A concept of irishness

Excelsior

As we are all back at work or college after our national holiday I was wondering what people felt about being irish?

A large number of people around Dublin on Saturday seemed to think that Irishness consisted of wearing a Celtic shirt (a Scottish team playing an English game?) and shouting loudly about some drunken crap.

In Germany the President has gotten into trouble for saying that he didn't feel proud to be German. He felt happy that he was born there, and thankful for the opportunities that had offered him, but he could never muster anything close to pride about his nationhood.
Conservatives in Germany are threatening to impeach the guy for the statements.

So do people feel proud to be Irish?
Or do they agree with Germany's President?
Or do they think it doesn't make much difference at all whether you are born in Zambia, France or Ireland?

Megatron

I wouldn't call it pride, well atleast while im in the country, i'mhappy being who i am, me being irish is part of it. but once you leave the emerald Isle, i don't think i'm alone here, but you are much more aware of your irishness ! and will challange anyone doubting your irishness.


as for the german pres, well he has just commited political harry-carry, def a case of speaking before the brain could stop itself.

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No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands

Canaboid

I am proud of our nationality, culture and heritage.

Excelsior

but can you really be proud of something like nationhood.
seeing as you tend to be proud of that which you yourself have achieved. and you didn't achieve the nationhood. or at least i presume you didn't

Panda

Ireland is great. nuff said...

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Aka: Dragon,Sexual Harassment Panda

TwoShedsJackson

I'm happy to be Irish insofar as I'm glad I wasn't born in poverty in Bangladesh or some other hellhole.

The way this country is run at present is nothing to be proud of, injustice is manifest throughout the entire system.

On the other hand nowhere is ideal, what we really need in Ireland is a brutal police state with me in charge

Excelsior

Castor, I would be fairly happy with that.
As long as I could hold a position in your brutal police state responsible for reactionary opinions.

TwoShedsJackson

I'm afraid 'opinions' are illegal in my vision of the future. You would make an ideal man for helping stamp them out Excelsior - consider yourself Head of the Secret Police.

Excelsior

I will ready myself to leave a light on in my office and get a crony to sit in my sit so that passer-bys on the street will think I work late in the night.

Meanwhile I will in fact be indulging in my two new favourite hobbies that I have to undertake in this position:
Enjoying expensive Prostitutes
Learning how to swing bags of doorknobs at liberals and communists and everyone else.

azezil

hey whats wrong with communists!
its an excellent theory!

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"just because ur not paraniod, doesn't mean they're not after u!"

azezil

i think they're should be a law passed to allow ppl to beat the sh!t out of stupid ppl! hey castor *cough* sugar *cough* include that in ur bill!!!

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"just because ur not paraniod, doesn't mean they're not after u!"

Coyote

Hey castors can I be the Commander General of the army. So I can wear a cool outfit and go around the world buying large rockets from the Chinese, and buy loads of MIG 29’s
and i can help put down the rebels when they try to over turn your goverment.

Coyote
Commander General of the army

Bob the Unlucky Octopus

I'd like to apply to be your *ahem* press secretary Castor. Of course they won't actually *be* any press as such...but you need someone to supervise the propaganda leaflets, posters, radio talk-shows, etc. These will inevitably feature an extremely bad portrait of you in a general's uniform, a bad haircut(cunningly concealed by the uniform hat), and, ideally, a mustache/beard/mutton-chop side-burns. Even if you don't have these facial features-no problem! We could always draw them in! Appropriate slogans would be designed obviously...and the movie Face-off would be banned to the public (available to you of course), because a main character's name mimicks that of "our beloved leader".

I'd also be a willing participant in the PR spin-doctoring required to convince the world that you aren't laundering money, fostering the drug trade, encouraging prostitution, or invading a random neighbor(we don't call it *invasion*...we're correcting a colonial injustice- this would never have happened if your great-great grand-fathers hadn't despoiled our beautiful countries...blah blah)

As for the other obscenities...officially they don't take place. I shall choke the information out of the people, filter it, and give it to you. Or if I'm feeling lazy, just tell you what you want to hear. After a while, that's all I'd need to do anyway-then after you become complacent, Coyote will usurp your throne with a military coup, and I'll do the same job for him. Dictators come and go, but PR spin-doctors are forever!! Bwahahahaa!!

Bob the Unlucky Octopus
=Errarre Humanum Est=

azezil

i like ireland alot, so yes i am proud to be irish!

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"just because ur not paraniod, doesn't mean they're not after u!"

Blitzkrieger

I'm proud of who I am and part of that is being Irish, but I look around at some of the ****ers around here.....

