Does England feel like a foreign country to you?

Nqp15hhu · 12-04-2021 10:46pm

BalcombeSt4 wrote: »

I think an interesting question would be the roles reversed. Do English people feel like Ireland (as a whole) is a foreign country?

When the North erupted in 69/70 ministers & officials in the Wilson government admitted they had no clue about Ireland, Irish culture or Irish politics, and when the Heath government came to power in July 1970 it was very much the same attitude.

The biggest mistake the Wilson government made was sending troops to Ireland & leaving the Unionists in charge of them. And then when Labour came back to power in 74, during the UWC Strike he made the infamous "Spongers" speech, which to be fair he wasn't wrong, Unionists do sponge of the British state.

What an insufferably rude and insensitive post.

Nqp15hhu · 12-04-2021 10:49pm

theteal wrote: »

There's not a huge amount that I'd actually dislike, if I did I'd be gone tbh but since you asked.

In no particular order
- the vanity is a real thing. The effort that goes into hair, clothes, cars etc. is quite eye opening. This is moreso the males of the species too.
- politics. This place is such a Tory dead cert, I just cannot comprehend how. Not sure how the Eaton club represent the white van/blue collar average worker out here but I'm just a blow-in, what would I know?! I've been on the losing side of every vote since I've been here. the lack of PR doesn't sit right.

SW Essex is very picturesque with its rolling hills and estates, however, I have found the people there to be rather aloof.

Hamachi · 12-04-2021 10:58pm

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

I could, at best, take or leave the Spanish. Found them rude by times.

I have got on much much more with the English like another poster has mentioned.

Don’t know about the Spanish being rude. You can’t generalize 47 million people.

I did find that post bizarre though. The Spanish must be one of the most dissimilar nationalities in Europe to the Irish; relatively little in common culturally.

As some said, the proof is in the pudding when traveling. Irish people almost by default gravitate towards the British and vice versa. After that, people tend to strike up friendships with Scandinavians and Dutch. The Spanish would be well down that list..

Nqp15hhu · 12-04-2021 11:05pm

Hamachi wrote: »

Don’t know about the Spanish being rude. You can’t generalize 47 million people.

I did find that post bizarre though. The Spanish must be one of the most dissimilar nationalities in Europe to the Irish; relatively little in common culturally.

As some said, the proof is in the pudding when traveling. Irish people almost by default gravitate towards the British and vice versa. After that, people tend to strike up friendships with Scandinavians and Dutch. The Spanish would be well down that list..

Hmmm, I don't know if I agree with that. It's more the Scots I gravitate to. As Graces7 went out of her way to do, most English I meet make a point of highlighting any differences and that we are not the same.

I think its more a case that the English have their own group.

Montage of Feck · 12-04-2021 11:08pm

About as foreign as another county.

12-04-2021 11:10pm

Not only does England (and Wales and Scotland) feel like a foreign country (countries), even Northern Ireland does.

I find it strange to accidentally cross the border from Donegal into Fermanagh and meet Royal Mail vans on country roads, or drive a few minutes up the road from north Louth because someone has asked me to buy something in Sainsburys in Newry.

When the philosopher Wittgenstein lived in Dublin, he praised the cleverness of changing all the Irish signposts to being bilingual with Irish, because such seemingly small, nearly subconscious, mental inputs help to cast a new and separatist identity.

That's why in northern ireland, there's been more than the occasional outrage at local bilingual road signs. Those people know Wittgenstein was right.

4Ad · 12-04-2021 11:16pm

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

Hmmm, I don't know if I agree with that. It's more the Scots I gravitate to. As Graces7 went out of her way to do, most English I meet make a point of highlighting any differences and that we are not the same.

I think its more a case that the English have their own group.

The English think they are superior and think they are better than everyone..not just the Irish !!
I was born there, but luckily only lived there for 8 years...
Lots of family still live there...

new92 · 12-04-2021 11:19pm

Listening to Ralph Vaughan Williams and admiring the rolling hills in the Wiltshire-Somerset countryside. I realised how the country is free from the scourge of bungalow blight and other one off clutter.
It's like Ireland with planning discipline out there.

