Credit where credit is due. Ireland.

Mr. Incognito

We have a habit of begrudgery in Ireland. Its good in some ways as it keeps people humble but it can be a bit much with Joe and his ilk and the incessent winging and whining. Mary Lou for example is a 20 year professional moaner who goes on every soap box going and gives out about what the topic of the day is without any sort of constructive criticisim.

In 2014 Ireland was ranked 1st in the good country index. The result was a cohort of Irish people writing in to complain.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-is-no-longer-the-goodest-country-in-the-world-1.2670538

We are currently second.

https://www.goodcountryindex.org/results

Anyway to combat some normal Tuesday AH negativity I am proposing a thread where we give credit for something in Ireland.

I renewed my Driving Licence this morning online. It took ten minutes and will be in the post in 3 to 5 days. I think that's fantastic.

Okay I had to get a public services card last summer and go hang around the social welfare office for half a day to do it but it's still a fantastic service so I will give credit where credit is due there.

EDIT
Current List from Boardsies -great things about Ireland

Friendly people
Death and Funerals
Sausages and Rashers
Beautiful Green Scenery
Access to Money if required
The community spirit
You can walk into most pubs and strike up a conversation with someone
No really dangerous animals
Safe schools
Decent education system
Very little gun crime
We have the GAA, whilst it has it's faults, is a fantastic organisation that gels the community together
The types of cuisine available in Ireland is much better nowadays
Great selection of beers in a lot of pubs now - not the usual ****e
Best crisps in the world

Deebles McBeebles

That is so Irish, OP. Even your positive story had a little moan in it

NIMAN

Sure I keep hearing it's worse than a third world country.

Stab*City

Complains about complainers.

RobbingBandit

I'm Big Ern I'm the greatest

theguzman

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

We have a habit of begrudgery in Ireland. Its good in some ways as it keeps people humble but it can be a bit much with Joe and his ilk and the incessent winging and whining. Mary Lou for example is a 20 year professional moaner who goes on every soap box going and gives out about what the topic of the day is without any sort of constructive criticisim.

In 2014 Ireland was ranked 1st in the good country index. The result was a cohort of Irish people writing in to complain.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ireland-is-no-longer-the-goodest-country-in-the-world-1.2670538

We are currently second.

https://www.goodcountryindex.org/results

Anyway to combat some normal Tuesday AH negativity I am proposing a thread where we give credit for something in Ireland.

I renewed my Driving Licence this morning online. It took ten minutes and will be in the post in 3 to 5 days. I think that's fantastic.

Okay I had to get a public services card last summer and go hang around the social welfare office for half a day to do it but it's still a fantastic service so I will give credit where credit is due there.

The Driving Licence system is now privatised, so it actually works. The Public Sector Trade Unions and their Marxist enablers are the biggest threat this country faces. There needs to be thousands of mandatory job losses in the civil and public sector.

Deebles McBeebles

Well that took a turn.

Your Face

Its grand but could be a lot better.

Its a mixture of things our adversarial parish pump politics which has lead SF to be renamed as the...I am outraged party. The other issue is lots genuinely can't see how good we have it in Ireland they live in their own little bubble of negitivity its normal to them. Then for other its a coping mechanism to moan, then you have those with depression or a mild mental health issue.

All those are more likely to take to social media and complain, contented people are much less likely to do this.

rgodard80a

We're rabies free.

The begrudgery stems from those who are rooted to their parish, and fearful of the wider world.

If I needed €10,000 I could probably have it by tomorrow. I dont think I would be able to do that in the majority of other countries in the world.

elefant

I have a Dutch friend who loves Ireland, and in particular the small villages and towns in rural Ireland. He loves it to the extent that he took a year off work, and went to live in a small village in Leitrim.

He is completely enamoured by the community spirit in these places, and misses it from the bigger urban areas in the Netherlands. People getting up early on weekends to tidy community spaces, to volunteer at old-folk homes, to organise local festivals etc. And to give up this time for the benefit of their community, not for financial gain.

I too love that fierce pride in the local that you find in Ireland when it's put to positive use. I hope modernisation doesn't totally stamp it out from future generations.