Those over-nationistic (probably not a word ) guys just weird me out. Not everything is worth keeping just because it's part of our culture.

When I'm abroad though I usually try to make it clear I'm Irish or else people would think I'm English People on the continenthate the english

Megatron

now this is where i draw the line ....
well i don't but if i could draw on these boards i would, Castory I shall be a rebel leader one day, and you had better stay, cus i wan't you to pay, and lynch you by the ..... bay ???!!!!

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No !!!!! I will crush you with my Bare hands

darthmise

I think that pride in ones nationality is a dangerous thing. It draws a line between me and someone else that doesn't need to be there.
It is the fuel for hatred.

Manach

1/ "My country is Kiltartin's Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartin's poor"
- Yeats.

2/ Is the position of your Court Jester filled? I come with my own costume.

Shiminay

So long as I can be cheif of Pornography, I'll be a happy bunny

Anyway, back on track - being Irish is cool as we get a lot more advantages than others - a cheap (not really free) education, quite a good number of jobs, and we haven't had an outbreak of foot and mouth !

But, as Castor pointed out, the system is full of corruption and back handers etc - it's a part of a lot of Irish people's nature to be sneaky!

However, I'm proud to say I'm Irish and over all, I like the country I live in (I'd like it more with cheap broad-band, but you can't have everything).

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All the best,

Dav
@B^)

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Prepare yourself - The Beefy King stirs from his slumber...</font>

[honey i] violated [the kids]

neuro-praxis

I agree utterly with Darthmise. It has been the cause of every major war.

Chubby

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by neuro-praxis:
I agree utterly with Darthmise. It has been the cause of every major war.</font>

I’d thought the cause of most major war was just human greed and ambition. All the patriotic or religious sentiments of the people are just results of propaganda to keep the population from questioning why they are slaughtering their neighbours. People who believe in the cause also fights harder. War costs money. Unless the ruler has something to gain he/she wouldn't start a major war.

Disclaimer: was generalising of course...I am sure some of the rulers really did believe they are part of the master race and there are obviously other reasons for war.

As for pride in being Irish. The local population rugularly pi$$ and vomit on the capital city, [sarcasm]plenty of respect being shown there and something to be proud of[/sarcasm]. I believe people should show pride in what they have done or can do and not what other's have achieved. We are all part of the same race so who cares if you're Irish, English, German, Chinese, American, etc etc (okay, maybe not the Americans...)

Bob the Unlucky Octopus

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Chubby:
(okay, maybe not the Americans...)</font>

Hey! I'm American...better be careful *Chubby*...when Castor sets up his totalitarian state (see earlier in this thread), I will erase your existence from it with my powers as propaganda minister- I am also on close terms with the future head of secret police...so watch it! :P

Seriously though, most wars have been fought over identity as much as resources. All independence wars fall into this category. In terms of religious wars, governments looked to capture symbolic territory rather than land for any resource or strategic value(holy crusades, current ME situation). Idealistic value is often the driving force behind leaders as much as troops (as you yourself recognize).

Bob the Unlucky Octopus
=Veni Vidi Vici=

Chubby

You're american? I'm so sorry!! (intepret that anyway you want)

ps:you know i'm only messing right?

gandalf

Hmmm I'm very proud to be Irish but I'm not a mad aran wearing republican. CT is right about Irish society been full of injustice and double standards. All we have to look at is the behaviour of our politicans to see this, as far as I can tell they'd have to be caught riding a 5 year old to make them resign!!!!!

Oh Castor is that post as Head of Information Retrieval still available? (Guess the film )

Gandalf.

Bard

I am Irish and of Irish descent and very proud of it, the vast majority of the time.

Occasionally though there are some total and absolute human scum about who make me think twice about that pride... such as those racist morons who beat up immigrants, those ignorant idiots who chant republican slogans during songs at football matches without even having a proper understanding themselves of our own violent history ("Fields of Athenry" being the most slogan-ridden song that springs to mind), and the corrupt politicians and public figures who show such a total disregard for the public they are supposed to serve... - to name but a few!...

I suppose this happens in most countries though, and as someone who has a deep founded interest in all things Celtic and the heritage and history of the Irish, Scottish and other such nationalities, I do have a lot of pride in my own nationality, and think it's natural that anyone should. It's hard to find a comparison for standing proud at an international football or rugby match (especially against ENGLAND!), hearing that national anthem played with 30,000+ people singing along, and cheering, applauding and roaring with pride at it's end. Excellent stuff

... so yeah... bull**** aside... I'm proud to be Irish... I'd prefer it to being any other nationality any day