Apart from a few trinkets .

Fcuk off somewhere else if it's not good enough for you.

AlmightyCushion

Ever heard of Ardnacrusha?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardnacrusha_power_plant

In 1924-25 the new Irish Free State's Minister for Industry and Commerce Patrick McGilligan commissioned the engineer Dr. Thomas McLoughlin to submit proposals. Dr McLoughlin had started working for Siemens-Schuckert, a large German engineering firm, in late 1922, and produced a scheme that would cost £5.2m. This caused considerable political controversy as the new state's entire budget in 1925 was £25m, but it was accepted. The Siemens report drew on earlier hydrological work of John Chaloner-Smith, an engineer with the Commissioners of Public Works.

The Shannon Scheme was officially opened at Parteen Weir on 22 July 1929. One of the largest engineering projects of its day, it served as a model for large-scale electrification projects worldwide. Operated by the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, it had an immediate impact on the social, economic and industrial development of Ireland. By 1935, it was producing 80 per cent of Ireland's electricity. It continues to supply significant power in the 21st century.

In 2002, on the 75th anniversary of the plant, its historic status was recognised by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, in partnership with the American Society of Civil Engineers, who marked the facility as an Engineering Milestone of the 20th century.

In 1927, the ESB was established and took control of the scheme and electricity supply and generation generally. At the time, it was the largest hydroelectric station in the world, though this was soon superseded by the Hoover Dam, which commenced construction in 1930.

Yeah, we've never done anything of any merit.

Edit: I remember reading that the US was impressed by Ardnacrusha and it was this that led to them creating the Hoover Dam. Never found a reliable source for that so it may not be true.

Mint Aero

We can't win the architecture prize. They're villages in England more aweinspiring than what our entire cities put together offer.

We've a good mix of landscape over a small distance, compact and easily travelled.

We're tax haven whores for multi nationals.

We love IT but IT is bolox and will be relatively short lived.

We're not friendly. At all. We're self centred backward people for the most part.

Biggest achievements last decade, couple of medals for boxing in the olympics and a grand slam....wow we've really conquered the world eh.

Our food is sh*t. What is our food anyway anymore?? Fcuk knows. Irish beef Irish chicken bolox is all I hear. Have never came across a decent place for a bit of decent grub.

There is no peace in the North from what I see. It's unresolved ongoing conflict.

Good Irish film, tv series last decade anyone? Mrs. Brownes boys and that other thing....dublin scummers feud drugs programme, can't remember the name, forgettable sh*te...ah love/hate that was it.

Good Irish book/art/play achieving consistent international acclaim last decade anyone? Nah.

Good Irish pub anyone? That doesn't just stock your typical bud, heino, miller piss.

Anyone from costal counties ever bother visiting anywhere or anything in the midlands ever for anything really? Worth a return trip? Thought not.

Education? The LC, yes lets vaguely remember some facts about a dozen or so subjects that for the most part bear no relevance on anyones life again. Basically don't be thick at Maths and you'll be set for getting into college.

History? Why bother, when you can see half the numpties on AH (hopefully not an accurate depiction of Ireland) praise and bend over arse to Mandela and then be all like oh that Gerry Adams grrrrr rte and miriam don't like him.

Everything that's wrong with ireland. Village idiots and the gaaaaaaa for one. Parish pump politics.

I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.

MultiUmm

Lapin wrote: »

Every country has its tourist videos.

We have green fields and sheep in abundance, Wow !!!

Fuck that like.


Showing a few yanks pictures of green fields doesn't cut it. What about those of us who live here? Why can't we point to someting to be proud of and built since 1922 and and say - This is us?

Something original - unique to us - and recognisible the world over ?



We have the talent to do it. And the space.

What are you on about? Who in their right mind points to a building and says this is us?

If I go to New York and a New Yorker points at the empire state building and says 'this is us' I would say no, that is not you as a collective people, that is a building. Sure, it's a distinctive building but it's not the essence of the city, it's not like the only reason to remember and go to New York for.

What's your obsession with buildings about? Its the people that define a place, a nation, not some stupid skyscrapers. If that was the case Dubai and Pyongyang would be the pinnacle of modern civilization.

Your Face

Ireland - Always the poor mouth -and nothing to show for itself.

Is that Ireland or you, OP?

