Have you visited Northern Ireland and if so what is your opinion of the place?

John Doe1 · 07-12-2011 01:43AM #1

and do consider it more british than irish or vice versa?

Dudess · 07-12-2011 01:45AM

I thought Belfast seemed more British. Had a brilliant time there. Thought Derry seemed more Irish. Also had a brilliant time there. Omagh - can't really remember.

TeddyTedson · 07-12-2011 01:48AM

I consider it to be Northern Ireland, I think it will never be fully part of either country the way both the Republicans and Unionists would like.
I've visited it, met and know some really sound people from it - but I find Belfast to be a bit...eerie.

Sauve · 07-12-2011 01:49AM

John Doe1 wrote: »

and do consider it more british than irish or vice versa?

Strange question, but anyways.....
I couldn't say it's more like either country, I think it's its' own wee place (no political digs there!). Some parts seem Irish, some British, but the majority is just Northern Irish...

eth0 · 07-12-2011 01:49AM

Dudess wrote: »

Omagh - can't really remember.

You were just there at the wrong time.

policarp · 07-12-2011 01:49AM

Was in Omagh last year and had great time, but was a little intimidated by all the union jacks and the kerbs painted red white and blue in some areas. . .

Terry · 07-12-2011 01:49AM

Cork city is fully of people from Cork. Not a great place to visit.
Armagh city was the same as any other large town in Ireland.

Large towns or cities are all the same.
The small towns are the ones where you encounter trouble. It doesn't matter if they are North or South.

Einhard · 07-12-2011 01:50AM

Honestly, and this will probably piss some people off, but I don't really consider it Irish. I don't really see it as british either. It's a kind of limboland.

I visitied Belfast a few years ago. the club we were in shut at 11.30pm for religious reasons. Was kinda strange. Think it was called Milk.

Turtyturd · 07-12-2011 01:50AM

Once you cross the border there is a very noticable visual change which resembles Britain more than the South of Ireland. Culturally I dunno.

cosanostra · 07-12-2011 01:50AM

The roads are better apart from that not much difference

Where To · 07-12-2011 01:51AM

I got turned away at immigration.

starviewadams · 07-12-2011 01:51AM

Have been in Belfast,Derry,Omagh and Newry,all nice places with friendly people,the roads were much better too!

The union jacks hanging off streetlights still kind of weirded me out a bit,mainly cos they're ingrained from seeing pictures of the troubles on TV as a kid!

Don't really think of it as Irish or English,it's just the north!

saywhatyousee · 07-12-2011 01:53AM

Einhard wrote: »

Honestly, and this will probably piss some people off, but I don't really consider it Irish. I don't really see it as british either. It's a kind of limboland.

I visitied Belfast a few years ago. the club we were in shut at 11.30pm for religious reasons. Was kinda strange. Think it was called Milk.

Kind of like Australia i think a weird mish mash of America/England
While the north is a mish mash of Ireland/England

starbelgrade · 07-12-2011 01:55AM

The first time I visited Belfast it was still during the Troubles. Not a great place to go to, with the army patrolling the streets with machine guns & armoured cars, being searched going into shopping centres etc.

Also was in a pub where a guy was shot in the head. Not the best of experiences.

These days however, it's a really vibrant city with great pubs, shops, restaurants & cafes. There's a really friendly vibe about the place. Great to see.

As for the question.. is it British or Irish? Does it really matter.. Nothern Ireland is what it is & arguing over what country it belongs to or is more like is what kept the Troubles going up there for so long & no-one, except the die-hard nationalist & unionist idiots wants that again.

theteal · 07-12-2011 01:57AM

the pubs are different, too many of those poxy idiotic gaming machines.

I lived just off the lisburn road for a while, I was advised to move my southern reg car out of sight on the evening of the 11th of a certain month - it didn't feel very Irish then.

other than that, Belfast is awesome, so much nicer than Dublin (probably goes without saying to some)

For Forks Sake · 07-12-2011 01:59AM

theteal wrote: »

I lived just off the lisburn road for a while, I was advised to move my southern reg car out of sight on the evening of the 11th of a certain month

Smarch?

K-9 · 07-12-2011 02:19AM

The roads aren't that much better, pretty old cliche. When you're travelling from Letterkenny or Donegal to Dublin, the North is the worst stretch.

Always found it pretty strange. City centres just close down at 5.30 but that isn't as bad as it used to be. Shopping centres don't really give you a feel of the difference in lifestyle.

