Lapin wrote: » No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them. My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now.
WakeUp wrote: » We our known around the world for our stunning landscapes and the warmth of our people. gimme a rugged wild ancient Atlantic coastline and such along with a pint and a session in one of the many taverns throughout the land over a concrete opera house in Sydney and the whatever in Bilbao. any day of the week. we win as far as Im concerned. whooya for nato though. lets buy tanks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3VwANi674
Lapin wrote: » Every country has its tourist videos. We have green fields and sheep in abundance, Wow !!! Fuck that like. Showing a few yanks pictures of green fields doesn't cut it. What about those of us who live here? Why can't we point to someting to be proud of and built since 1922 and and say - This is us? Something original - unique to us - and recognisible the world over ? We have the talent to do it. And the space.
Lapin wrote: » Apart from a few dreamers winning Nobel Prizes for Literature and the odd medal in the Olympics , what have we achieved? Two Grand slams in the 100+ years of the 5/6 Nations. Eurovision wins - Wow ! A few rock stars that hang out with Tony Blair and Bill Clinton and Oama for mutual ego building purposes. Have we any architectural landmark buildings that anyone anywhere can point to and say 'Thats Ireland' in the same way that our nearst neighbours can do about any amount of structures in their capital city alone'? We have nothing that says 'Ireland' in the same way that an image of the Sydney Opera House says Australia or the bravery of the Guggenheim in Bilbao exert themselves as landmarks. Architecture is only one example. We have nothing to show for ourselves after 90 years as a nation in many other areas. No defence force. - Our Army, Navy and Air Corps deserve better. They do a great job but by and large, our successive governments don't dive a fuck about them. My suggestion - Abolish our charade of meaningless neutrality and join NATO now. Infrastructure - From day one we have begged, srounged and prostituted our dignity before our European partners with the con of optaining funding for our bad roads, railways and cargo terminals in our ports etc. What did we do with it? Our town centres are being boarded up as people flock to the German and British stores on the edge of town. Ireland as a nation has fuckall to show for itself. Apart from a few trinkets .
In 1924-25 the new Irish Free State's Minister for Industry and Commerce Patrick McGilligan commissioned the engineer Dr. Thomas McLoughlin to submit proposals. Dr McLoughlin had started working for Siemens-Schuckert, a large German engineering firm, in late 1922, and produced a scheme that would cost £5.2m. This caused considerable political controversy as the new state's entire budget in 1925 was £25m, but it was accepted. The Siemens report drew on earlier hydrological work of John Chaloner-Smith, an engineer with the Commissioners of Public Works. The Shannon Scheme was officially opened at Parteen Weir on 22 July 1929. One of the largest engineering projects of its day, it served as a model for large-scale electrification projects worldwide. Operated by the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, it had an immediate impact on the social, economic and industrial development of Ireland. By 1935, it was producing 80 per cent of Ireland's electricity. It continues to supply significant power in the 21st century. In 2002, on the 75th anniversary of the plant, its historic status was recognised by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, in partnership with the American Society of Civil Engineers, who marked the facility as an Engineering Milestone of the 20th century.
In 1927, the ESB was established and took control of the scheme and electricity supply and generation generally. At the time, it was the largest hydroelectric station in the world, though this was soon superseded by the Hoover Dam, which commenced construction in 1930.
Mint Aero wrote: » I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.
Mint Aero wrote: » We can't win the architecture prize. They're villages in England more aweinspiring than what our entire cities put together offer. We've a good mix of landscape over a small distance, compact and easily travelled. We're tax haven whores for multi nationals. We love IT but IT is bolox and will be relatively short lived. We're not friendly. At all. We're self centred backward people for the most part. Biggest achievements last decade, couple of medals for boxing in the olympics and a grand slam....wow we've really conquered the world eh. Our food is sh*t. What is our food anyway anymore?? Fcuk knows. Irish beef Irish chicken bolox is all I hear. Have never came across a decent place for a bit of decent grub. There is no peace in the North from what I see. It's unresolved ongoing conflict. Good Irish film, tv series last decade anyone? Mrs. Brownes boys and that other thing....dublin scummers feud drugs programme, can't remember the name, forgettable sh*te...ah love/hate that was it. Good Irish book/art/play achieving consistent international acclaim last decade anyone? Nah. Good Irish pub anyone? That doesn't just stock your typical bud, heino, miller piss. Anyone from costal counties ever bother visiting anywhere or anything in the midlands ever for anything really? Worth a return trip? Thought not. Education? The LC, yes lets vaguely remember some facts about a dozen or so subjects that for the most part bear no relevance on anyones life again. Basically don't be thick at Maths and you'll be set for getting into college. History? Why bother, when you can see half the numpties on AH (hopefully not an accurate depiction of Ireland) praise and bend over arse to Mandela and then be all like oh that Gerry Adams grrrrr rte and miriam don't like him. Everything that's wrong with ireland. Village idiots and the gaaaaaaa for one. Parish pump politics. I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.
