Joe Brolly

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

As a northerner I can't even remember the last time I heard someone use the term 'free stater' in a conversation. I do remember as a child hearing the older generation sometimes using the term but certainly not in recent times. I think it is deliberately being used here to try and wind up other posters but whatever floats your boat I suppose.   

Maybe not free stater, but free state used everyday here in Derry, we are more or less in republic, we love;

Free state chocolate
free state sausages
free state bread and milk=

curse free state drivers and the free state govt and quiet frequently call our loving neighbours(quite often relatives) free state bast*rds. They call us worse lol

[grounded]

I dont know anyone in the north who refers to the residents in the south as freestaters. Ive been to hundreds of county games as well and never had any trouble at gaa matches north or south either.

The older generation here in South Down would have referred to it as the freestate, but never in a derogatory way. I can't for the life of me recall someone being referred to as a freestater.
       It would have been said ' he/she is from away down the country' or his/her individual county or the South.

Edit.  I must add though that the Newry ones quite often referred to southerners as ' Mexicans' i suppose in a somewhat derogatory fashion. But then the nucks had their own way of going on.
       
     

[Angelo]

It is the Free State.

That's a simple fact freestaters need to acknowledge.

Partition unfortunately was a reality and maybe the fact that freestaters are insulted at that term is due to their own shame at not doing more. Come ahead and acknowledge and apologise for your sins.

[Applesisapples]

I dont know anyone in the north who refers to the residents in the south as freestaters. Ive been to hundreds of county games as well and never had any trouble at gaa matches north or south either.

The older generation here in South Down would have referred to it as the freestate, but never in a derogatory way. I can't for the life of me recall someone being referred to as a freestater.
       It would have been said ' he/she is from away down the country' or his/her individual county or the South.

Edit.  I must add though that the Newry ones quite often referred to southerners as ' Mexicans' i suppose in a somewhat derogatory fashion. But then the nucks had their own way of going on.
       
     

Bizaarely the Mexican thing springs from the on the runs in Dundalk in the '70's, which was called El Paso due to the lawless nature of some of those from up here.

[Milltown Row2]

Always known as bandit country, the border areas around that part of the island where always known as that.

I must admit free state was said a lot, I'll have used it in the past here when certain posters were at their lark, black north I'd have heard growing up and at many a game growing up watching in the south or playing you'd have heard the very odd "f**king brits" but very rare.

Partition for me will always be a place in that basically two parts of the one country went their separate ways, a bit like a divorce where one did the dirt and the other was left picking up the pieces.

I didn't grow up thinking I lived in another country but felt a bit miffed at the life we had in comparison to someone living in Kerry, no searches, no bombs, no shootings, no killings, no curfews, no burning homes, no rioting, equality.... I could go on, so spare a thought for someone who's been through it, physically.

Angelo is a child of the peace, so never endured diddley squat!

[Applesisapples]

Always known as bandit country, the border areas around that part of the island where always known as that.

I must admit free state was said a lot, I'll have used it in the past here when certain posters were at their lark, black north I'd have heard growing up and at many a game growing up watching in the south or playing you'd have heard the very odd "f**king brits" but very rare.

Partition for me will always be a place in that basically two parts of the one country went their separate ways, a bit like a divorce where one did the dirt and the other was left picking up the pieces.

I didn't grow up thinking I lived in another country but felt a bit miffed at the life we had in comparison to someone living in Kerry, no searches, no bombs, no shootings, no killings, no curfews, no burning homes, no rioting, equality.... I could go on, so spare a thought for someone who's been through it, physically.

Angelo is a child of the peace, so never endured diddley squat!

My Grannie born in 1890 always called it the Freestate not in derogatory terms, it was of her generation. But given that many on here see it as an insult we northerners should avoid using it. Same goes for nordie, I will use it but don't like being called one by people from the 26.

[yellowcard]

Yes, there is a distinction between referring to the 'free state' which I've heard often enough (although somewhat less in recent times) and actual 'free staters'. Calling someone a free stater is from a time gone by imo and if you interpret it literally, would tend to indicate that person was pro treaty after the independence war which was 100 years ago!! It's a one size fits all term and if you want to go down that route then instead label them a West Brit for their Unionist sympathies rather than lump everybody into the one box. It's like labelling Tyrone footballers sledgers or divers when in fact we know that they aren't all that way inclined!         