MultiUmm

Mint Aero wrote: »

I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.

I think the phrase "there's no pleasing some people" is particularly true for some posters itt.

Instead of sitting on your arsé whinging about all these problems you have with the country behind a keyboard why don't you go out and make a difference? Even if you try to tackle just one or two of these problems that you perceive would it not be more fulfilling than writing an excessively long, negative list about them?

I don't know, it must be tiring to be so consistently bleak and moody all the time. :pac:

Da Shins Kelly

Mint Aero wrote: »

We can't win the architecture prize. They're villages in England more aweinspiring than what our entire cities put together offer.

We've a good mix of landscape over a small distance, compact and easily travelled.

We're tax haven whores for multi nationals.

We love IT but IT is bolox and will be relatively short lived.

We're not friendly. At all. We're self centred backward people for the most part.

Biggest achievements last decade, couple of medals for boxing in the olympics and a grand slam....wow we've really conquered the world eh.

Our food is sh*t. What is our food anyway anymore?? Fcuk knows. Irish beef Irish chicken bolox is all I hear. Have never came across a decent place for a bit of decent grub.

There is no peace in the North from what I see. It's unresolved ongoing conflict.

Good Irish film, tv series last decade anyone? Mrs. Brownes boys and that other thing....dublin scummers feud drugs programme, can't remember the name, forgettable sh*te...ah love/hate that was it.

Good Irish book/art/play achieving consistent international acclaim last decade anyone? Nah.

Good Irish pub anyone? That doesn't just stock your typical bud, heino, miller piss.

Anyone from costal counties ever bother visiting anywhere or anything in the midlands ever for anything really? Worth a return trip? Thought not.

Education? The LC, yes lets vaguely remember some facts about a dozen or so subjects that for the most part bear no relevance on anyones life again. Basically don't be thick at Maths and you'll be set for getting into college.

History? Why bother, when you can see half the numpties on AH (hopefully not an accurate depiction of Ireland) praise and bend over arse to Mandela and then be all like oh that Gerry Adams grrrrr rte and miriam don't like him.

Everything that's wrong with ireland. Village idiots and the gaaaaaaa for one. Parish pump politics.

I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.

Thank God you got bored writing. It was boring to read such self-loathing ****e.

Mint Aero

MultiUmm wrote: »

I think the phrase "there's no pleasing some people" is particularly true for some posters itt.

Instead of sitting on your arsé whinging about all these problems you have with the country behind a keyboard why don't you go out and make a difference? Even if you try to tackle just one or two of these problems that you perceive would it not be more fulfilling than writing an excessively long, negative list about them?

I don't know, it must be tiring to be so consistently bleak and moody all the time. :pac:

Nah I left, sozzles.

Lapin

MultiUmm wrote: »

So OP values a nations worth based off its architecture and the state of its military forces? What a ridiculous and silly notion.

We have a rich heritage and culture and bítch all you like but Ireland is not a terrible place to live and we are by no means paupers.

I hate this pessimism and self loathing that some Irish people are prone to, it seems to have permeated through some peoples mindset since the recession began a few years ago.

The up and coming generation has the potential to make this country great, better than great even. I'm not saying Ireland's perfect but we can learn from the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them.

Attitudes like the one OP has have no place in this future.

Attitudes like the mine have every place in this future.

If we all had complacent attitudes like yours there would be no future at all.

I challenge - You dismiss my challenge as pessimism.

I accept that I carry an element of self loathing here in relation to Ireland. In fact, that is the whole crux of this thread.

We as a nation seem happy to quote Yeats, Joyce and others and show videaos of rugged cliffs while the rest of the world is building metros, airports, and sanititiaton.

I'm sick to the teeth of being told this country can't afford to rub two ha/pennies together while seeing places like Romania, Bulgaria etc develop modern transport links that will serve their economies in decades to come.

Bucharest has developed one of the best and most modern underground metro networks in Europe since Romania's accession to the EU.

Meanwhile, Dublin has two laid tram lines (one of them relaid on a pre-existing route). And they don't even meet.

My original post was nothing to do with pessimism. Quite the reverse. It was an expression of interest and an observation on the lack of ambitition being expressed in this country right now.


I ask anyone to prove me wrong.

worded

This is comic genius on the irish
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8JPT3feipJ8