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Is Irish culture too Anglophone?

13

Comments

  • #62
    wakka12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,786 ✭✭✭wakka12


    zeffabelli wrote: »
    Ireland would be like Malta or one if those other dinky islands no one ever thinks about if it didn't speak English.

    Yay English.

    Funny you picked malta as an example..over 90% of the Maltese population speak english


  • #63
    outsidein98
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 50 ✭✭outsidein98


    garrixfan wrote: »
    Kinda response I was looking for :D Awesome The Normans though weren't really French were they? Always thought of them as Vikings who became 'French'(or whatever the concept of French was back then)
    Its so confusing, its like one migration group moves from one place and invades the other, then a couple of hundred years later their descendants, invade the place of their forefathers haha
    Damm you. I was gambling on no one spotting that detail. Yes of course, Norman = Norseman. But of course the King of England at the time was also the King of France and of course the Normans spoke French and were in the process of suppressing Anglo-Saxon culture as featured in every Robin Hood movie. But they were descendants of the Vikings. So we should hate the Danes/Norwegians/Swedes. The bastards!

    Of course given Norman culture they became English and our Vikings became Irish. The Fitzs.

    One of the problem with us Irish is that we think we know our history. In reality we don't. We were and probably still are fed a bastardised version of our history based on a post independence myth. In reality many of us Irish were loyal British subjects and played a significant part in expanding the British empire.

    Even now that continues. Look at how many Irish people are significant in British culture. The Brits, God bless them, don't even think of us a foreigners. Which I suppose we're not.

    We are anglophone as the OP says. Is it too much? Maybe, perhaps we are. Is it a bad thing? I don't think so.


  • #64
    Vomit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 512 ✭✭✭Vomit


    garrixfan wrote: »
    Interesting,
    I'm always confused as to why Scotland doesn't appear to have more relations with the likes of Scandanavia. Perhaps they do and I just don't know about it, given their relative proximity I would have thought there would be a lot of interaction.

    Well, they saw quite a bit of Viking interaction back in the day, but of course, with their proximity to England and the English-speaking world their links to Scandinavia would never be that strong. And besides, England/Scotland..just lines on a map anyway.


  • #65
    riclad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,184 ✭✭✭riclad


    A large part of our exports go to the uk,
    we speak english.
    We watch alot of uk tv, and some people follow english soccer .
    We also watch alot of us based media ,films , tv show,s .
    We are somewhere in the middle between the uk and the us .
    Our political system is very different from the english system.You might
    say a lot of young people watch youtube,use spotify , pandora, streaming service,s and maybe watch more american based programs .
    IF you have sky tv, upc tv alot of the channels are uk based .
    I don,t think its a problem ,uk tv programs sherlock,dowton abbey ,dr who are popular in the us .
    There s plenty of irish radio to listen to or irish tv to watch too.


  • #66
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    Vomit wrote: »
    Well, they saw quite a bit of Viking interaction back in the day, but of course, with their proximity to England and the English-speaking world their links to Scandinavia would never be that strong. And besides, England/Scotland..just lines on a map anyway.

    I presume some of those random Scottish islands are pretty Scandinavian.


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  • #67
    antonymin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 346 ✭✭antonymin


    garrixfan wrote: »
    I have no problem with the brits no more than I have with Norwegians(Vikings) I still don't like how much English dominates our lives. It would be a far better country if we spoke Irish! Paradoxically we would be a more open people as a result imo.

    Why don't you speak Irish, why don't the Welsh speak Welsh and the Scots speak Scottish? (Maybe I should have said Gaelic.) Why did they all decide to speak English most of the time?;)


  • #68
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    antonymin wrote: »
    Why don't you speak Irish, why don't the Welsh speak Welsh and the Scots speak Scottish? (Maybe I should have said Gaelic.) Why did they all decide to speak English most of the time?;)

    Cultural genocide? Oppression?


  • #69
    barneystinson
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,686 ✭✭✭barneystinson


    garrixfan wrote: »
    Cultural genocide? Oppression?

    Hey OP, I think this thread goes a long way to explaining your lack of success with the ladies... You're not ugly, you just bore the hole off them with the shyte you go on with...! ;)


  • #70
    melissak
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭melissak


    Candie wrote: »
    David Norris does not sound English.

    He doesn't sound Irish either though IMO. Are his parents English?


  • #71
    antonymin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 346 ✭✭antonymin


    garrixfan wrote: »
    Cultural genocide? Oppression?

    Possibly but maybe a little bit of convenience too?


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  • #72
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    antonymin wrote: »
    Possibly but maybe a little bit of convenience too?

    Look at the case of the Bretons in France, 50 years ago there were like 1 million speakers and it was a thriving language, the French government put up all sort of obstacles and today it has dwindled.

    Language is an important part of identity and it is a good thing to keep a language going, thinking that having English as our language is a good thing so you can work in google or kpmg is so short sighted!!!!!!


  • #73
    Paramite Pie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,312 ✭✭✭Paramite Pie


    outsidein98 wrote: »
    One of the problem with us Irish is that we think we know our history. In reality we don't. We were and probably still are fed a bastardised version of our history based on a post independence myth. In reality many of us Irish were loyal British subjects and played a significant part in expanding the British empire.

    The bolded part is not something to be proud of, imo. Empires are not something that should be glorified. The average Irish faced extreme hardship and economic sanctions so the Relief Acts that allowed them to join the British Army in 1793 was not only a vital pay check for impoverish men but also gave Britain a large native Irish army to crush Wolftone's rebellion in 1798.

