Do you view the north as a different country?

Ghandee

Born and raised in a small nationalist village, I've always been told (in school, by Clergy, parents friends etc) that I was Irish, and lived in IRELAND.
I have never in my life seen myself as living in a different country, and though I understood we spent sterling as opposed to the Irish punt at the time, I always believed that the police and soldiers walking up my street had no right to be there, and that one day hopefully they'd leave us be.
I have attended manys a GAA game in The North and South, and never regarded myself as coming from a different country! I've stood shoulder to shoulder with Irish supporters at Landsowne road, and no matter if the guy on my right was from Armagh or Athlone, in my eyes they were both from Ireland!
Also, not once in all my years of residing in the North did I EVER give my address as County Derry, Northern Ireland.
My home address was then, and still is to me now ended in County Derry Ireland. Ally post got to my parents house without fail.


Now, after being ripped to shreds in a previous thread for daring to ask a fellow Irish person to stop referring to the north as a different country, I have decided to post a poll to determine what is the REAL view on Irish men and women?

Do you see the six counties as a different country entirely, or do you see our country as one island, with the UK occupying some of it?

I will keepmthe poll open for a week, please no snide or smart assed comments.

ICE HOUSE

Sadly, I have to say yes.

supermonkey

I don't see the poll. I don't regard the north as a different country. Unfortunately many people down in the deep south (Roy Keane, Jackie Healy Ray, Owen O'Callaghan, Ivor Callelly country) do see the north in that way. Of course most corkonians love England more than Ireland and from what I can tell most Kerry people would sell out their country for tuppence.

Conar

As someone who's parents are both from NI along with all my relations I'm sorry to say that I think of it as a separate country.
I would have no wish for it to become part of the republic either.

TonyM.

Kildare/south Dublin make up your mind Dublin is a foreign country .

Ghandee

TonyM. wrote: »

Kildare/south Dublin make up your mind Dublin is a foreign country .

Lol, I actually spend 50/50 between Tallaght and Kill in County Kildare.

TonyM.

Gucky wrote: »

Lol, I actually spend 50/50 between Tallaght and Kill in County Kildare.

Lots of Dublin people come down here to sleep every night, we live in the orbit of a big powerfull neighbour just like up north maybe some day we will get our county back?

If you own a white jersey we need all the support we can get.

ICE HOUSE

I often drive through it on the way to donegal and its the whole feeling about the place that you feel your in a foreign country. Yourself being from the north might not notice this. For example you immediately start to notice the road signs are all the british layout and design, then theres the classic red british phone boxes, police instead of gardai which im usually accustomed to in there psni uniform, and a lot of the time carrying a machine gun( been a long time since ive been stopped at a garda checkpoint by a guard carrying a machine gun !!). Then theres the towns I pass through with union jacks and st. georges flags flying full mast, the list goes on and on.......... The whole place just doesnt feel like your in Ireland.

Ghandee

TonyM. wrote: »

Lots of Dublin people come down here to sleep every night, we live in the orbit of a big powerfull neighbour just like up north maybe some day we will get our county back?

If you own a white jersey we need all the support we can get.

Does being a fully paid up member of Kill GAA do it for ya?
Btw Kildare were fierce lucky last night! (my dads an Antrim man lol)

quickbeam

I do consider Northern Ireland as a different country because legally it is.

However I would consider that half of those born in that foreign country as Irish (Nationalist half) and the other half as Northern Irish and British (Unionist half).

So the land itself is foreign, the residents may or may not be depending on their own choice.

Ghandee

ICE HOUSE wrote: »

I often drive through it on the way to donegal and its the whole feeling about the place that you feel your in a foreign country. Yourself being from the north might not notice this. For example you immediately start to notice the road signs are all the british layout and design, then theres the classic red british phone boxes, police instead of gardai which im usually accustomed to in there psni uniform, and a lot of the time carrying a machine gun( been a long time since ive been stopped at a garda checkpoint by a guard carrying a machine gun !!). Then theres the towns I pass through with union jacks and st. georges flags flying full mast, the list goes on and on.......... The whole place just doesnt feel like your in Ireland.

The red boxes are long gone Ice, regardless though, I think your missingy point.

Forget what it looks like, forget the different police.
My query is, if you met a guy who told you he was from Co Antrim, would you instantly identify him as a fellow Irishman, or as someone from up North, so essentially from another country, ie the UK?

Ghandee

quickbeam wrote: »

I do consider Northern Ireland as a different country because legally it is.

However I would consider that half of those born in that foreign country as Irish (Nationalist half) and the other half as Northern Irish and British (Unionist half).

So the land itself is foreign, the residents may or may not be depending on their own choice.

The land you refer to was Ireland as an Island for a lot longer than it has been illegally occupied no?

ICE HOUSE

Gucky wrote: »

The red boxes are long gone Ice, regardless though, I think your missingy point.

Forget what it looks like, forget the different police.
My query is, if you met a guy who told you he was from Co Antrim, would you instantly identify him as a fellow Irishman, or as someone from up North, so essentially from another country, ie the UK?

Ive worked with loads of lads from all parts the north for many years while in the states. All whom would be nationalists and were great lads. I know they wouldnt question the fact that they are nothing but Irish but in my eyes I see them as from a different country. Maybe thats just ignorance on my behalf and something I'll never understand.

quickbeam

Yes, it was one country once, but that doesn't change what it is now. It's not illegally occupied (you could argue it is immorrally occupied though). Just because a land used to be a certain way doesn't mean it always is - politics changes things.

Ghandee

quickbeam wrote: »

Yes, it was one country once, but that doesn't change what it is now. It's not illegally occupied (you could argue it is immorrally occupied though). Just because a land used to be a certain way doesn't mean it always is - politics changes things.

I'm equally as curious as others are here,(not looking for an argument) but if the Easter rising hadn't of happened and England still had a stronghold in Dublin. (that union flag flew as high over Dublin as it has in Belfast remember)
Would you have considered yourself to be living in Britain then? It's the same principle in the North.

Conar

I guess from the outside things just aren't seen the same and people move on.
Not sure which side would be said to be right.

Do you consider California to be part of Mexico for example?

brianthebard

This isn't a history thread, locked.