Are you from a well-to-do family?

Sh1tbag OToole

The well-to-do family is a peculiar concept in Irish society and your actions will be judged by others taking into consideration on whether you're from a well-to-do family or not. No doubt the British are to blame for foisting this concept upon us with their elaborate class system they have back home.

Being from one also yields certain benefits. If you land up to the only manufactuerer of bouncy castles in the county looking to purchase a few bouncy castles for a bouncy castle rental business you're setting up you'll be given credit and discounts, where as yer man from the terrace who tries to buy a bouncy castle will probably be told to f*ck off. Likewise if you land up to the local FG TD for a favour or the priest for some indulgences the door is always open and you'll quickly be able to get things done.

If you have anything to offer you'll be on the preferred suppliers list for the local school, the GAA club, the church and the council. Even the local shops will be trying to buy stuff off you. Lads from well-to-do familes will have a horde of girlies chasing after them for the road frontage they're about to inherit, their contacts and political clout.

Have you leveraged the benefits of being from a well-to-do family, or know anyone who has? Perhaps maybe you have brought shame to one, or know a tale of someone from a well-to-do family who went rogue.

Anonymous poll so you can own up in peace

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Do you think any well to do, true blue, would be on Boards???

Surreptitious

I grew up raised on rashers and rude awakenings.

FortySeven

Nope. As far removed from even a normal family as you can get

failinis

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Have you leveraged the benefits of being from a well-to-do family, or know anyone who has?

I know someone who took great advantage of what was a good friend for decades.
Both worked themselves up from nothing to something (mainly in farming and building contracting).

One paid for the others children to go to Uni. The father of those kids however was going around saying that he himself paid for it.
Used his friend to guarantee building contracts and cut price top soil and all that.

As well as that he went and put thousands under the friends name, in building supply ware houses like "just put it under his name sure", guy nearly lost his farm when it all came out.

Both are still well regarded and influential but no one in the family has been up since besides instances of wakes/funerals.

So he milked another kind hearted influential man and took advantage of him. Disgusting.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Nope, grew up in a flat in Ballymun. Left school when I was 13, was a little bollox for a few years.. Luckily got out of that environment by joining the army. Got lucky buying and selling a few houses and now live in a really nice area.

My kids are the first in my family to even finish secondary school!.. My son done an economics degree and is doing exceptionally well for himself and should never see a poor day.. My daughter is in her third year of her degree and she'll do similarly well for yourself.

So no, I'm not from a 'well to do' background. But I've broken out of that socio-economic background to set my kids up and no my grandchildren (when they start to arrive) can hopefully say 'Yes, I come from a well to do back ground'.

SpannerMonkey

i suppose i consider myself from a well to do family as i never wanted for anything .

having said that its not like we were spoilt or always away on foreign holidays . we never went on a foreign holiday growing up and never had lots of money . but my mother was always at home for us and my father had a good factory job that provided for the family . and i always got on great with my parents and sisters so i consider myself quite lucky in that way

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I come from a normal family. Both my parents worked hard, I have one sibling and we had a good childhood. We had holidays, nice clothes, treats. Our parents hard work enabled both of us to eventually be able to stand on our own two feet.
We weren't short on money, or had to worry about a lot as kids but it's not because we were "well to do". Whatever came into the house, or whatever we got, was because they worked for it.

uck51js9zml2yt

My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

Elliott S

Nope, I'm from a highly dysfunctional working-class west of Ireland family. We went through many years of skirting the poverty line. My parents are really good people though.

Keane2baMused

If you consider "well to do" having money for holidays and meals out etc then yes I guess I am.

However my folks worked bloody hard for every penny. They both came from nothing and earned their crust.

There's definitely a 'well for them' attitude in this country. People have a problem with others success.

Sh1tbag OToole

Keane2baMused wrote: »

There's definitely a 'well for them' attitude in this country. People have a problem with others success.

For everyone who has a problem with it there's someone else who will shamelessly lick arse and become a lackey of the well off person. There are those who look up to them and give them so much leeway just because they're wealthy

MilesMorales1

Nope. Being from England as well :P


I'm from a council estate in one of the poorest areas of the country in the north west where we had 20 people living in a five bedroom house, and only two people were working. We didn't have two pennies to rub together growing up, had to work for absolutely everything.

bad_doctor

Ryder Tinkling Goth wrote: »

Nope, grew up in a flat in Ballymun. Left school when I was 13, was a little bollox for a few years.. Luckily got out of that environment by joining the army. Got lucky buying and selling a few houses and now live in a really nice area.

