Been reading this one from the start and have to say that I side with the UI side of things. I think there are a lot of things that make us completely different from England and we should pride ourselves on that.
the reason I side for a UI is not for any romantic notion or because of financial things like the health service. It is simply that I don't believe any country should have the right to rule over another as if they were inferior to themselves. the days of conquering to expand empires are long gone and should stay there. every country should have an equal standing in the world no matter their size.
for the health service its not really an issue for me because I could count on one hand the amount of times I have been to the doctor since I got the jag in the arse as a child and the last time i went to my GP i had to pay for it anyway.
for the language i don't think it is dead but most people in the north didn't get the chance to learn it at school either because they were not sent to an Irish medium school or because it wasn't available to them at the time. i personally only have "an cupla focal" but I have a strong notion to learn it because of experiences i have had in the recent past. this notion wasn't there when i was at school and i didn't take it on because i didn't like the teacher and German was easier!!
there was something posted on this thread about Irish language schools not performing well but in todays Irish News there is an article about how these schools are performing better in English and Maths than pupils in than English medium schools (if thats the right term). when it comes to me sending my wee ones to school i would definitely send them to an Irish school as there is a bilingual advantage and can help them take up another language when they are further up their education. Plus they might be able to teach me some because i'm a slow learner!!
As for the culture thing and what defines being Irish. it is all the things that have been debated over on this thread. the music, the dance, the language, our sports, the craic we have and the way we protray ourselves to other nations. in my experience when someone asks me where i am from and i say Ireland, their reaction is always a positive one and you are immediately made welcome. this has been true for me in America, Turkey, Spain and Italy. this is what makes us, us! not the clothes we wear or the stag do's we go on. sure the boys years and years ago wore kilts!! Dam sure i'm not wearing one of them on a day like today.
Bit of an essay there but had to get it all out in one go. Away for a pint now.
the reason I side for a UI is not for any romantic notion or because of financial things like the health service. It is simply that I don't believe any country should have the right to rule over another as if they were inferior to themselves. the days of conquering to expand empires are long gone and should stay there. every country should have an equal standing in the world no matter their size.
for the health service its not really an issue for me because I could count on one hand the amount of times I have been to the doctor since I got the jag in the arse as a child and the last time i went to my GP i had to pay for it anyway.
for the language i don't think it is dead but most people in the north didn't get the chance to learn it at school either because they were not sent to an Irish medium school or because it wasn't available to them at the time. i personally only have "an cupla focal" but I have a strong notion to learn it because of experiences i have had in the recent past. this notion wasn't there when i was at school and i didn't take it on because i didn't like the teacher and German was easier!!
there was something posted on this thread about Irish language schools not performing well but in todays Irish News there is an article about how these schools are performing better in English and Maths than pupils in than English medium schools (if thats the right term). when it comes to me sending my wee ones to school i would definitely send them to an Irish school as there is a bilingual advantage and can help them take up another language when they are further up their education. Plus they might be able to teach me some because i'm a slow learner!!
As for the culture thing and what defines being Irish. it is all the things that have been debated over on this thread. the music, the dance, the language, our sports, the craic we have and the way we protray ourselves to other nations. in my experience when someone asks me where i am from and i say Ireland, their reaction is always a positive one and you are immediately made welcome. this has been true for me in America, Turkey, Spain and Italy. this is what makes us, us! not the clothes we wear or the stag do's we go on. sure the boys years and years ago wore kilts!! Dam sure i'm not wearing one of them on a day like today.
Bit of an essay there but had to get it all out in one go. Away for a pint now.