It feels foreign to me, yeah.

Nqp15hhu · 12-04-2021 11:24pm

4Ad wrote: »

The English think they are superior and think they are better than everyone..not just the Irish !!
I was born there, but luckily only lived there for 8 years...
Lots of family still live there...

Which is my point that I made earlier, that too much confidence can be a negative thing.

begbysback · 12-04-2021 11:25pm

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Not only does England (and Wales and Scotland) feel like a foreign country (countries), even Northern Ireland does.

I find it strange to accidentally cross the border from Donegal into Fermanagh and meet Royal Mail vans on country roads, or drive a few minutes up the road from north Louth because someone has asked me to buy something in Sainsburys in Newry.

When the philosopher Wittgenstein lived in Dublin, he praised the cleverness of changing all the Irish signposts to being bilingual with Irish, because such seemingly small, nearly subconscious, mental inputs help to cast a new and separatist identity.

That's why in northern ireland, there's been more than the occasional outrage at local bilingual road signs. Those people know Wittgenstein was right.

Not sure about anyone else on here but I always read the English version of the signpost.

Nqp15hhu · 12-04-2021 11:28pm

Yes, I am not sure if its just Donegal or the whole south. There is certainly a lack of control in the planning department, they build houses all over:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.1913997,-6.9647588,3a,75y,344.53h,80.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sb6eH2ox1QXtZXOk50Tl7dw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

It reminds me of Caribbean islands or Portugal.

Not so much here:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.145491,-6.8082763,3a,75y,297.3h,83.17t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVT8ajcDgWAjzT-_xjz_vwg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Hamsterchops · 12-04-2021 11:43pm

Mollydog123 wrote: »

I walked a lot of the national trails in the North of the UK and found the people to be very friendly.

In which case you were probably in Scotland?

12-04-2021 11:46pm

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

Hmmm, I don't know if I agree with that. It's more the Scots I gravitate to. As Graces7 went out of her way to do, most English I meet make a point of highlighting any differences and that we are not the same.

I think its more a case that the English have their own group.

So you being stuff up about NI and being a unionist when you meet people from GB?

Church on Tuesday · 13-04-2021 12:06am

Hamachi wrote: »

Don’t know about the Spanish being rude. You can’t generalize 47 million people.

I did find that post bizarre though. The Spanish must be one of the most dissimilar nationalities in Europe to the Irish; relatively little in common culturally.

As some said, the proof is in the pudding when traveling. Irish people almost by default gravitate towards the British and vice versa. After that, people tend to strike up friendships with Scandinavians and Dutch. The Spanish would be well down that list..

True but I'm going from personal experience. Any amount of Irish will also have some negative experiences of English and vice versa.

Nqp15hhu · 13-04-2021 12:09am

Deleted User wrote: »

So you being stuff up about NI and being a unionist when you meet people from GB?

What? I never talk about politics to English people or anyone in public actually. When I lived there I found few commented on my accent. So maybe they didn’t even notice.

But those who did made a point of separating themselves.

13-04-2021 12:16am

begbysback wrote: »

Not sure about anyone else on here but I always read the English version of the signpost.

Oh yeah, so do I, but he meant that in this new republic with all of its British colonial symbols (architecture, monuments, bridges), the state was smart to change the road signs. They would have looked unusual and perhaps even a source of pride, to people who were used to the British-occupation signage. Our independence has now grown deeper roots but these symbols were important in the early decades.

Even if you take no heed of the Irish on the signs, you immediately notice the difference when you enter the north (even with their new bilingual signs). It isn't just the signage, but that's one of the factors that seem very innocuous on the surface, but can make another part of this tiny island feel strangely foreign.

dd973 · 13-04-2021 12:19am

Graces7 wrote: »

And as for Kerry! I heaved a great sigh of relief when I left....

Why was that? Genuinely curious.

siblers · 13-04-2021 12:26am

Graces7 wrote: »

And as for Kerry! I heaved a great sigh of relief when I left....