MultiUmm wrote: » I think the phrase "there's no pleasing some people" is particularly true for some posters itt. Instead of sitting on your arsé whinging about all these problems you have with the country behind a keyboard why don't you go out and make a difference? Even if you try to tackle just one or two of these problems that you perceive would it not be more fulfilling than writing an excessively long, negative list about them? I don't know, it must be tiring to be so consistently bleak and moody all the time. :pac:
MultiUmm wrote: » So OP values a nations worth based off its architecture and the state of its military forces? What a ridiculous and silly notion. We have a rich heritage and culture and bítch all you like but Ireland is not a terrible place to live and we are by no means paupers. I hate this pessimism and self loathing that some Irish people are prone to, it seems to have permeated through some peoples mindset since the recession began a few years ago. The up and coming generation has the potential to make this country great, better than great even. I'm not saying Ireland's perfect but we can learn from the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them. Attitudes like the one OP has have no place in this future.
Mint Aero wrote: » Nah I left, sozzles.
Lapin wrote: » Attitudes like the mine have every place in this future. If we all had complacent attitudes like yours there would be no future at all. I challenge - You dismiss my challenge as pessimism. I accept that I carry an element of self loathing here in relation to Ireland. In fact, that is the whole crux of this thread. We as a nation seem happy to quote Yeats, Joyce and others and show videaos of rugged cliffs while the rest of the world is building metros, airports, and sanititiaton. I'm sick to the teeth of being told this country can't afford to rub two ha/pennies together while seeing places like Romania, Bulgaria etc develop modern transport links that will serve their economies in decades to come. Bucharest has developed one of the best and most modern underground metro networks in Europe since Romania's accession to the EU. Meanwhile, Dublin has two laid tram lines (one of them relaid on a pre-existing route). And they don't even meet. My original post was nothing to do with pessimism. Quite the reverse. It was an expression of interest and an observation on the lack of ambitition being expressed in this country right now. I ask anyone to prove me wrong.
MultiUmm wrote: » What are you on about? Who in their right mind points to a building and says this is us?
MultiUmm wrote: » If I go to New York and a New Yorker points at the empire state building and says 'this is us' I would say no, that is not you as a collective people, that is a building. Sure, it's a distinctive building but it's not the essence of the city, it's not like the only reason to remember and go to New York for.
MultiUmm wrote: » What's your obsession with buildings about? Its the people that define a place, a nation, not some stupid skyscrapers. If that was the case Dubai and Pyongyang would be the pinnacle of modern civilization.