    The Irish fell hook, line & sinker for supporting an army and government that promised them the riches of the West Indies but legally forbade them from owning property, titles or votes at home or in the colonies. They done the ground work will the Uppers took all the benefits.

    Gullible fools.


  • #74
    Junkyard Tom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,115 ✭✭✭✭Junkyard Tom


    John Doe1 wrote: »
    If it wasn't for colonialism, the country could still be some feudal backwater with people living in huts.

    Utter self-loathing bollocks.
    Candie wrote: »
    It would be a far more isolated little nation if you spoke a language that is unique and restricted to Ireland.

    Not necessarily. We'd most likely speak English just as well as our unique language - it would be a necessity.


  • #75
    osarusan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,059 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    oceanid wrote: »
    All national identity has to start with the local. How else can you define it if it's not about where someone's from, grew up etc.

    "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians." Massimo Taparelli, marquis d'Azeglio


  • #76
    antonymin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 346 ✭✭antonymin


    A lot of Europeans' second language is English and that is probably due to the 'good ol' US of A. Some of the migrants flooding into Europe speak English probably due to American influence.


  • #77
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    osarusan wrote: »
    "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians." Massimo Taparelli, marquis d'Azeglio

    Some quote. However I think being an island gives Ireland a clearer sense of identity than other countries in mainland Europe.....then I say that and we have another country on the island haha


  • #78
    osarusan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,059 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    Candie wrote: »
    Speaking English as a first language is a big advantage on the international stage, as is speaking other common lingua franca, like Chinese.
    Chinese is not, in any significant way, a lingua franca. Not at all.


  • #79
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭pedigree 6


    outsidein98 wrote: »



    One of the problem with us Irish is that we think we know our history. In reality we don't. We were and probably still are fed a bastardised version of our history based on a post independence myth. In reality many of us Irish were loyal British subjects and played a significant part in expanding the British empire.


    Wasn't the duke of wellington born in meath? He defeated napoleon and became Prime Minister. Although he publicly hated his irishness which made him popular in London.


  • #80
    Jack GrEnglish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 48 ✭Jack GrEnglish


    Ireland doesn't really have an active culture anymore when you think about it.


  • #81
    KingBrian2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,360 ✭✭✭KingBrian2


    Jack GrEnglish wrote: »
    Ireland doesn't really have an active culture anymore when you think about it.

    you don't have to be able to speak Irish to be Irish. If that was a requirement we would surely all fail at that.:(


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  • #82
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    KingBrian2 wrote: »
    you don't have to be able to speak Irish to be Irish. If that was a requirement we would surely all fail at that.:(

    We know that. Language is a huge part of a culture(how we think is influenced by the language) but even still our version of English is very influenced by Irish so its not all doom and gloom. I would say however we are at a critical juncture, having different cultures and identity is what makes the world a magical place. I don't want our future generations to live in a world where culture is basically just dictated by mass media. We owe them more than that


  • #83
    Zxclnic
    Closed Accounts Posts: 611 ✭✭✭Zxclnic


    garrixfan wrote: »
    Look at the case of the Bretons.....

    Language is an important part of identity....


    Is a language only an important part of identity if it's unique to that country?

    So speaking Lithuanian is an important part of being Lithuanian, but speaking Portuguese is not an important part of being Brazilian....that type of thing is it?

    If language is an important part of identity, then speaking English is an important part of our (Irish) identity. Full stop.


  • #84
    Jack GrEnglish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 48 ✭Jack GrEnglish


    garrixfan wrote: »
    We know that. Language is a huge part of a culture(how we think is influenced by the language) but even still our version of English is very influenced by Irish so its not all doom and gloom. I would say however we are at a critical juncture, having different cultures and identity is what makes the world a magical place. I don't want our future generations to live in a world where culture is basically just dictated by mass media. We owe them more than that

    You can want away but are powerless to stop it.


  • #85
    Vandango
    Closed Accounts Posts: 604 ✭✭✭Vandango


    KingBrian2 wrote: »
    you don't have to be able to speak Irish to be Irish. If that was a requirement we would surely all fail at that.:(

    Well that's true, especially when you consider that half the English can't even speak English.


  • #86
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    Judging by the number of people who type program on boards American cultural influence may be the most powerful now. You only have to look at the TV forum to see endless number of threads about American TV programmes, hardly any about British ones. Or Irish!


  • #87
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    Harry Palmr wrote: »
    Judging by the number of people who type program on boards American cultural influence may be the most powerful now. You only have to look at the TV forum to see endless number of threads about American TV programmes, hardly any about British ones. Or Irish!

    Sure, I think this is a growing trend really, the Frenchies are obsessed with all things American(and British actually).... It seems not even a vibrant thriving language can resist the force of Americanization. There is a show in France which is their equivelent of the Jersey Shore :(:(:( Such a shame.


  • #88
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    "U" spelt Americanisation wrong! ;)


  • #89
    garrixfan
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 230 ✭✭garrixfan


    Harry Palmr wrote: »
    "U" spelt Americanisation wrong! ;)

    I'm actually American(kinda)


  • #90
    pedigree 6
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,559 ✭✭✭pedigree 6


    The best ads on tv at the moment are made by a german supermarket chain about their irish produce and what it means to be irish.


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  • #91
    antonymin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 346 ✭✭antonymin


    Harry Palmr wrote: »
    "U" spelt Americanisation wrong! ;)

    Wrongly. :D


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