[Angelo]

Yes, there is a distinction between referring to the 'free state' which I've heard often enough (although somewhat less in recent times) and actual 'free staters'. Calling someone a free stater is from a time gone by imo and if you interpret it literally, would tend to indicate that person was pro treaty after the independence war which was 100 years ago!! It's a one size fits all term and if you want to go down that route then instead label them a West Brit for their Unionist sympathies rather than lump everybody into the one box. It's like labelling Tyrone footballers sledgers or divers when in fact we know that they aren't all that way inclined!       

It's nothing of the sort and that's a bizarre analogy.

Partition is reality. I would refer to people who refuse to acknowledge and show contrition for how the Free State abandoned northern nationalists for a century as Free Staters. I would refer to the State itself as the Free State.

If people are insulted by that then the truth would seem to make them uncomfortable.

Plenty of other counties dive and sledge, certain posters go very quiet about it when that's the case.

[trueblue1234]

I've never heard "free stater" mentioned in conversation. Similar to Fear, I would often have heard "free state" in the same terms, I.e. my dad used to travel to the "free state" for a fill of diesel or to do the "free state" lotto but never really a derogatory statement, in fact he would have talked fondly about the "free state".
I just don't get the idea that the term "freestater" is a common occurrence, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Lar Naparka]

You believe what you want Trueblue  or what suits your closed mind.
I just recounted what actually happened.
Over and out.

From most other posters I'd have taken it as face value. From you, with your history of anti-northern posts and cheap post scoring, I'd take it with a strong pinch of salt.

Lar, I have no doubt there were people who thought that way. There's always lazy people who will jump to a viewpoint that suits their narrative. You have it on here, where you have posters (from both sides I should add) that were attempting to use posts from some anonymous posters who's on the wind up as the reason they'd vote against a UI. When in reality these people are just embarrassed to admit that the real reason is because they think "I'm alright Jack".

I would never claim that Ross is easy to follow or that he doesn't wiggle in and out of the twilight zone at times, but, in this instance anyway, you may have picked him up wrong. You probably  didn't read what had been under discussion when you hit on his post that you objected to.
He may put up insulting posts about northerners but then  I don't read everything he posts.
Sam had mentioned that southerners, by and large, seem to have an antagonistic view of northern nationalists and Ross chipped in to say that derogatory terms like 'Free Staters' is one reason.
That's where what I said about Bundoran comes in....
If a very small minority keep on jibing us, most will get irritated and will be inclined to regard all nationalists as provocative and insulting for no other obvious reason.
btw, I don't imagine anyone in the south would feel deeply insulted by what the likes of Angeo comes out with. it's more irritation than anything else. Like a housefly buzzing about the room.

[J70]

Always known as bandit country, the border areas around that part of the island where always known as that.

I must admit free state was said a lot, I'll have used it in the past here when certain posters were at their lark, black north I'd have heard growing up and at many a game growing up watching in the south or playing you'd have heard the very odd "f**king brits" but very rare.

Partition for me will always be a place in that basically two parts of the one country went their separate ways, a bit like a divorce where one did the dirt and the other was left picking up the pieces.

I didn't grow up thinking I lived in another country but felt a bit miffed at the life we had in comparison to someone living in Kerry, no searches, no bombs, no shootings, no killings, no curfews, no burning homes, no rioting, equality.... I could go on, so spare a thought for someone who's been through it, physically.

Angelo is a child of the peace, so never endured diddley squat!

Its amazing how different life can be depending on where and in what circumstances you have to luck (or not) to be born.

[J70]

I've never heard "free stater" mentioned in conversation. Similar to Fear, I would often have heard "free state" in the same terms, I.e. my dad used to travel to the "free state" for a fill of diesel or to do the "free state" lotto but never really a derogatory statement, in fact he would have talked fondly about the "free state".
I just don't get the idea that the term "freestater" is a common occurrence, but maybe I'm wrong.

It may not have been.

Very possibly just lads in groups, throwing abuse or trying to act the lad at football matches, similar to idiots who would have gone to Anfield or Old Trafford and chanted about Munich or Hillsborough or Heysel. Most of them probably wouldn't say boo to anyone in their regular lives, but in the laddish group setting...

I've been at Croke Park for Leinster games and heard Meath supporters singing about their preference, if the choice was required, that they be from Pakistan instead of Dublin. That was the 90s. One would hope you don't hear that shit anymore.

[trueblue1234]

You believe what you want Trueblue  or what suits your closed mind.
I just recounted what actually happened.
Over and out.