Flying into Belfast airport can be odd. Most people are grand but you get the odd person giving you strange looks at your Irish passport!

pragmatic1 · 07-12-2011 02:36AM

Many times and love the place, especially Belfast. Its Irish but with a twist. Maybe what we would be like if we never left the UK.

Harder people than us southern softies though.

hondasam · 07-12-2011 02:41AM

John Doe1 wrote: »

and do consider it more british than irish or vice versa?

As soon as you cross the border you know you are in England. I cannot say I like Northern Ireland tbh.
The people are not as friendly as here.

starbelgrade · 07-12-2011 02:44AM

hondasam wrote: »

As soon as you cross the border you know you are in England.

Your geography is awful, Sam.

The Scientician · 07-12-2011 02:45AM

Family's from the north. I love it. When I was a kid it used to seem way different to the republic, but globalisation makes Irish towns look more like British towns now anyway. I do feel though West NI (aka Mid Ulster) is more Irish feeling than east NI, not that any of Northern Ireland feels like it's a really different country. I've had great times in Derry, Omagh, Dromore, Belfast, and in rural Co. Fermanagh. I hate seeing the UVF etc. flags during the summer but I've never felt less than at home "up a north" and I'd consider living there if a job opportunity that interested me arose.

Resi12 · 07-12-2011 02:45AM

hondasam wrote: »

As soon as you cross the border you know you are in England. I cannot say I like Northern Ireland tbh.
The people are not as friendly as here.

How does that work exactly?

hondasam · 07-12-2011 02:57AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Your geography is awful, Sam.

No it's not star, you know what I meant.

Resi12 wrote: »

How does that work exactly?

It's more English than Irish.
I'm not going into the long winded debate that is the North.

Cormac2791 · 07-12-2011 02:59AM

cosanostra wrote: »

The roads are better apart from that not much difference

When was your last visit? In the past 6-10 years Ireland's roads have gradually improved to being more modern than NI

Richard Hillman · 07-12-2011 03:00AM

Yes I've been there and yes it's a dive. Belfast looks like Grozny and Derry is 3rd world.

Captain Chaos · 07-12-2011 03:03AM

Have to say I love the night life in Belfast. The door staff are far better than in Dublin, they are friendly and reasonable. The place is alot cleaner than Dublin too especially after a Friday or Saturday night. The accent helps with the women too, both ways actually:D.

The only thing is the Guinness is not as nice there.

Rud · 07-12-2011 03:08AM

I was up in Newry and Belfast last year for the first time and i liked it,i didn't find a reason not to like it.There was a grand atmosphere about the place

grenache · 07-12-2011 03:19AM

Terry wrote: »

Cork city is fully of people from Cork. Not a great place to visit.

That's terrific Terry, but in what way is that relevant to the thread topic?

anniehoo · 07-12-2011 03:20AM

John Doe1 wrote: »

and do consider it more british than irish or vice versa?

Neither tbh.Im at an age where i still remember being stopped at the "border" with guys with guns, when we were kids when my parents went to Woolworths etc for the chrimbo shopping (it was verrrry cheap).But young enough to not be majorily heavily influenced by politics either way. Im ambivalent tbh.

Dudess wrote: »

I thought Belfast seemed more British. Had a brilliant time there. Thought Derry seemed more Irish. Also had a brilliant time there. Omagh - can't really remember.

Belfast seems quite "cold" to me (been a good few times). Derry is beautiful,but again,' i saw quite a lot of the British influence mixed in. It does seem like "limboland" as mentioned above. The North doesnt feel "irish" but doesnt feel "british" either. Its weird. Ive no issue...just dont think id live in any of the 6 counties if i was asked.

mackg · 07-12-2011 03:22AM

Was in Derry a good few years ago. Took a walk along the walls, was class.

Also got Rage Against the Machine's first album and Far Beyond Driven for like a fiver each, thought the place was the shit after that.

Chuck Stone · 07-12-2011 03:27AM

Einhard wrote: »

I visitied Belfast a few years ago. the club we were in shut at 11.30pm for religious reasons. Was kinda strange. Think it was called Milk.

Was out a couple of nights in Belfast and got the same impression. It feels more free in the south even with our stupid licensing laws.

Turtyturd wrote: »

Once you cross the border there is a very noticable visual change which resembles Britain more than the South of Ireland. Culturally I dunno.

That's somewhat true. More fences on the fields and less hedgerows. Until relatively recently the roads seemed tidier and more ordered back in the day.

cosanostra wrote: »

The roads are better apart from that not much difference

Nope, not true any more.

Have you visited Northern Ireland and if so what is your opinion of the place?

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