Culturally is Ireland any different to the UK ?

wexfordia · 06-09-2011 09:30PM #1

I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

x in the city · 06-09-2011 09:31PM

apart from posh accents, and different food stuffs not really.

siobherz · 06-09-2011 09:32PM

i've lived in both and there are only a few, i notice irish women make more of an effort when theyre out

and the humour is pretty different in some ways but apart from that it's mainly similarities

06-09-2011 09:32PM

wexfordia wrote: »

I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

Apart from the class system that's ingrained in British society,no.

pragmatic1 · 06-09-2011 09:33PM

We're very similar but there are loads of differences. Even the way English people converse with eachother is different to here.

The House Of Wolves · 06-09-2011 09:34PM

The only thing really is the humor, and the whole "my uncles neighbour's sister knows so-and-so too" thing. I don't think Britain has that, really.

policarp · 06-09-2011 09:35PM

Culchieally quite different. . .

hondasam · 06-09-2011 09:36PM

Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

siobherz · 06-09-2011 09:36PM

Adelyn Uneven Pavilion wrote: »

Apart from the class system that's ingrained in British society,no.

to be honest that's not really thought of anymore over there, not with working and middle classes anyways, i wouldnt say that's a big difference between here and there nowadays

Superbus · 06-09-2011 09:37PM

They have all that rock and roll and young people.

KeithAFC · 06-09-2011 09:38PM

hondasam wrote: »

Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

Aye right.

DjFlin · 06-09-2011 09:39PM

There are a lot of similarities yes, but also a lot of differences. Certainly we may seem identical through the eyes of another nation. Take Germany and Austria for example, to me, they've pretty much got the same culture, but I'm sure a German/Austrian could explain their differences.

catchup · 06-09-2011 09:39PM

wexfordia wrote: »

I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

I wonder have you lived in GB? I have and found it quite different. Not better, not worse, just culturally different.

I saw the same when I lived in countries where english is not the first language. But there I expect to see differences. It takes a while in GB to realise we are not the same!

Kevin Duffy · 06-09-2011 09:39PM

Having lived in both, yes, they're hugely different in so many ways.

Ouchette · 06-09-2011 09:40PM

Yeah, I think there's quite a lot of difference.

The UK's way less religious, for one.

Also, I think snobbery works differently. More keeping up with the Jones's in Ireland in my experience, and people being ashamed to shop in cheap places like charity shops. In England, I often hear quite wealthy people proudly telling everyonewhat a bargain they found in the charity shop/TK maxx/Aldi. Never once heard that in Ireland.

fontanalis · 06-09-2011 09:41PM

hondasam wrote: »

Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

A certain Joe Duffy would disagree with you.

Saruman · 06-09-2011 09:41PM

hondasam wrote: »

Having lived in both countries Uk is nothing like Ireland.
we are much friendlier for a start. We don't complain half as much as they do.

Wait, complaining is Ireland's number one pastime, it must be depressing in the UK then.

There are more similarities than differences I would say. Sure we don't even support our own football teams, we support theirs. Do people in France or Italy support British teams (assuming they are not British themselves)?

mike65 · 06-09-2011 09:43PM

Yes its culturally different, no-one ever started a thread on a UK board asking

"Culturally is the UK any different to Ireland?"

Eric Cartman · 06-09-2011 09:44PM

the muslims havent taken over half of our capitol, a girl pregnant at 12 is still shocking and we still cant get special brew here

4leto · 06-09-2011 09:44PM

wexfordia wrote: »

I don't really see too many differences between Ireland and Britain. We read the same newspapers and watch the same sort of tv shows. There is very much a pub culture too. Sadly we play football in the exact same way ! Your thoughts ??

F***** sadly is tragically right.

The only minor difference I noticed is family, for most here we tend to keep in touch with family and extended family. I was surprised that is not the case in a lot of Brits I met while living there. It was usually weddings and funerals only and only for immediate family.

We took that family thing to wherever we emigrated to which is the reason there is an Irish quarter everywhere.

dlofnep · 06-09-2011 09:45PM

Britain isn't even culturally the same. Scotland is vastly different to England.

ejmaztec · 06-09-2011 09:45PM

Ouchette wrote: »

Yeah, I think there's quite a lot of difference.

The UK's way less religious, for one.

Also, I think snobbery works differently. More keeping up with the Jones's in Ireland in my experience, and people being ashamed to shop in cheap places like charity shops. In England, I often hear quite wealthy people proudly telling everyonewhat a bargain they found in the charity shop/TK maxx/Aldi. Never once heard that in Ireland.

Many people here seem to be going round to their way of thinking on that one.

BBDBB · 06-09-2011 09:46PM

very different cultures, very different attitudes to life, death, work and socialising

Dangerous Man · 06-09-2011 09:47PM

Night and day. Anytime I visit England or the UK for that matter I'm taken aback at how different we are to them. Not necessarily in a bad way and it has nothing to do with superiority / inferiority - we're just very different.

Musicman2006 · 06-09-2011 09:49PM

The only difference is you cant get Worcester sauce flavour crisps here. Other than that - identical.

wexfordia · 06-09-2011 09:53PM

catchup wrote: »

I wonder have you lived in GB? I have and found it quite different. Not better, not worse, just culturally different.

I saw the same when I lived in countries where english is not the first language. But there I expect to see differences. It takes a while in GB to realise we are not the same!

No I have never lived in the UK catchup. My perception has long been that we are very similar to them but maybe I'm wrong !

fontanalis · 06-09-2011 09:53PM

Like the t-shirt says same same but different

Ouchette · 06-09-2011 09:59PM

ejmaztec wrote: »

Many people here seem to be going round to their way of thinking on that one.

There's a loooong way to go before the 2 are even close, at least compared to England. Obviously Northern Ireland and bits of Scotland are different. It's still culture-shock different (or was for me, anyway.)

Anyway, here's another one. When good LC results come out, Ireland is pleased. When UK gets record GCSEs, everyone moans about how much the exams must have been dumbed down and how different it was when they were at school. Not sure what that's symptomatic of, but it's more than just complaining. Irish people do seem to be able to be happy for their country though, which is something the English rarely seem to be.

Chuck Stone · 06-09-2011 10:05PM

First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

Good luck with that.

fontanalis · 06-09-2011 10:07PM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

First we'd have to define what UK culture is.

Good luck with that.

And irish culture!

Chuck Stone · 06-09-2011 10:09PM

fontanalis wrote: »

And irish culture!

Probably a hell of a lot easier because we're more homogeneous.

Culturally is Ireland any different to the UK ?

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