Culturally is Ireland any different to the UK ?

Sir Niggalot · 06-09-2011 11:24PM

There's definitely less incest and general ugliness here in the UK.

Greentopia · 06-09-2011 11:26PM

Ouchette wrote: »

The UK's way less religious, for one.

Definitely although I can see that changing here too. Even 10 years ago nobody would come out here as being atheist or agnostic (or very few anyway) whereas now lots more do-you can see it on boards.

Although I know it's not very representitive of religiousity levels in Irish society. We're becoming more secular and tolerant of people of other beliefs (and none) as a nation, so more pluralistic too.

Ouchette wrote: »

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.

I agree but I love charity shops and getting a bargain and I'm Irish but I guess I'm atypical in my shopping habits to many here anyway.
I never feel ashamed in shopping in charity shops. Quite the opposite.

The English middle and upper classes often eschew status symbols like massive plasma TV's, flashy motors of a certain kind, obvious designer goods (with labels plastered all over them), flashy gold jewellry... basically anything that they associate with a working class or 'underclass' identity and culture and see as being tacky boorish and 'chav'.

Irish people even wealthy middle class ones seem to love kitting themselves and their new homes out in the latest, blingiest most nouveau riche way to display their wealth.
I guess we haven't had money long enough yet to feel comfortable with it perhaps. Or we're just declasse

Irish people go more for brand new homes too when they buy a property whereas the British will favour period homes and be willing to pay a premium for a listed property.

bayern282 wrote: »

There are more individualistic / eccentric types of people in England that you don't get here, you can't really ...

Indeed. Irish people in general are deeply conservative and conformist. It's one of the things I don't like about the country-(there as plenty more I do like though

)

If you're seen to be at all different here and step outside cultural norms whether it's how you look, your lifestyle, views or beliefs you're seen by many as odd, weird and subject to ridicule. I despise that kind of narrow mindedness, ignorance and insular thinking.

Helix · 06-09-2011 11:27PM

lived in both and theyre much the same tbh

Kevin Duffy · 06-09-2011 11:28PM

westendgirlie wrote: »

Bleedin ell we're way diff aint we innit bruv? Cos Paddys is fick an caun't speak proper wot like we can geezah. Borrow me a quid mate

FYP :pac:

hondasam · 06-09-2011 11:32PM

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Of course.

They love mushie peas, gravy and chips from the chipper while we prefer chips, cheese and garlic.

I miss the gravy and chips, not the mushie peas.

pragmatic1 · 06-09-2011 11:39PM

teol wrote: »

Tiocfaidh Átha Cliath Lá :pac:

I think the community spirit in rural England is much better than ours. Also I like their beer garden culture.

I'd say the opposite is true.

stanley 2 · 06-09-2011 11:48PM

hondasam wrote: »

I miss the gravy and chips, not the mushie peas.

75 percent off crisps sold in UK are salt and vinegar
75 percent off crisps sold in Republic are chesse and onion
thats the big diference

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 06-09-2011 11:50PM

stanley 2 wrote: »

75 percent off crisps sold in UK are salt and vinegar
75 percent off crisps sold in Republic are chesse and onion
thats the big diference

That sounds like a good offer. Are these on Tayto or Walkers?

Chuck Stone · 06-09-2011 11:51PM

LondonIrish90 wrote: »

Britain has probably had more of a cultural impact on the world than any other nation.

Much of it delivered at gun-point it has to be said.

From literature - shakespeare, dickens, chaucer, austen, hardy, keats, conan doyle etc to theatre, music, film, and art.

Agreed.

From sport - football (the oldest clubs and leagues in the world, the oldest international derby)

Football isn't really a 'British' sport. People have been playing versions of football for centuries. I think it would be more accurate to say that football was rationalized in England.

rugby (enough said)

Great game - love watching it.

and cricket (Lords - the home of cricket, the ashes), and of course wimbledon.

New academic research claims cricket is not English, but was imported by immigrants from northern Belgium.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7919429.stm

From the royal wedding to remembrance day, the military tattoo to the trooping of the colour.

No comment.

From the proms - Rule Britannia, Land of hope and glory, jerusalem,

No comment.

to the beatles, the rolling stones, the who etc
Film - From bond, Hitchcock, to harry potter.

Fair play.

TV, Fawlty Towers, to only fools, from monty python to Dr Who.

Some great comedy it has to be said.