You should have seen the celebrations we had when you finally left our beloved Kingdom

YFlyer · 13-04-2021 12:50am

It is a foreign country. Chippy was right.

Junkyard Tom · 13-04-2021 1:08am

Worzel Gummidge is to England as Father Ted is to Ireland.

BKF7JD_cmyk-c31898f.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=620%2C409

The Golden Miller · 13-04-2021 1:25am

Not really, but you'll always be reminded your Irish for the laugh or whatever other reason if your in England. Likewise an English person here. But in neither instance are you really perceived a foreign as say an Italian.

A better way of putting it is if your abroad in a quite Spanish or Italian town. You meet many people but when you run into the English couple they are "one of your own". You'll be there chatting with them all night. As with Welsh and Scottish. So not foreign in that sense.

So separate to my nationalist views on the north, I don't see the English, Welsh or Scottish as foreign in the way I would a Dutch person.

murpho999 · 13-04-2021 1:26am

Hamachi wrote: »

Don’t know about the Spanish being rude. You can’t generalize 47 million people.

I did find that post bizarre though. The Spanish must be one of the most dissimilar nationalities in Europe to the Irish; relatively little in common culturally.

As some said, the proof is in the pudding when traveling. Irish people almost by default gravitate towards the British and vice versa. After that, people tend to strike up friendships with Scandinavians and Dutch. The Spanish would be well down that list..

| wouldn't agree with this really. I don't think Irish people would gravitate towards them, it's just that the language easier and they'd probably meet whilst drinking.

Language is a major factor that inhibits behaviours and actions.

Whilst a lot of English are friendly, and often humorous I do find their outlook on the world (brexit being an example) to be infuriating and very different to Irish and then I'd find that Irish people are more like countries in Europe.

I definitely find England foreign when there and I don't agree with posters who say it's the same because of watching football or UK tv no more so that you become American if you watch American TV.

murpho999 · 13-04-2021 1:30am

The Golden Miller wrote: »

Not really, but you'll always be reminded your Irish for the laugh or whatever other reason if your in England. Likewise an English person here. But in neither instance are you really perceived a foreign as say an Italian.

A better way of putting it is if your abroad in a quite Spanish or Italian town. You meet many people but when you run into the English couple they are "one of your own". You'll be there chatting with them all night. As with Welsh and Scottish. So not foreign in that sense.

So separate to my nationalist views on the north, I don't see the English, Welsh or Scottish as foreign in the way I would a Dutch person.

Again I think this is down to language and culture as you can easily converse with a British person compared to a person who speaks English as a second language and assuming by "chatting all night" you're in a bar setting then that's a shared cultural habit that other countries wouldn't follow so most likely to happen with British people.
For me that would not make them "one of our own" and they would definitely be foreign to me. They just have completely different outlook on the world to Irish people in my opinion and different habits just as much as "foreign" Dutch person does.

The Golden Miller · 13-04-2021 1:38am

murpho999 wrote: »

Again I think this is down to language and culture as you can easily converse with a British person compared to a person who speaks English as a second language and assuming by "chatting all night" you're in a bar setting then that's a shared cultural habit that other countries wouldn't follow so most likely to happen with British people.
For me that would not make them "one of our own" and they would definitely be foreign to me. They just have completely different outlook on the world to Irish people in my opinion and different habits just as much as "foreign" Dutch person does.

What do you mean "down to" culture and language. That's all there is that separates people outside ethnicity. If you know my posting history I'd be the first to argue the difference between the English and Irish, but in terms of being actually "foreign" to each other they simply aren't. Ffs, something like 60% of England, 90% of north England, come from some sort of Irish descent. How is that foreign?

Nqp15hhu · 13-04-2021 1:59am

The Golden Miller wrote: »

What do you mean "down to" culture and language. That's all there is that separates people outside ethnicity. If you know my posting history I'd be the first to argue the difference between the English and Irish, but in terms of being actually "foreign" to each other they simply aren't. Ffs, something like 60% of England, 90% of north England, come from some sort of Irish descent. How is that foreign?