amkin25 wrote: » You could possibly take it as a positive,but basically the reason we never build anything is the cost of labour here,
Mint Aero wrote: » We can't win the architecture prize. They're villages in England more aweinspiring than what our entire cities put together offer. We've a good mix of landscape over a small distance, compact and easily travelled. We're tax haven whores for multi nationals. We love IT but IT is bolox and will be relatively short lived. If you say so. We're not friendly. At all. We're self centred backward people for the most part. Speak for yourself. I consider Irish people to be broadly friendly and usually with a good sense of humour which seems to be the widely held opinion across the world. Biggest achievements last decade, couple of medals for boxing in the olympics and a grand slam....wow we've really conquered the world eh.8 golf majors since 2007. Too many Heineken Cups to count. GAA, not withstanding any flaws is an incredible organisation. Don't think there is anything else in the world to rival it, an amateur sport with an 80,000 seater stadium and multiple 30,000+ stadiums across the country. Our food is sh*t. What is our food anyway anymore?? Fcuk knows. Irish beef Irish chicken bolox is all I hear. Have never came across a decent place for a bit of decent grub.All Irish food is 'sh*t', hmm that seems like a reasonable opinion. :rolleyes: There is no peace in the North from what I see. It's unresolved ongoing conflict.You need to look closer. It's vastly improved with some work still to be done. Compare it to similar situations which existed thirty years too eg. Israel/Palestine and it's obvious how much progress has been made. Good Irish film, tv series last decade anyone? Mrs. Brownes boys and that other thing....dublin scummers feud drugs programme, can't remember the name, forgettable sh*te...ah love/hate that was it.MBB is awful imo but whatever floats your boat.The wind that shakes the Barley won the Palme d'Or and critical acclaim. Oscar nominated In Bruges and The Guard likewise received widespread critical acclaim. The Secret of Kells received oscar nominations. The Summit is an excellent documentary and was recognised accordingly. Good Irish book/art/play achieving consistent international acclaim last decade anyone? Nah.Books: Let the Great world spin by Colum McCann. The Sea by John Banville. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. Plays: The Pillowman by Martin Mcdonagh. Dolly's West Kitchen by Frank McGuinness. I don't know anything about art but given how uninformed your comments re: Irish literature and theatre were, it seems a reasonable bet the same is true for your view of Irish art. Good Irish pub anyone? That doesn't just stock your typical bud, heino, miller piss.As opposed to where? Pubs are a commercial enterprise, when there is a gap in the market for bars serving craft beers they appear, when there's not they don't. It's the same in every country. It's such a subjective issue anyway that it's not even fit for debate. Anyone from costal counties ever bother visiting anywhere or anything in the midlands ever for anything really? Worth a return trip? Thought not.Newgrange is one example for you, such a dumb comment that I'm not even going to bother making a list. Education? The LC, yes lets vaguely remember some facts about a dozen or so subjects that for the most part bear no relevance on anyones life again. Basically don't be thick at Maths and you'll be set for getting into college.Consistently ranked in the top ten countries worldwide for education. Most recent example to my knowledge - http://thelearningcurve.pearson.com/index/index-ranking History? Why bother, when you can see half the numpties on AH (hopefully not an accurate depiction of Ireland) praise and bend over arse to Mandela and then be all like oh that Gerry Adams grrrrr rte and miriam don't like him.I can believe you didn't bother with it anyway. Everything that's wrong with ireland. Village idiots and the gaaaaaaa for one. Parish pump politics.You must haven't bothered with maths either, I think you'll find village idiots and gaa would be two. I'm actually bored writing this, it's depressing me. I could be here all night otherwise.Spouting more nonsense?
magentis wrote: » Fcuk off somewhere else if it's not good enough for you.
Every souvinier and postcard seller on every street corner from Picadilly Circus to the Taj Mahal. And behind them, the waiters trying to earn extra commission by enticing you in for traditional Vindaloo in the West End or traditional Fish n'Chips in Agra.
The Empire State may be just a building. So is the Eiffell Tower. Do you associate the Eiffell Tower with New York? What city springs to ming when you invisage the clock tower containing Big Ben? Just a building of cousre. How about the Collesseum in Prague, or the Kremlin in Birmingham??? Dublin (and Ireland) deserves better. I used to think we had the imagination to do things, but we lacked the balls. But in recent years, I think a lot of our imaginative ones have lost both their imagination - and whatever balls they never discovered.
All Architecture shapes us. All Good architecture makes us.
Shakespeare's Sister wrote: » Wow, will some Irish people ever get over the self flagellation craze and stop dissecting how this country appears to the rest of the world, much of which doesn't even know about it? It's a small country - never had much clout economically/politically. It's not on a par with America, Britain, France or Germany. Same with lots of countries. I wonder are chunks of their population so self flagellating though. Iceland and Estonia - why don't you have architectural landmarks and well known sh-t damn you?!
Your Face wrote: » Ireland - Always the poor mouth -and nothing to show for itself. Is that Ireland or you, OP?
