Scottish Referendum

[I1L2T3]

The only problem I ever had in Ireland was in a rural pub when a ****** up farmer accused me of being a homosexual from Dublin. I'm not even Irish.

[shilling]

Good question.

 

Marine mineral rights are based on something called an Exclusive economic Zone (EEZ) which stretches 200 miles from the coast or until it meets an EEZ of another country. For oil and gas purposes the North Sea is carved up in that way.

 

And the oil rights allocated to the UK and not Scotland.

[gluedtopc]

Nicola Sturgeon reminds me of that woman in Rab C Nesbit.

[L00b]

Amazing

<rah-rah-rah>

Glad you find it so.

 

mw47, I've lived in Ireland too, in Dublin to be precise, 2004-2008.

 

We enjoyed our stay in that country very much, I was lucky to meet and work (and continue to this day to do work-) with some of the finest legal minds in my area of speciality, as well as meet some of the finest friends we still have to this day.

 

Yet it was not the bed of roses you seem to want to be painting, and, having rolled my stone about Europe for over 20 years by that time (having lived in France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK and Ireland) regretfully it turned out to be the only country where I have ever been made to feel openly unwelcome on xenophobic grounds. And I had it sweet, thankfully I'm not Eastern European!

 

It was my wife's first emigration experience as well, and regretfully not as positive as mine was (when you have to interact with state services and the health system, what with a newborn infant and all, apperantly it's not the done thing to have just one kid by intent...and really not the done thing not have her baptized...just anecdotes, but there are a lot more where these came from, and I could go on and on, but as you know Ireland so well, I'm sure I don't need to).

 

I did not let these (thankfully few) occasions marr the experience overall, but by the same token -this being a public Forum with the clear purpose of sharing experiences and opinions, and whatnot- I will share such experiences and opinions at times I deem opportune, such as how and where this discussion evolved over the past few posts, and in the form I choose to express them.

 

My "PS" above was in jest, clearly intended to be taken as such and the reason why I added a grin smiley. If you didn't find it funny and it happened to raise your blood pressure...tough. Don't expect an apology, and feel free to keep up the one-sided p***ing contest

[mjw47]

The only problem I ever had in Ireland was in a rural pub when a ****** up farmer accused me of being a homosexual from Dublin. I'm not even Irish.

 

Yeah that can happen. In the same way that there's a north south divide over here there's a Dublin v country and Dublin v Cork thing going on there.

 

Anyone from towns and villages outside Dublin are 'culchies' to Dubliners and Dubs are 'jackeens' to to everyone else.

 

In fairness it's normally done tongue in cheek but occasionally can be a little stronger, particularly when the D4 privately educated, slightly up themselves Dubs are involved.

 

There's nothing your ordinary Irish person likes more than pricking someones pomposity.

 

---------- Post added 17-02-2014 at 14:43 ----------

 

Glad you find it so.

 

mw47, I've lived in Ireland too, in Dublin to be precise, 2004-2008.

 

We enjoyed our stay in that country very much, I was lucky to meet and work (and continue to this day to do work-) with some of the finest legal minds in my area of speciality, as well as meet some of the finest friends we still have to this day.

 

Yet it was not the bed of roses you seem to want to be painting, and, having rolled my stone about Europe for over 20 years by that time (having lived in France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the UK and Ireland) regretfully it turned out to be the only country where I have ever been made to feel openly unwelcome on xenophobic grounds.

 

It was my wife's first emigration experience as well, and regretfully not as positive as mine was (when you have to interact with state services and the health system, what with a newborn infant and all, apperantly it's not the done thing to have just one kid by intent...and really not the done thing not have her baptized...just anecdotes, but there are a lot more where these came from, and I could go on and on, but as you know Ireland so well, I'm sure I don't need to).

 

I did not let these (thankfully few) occasions marr the experience overall, but by the same token -this being a public Forum with the clear purpose of sharing experiences and opinions, and whatnot- I will share such experiences and opinions at times I deem opportune, such as how and where this discussion evolved over the past few posts, and in the form I choose to express them.

 

My "PS" above was in jest, clearly intended to be taken as such and the reason why I added a grin smiley. If you didn't find it funny and it happened to raise your blood pressure, well, I can't help that -as I said, cop on- and by the same token, don't expect an apology, but feel free to keep up the one-sided p***ing contest

 

Fair enough, sorry that was your experience, however mine has been the exact opposite and I really do find that amazing.

 

Maybe you encountered such a problem because you were in Dublin? Whilst I have stayed in Dublin many times it isn't a place I could give an opinion as to what it's like to live there.

 

My experience of Ireland has been mainly in County Clare, and as I said I have never experienced anything but kindness.

 

Lot of leg pulling went on and still does ,but as I give as good as I take and it's invariable meant as a joke I find it amusing.

 

Perhaps if you were involved in the legal profession you spent too much time with those D4s I referred to in my previous post?

[L00b]

Fair enough, sorry that was your experience, however mine has been the exact opposite and I really do find that amazing.