That’s grossly exaggerated. Most English do not have Irish ancestry. Where I lived an Irish person would be rare a hens teeth.

forgottenhills · 13-04-2021 2:08am

Its easy to generalise and like many on here have said its important to differentiate between different regions in the UK, particularly the north/south divide. There are many things we share, but many differences such as funerals, washing the car every Sunday etc.

But here even within Ireland there are many cultural differences to observe, particularly if you look at the different behaviours in different settings, rural vs urban, tradesmen vs professionals etc.

One thing I always find quite amusing is how different communications are between professional people who often won't or can't speak their mind, and the much more direct communications that goes on in the construction or farming sector where people often don't have time to faff about. And from observations growing up in a mixed religious area there were even differences in communication styles and indeed lifestyles between religions, with Presbyterians being particularly direct in communication style in my experience! I sometimes amuse myself in a work or social setting by imitating a particular Presbyterian tradesman I used to know years ago who was a great man for getting straight to the point without too much verbal foreplay

Yyhhuuu · 13-04-2021 3:26am

Mollydog123 wrote: »

I walked a lot of the national trails in the North of the UK and found the people to be very friendly. The main differences I noticed was the size of the fields, they were huge and as a result much less hedgerows and birds. Also the right to roam, some of the trails went through peoples front gardens and farmers fields and yards. Always found the farmers to be friendly. Couldn't imagine walking across some farmers yard in Ireland.

The right to roam is one serious drawback about Ireland v England. When I was in Hampstead in London you would see many people having picnics on the heath, I rarely saw this in Ireland. People in rural Ireland ( unless they own a farm) have far less amenities as regards walking through fields etc than in England. It's a real pity the Land is closed to the public.Even the London metropolis has far more parks with an abundance of trees and nature than some Irish cities. I somehow think the Irish may not be as in touch with nature than the English. There appears to be far more trees in England than I see in Ireland.

I visited Belfast a few times and I recall my first visit in around 2000 noting the red coloured tarmacadam on the Roads, the ugly black traffic lights etc which were so unlike the Republic. As one travels from Dublin into Northern Ireland you notice the lack of one-off rural housing which in my opinion has destroyed rural Ireland.

PommieBast · 13-04-2021 3:28am

BalcombeSt4 wrote: »

I think an interesting question would be the roles reversed. Do English people feel like Ireland (as a whole) is a foreign country?

Spent some time in New Zealand with quite a few visits to various places in Asia before coming to Ireland in 2013, so by the time I got here my idea of "foreign" was a bit messed up.

Mollydog123 · 13-04-2021 4:10am

Hamsterchops wrote: »

In which case you were probably in Scotland?

Some parts all right. Hadrian's Wall is 100% North England. Stunning scenery and history by the way. Pennine Way 30% Scotland and rest North/mid UK. St Cuthbert's Way was 50/50(More stunning scenery and finishes on Holy Island which again is beautiful).

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 13-04-2021 4:57am

bubblypop wrote: »

A massive difference is that Irish people appear obsessed by the English, but the English are not even slightly obsessed by the Irish.
Ireland is just another country to them, not overly important, a neighbour.
And the Irish cannot understand why the English do not know or care about knowing the Irish!

To be fair, this is more a product of our shared history with the English than of some unrequited obsession we have with them due to some massively interesting facet of English culture.

We find it surprising, to put it mildly, their levels of ignorance of the indelible scars England has left on Ireland as an island, especially when you factor in the millions of people there who have Irish ancestry.

Hamsterchops · 13-04-2021 7:39am

BalcombeSt4 wrote: »

I think an interesting question would be the roles reversed. Do English people feel like Ireland (as a whole) is a foreign country?.

Foreign No, slightly different to England Yes, but only as much as Wales or Scotland would be.

We're all very close physically & culturally, swapping DNA since the last ice age...

RobMc59 · 13-04-2021 8:55am

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

That’s grossly exaggerated. Most English do not have Irish ancestry. Where I lived an Irish person would be rare a hens teeth.