Science and technology - darwin, newton, the spinning jenny, stephenson, brunel, watt etc.

Absolutely incredible technology and industrial heritage in Britian no doubt. Something that I personally admire and tip my hat to.

Exploration and military prestige - nelson, wellington, raleigh, drake, cook, livingstone etc. Trafalgar, to waterloo, to rorke's drift.

No comment.

food - from curries coming back from British India, to traditional sunday lunch, to English ales and Scotch whisky.

Hey, you can't claim curries no more than we can claim the spud. :pac:

7sr2z3fely84g5 · 06-09-2011 11:51PM

we have a reward culture of pay offs and pensions with no accountability!,in the uk the expenses scandals actually got some people jailed!.

du Maurier · 06-09-2011 11:56PM

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.

As have I, lived in the UK. This is a very true statement. But of course, a subjective view.

mikemac · 07-09-2011 12:05AM

Pints at lunchtime, what's up with that?

For all the reputation the Irish have for boozing, it's something I've never done in working in Ireland. And nobody else in my companies did it, it'd be frowned upon

But any job I've had in the UK and I'll include Belfast in that, was the done thing to get invited for pints at lunch

Blackhorse Slim · 07-09-2011 12:08AM

Dublin or Cork are quite similar to some medium-sized British cities in lots of ways, but nothing in Ireland compares to London or Birmingham - for which we should be grateful.

du Maurier · 07-09-2011 12:16AM

LondonIrish90 wrote: »

Britain has probably had more of a cultural impact on the world than any other nation.

From literature - shakespeare, dickens, chaucer, austen, hardy, keats, conan doyle etc to theatre, music, film, and art.
From sport - football (the oldest clubs and leagues in the world, the oldest international derby), rugby (enough said) and cricket (Lords - the home of cricket, the ashes), and of course wimbledon.
From the royal wedding to remembrance day, the military tattoo to the trooping of the colour. London's empirical architecture to the compact streets of Edinburgh.
Music, From the proms - Rule Britannia, Land of hope and glory, jerusalem, to the beatles, the rolling stones, the who etc
Film - From bond, Hitchcock, to harry potter.
TV, Fawlty Towers, to only fools, from monty python to Dr Who.
Science and technology - darwin, newton, the spinning jenny, stephenson, brunel, watt etc.
Exploration and military prestige - nelson, wellington, raleigh, drake, cook, livingstone etc. Trafalgar, to waterloo, to rorke's drift.
food - from curries coming back from British India, to traditional sunday lunch, to English ales and Scotch whisky.
British people have more to identify with, associate with, and be proud of than just about any other nation on earth.

Why is this coming across as a grandiloquence rather than relating it to the thread title? There are comparisons that could pale that meagre, bombast footnote.

charlemont · 07-09-2011 12:28AM

dlofnep wrote: »

Was that really necessary?

Yes, For sarcasm purposes !!

LondonIrish90 · 07-09-2011 12:41AM

du Maurier wrote: »

Why is this coming across as a grandiloquence rather than relating it to the thread title? There are comparisons that could pale that meagre, bombast footnote.

Sorry, it was in response to a poster who hadn't made the opening post.

In response to the opening question, I live in London and although as a settlement there is nothing like it in Ireland, on an individual basis I don't see much difference between myself and relatives in Dublin. From the food we eat to the sports we watch (both cousins play cricket) to the music we like and the way we spend spare time to outlooks on life (although that might be to do with parents being sisters etc). We disagree in some political discussions and life at university appears quite different at times, but aside from having different passports and accents we are fairly similar.

Greentopia · 07-09-2011 12:41AM

du Maurier wrote: »

Why is this coming across as a grandiloquence rather than relating it to the thread title? There are comparisons that could pale that meagre, bombast footnote.

Indeed. Not a word mentioned about Ireland anywhere in that post. It's simply a list of ways he thinks Britain and all things British are best.

LondonIrish90 · 07-09-2011 12:45AM

Greentopia wrote: »

Indeed. Not a word mentioned about Ireland anywhere in that post. It's simply a list of ways he thinks Britain and all things British are best.

If you actually look at the post I quoted I was actually giving examples of how it is my belief that British culture is very much in existence. It was not me showing that I think all British things are best. I'm sure if a person in a position of ignorance questioned the existence of Irish culture you would be all too happy to inform them on some of the more obvious aspects. It was not my intention to seem triumphalist and I have just addressed the initial question asked following the post from the man before you.