From most other posters I'd have taken it as face value. From you, with your history of anti-northern posts and cheap post scoring, I'd take it with a strong pinch of salt.

Lar, I have no doubt there were people who thought that way. There's always lazy people who will jump to a viewpoint that suits their narrative. You have it on here, where you have posters (from both sides I should add) that were attempting to use posts from some anonymous posters who's on the wind up as the reason they'd vote against a UI. When in reality these people are just embarrassed to admit that the real reason is because they think "I'm alright Jack".

I would never claim that Ross is easy to follow or that he doesn't wiggle in and out of the twilight zone at times, but, in this instance anyway, you may have picked him up wrong. You probably  didn't read what had been under discussion when you hit on his post that you objected to.
He may put up insulting posts about northerners but then  I don't read everything he posts.
Sam had mentioned that southerners, by and large, seem to have an antagonistic view of northern nationalists and Ross chipped in to say that derogatory terms like 'Free Staters' is one reason.
That's where what I said about Bundoran comes in....
If a very small minority keep on jibing us, most will get irritated and will be inclined to regard all nationalists as provocative and insulting for no other obvious reason.
btw, I don't imagine anyone in the south would feel deeply insulted by what the likes of Angeo comes out with. it's more irritation than anything else. Like a housefly buzzing about the room.

I was following the thread. I'll be honest, that reads a bit like your pushing the blame onto those pesky northerners again for why some Southern people have a antagonistic approach to people from the North. I've no doubt there will be a small minority that may use the term freestater" (I've never heard it used in 40 odd years) but it's also true that that theres people in the south that see themselves as more Irish than people in the North and just have that bred into them. And as such are antagonistic without cause or provocation.
Maybe that's not how you meant it to come across, but if you read the last few pages there's a definite theme of trying to equate the blame to the nordies for how people in the South act.

[Rossfan]

How many pages on the Joe Brolly thread and no mention of the man himself?
He'll be so disappointed

[Lar Naparka]

You believe what you want Trueblue  or what suits your closed mind.
I just recounted what actually happened.
Over and out.

From most other posters I'd have taken it as face value. From you, with your history of anti-northern posts and cheap post scoring, I'd take it with a strong pinch of salt.

Lar, I have no doubt there were people who thought that way. There's always lazy people who will jump to a viewpoint that suits their narrative. You have it on here, where you have posters (from both sides I should add) that were attempting to use posts from some anonymous posters who's on the wind up as the reason they'd vote against a UI. When in reality these people are just embarrassed to admit that the real reason is because they think "I'm alright Jack".

I would never claim that Ross is easy to follow or that he doesn't wiggle in and out of the twilight zone at times, but, in this instance anyway, you may have picked him up wrong. You probably  didn't read what had been under discussion when you hit on his post that you objected to.
He may put up insulting posts about northerners but then  I don't read everything he posts.
Sam had mentioned that southerners, by and large, seem to have an antagonistic view of northern nationalists and Ross chipped in to say that derogatory terms like 'Free Staters' is one reason.
That's where what I said about Bundoran comes in....
If a very small minority keep on jibing us, most will get irritated and will be inclined to regard all nationalists as provocative and insulting for no other obvious reason.
btw, I don't imagine anyone in the south would feel deeply insulted by what the likes of Angeo comes out with. it's more irritation than anything else. Like a housefly buzzing about the room.

I was following the thread. I'll be honest, that reads a bit like your pushing the blame onto those pesky northerners again for why some Southern people have a antagonistic approach to people from the North. I've no doubt there will be a small minority that may use the term freestater" (I've never heard it used in 40 odd years) but it's also true that that theres people in the south that see themselves as more Irish than people in the North and just have that bred into them. And as such are antagonistic without cause or provocation.
Maybe that's not how you meant it to come across, but if you read the last few pages there's a definite theme of trying to equate the blame to the nordies for how people in the South act.

I think many northerners fail to realise that people south of the border have nowhere the same focus on politics or indeed any other issue that means so much to you.
For most, there's just a failure to comprehend the effect of living as second class citizens in Ireland - anywhere on the island.
So Arlene and the DUP nitpicking over the provisions of the Irish language legislation comes across as petty political but so does the typical SF response. I'd say that at least 95% of folks down here can't comprehend how much official recognition of the language means to most northerners.
That's just one of a series of examples I can think of. People down here have no idea of what life must have been like during the times of sectarian conflict. It ain't really that they are indifferent or hostile -it's that they don't comprehend.