My kids are the first in my family to even finish secondary school!.. My son done an economics degree and is doing exceptionally well for himself and should never see a poor day.. My daughter is in her third year of her degree and she'll do similarly well for yourself.

So no, I'm not from a 'well to do' background. But I've broken out of that socio-economic background to set my kids up and no my grandchildren (when they start to arrive) can hopefully say 'Yes, I come from a well to do back ground'.

you didnt get lucky with property , you made good decisions

steddyeddy

Ryder Tinkling Goth wrote: »

Nope, grew up in a flat in Ballymun. Left school when I was 13, was a little bollox for a few years.. Luckily got out of that environment by joining the army. Got lucky buying and selling a few houses and now live in a really nice area.

My kids are the first in my family to even finish secondary school!.. My son done an economics degree and is doing exceptionally well for himself and should never see a poor day.. My daughter is in her third year of her degree and she'll do similarly well for yourself.

So no, I'm not from a 'well to do' background. But I've broken out of that socio-economic background to set my kids up and no my grandchildren (when they start to arrive) can hopefully say 'Yes, I come from a well to do back ground'.

Well done man you should be proud.

mansize

Plenty of people are in "Hard Working Families" that aren't well-off

Monetary reward isn't exclusively based on "Hard Work"

Sir Osis of Liver.

We were so poor we......

looksee

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

The well-to-do family is a peculiar concept in Irish society and your actions will be judged by others taking into consideration on whether you're from a well-to-do family or not. No doubt the British are to blame for foisting this concept upon us with their elaborate class system they have back home.

How can it be both a concept peculiar to Ireland, and the fault of the Brits at the same time?

DanMurphy

Common as muck, our lot.

Similar to above poster, I was taken out of school at 14 and sent to relatives in London to stack supermarket shelves in Balham.

Came home at 16 and joined the Army where I stayed for 30 years.

I made sure my kids stayed in school till 18 or so and got the Leaving Cert.

They're doing okay.. but as for me...I'm still common as muck

steddyeddy

No grew up in an estate in Crumlin. Had a extremely hard working mother who was fantastic but my father was a d1ck to myself and my mother. He left for a while leaving my mother to look after the kids. He came back for while and that's when I had to leave for my own safety. If not for my mother I wouldn't have got an education so I am extremely grateful to her. She had a hard life with my father so my short term hope is to send her on a holiday to Florence when I have the spare few bob.

Like Makikomi I want my kids to say they come from a good family. I also want my mother to live out her sunset years relatively happy.

Sh1tbag OToole

looksee wrote: »

How can it be both a concept peculiar to Ireland, and the fault of the Brits at the same time?

They have a fully-fledged class system over there. We only had well-to-do families until recently

osarusan

Is 'well-to-do' just the same thing as being a successful person in the locality who consequently has a bit of influence? Nothing else?

My father worked in a university and while we weren't poor by any meaningful definition, there was absolutely no local 'pull' whatsoever. No power, no influence.

Am I from a 'well-to-do' family or not?

Keane2baMused

osarusan wrote: »

Is 'well-to-do' just the same thing as being a successful person in the locality who consequently has a bit of influence? Nothing else?

My father worked in a university and while we weren't poor by any meaningful definition, there was absolutely no local 'pull' whatsoever. No power, no influence.

Am I from a 'well-to-do' family or not?

That would depend who you ask!

osarusan

Keane2baMused wrote: »

That would depend who you ask!

I should have asked the girlies why they weren't chasing after me.

Bored_lad

Come on it's 2016 like Ireland's never really had a class system so let's not try and create them and leave all this well to do family bs and begrudging behind us. People work hard for what they want in life and anyone who's willing to work hard in Ireland will do well for themselves.

Keane2baMused

osarusan wrote: »

I should have asked the girlies why they weren't chasing after me.

You were probably too posh

Stealthfins

Most so called " well to do people"
have only the light in the fridge,no food or drink's...
They drive fancy cars wear fancy clothes,and powder their nose....

They constantly live on the poverty lion,only wishing for the tiger to come back.
And usually spend a few hours with the quack...

I call them ligers or liars.

