Northern Ireland question for under 40s

Interesting thread. As an Northern Irish person living in Dublin for the past two years, I'm not particularly surprised by the outlook. From my experience, people in the Republic generally know the basics of NI politics much better than vice versa (even in nationalist circles), though it's shocking how many people I've met in Dublin either have never been over the border, or haven't been in 20+ years.

Nothing makes me reach for the remote more quickly than a story about NI politics, I've no interest in hearing about it , visiting the place nor do I have any affinity with the people who live there.

A high percentage of southern people will typically be more upset by a football tackle by a British person than they would ever be about what the British army did to Irish people.

OfflerCrocGod wrote: »

I don't see why the Republic wouldn't want a UI, people can see short term costs but can't see the long term benefits?

How many Protestants in the Republic are agitating for the country to be run by London? In two generations it will be the same in the north, talking about partitioning the island again would have you treated like a lunatic.

I'll answer that one for you, as best I can.

Out of about 190,000 protestants in the Republic, the number "agitating" for governance by London would be probably less than 50.
A small number if C of I clergy would be members of the Orange order, perhaps half of presbyterian clergy, and perhaps less than a dozen in the other various denominations.
These would be obviously "pro-UK" in general.
And these only because these churches tend to move clergy around, making no distinction between their northern and southern circuits.
In border counties, you would have a few hardliners amongst the laity, but in 99% of Southern Protestants, they see themselves as Irish first and foremost.
Most look northwards at the antics of their co-religionists with a mixture of bafflement, exasperation, and dismissal.
Perhaps as a result of all these reasons, I see a fairly strong Pro-European mindset amongst Republic of Ireland protestants, because we have had a stomach full of religious interference in Government, both north and south of the border.

I love the way the people who say they don't care, but care enough to post and that they think they are some part of an evolving class.
There were always people on this island who didn't 'care'.
We wouldn't have had 40 years of carnage and the decades of sectarian oppression before if southern people cared.

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

I feel like it's a foreign country so I don't particularly care about it. Wild horses wouldn't drag me and my southern registered car up there around the 12th July. If I open my mouth they can spot straight away that I'm not one of them.

I never got the foreign country stuff, Ireland is Ireland - it always will be. Politically it may be divided between two states but the country is what it is. The notion that the Armagh football team, or Mary McAleese or Gerry Adams or whoever would be considered foreign is just silly to me. Likewise there aren towns, farms and even houses that are split by the border. The notion that one side of a community on the other edge of an arbitrary border drawn by British imperialists are somehow radically different is bogus and you can see that when you go to these areas.

As for the accents, I'm from Cork and people from Dublin will know that straight away when I open my mouth. It doesn't make me a "foreigner" per se.

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

You might think it's silly but I'm not going to change my mind at this stage. I don't feel anything north of the border is Irish. I'm sorry if that offends people but that's the way it is. I don't believe anyone who plays for Armagh is as Irish as I am. I don't consider Gerry Adams to be Irish.

So nothing north of the border is Irish? What about Gaelscoileanna and hurling and traditional music? What would you call them? In what way would someone like Mary McAleese not be Irish?

An Irish speaking, Irish passport holder from one of Ireland's 32 counties would qualify as Irish for me, I can't see how you'd think different.

I don't know why under 40's are a special case. I'm over and I don't care. I grew up in a border county and did care in my earlier years but in Dublin I live and work amongst so many nationalities, particularly EU that I just see the whole NI situation as being very petty and irrelevant now.

With power sharing I don't even think there is even a need to consider uniting the island.

JupiterKid wrote: »

If a referendum was held in the Republic on the question of a united Ireland, the republicans would be very sorely disappointed. I'd say about 70% would vote no.

I would vote no. The thing is that I'm 41. I'm old enough to remember the troubles. I don't want to see those times return. Northern Ireland is an incredibly delicate area. The slightest upset can see people going on the rampage and protesting. Anything bigger would see us return to the bad old days of paramilitary groups. blowing up people and shooting them.