 

Maybe you encountered such a problem because you were in Dublin? Whilst I have stayed in Dublin many times it isn't a place I could give an opinion as to what it's like to live there.

 

My experience of Ireland has been mainly in County Clare, and as I said I have never experienced anything but kindness.

 

Lot of leg pulling went on and still does ,but as I give as good as I take and it's invariable meant as a joke I find it amusing.

 

Perhaps if you were involved in the legal profession you spent too much time with those D4s I referred to in my previous post?

I worked in D8, though most colleagues were not D8 or D4 types, but (recall a bit hazy) ex-Mayo, ex-Kilkenny, ex-Cork, North of the Liffey and "imports" like me. All of them good people. As were the D16 neighbours and various friends made over the years, including D4s and Tallaght ones

 

The only 'bad problems' my wife and I ever had, of the sort I recounted, were-

 

(i) invariably, by people I would ordinarily designate as "thick" (looked and sounded as such, even though I am loathe to stereotype...but they were quite disparate in age and apparent wealth) and

 

(ii) invariably, unprovoked (but for the abuser having overheard us and our manifestly non-Irish accents, and just launching into a xenophobic tirade on any possible pretext - miscellaneously: emptying the trolley too slowly, daring to ask for directions, having to ask which form of payment is accepted, daring to open the car door next to them in a car park <...> ).

 

That was instances of verbal abuse, and the stuff which -unsurprisingly- grated the most. But there was a lot more 'stuff' though (like the bit above about having a single child, not catholic etc.) which was not xenophobic as such, but more a clash of respective cultures and values sometimes "falling into" xenophobism. It's not that big a gap between xenophobism and outright ignorance. All in all though, the sum total of all this over enough time was the clear feeling that we were not exactly welcome, but tolerated, and it was a feeling shared by many a non-Irish friend.

 

Never outside of Dublin, and at the time (each time) I just put it down to "capital city living" and the odd types such places will always attract, and also a fair bit of "threatened insularism" as the place was just a global magnet for all types (including Romas which Brits are getting all heat-up about atm) in the dying years of the Celtic Tiger.

 

Hard to put into exact words, but -by the same token- exactly what WeX's earlier post above reminded me of.

[mjw47]

Loob, sorry to hear you and your wife had to put up with that type of behaviour. As I'm sure you appreciate every country has their share of low life idiots.

 

As I say I've never encountered it and although I'm Anglo-Irish you can't tell by listening to me, so unless someone over there actually new me they would assume I'm English. My wife is English and has been accompanying me for 42 years and has also never had to put up with that type of nonsense.

 

One of the things which I most admire about the Irish is their good humour and friendliness as a general rule.

 

For example yesterday I attended the cup game at Bramall Lane. There were 25,000 people there and it required a massive police presence and a helicopter overhead.

 

There was an atmosphere of intimidation after the match, and everyone was pleased that it went off without too much trouble.

 

On the 8th of September last year I attended the All Ireland Hurling final at Croke Park, there were 82,260 people in the crowd.

Everyone had been out in Dublin the previous night, mixing, drinking and taking the mick.

Both sets of supporters mixed in the pubs and on the streets prior to and after the game.

There was no segregation in the ground, and Hill 16 which holds thousands behind one goal has remained standing by request.

 

The game was drawn and the replay a few weeks later had the same crowd figure.

 

There was no trouble at either match, apart from on the pitch, which was to be expected.

 

The game is pure tribal, 15 Claremen against 15 Corkmen no transfered in foreigners, no other counties, us against them, total passion and commitment.

 

Despite which, the Irish know how to behave, shame we can't do the same over here.

[L00b]

Loob, sorry to hear you and your wife had to put up with that type of behaviour. As I'm sure you appreciate every country has their share of low life idiots.

No worries and yes, I do. It just came as a bit of a shock at the time. But we were pretty thick-skinned already.

 

I may post a brief neg-ish comment here or there, but that does not stop us going back nearly every year to visit friends and ex-neighbours, go up the hills for an evening at Johnny Fox's, and take some walks around Marlay Park and St S'Green and reminisce. Though I don't miss the pints at £5.something a pop

One of the things which I most admire about the Irish is their good humour and friendliness as a general rule.

I very much enjoy their 'special' brand of political incorrectness, and the frequently-raw edge of their humour.

 

Certainly can't say as much for the Scots: if Billy Connolly is their best, well...

[mjw47]

No worries and yes, I do. It just came as a bit of a shock at the time. But we were pretty thick-skinned already.I very much enjoy their 'special' brand of political incorrectness, and the frequently-raw edge of their humour.

 

Certainly can't say as much for the Scots: if Billy Connolly is their best, well...

 

Yes they do like to have a laugh, and I've spent some of the most enjoyable times of my life over there having a laugh with them.

 

Incidentally your legal expertise would be welcome on the 'EU stabs Scotland in the back' thread.

[I1L2T3]

And the oil rights allocated to the UK and not Scotland.

 

It would just be a point for negotiation. The UK government has already played its opening gambit for where the dividing line would be drawn. It recognises that it would need to be negotiated.