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

The begrudgery stems from those who are rooted to their parish, and fearful of the wider world.

You say that as if there's something wrong with standing at the gate in a straw hat, dungarees and eyepatch, shaking a pitchfork menacingly at passers-by and growling "Oooor-aaahhrr, you'm be a witch!!".

In all fairity, there's worse places to be stuck than our crazy little rock at the edge of the World. :cool:

topper75

rgodard80a wrote: »

We're rabies free.

We should translate that to Latin and have it written on all tricolours.

Sky King

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Credit where credit is due.

SURE WASNT IT THE CREDIT THAT CAUSED THE WHOLE BANKING CRISIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Mister Vain

We have great deli counters.

Feisar

Mister Vain wrote: »

We have great deli counters.

So true

BrokenArrows

Mister Vain wrote: »

We have great deli counters.

That really is true. Living in the London you really have to look to find a place that will make you a customized sandwich. In Ireland you're basically guaranteed to be a few minutes walk from a hot chicken fillet roll with cheese, sweet corn and butter at any time of the day and some places night.

sbsquarepants

theguzman wrote: »

There needs to be thousands of mandatory job head losses in the civil and public sector.

That's more like it.

topper75 wrote: »

We should translate that to Latin and have it written on all tricolours.

"Compescendam rabiem liberi sumus "- has a nice ring to it, but I still prefer "Angela Merkel cogitat enim laboramus":D

What's the best thing about Ireland? - Redheads, lots and lots of sexy redheads.
Gotta be worth swapping 2 or 3 months of sunshine for in my book.

Among my favorites are the type that are totally perplexed that the likes of big tec and media companies are here or the Microsoft announcement because in their world Dublin is a kip or it's all explained by some conspiracy theory.

LLewellen Farquarson

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

I renewed my Driving Licence this morning online. It took ten minutes and will be in the post in 3 to 5 days. I think that's fantastic.
.

My E111 health card expired in 2015.
I went on line and with just the card number and RSI number, I had it renewed in 2 minutes. It arrived 2 days later.

facehugger99

Most dangerous animal - the Cow.

Foggy Jew

Even our grumpy people are positively sweet compared to our Eastern European neighbours,

RoboRat

The community spirit
You can walk into most pubs and strike up a conversation with someone
No really dangerous animals
Safe schools
Decent education system
Very little gun crime
We have the GAA, whilst it has it's faults, is a fantastic organisation that gels the community together
The types of cuisine available in Ireland is much better nowadays
Great selection of beers in a lot of pubs now - not the usual ****e
Best crisps in the world

granturismo

elefant wrote: »

I have a Dutch friend who loves Ireland, and in particular the small villages and towns in rural Ireland. He loves it to the extent that he took a year off work, and went to live in a small village in Leitrim.

...

Is our social welfare system financing his gap year?

sbsquarepants

One truly great thing about Ireland is you can sit down beside a complete stranger and talk to them, whether on bench in a park, or in a pub, just resting your weary bones in a shopping centre - wherever (well not a library I suppose) and they don't automatically assume you're a serial killer / rapist / escaped lunatic and at best get up and leave or at worst mace you or shoot you.

They just talk generic shíte back and then you both get on with your day.

That's priceless and it's something we very much take for granted.

jmayo

Deleted User wrote: »

The begrudgery stems from those who are rooted to their parish, and fearful of the wider world.

Ireland has a fair few faults, one being that we put up with shyte that would nearly force other peoples to go out lynching someone, usually our politicians and state employees.
Look at the amount of shyte we put up with.

Then again that has a positive in that we are indeed friendly and relaxed.

As for the always trotted out parish reference, I can personally show you some far more backward and inward looking places in a fair few other Western world countries.

Go off the tourist trails in the following countries: Britain, France, Spain, Norway, US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and by god you can find some very weird places that time has forgotten and could well be out of a scene from The League of Gentlemen.

We are definitely not the worst.

Johnnio13

sbsquarepants wrote: »

One truly great thing about Ireland is you can sit down beside a complete stranger and talk to them, whether on bench in a park, or in a pub, just resting your weary bones in a shopping centre - wherever (well not a library I suppose) and they don't automatically assume you're a serial killer / rapist / escaped lunatic and at best get up and leave or at worst mace you or shoot you.

