IRISH NORTHERNERS AND SOUTHERNERS

[Franko]

There was a thread I read a while back that had tailed of into the abandonment felt by Northerners by their compatriots in the South, I looked for it there but I couldn't find it.

I then came across this blog post today which I thought fairly well summed up the feeling of being a "Nordie"


https://danieldcollins.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/irish-northerners-and-southerners/

Any chance of a balancing piece or will this be the usual one way traffic of Southerner bashing?

I'm not aware of a rule about having to post both sides of the argument when starting a thread?  If you've got something to post that 'balances' MoChara's piece, then by all means go ahead, you're quite free to do so.  It's not up to him.

There are two ways of starting a topic such as this. Post a balanced piece or a biased piece.

I am simply suggesting that the former might have been a better way to start the discussion.

Yeah, cos that's how things work round here.  How many pro Trump articles have you posted on the US Election thread?  The OP and quite a few after him, were quite happy with the content of the article.  The 'bias' was only your opinion.

[seafoid]

The blng linked above is really good

https://danieldcollins.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/irish-northerners-and-southerners/

I was talking to  friend of mine yesterday about settler territories such as the US, NI and Israel and he was saying that all of them have problem with violence going back to Day 1. Another thing they have in common is very flaky ideologies. Such as A protestant state for a protestant people.

It wouldn't matter how long NI was separated from the South. It will always be Irish.
Get a copy of the O Donaill dictionary and you'll see why 

[Applesisapples]

What is wrong with being called "Northern Irish?" It is merely an accurate reflection of reality.I wish more people in the North identified themselves as Northern Irish as opposed to the ridiculous British or Irish titles

Tony you are quite entitled to call yourself Northern Irish if that floats your boat, but don't foist that partitionist identity on those of us who consider ourselves as simply Irish.

[Applesisapples]

I would describe myself now as "Northern Irish".It is unique and has no relation to Britain whatsoever,and reflects the reality of a part of Ireland that has been physically and largely culturally separate,and is drifting further and further apart in this respect,from the rest of the island for nearly a century.

I have no longer any sovereign aspirations to belong to a state that files me under its foreign affairs dept,and less and less affinity with the general atheism,greed,unionist British empathy,and boorishness of our hitherto southern brethren.In short I believe a United Ireland would be disastrous currently for Northern nationalists,who are not understood by Dublin and largely pigeon holed down there with Sinn Fein who are reviled.

I think we get that by now Tony, but by rejecting your Irish passport you are automatically acquiring a British one, like Rory you are more British than Irish. The reality is Northern Irish is considered one of the constituent "nationalities" of the UK you therefore are giving allegiance to the UK.

[Applesisapples]

I'm heartened that many here still feed Tony the poor troll, even though he is what he is and has been bringing up the same opinions already flogged to death in a hundred other threads That indeed is true charity.

It's like smoking you can't help taking one last drag!

[muppet]

There was a thread I read a while back that had tailed of into the abandonment felt by Northerners by their compatriots in the South, I looked for it there but I couldn't find it.

I then came across this blog post today which I thought fairly well summed up the feeling of being a "Nordie"


https://danieldcollins.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/irish-northerners-and-southerners/

Any chance of a balancing piece or will this be the usual one way traffic of Southerner bashing?

I'm not aware of a rule about having to post both sides of the argument when starting a thread?  If you've got something to post that 'balances' MoChara's piece, then by all means go ahead, you're quite free to do so.  It's not up to him.

There are two ways of starting a topic such as this. Post a balanced piece or a biased piece.

I am simply suggesting that the former might have been a better way to start the discussion.

Yeah, cos that's how things work round here.  How many pro Trump articles have you posted on the US Election thread?  The OP and quite a few after him, were quite happy with the content of the article.  The 'bias' was only your opinion.

I wasn't the OP on that thread.

As for the bias, it is an article critical of a whole load of people. Are you arguing that it was balanced and that any criticism of it is biased?

[seafoid]

I worked in Dublin with a fella who announced one coffee break that NI had nothing to do with "Ireland". I hate that attitude. The media drive it. They are ultra partitionist. There arent enough southerners who go to to the North either.

[T Fearon]

That's the prevailing attitude and in truth I don't blame the people of the South.

[Taylor]

I have a fleeting admiration for T Fearon.
Feel a bit dirty after saying that

[Aaron Boone]

It's the accent, it's so different.

[ashman]

To be honest the article was long winded and made valid and not so valid points . 

To be honest there are many regional differances in the country. Coming from Limerick you would often get the old "stab city" thing which is not nice .,

[T Fearon]

People who move from Ireland to live in Britain or Australia live effectively under British or Australian rule but they are still Irish.I will never be British,similarly,whatever the opinion of the few on this thread,neither the Dublin government nor the vast majority of its people want any sovereign authority over the North,so why not regard yourself as Northern Irish and try to forge a common northern identity?

[Beffs]

I worked in Dublin with a fella who announced one coffee break that NI had nothing to do with "Ireland". I hate that attitude. The media drive it. They are ultra partitionist. There arent enough southerners who go to to the North either.

Lost all interest when the booze stopped being so cheap.

Have you seen the price of a bottle of vodka in Newry these days? 

Scandalous ! 

[BennyCake]

People who move from Ireland to live in Britain or Australia live effectively under British or Australian rule but they are still Irish.I will never be British,similarly,whatever the opinion of the few on this thread,neither the Dublin government nor the vast majority of its people want any sovereign authority over the North,so why not regard yourself as Northern Irish and try to forge a common northern identity?

True, the Brits and the South don't want or give a toss about the North or it's people, but no government gives a toss about the people it's supposed to serve. It's not just here.

How do you forge a NI identity when both sides have nothing in common? One side has an Irish idetity, the other British.

[T Fearon]

Truthfully both sides have more in common here than either has with the South or UK.Easy enough to forge a Northern identity if you could get people to switch their focus away from pipe dreams or the hang ups of being "British or Irish".

I agree governments have a lack of concern for their people,but there aren't any votes for the main British or Irish parties in the North (British Labour Party's policy is not to stand candidates here),and crucially no significant section of people in the UK or 26 counties regards the North or its people as their nationalities.

I think people up here generally share traits like honesty,plain speaking,religious belief,humour,community focus,concern for others etc.There is also common things like parading,Bonfires etc.We now have a shared history and Linda Ervine's full Irish classes in East Belfast shows how people are willing to branch out and embrace lost parts of their heritage.Also the Good Friday Agreement generation has grown up untarnished largely by the troubles.Will take time but better than wasting more time chasing pipe dreams like a United Ireland.