Sh1tbag OToole

osarusan wrote: »

Is 'well-to-do' just the same thing as being a successful person in the locality who consequently has a bit of influence? Nothing else?

My father worked in a university and while we weren't poor by any meaningful definition, there was absolutely no local 'pull' whatsoever. No power, no influence.

Am I from a 'well-to-do' family or not?

The social network is just as important as the money really. To get the contacts and the clout you had to be seen to be doing well. There is a certain amount of plámásing to be done, even to fellas you hate. You have to give donations to the local clubs and what have you, keep up the family brand and all that carry on

Shenshen

I don't honestly know where I would fit in, as I didn't grow up in Ireland.
Somewhere in the middle, I would have said.

But my family made sure we all of us got the best education we were able for, and outside of school and university make sure we were supported in our interests and pursuits.

I had never actually realised or appreciated the effort they made in that. It was only when talking about our childhoods with my husband (who grew up in a working-class home in Nothern England with an out-of-work dad) that I realised how priviledged I was in being taught all I had been taught.

So while we were never financially rich, my parents left me very well-equiped to deal with almost anything life might throw at me.

Corkgirl18

Ryder Tinkling Goth wrote: »

Nope, grew up in a flat in Ballymun. Left school when I was 13, was a little bollox for a few years.. Luckily got out of that environment by joining the army. Got lucky buying and selling a few houses and now live in a really nice area.

My kids are the first in my family to even finish secondary school!.. My son done an economics degree and is doing exceptionally well for himself and should never see a poor day.. My daughter is in her third year of her degree and she'll do similarly well for yourself.

So no, I'm not from a 'well to do' background. But I've broken out of that socio-economic background to set my kids up and no my grandchildren (when they start to arrive) can hopefully say 'Yes, I come from a well to do back ground'.

Serious kudos to you. Its incredibly hard to break that cycle.

celligraphy

My father was a successful business man owned Many restaurants cars had a mobile phone when they first came out , my mother stayed at home to mind us ,lived in a terrible council house in a horrible estate . My father would give loans and money to anyone , while my mother sister and I were locked in the bedroom with no food or bathroom from the time he left for work until he came home to beat us all... So grew up terribly poor ,until he decided to leave

But now I'm doing great im happy with my life and so is my family

Lollipops23

Certainly not- parents worked in retail when I was growing up. My mother was a single mother for several years (before she met my step dad), and she still gets emotional when she talks about trying to pay the mortgage and feed us during that time.
Later she sweated and worked her ass off to make sure we could have nice holidays every 2 years. Still managed to send me to college and paid off her mortgage early. She's retired to France now, living her dream. She bloody deserves it.

Surreptitious

celligraphy wrote: »

My father was a successful business man owned Many restaurants cars had a mobile phone when they first came out , my mother stayed at home to mind us ,lived in a terrible council house in a horrible estate . My father would give loans and money to anyone , while my mother sister and I were locked in the bedroom with no food or bathroom from the time he left for work until he came home to beat us all... So grew up terribly poor ,until he decided to leave

But now I'm doing great im happy with my life and so is my family

Jesus, that's terrible.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

Pac1Man

Why are people delighted to talk about the hard upbringing they have had whereas well to do families almost shamefully shy away from the discussion?

Corkgirl18

My parents work crazy hard and growing up we were never very well off but never wanted for anything either. They've had tough lives.
My dad lived in this town all his life so he knows pretty much everyone and is very well liked. If he needed something I'm sure someone would help him out and vice versa.
Not sure if this qualifies as "well-to-do" though.
He did get me a part time job when I needed it

Elliott S

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

For everyone who has a problem with it there's someone else who will shamelessly lick arse and become a lackey of the well off person. There are those who look up to them and give them so much leeway just because they're wealthy

So very true. It's rife and it's nauseating.

celligraphy

Surreptitious wrote:

Jesus, that's terrible.

Terrible but we are all doing ok now my mother even owns her own house first in her family to have done so 😊

Arcade_Tryer

I used to think I was.

Then I realised I was from a very lucky family. Like most people living relatively comfortable lives.

And yes, my family worked extremely hard too. Like most families.

beks101

I'll hold my hand up here. My parents were quite professionally successful and I had a great upbringing in a big house in a nice part of town, although I never grew up thinking we were well-off or had money to burn.