You should have studied somewhere like Liverpool,known as the second capital of Ireland. One of the Cathedrals is known as 'Paddy's wigwam'.

https://images.app.goo.gl/cUhVWhHTVgr1yAKq8

cgcsb · 13-04-2021 9:35am

Mollydog123 wrote: »

I walked a lot of the national trails in the North of the UK and found the people to be very friendly. The main differences I noticed was the size of the fields, they were huge and as a result much less hedgerows and birds. Also the right to roam, some of the trails went through peoples front gardens and farmers fields and yards. Always found the farmers to be friendly. Couldn't imagine walking across some farmers yard in Ireland.

Aren't English farmers still mostly renting their land from gentry?

cgcsb · 13-04-2021 9:40am

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

I could, at best, take or leave the Spanish. Found them rude by times.

I have got on much much more with the English like another poster has mentioned.

My experience is probably coloured by speaking Spanish, I don't find them route tbh. The English language is very heavy on polite phrases, that's more/less unique to the English language. I would say English people are a lot more polite than Irish even though we can speak English. For example Ireland's drivers behave extremely aggressive behind the wheel, it's near impossible to get out onto a busy main road because people won't let you cut in. In England they'll insist you go first.

BalcombeSt4 · 13-04-2021 9:48am

Aegir wrote: »

I am curious to know where in Ireland I find this wonderful place where the people don't look down on others, the streets are full of beautifully maintained architecture and there is an abundance of good value high quality food.

15 years living here and i have yet to find it.

Tir na nOg - It's a bit past Greystones

Anyway I wasn't having a go at British people.
Tony Benn is my political hero, I don't think any Irish politician was anywhere close to him when it came to exposing western hypocrisy. The best PM Britain never had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5e5byjOQU8

Who do we have, political pundit Fintan O'Toole,leader of the intellectual liberal left (whatever that is). Chomsky would eat him for brunch. As Joe Tiernan at him for breakfast.

cgcsb · 13-04-2021 9:52am

Yyhhuuu wrote: »

The right to roam is one serious drawback about Ireland v England. When I was in Hampstead in London you would see many people having picnics on the heath, I rarely saw this in Ireland. People in rural Ireland ( unless they own a farm) have far less amenities as regards walking through fields etc than in England. It's a real pity the Land is closed to the public.Even the London metropolis has far more parks with an abundance of trees and nature than some Irish cities. I somehow think the Irish may not be as in touch with nature than the English. There appears to be far more trees in England than I see in Ireland.

I visited Belfast a few times and I recall my first visit in around 2000 noting the red coloured tarmacadam on the Roads, the ugly black traffic lights etc which were so unlike the Republic. As one travels from Dublin into Northern Ireland you notice the lack of one-off rural housing which in my opinion has destroyed rural Ireland.

The street furniture and layout in NI is like the ROI in the 90s. Red brick streets, pedestrian 'safety' barriers everywhere, the yellow push buttons at traffic lights , the black bins. in the ROI there's an emphasis on replacing these things every few years where as in NI they have more emphasis on maintenance, repair and making do. A more sustainable attitude really but certainly not 'trendy'.

Proferoxa · 13-04-2021 9:54am

Hamachi wrote: »

Don’t know about the Spanish being rude. You can’t generalize 47 million people.

I did find that post bizarre though. The Spanish must be one of the most dissimilar nationalities in Europe to the Irish; relatively little in common culturally.

As some said, the proof is in the pudding when traveling. Irish people almost by default gravitate towards the British and vice versa. After that, people tend to strike up friendships with Scandinavians and Dutch. The Spanish would be well down that list..

Speaking as someone who spent a number of years living in (Northern) Spain, I completely disagree with this statement. The Irish and the Spanish are very very similar once you get past the language barrier. It was something that English friends of mine who lived there often commented on, particulary regarding the sense of humour. It just so happens that our grasp of foreign languages is abysmal and the Spanish are known for their poor standard of English so it's easy to overlook the similarties if you can't actually communicate.

