Making Ireland British: is the project nearing completion?

[seabhcan]

Originally Posted by toxic avenger

I went through that education system. It's why I can tell you it's 'disastrous', without an 'e'...

I've taught physics to the products of that education system. Heart breaking.

[seabhcan]

Originally Posted by diy01

But there are distinct cultural groups in Ireland too. Is "Irish" culture a political construction too? Are the differences between England, Scotland and Wales that great?

There are differences here, but less so. Remember that the UK has 14 times our population. Far more room for different cultures to exist.

[diy01]

True.

What is Irish national identity primarily based on, in your opinion? What might it be based on in the future? In the past it seems to have been based primarily on a separate language and customs, both which have mostly faded away.

Does it even matter? Is the very concept being turned on its head?

[seabhcan]

Originally Posted by diy01

True.

What is Irish national identity primarily based on, in your opinion? What might it be based on in the future? In the past it seems to have been based primarily on a separate language and customs, both which have mostly faded away.

Does it even matter? Has the very concept been turned on its head?

It doens't need to be based on anything in particular - except national confidence.

[toxic avenger]

Originally Posted by seabhcan

I've taught physics to the products of that education system. Heart breaking.

I'm being slightly facetious, I agree there are major problems in large swathes of the Comprehensive system, some of it a cultural problem, some of it a socio-economic problem, some of it a problem with the quality of teaching and the ideology behind it since the 1960s. But equally, might I add, when I did a degree in History here I found that I, brought up in Britain, knew far more Irish history than most on the course with me, and I was no expert at all. They knew next to nothing about what went on in Northern Ireland, for example. I also knew more about Ireland generally, including what and where the various counties and regions were, and found many of the others, with exceptions of course, extremely parochial in mindset. One girl I went out with thought that Donegal was in the province of 'Connemara', and her granny was from there! Generally I found that there was quite a lot known about whatever they were taught for Leaving, but little outside of it.

[diy01]

That seems par for the course, unfortunately. When you're the big kid on the block, you pay little attention to the little guy, generally speaking.

I've met people who didn't know Ireland was an island ffs. Granted, they came from the other side of the Atlantic, but still...

Standing in line at Busáras one time, I overheard a group of university-age people from Chicago (or at least those who flew out of a Chicago airport originally) trying to figure out why they had to take a plane from London to Dublin instead of a bus...'since it's the same island'.

[toxic avenger]

Originally Posted by diy01

That seems par for the course, unfortunately. When you're the big kid on the block, you pay little attention to the little guy, generally speaking.

I've met people who didn't know Ireland was an island ffs. Granted, they came from the other side of the Atlantic, but still...

Standing in line at Busáras one time, I overheard a group of university-age people from Chicago (or at least those who flew out of a Chicago airport originally) trying to figure out why they had to take a plane from London to Dublin instead of a bus...'since it's the same island'.

That's pretty normal alright, but I was actually talking about degree-level students at UCC! Plus a girl I went out with with a degree in accountancy from UCD.

[diy01]

That's a shame.

So...did you take her out to Conamara and Donegal then?

[sparkey321]

As someone who does business in the there are vasts differences between the two countries. Drive into any small town in the UK and compare what you see to what you see in Ireland.

Business culture in the two countries is vastly different.

Walk down any street in any UK city and look around. now walk down a street in Dublin, Cork or Limerick and you will see vast differences.

[Spence]

I always find the asking of these questions suspect as they are never based on reality. In all my travels through Ireland, Britain, Europe and elsewhere it never comes up as anything important. I only find a small percentage of people living in Ireland who continuously ask it excessively. From my own experience most Irish people moved on in 1916. The only people who care nowadays are those hankering after the days when 'God Save the King/Queen' was the ''National'' anthem. It is peculiarly sad.