In truth we didn't - my parents were both really prudent and disciplined about their financial affairs from a young age, invested well and poured all of their money into the house, which in later years would come to be worth multiples of what it was built for. They both came from typically Irish catholic families, "one banana between the 7 of us on Christmas day", grandparents were all teachers and worked their backs off to make sure every single one of them was well-educated. They've all excelled.

In terms of "influence" - they have some very wealthy friends, my god father was a government minister, they'd be well-respected about the town but my mother is the most honest-to-god, Catholic guilt ridden soul you'll ever meet and my Dad is as understated as they come. Retrospectively I probably could have followed in my mother's professional footsteps (and be making a damn sight more than I am now as a measly journalist), but I was never raised to believe I could rely on anything other than hard work and grit to achieve anything.

It's only in latter years that I've come to appreciate how privileged my childhood was and how hard they worked and how careful they were with their money to be able to give us the best they could. My boyfriend is from a pure cockney working class London family and my life was like the partridge family compared to his. Both families are as thick as thieves when they get together though - despite mine being a hell of a lot more conservative and his being total utter hippies. They've got kindness and pure decency in common. That's something I've always seen in my parents first and foremost and that has always drawn me to other people in my life.

eviltwin

I'm from a working class family. My dad was the bread winner until a catastrophic car accident left him disabled when I was a toddler. We never had money. We were good kids though, my dad may not have had a penny to his name but he was the definition of a gentleman.

Sam Kade

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

The well-to-do family is a peculiar concept in Irish society and your actions will be judged by others taking into consideration on whether you're from a well-to-do family or not. No doubt the British are to blame for foisting this concept upon us with their elaborate class system they have back home.

Being from one also yields certain benefits. If you land up to the only manufactuerer of bouncy castles in the county looking to purchase a few bouncy castles for a bouncy castle rental business you're setting up you'll be given credit and discounts, where as yer man from the terrace who tries to buy a bouncy castle will probably be told to f*ck off. Likewise if you land up to the local FG TD for a favour or the priest for some indulgences the door is always open and you'll quickly be able to get things done.

If you have anything to offer you'll be on the preferred suppliers list for the local school, the GAA club, the church and the council. Even the local shops will be trying to buy stuff off you. Lads from well-to-do familes will have a horde of girlies chasing after them for the road frontage they're about to inherit, their contacts and political clout.

Have you leveraged the benefits of being from a well-to-do family, or know anyone who has? Perhaps maybe you have brought shame to one, or know a tale of someone from a well-to-do family who went rogue.

Anonymous poll so you can own up in peace

How much money property does a family need to be labeled well to do?

steddyeddy

To me well to do means happy and stable.

Arcade_Tryer

Ryder Tinkling Goth wrote: »

Nope, grew up in a flat in Ballymun. Left school when I was 13, was a little bollox for a few years.. Luckily got out of that environment by joining the army. Got lucky buying and selling a few houses and now live in a really nice area.

My kids are the first in my family to even finish secondary school!.. My son done an economics degree and is doing exceptionally well for himself and should never see a poor day.. My daughter is in her third year of her degree and she'll do similarly well for yourself.

So no, I'm not from a 'well to do' background. But I've broken out of that socio-economic background to set my kids up and no my grandchildren (when they start to arrive) can hopefully say 'Yes, I come from a well to do back ground'.

And yet none of that can compare to the feeling of all those thanks you're going to get!

MilesMorales1

I look down on all posh people so. Reverse snobbery for life :cool:

steddyeddy

I think people shouldnt have to say they were lucky to have worked hard and got a good job. The harder I work the luckier I get it seems. Everyone should be proud of making something of themselves.

Aurum

FizzleSticks wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

This comic is a great, succinct illustration of that privilege.

Arcade_Tryer

steddyeddy wrote: »

I think people shouldnt have to say they were lucky to have worked hard and got a good job. The harder I work the luckier I get it seems. Everyone should be proud of making something of themselves.

You can acknowledge that you are lucky to have been allowed to succeed without feeling ashamed for having done so. Both critiques can be done simultaneously. Of course people should be proud of making something of themselves and so on.

indioblack

looksee wrote: »

How can it be both a concept peculiar to Ireland, and the fault of the Brits at the same time?

Easily - this is After Hours.

Your Face

Tally-ho

Sh1tbag OToole

Sam Kade wrote: »

How much money property does a family need to be labeled well to do?

There is no absolute figure. Its probably more about how much money passes through the family than what they have

Static funds and property only help to a point