FlubberJones · 13-04-2021 9:58am

Nope, doesn't feel foreign, but I am Welsh and have been here 21 years... There are some areas that have been culturally overgrown and they definitely feel foreign but overall it is a great place to visit and hopefully return to.

cgcsb · 13-04-2021 10:06am

Proferoxa wrote: »

Speaking as someone who spent a number of years living in (Northern) Spain, I completely disagree with this statement. The Irish and the Spanish are very very similar once you get past the language barrier. It was something that English friends of mine who lived there often commented on, particulary regarding the sense of humour. It just so happens that our grasp of foreign languages is abysmal and the Spanish are known for their poor standard of English so it's easy to overlook the similarties if you can't actually communicate.

That's exactly what I found. Other posters point to the climate and the food. They've clearly not been to Galicia, very similar to West Cork.

CelticRambler · 13-04-2021 10:07am

cgcsb wrote: »

The English language is very heavy on polite phrases, that's more/less unique to the English language.

Run away outta that! French is just as heavily infused with politeness, and (speaking from personal experience) using the wrong conjugation at the wrong time can land you in a heap of discomfort!

After working in a professional environment in France for about a decade, I went (back) to work in England for a few weeks. What struck me most there, in England, was an almost complete absence of formality and politeness - no hello, no goodbye, clients addressing me by my first name from the off, ... and with the insincere "sorry" used a crazy number of times (mostly when the person wanted to be rude). I couldn't wait to get back to living and working with the French! :pac:

cgcsb · 13-04-2021 10:36am

CelticRambler wrote: »

Run away outta that! French is just as heavily infused with politeness, and (speaking from personal experience) using the wrong conjugation at the wrong time can land you in a heap of discomfort!

After working in a professional environment in France for about a decade, I went (back) to work in England for a few weeks. What struck me most there, in England, was an almost complete absence of formality and politeness - no hello, no goodbye, clients addressing me by my first name from the off, ... and with the insincere "sorry" used a crazy number of times (mostly when the person wanted to be rude). I couldn't wait to get back to living and working with the French! :pac:

I'd forgotten about French, thankfully. French is like 2 languages depending on the who you're talking to.

JimmyVik · 13-04-2021 10:43am

England definitely feels like a foreign country to me.
But Northern Ireland feels like an even more foreign country than England even.
Both are handy to get to though, so go to both places a lot.

RobMc59 · 13-04-2021 10:46am

JimmyVik wrote: »

England definitely feels like a foreign country to me.
But Northern Ireland feels like an even more foreign country than England even.
Both are handy to get to though, so go to both places a lot.

Northern Ireland felt just like being in England to me,architecture,people etc. Belfast is very similar to Glasgow or Liverpool imo.

13-04-2021 11:13am

CelticRambler wrote: »

Run away outta that! French is just as heavily infused with politeness, and (speaking from personal experience) using the wrong conjugation at the wrong time can land you in a heap of discomfort!

After working in a professional environment in France for about a decade, I went (back) to work in England for a few weeks. What struck me most there, in England, was an almost complete absence of formality and politeness - no hello, no goodbye, clients addressing me by my first name from the off, ... and with the insincere "sorry" used a crazy number of times (mostly when the person wanted to be rude). I couldn't wait to get back to living and working with the French! :pac:

That's more to do with French managerial styles and workplace norms, bolstered by language rules which are considerably more formal than in the Anglosphere.
Always felt that when it came to social interactions, the French and english norms are indistinguishable. Very class-dependent, though; and quite rigid about class.

Proferoxa · 13-04-2021 11:30am

cgcsb wrote: »

That's exactly what I found. Other posters point to the climate and the food. They've clearly not been to Galicia, very similar to West Cork.

Exactly. I lived in Asturias and people who visited me there often remarked how similar it was to Kerry! Even the regional cuisine is very meat and potato heavy. Of course you're going to think there's a world of difference between the two countries if you've only ever been on package holidays to the Costa del Sol, and the occasional weekend trip to Barcelona. I honestly found that there was more mutual understanding between myself and the locals than there was between myself and my English acquaintances/friends there. I often had to act as a sort of cultural interpreter between the two groups!

