The Southern "Irish"

[ONeill]

Southerners don't trust us.

[Main Street]

Main street - stop stirring. (What's a blueshirt, these days, BTW?).

It's just your sensitivity perceives a stir rather than a prod.
Blueshirt is a common enough term of description used by Northerners to describe free staters where the term free stater would be too mild.

[Canalman]

I for one would find being called a "Freestater" by a fellow Irishman offensive.A particularly nasty partitionist insult imo.Can only assume that it is a Northern Castle Catholic / uneducated saying as I cannot fathom any self respecting nationalist using it.

On the other topic, I feel it somewhat arrogant that a Northerner expresses surprise that people down South don't know/care much about the North. Why should they? They have their own worries/ daily/family responsibilities and would imo have the same interest towards the North as many Northerners would have towards for example Cork,Clare etc.........virtually zero.

For example I would contend that the Heroin "epidemic" in the South in the 1970/80s killed more than the Northern "Troubles" yet it is virtually airbrushed from the media consciousness. No doubt someone will sneer as to why they should care about "Junkies" etc but they were still fellow Irish people and imho should be remembered also as the casualties up the North are.

Just my own personal opinion. Sin é.

[saffron sam2]

What sort of history are youse guys teaching down there in the free state?

Nothing more pig ignorant than a northerner who spits out
'are yew a free ssshtater?'  

When are freestaters going to release that northerners normally dont mean anything by the term "freestater".

most of the time  the term "freestater" is followed by a lovely endearing term like"b**tard".
its amazing isnt it,how we could take offence from that 

I would wager you a crisp ten pound note that you have never been called a freestater bastard in your life.

Until now.

Sort the grammar out you freestater bastard!

[pintsofguinness]

On the other topic, I feel it somewhat arrogant that a Northerner expresses surprise that people down South don't know/care much about the North. Why should they? They have their own worries/ daily/family responsibilities and would imo have the same interest towards the North as many Northerners would have towards for example Cork,Clare etc.........virtually zero.

I'm alright Jack.

[Lar Naparka]

Southerners don't trust us.

It's not that we don't trust you, O'Neill, it's more a case of not having a clue about what you are saying betimes.

[ONeill]

I'd be 99% sure that that's the first time betimes has appeared on the gaaboard since its inception. That's a worthy stripe.

[Donagh]

I for one would find being called a "Freestater" by a fellow Irishman offensive.A particularly nasty partitionist insult imo.Can only assume that it is a Northern Castle Catholic / uneducated saying as I cannot fathom any self respecting nationalist using it.

Why would you think it offensive, it is simply the term that was given to us by the oul wans and used in our house when growing up. The same people would have declared we were in "Gods country" as soon as we crossed the border so I don't think it was used as a term of abuse. I'm sure republicans from all 32 counties used the term up until youse got the 'not-quite-what-we-wanted-Republic' in 1949 and as we in the north were cut off at that point the term kind of continued in parallel. No offence intended, but you certainly don't live in the Republic my grandfather fought for, so until then it's the 'south' (small 's') but as I hate to offend my Donegal cousins, 'Freestate' (note not two words) fits the bill better.

[BallyhaiseMan]

What sort of history are youse guys teaching down there in the free state?

Nothing more pig ignorant than a northerner who spits out
'are yew a free ssshtater?'  

When are freestaters going to release that northerners normally dont mean anything by the term "freestater".

most of the time  the term "freestater" is followed by a lovely endearing term like"b**tard".
its amazing isnt it,how we could take offence from that 

I would wager you a crisp ten pound note that you have never been called a freestater b**tard in your life.

Until now.

Sort the grammar out you freestater b**tard!

my grammar is shite i know.

ah being called a freestate b**tard, it brings me back to the days of the "disco" in the Slieve Russell,the pure unadulterated violence, getting a few smacks for no reason or if you were lucky ,getting chased by the lads from the six counties,hiding on the bus, until they lost interest.    
Those were the days.
i feel old.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

I think there's a vast difference between calling someone a 'Freestater' and the saying that someone is from the 'Freestate', with the former being politically loaded and offensive, and the latter being totally benign and merely a relic of not long since departed political nomenclature.

[Declan]

Free state bastard - ah the memories alright. Canal End 1995 when I asked a Tyrone supporter to refrain from blowing smoke into my aunts face and generally acting the bollix was the last time I was called one. In general terms over the years the vast majority of people in the republic levels of interest in the North were minimal enough I'd say

[pintsofguinness]

Free state b**tard - ah the memories alright. Canal End 1995 when I asked a Tyrone supporter to refrain from blowing smoke into my aunts face and generally acting the bollix was the last time I was called one. In general terms over the years the vast majority of people in the republic levels of interest in the North were minimal enough I'd say

You think it only goes one way?
We were asked by Laois men, in a pub in dublin before a game, if we were going to stand for the national anthem.

At another game  I also had to sit in front of another laois man and we heard nothing but abuse about northerners the entire game. 

Everyone could tell stories you know.

[Puckoon]

Lovely, we're done fightin with themmuns, lets round on ourselves over some historical nomenclature.

Fuckin mexicans.

[Declan]

You think it only goes one way?

No pints I don't but the thread was about "Southerners" and their knowledge or attitude towards the North. I didn't take particular offence at the term when it was used but it was obviously an insult and in my mind said more about the lad who spewed it at me than anything else.  Not surprised it was Laois lads who were involved in your story though - sure look at the ignorance of some of their posters on here

[pintsofguinness]

Lovely, we're done fightin with themmuns, lets round on ourselves over some historical nomenclature.

Fuckin mexicans.

Sure some of them eg Pat Kenny are worse than the brits.


In the End,
we will remember
not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.