They just talk generic shíte back and then you both get on with your day.

That's priceless and it's something we very much take for granted.

SBSP, This is a dying art. Now everyone is stuck in their phones. If you tried talking to someone stuck in their phone they just tut and walk away. A community of loners will replace what we have now.

Ireland should be proud of good bar-tenders. That can serve more than one pint and one customer at a time. This is also a dying art. Flabbergasted that this is not basic training. It was when I worked the bar game.

Bigbagofcans

RoboRat wrote: »

Best crisps in the world

Oh yes. How lucky are we to have such a variety of great tasting crisps:

Tayto, Chickatees, Hot Lips, Monster Munch, Meanies, Hunky Dorys, to name but a few. RIP Banshee Bones.

Cina

One of the world's best countries to live in. Live here and you're likely better off than 80-90% of the planet.

Sure we have our problems but I'd prefer to be complaining about dole scroungers than a lack of clean water or food!

Ush1

I recently renewed my passport online and it was very quick and painless. Impressed.

Omackeral

We're not overrun with

*******

yet.

Cina

Omackeral wrote: »

We're not overrun with

*******

yet.

Squirrels??

RoboRat

Deleted User wrote: »

Asterisks?

Don't forget about obelix

Baggly

Ah sure we are grand like.

ohnonotgmail

Johnnio13 wrote: »

SBSP, This is a dying art. Now everyone is stuck in their phones. If you tried talking to someone stuck in their phone they just tut and walk away. A community of loners will replace what we have now.

Ireland should be proud of good bar-tenders. That can serve more than one pint and one customer at a time. This is also a dying art. Flabbergasted that this is not basic training. It was when I worked the bar game.

You dont realise how good they are until you go abroad. Ordering a round of drinks in an english pub can be a painful experience.

Bigbagofcans

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

You dont realise how good they are until you go abroad. Ordering a round of drinks in an english pub can be a painful experience.

Not to mention the tiny measures of spirits.

Grayson

We're very green. I mean the colour of the countryside. I remember one sunny summers day being almost blinded by how green we are. It's just dazzling on a day like that. And that's a good thing btw, I'm not complaining

We're a very friendly, welcoming country. There's some racism but in general we're very good and don't care where someones from so long as they are sound and don't badmouth cheese and onion crisps.
I have foreign friends who are just amazed that when you go out for a night you end up talking to random strangers.

Grayson

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

You dont realise how good they are until you go abroad. Ordering a round of drinks in an english pub can be a painful experience.

Ordering rounds here confuses the crap out of foreigners sometimes.

Baggly

Grayson wrote: »

We're very green. I mean the colour of the countryside. I remember one sunny summers day being almost blinded by how green we are. It's just dazzling on a day like that. And that's a good thing btw, I'm not complaining

We're a very friendly, welcoming country. There's some racism but in general we're very good and don't care where someones from so long as they are sound and don't badmouth cheese and onion crisps.
I have foreign friends who are just amazed that when you go out for a night you end up talking to random strangers.

Yep the algae will do that alright.

King of Kings

Our dairy products, our rasher and sausages

Cant beat them.

Winty

Death

No one does death better than the Irish.

People come along to support the family and show great community spirit.

In London a person will die and only the very close family with attend the funeral.

I love that about the Irish.

ohnonotgmail

Bigbagofcans wrote: »

Not to mention the tiny measures of spirits.

they would barely wet your lips.

Boom_Bap

Fair play to Ireland for having daylight savings.

patmahe

We live in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth if we'd only stop to look.

patmahe

patmahe wrote: »

We live in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth if we'd only stop to look.

Stop you will only be annoying the cynics.

gibgodsman

Foreign people over here are generally pleasant people to talk to and there is no real issues with crime or racism unlike our neighbors over the pond in England. Just reading the other day about 2 teenagers stabbed to death for no reason by other teenagers of African decent.... I am glad I do not have to worry about something like that over here.

mad muffin

God giveth and god taketh away.

On one hand we have Leo Varadkar. But on the other hand we have Leo Varadkar…