Hamachi · 13-04-2021 11:43am

Proferoxa wrote: »

Speaking as someone who spent a number of years living in (Northern) Spain, I completely disagree with this statement. The Irish and the Spanish are very very similar once you get past the language barrier. It was something that English friends of mine who lived there often commented on, particulary regarding the sense of humour. It just so happens that our grasp of foreign languages is abysmal and the Spanish are known for their poor standard of English so it's easy to overlook the similarties if you can't actually communicate.

That's fair enough. I don't speak Spanish and haven't lived there for any length of time. I defer to your far greater experience here. Two points I will make from my perspective:

1. Did the travelling around the world thing for a year in my 20s, meeting internationals from all over the globe. The Irish almost invariably gravitated towards the British. After that, it was other northern / central Europeans, with a drinking culture. Now as you say, this may be due to ease of communication. In these scenarios, English is almost always the lingua franca. I never noticed any particular camaraderie between the Irish and the Spanish, or indeed any other southern Europeans. They would have been pretty far down the list of groups you would seek out for a bit of craic.

2. I work in an über international environment in Dublin. I guess ~50% of the staff are Irish. There is also a decent sprinkling of Spanish. Language is not a barrier to communication. When we head out for the night or do something social, the non-Irish who appear to enjoy hanging out with us are the Brits, Scandinavians, Dutch, and Germans. Frankly, the Spanish don't seem to have a lot of interest and tend to keep to themselves. That works both ways; the Irish staff aren't particularly interested in being around them either. If anything, the Spanish contingent are known for being whingy about the food and the weather, which doesn't exactly endear them to others. It's not a Latin thing either, because the Brazilians fit in very well and are generally popular with the local staff.

That's just my anecdotal experience, but I'm sure you know better from having lived there and really immersed yourself in the culture.

Kaybaykwah · 13-04-2021 12:42pm

Hamachi wrote: »

That's fair enough. I don't speak Spanish and haven't lived there for any length of time. I defer to your far greater experience here. Two points I will make from my perspective:

1. Did the travelling around the world thing for a year in my 20s, meeting internationals from all over the globe. The Irish almost invariably gravitated towards the British. After that, it was other northern / central Europeans, with a drinking culture. Now as you say, this may be due to ease of communication. In these scenarios, English is almost always the lingua franca. I never noticed any particular camaraderie between the Irish and the Spanish, or indeed any other southern Europeans. They would have been pretty far down the list of groups you would seek out for a bit of craic.

2. I work in an über international environment in Dublin. I guess ~50% of the staff are Irish. There is also a decent sprinkling of Spanish. Language is not a barrier to communication. When we head out for the night or do something social, the non-Irish who appear to enjoy hanging out with us are the Brits, Scandinavians, Dutch, and Germans. Frankly, the Spanish don't seem to have a lot of interest and tend to keep to themselves. That works both ways; the Irish staff aren't particularly interested in being around them either. If anything, the Spanish contingent are known for being whingy about the food and the weather, which doesn't exactly endear them to others. It's not a Latin thing either, because the Brazilians fit in very well and are generally popular with the local staff.

That's just my anecdotal experience, but I'm sure you know better from having lived there and really immersed yourself in the culture.

Yes, it's important you noted the anecdotal part, because, at the end if the day, it was the groups you hung around with you described.

Hamachi · 13-04-2021 1:25pm

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Yes, it's important you noted the anecdotal part, because, at the end if the day, it was the groups you hung around with you described.

For sure. This entire thread is replete with anecdotes though. It's almost impossible to quantify this stuff.

Nqp15hhu · 13-04-2021 1:33pm

RobMc59 wrote: »

You should have studied somewhere like Liverpool,known as the second capital of Ireland. One of the Cathedrals is known as 'Paddy's wigwam'.

https://images.app.goo.gl/cUhVWhHTVgr1yAKq8

I don’t want to live in an Irish community..

Gaoth Laidir · 13-04-2021 1:39pm

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I don’t want to live in an Irish community..

And yet you signed up to Boards.ie

Does England feel like a foreign country to you?

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