Greentopia · 07-09-2011 12:56AM

LondonIrish90 wrote: »

If you actually look at the post I quoted I was actually giving examples of how it is my belief that British culture is very much in existence. It was not me showing that I think all British things are best. I'm sure if a person in a position of ignorance questioned the existence of Irish culture you would be all too happy to inform them on some of the more obvious aspects. It was not my intention to seem triumphalist and I have just addressed the initial question asked following the post from the man before you.

Fair enough, but the question at hand in this thread wasn't 'Does British culture exist' (in which case your post would've been applicable as you gave examples of British culture) it was 'Is Ireland any different culturally to the U.K'.

K-9 · 07-09-2011 12:57AM

KeithAFC wrote: »

I agree with this. Although you could also Donegal too.

Care to add to that?

OPENROAD · 07-09-2011 01:12AM

deccurley wrote: »

Interesting point.

In fairness, there are a few things in that list that few outside of Britain give a toss about;

Traditional Sunday Lunch - Could vary greatly depending on where in the world you live

English Ale - You'll do well to find a pint of that stuff outside mainland Britain/Magaluf

Compact streets - Countless cities all over Europe would make Edinburgh's old town look like 5th avenue

Cricket - Hasn't exactly spread like wildfire outside of the old empire

Don't get me started about the Royal Wedding.

If any country has impacted the rest of the world culturally in a major way then its the yanks.

Bit disrespectful imo

Chuck Stone · 07-09-2011 01:17AM

Our cultures cross over quite a lot but they are not the same.

du Maurier · 07-09-2011 01:20AM

LondonIrish90 wrote: »

If you actually look at the post I quoted I was actually giving examples of how it is my belief that British culture is very much in existence. It was not me showing that I think all British things are best. I'm sure if a person in a position of ignorance questioned the existence of Irish culture you would be all too happy to inform them on some of the more obvious aspects. It was not my intention to seem triumphalist and I have just addressed the initial question asked following the post from the man before you.

Lists of achievement tend to have one and only goal, how ever they are disguised (the brassy, parvenu mammy of an apparent sophisticated background tries that on the morning run with the kids) and that may be 'triumphalist' but try to quote the 'man before you' in accordance with the thread :pac:.

Cathaoirleach · 07-09-2011 01:33AM

Our post boxes are green.

brummytom · 07-09-2011 01:47AM

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

Dublin or Cork are quite similar to some medium-sized British cities in lots of ways, but nothing in Ireland compares to London or Birmingham - for which we should be grateful.

Oi!

OPENROAD · 07-09-2011 01:54AM

brummytom wrote: »

Oi!

Indeed, he has obviously never been to London

LondonIrish90 · 07-09-2011 01:55AM

brummytom wrote: »

Oi!

I've been to Birmingham just the once, and without trying to be too offensive, it was the most grim city in Britain I have ever visited. Grey skies, grey buildings, dirty, depressed looking people etc

What about it do you find attractive? (Serious question, as I said I have only been the once and will most likely have missed huge amounts of what it has to offer).

hatrickpatrick · 07-09-2011 02:27AM

There aren't as many assholes here it would seem. The fact that Brits have such an incredible reputation for violence at football matches and hooliganism at holiday resorts astounds me sometimes.

I know the Irish have a reputation for causing a lot of drink related mischief, but we don't have nearly as much of a reputation for starting violent rows and fights abroad as crowds of English people seem to.

OPENROAD · 07-09-2011 02:31AM

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

There aren't as many assholes here it would seem. The fact that Brits have such an incredible reputation for violence at football matches and hooliganism at holiday resorts astounds me sometimes.

I know the Irish have a reputation for causing a lot of drink related mischief, but we don't have nearly as much of a reputation for starting violent rows and fights abroad as crowds of English people seem to.

In over 10 years of going to matches regularly I have yet to see any trouble, actually quite the opposite in fact.

hatrickpatrick · 07-09-2011 02:32AM

To clarify my above statement, yes you are likely to find places described as chaotic and unpleasantly rowdy due to Irish drunks.
But rarely am I ever told that a place is DANGEROUS because it's frequented by Irish youths. I often hear "stay away from there, it's full of English football crowds who will stab/mug you".

Culturally is Ireland any different to the UK ?

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