Do You Consider People From Northern Ireland Foreigners?

bwatson

john why wrote: »

How can an irish man be foreign?

Well, most of the people of Northern Ireland wouldn't class themselves as Irish.

I assumed that people would view the British peoples of Northern Ireland as foreign - despite their being many cultural similarities we have a different passport and a different allegiance. We fit every single criteria necessary to being foreign, likewise do those in the Republic fit the criteria to being foreign from us! Nothing wrong with that though, being foreign doesn't mean you can't closely identify with others on many issues.

Onthe3rdDay

Northern Irish people are not foreigners, but as time goes on I find I have more in common with Scottish people and English people from the north of England. Take someone from A farming background in Yorkshire and someone from the same background in Cork or Tipperary and there's not that much difference in values and outlooks in life.

Almaviva

No. Nor the English, Scots, or Welsh. Wogs begin at Calais.

fuerte1976

Simple, No.

Sunnyisland

Almaviva wrote: »

No. Nor the English, Scots, or Welsh. Wogs begin at Calais.

You have me hear

beeroclock

No

But the dubs now thats a different story (just kidding!!)

bwatson

tonycascarino wrote: »

No way. They are Irish like the rest of us

Well we are as Irish as you maybe, Mr Cascarino

awec

bwatson wrote: »

Well, most of the people of Northern Ireland wouldn't class themselves as Irish.

I assumed that people would view the British peoples of Northern Ireland as foreign - despite their being many cultural similarities we have a different passport and a different allegiance. We fit every single criteria necessary to being foreign, likewise do those in the Republic fit the criteria to being foreign from us! Nothing wrong with that though, being foreign doesn't mean you can't closely identify with others on many issues.

I never viewed people from the ROI as foreign. Technically they were but very few people would actually view them that way.

I think the idea that someone who was born 15 minutes down the road could be foreign was just strange for people to relate to. Two tiny countries on 1 tiny island.

That and the way many families have relatives on both sides of the border.

3ndahalfof6

we only have 3 years left to invent flying cars, or back to the future is a crock of siht

El Weirdo

Almaviva wrote: »

No. Nor the English, Scots, or Welsh. Wogs begin at Calais.

Mod note:

User banned for this comment.

Agricola

Foreign to me is more a cultural thing as opposed to geographic. I wouldnt class the Brits as foreign. (The real ones, or the pretend ones in NI) Or the Americans really. We have very similar cultures. Foreign is eating dogs balls in Bangkok.

bwatson

awec wrote: »

I never viewed people from the ROI as foreign. Technically they were but very few people would actually view them that way.

I think the idea that someone who was born 15 minutes down the road could be foreign was just strange for people to relate to. Two tiny countries on 1 tiny island.

That and the way many families have relatives on both sides of the border.

I certainly understand the argument - but have never equated someone being foreign to them being inherently alien or different. I think this view has been reaffirmed by going to university on the mainland with people from all over Britain, Europe and North America, where I have come to understand that there are so many factors which we relate to or sympathize with before the nationality written on our passports.

However after saying that, the fact remains that everything that makes an American, a Frenchman or a German a foreigner also makes an Irish person a foreigner.

I say that as someone who has relatives living in the United States and siblings who have worked and lived on the continent too.

battle_hardend

if someone living in armagh or newry tells me they are irish , who am i to contradict them , same deal with those who identify as british

new dispensation and all that

gsxr1

What a retarded thread.

OP needs a clip around the lugs.

guitarzero

Well I dunno OP, maybe you just need to get the f*ck out of your bedroom.

St.Spodo

No, certainly not. By and large they're a Gaelic people, who speak the same language and have a very, very similar culture in general.

Big Nasty

El Weirdo wrote: »

Mod note:

User banned for this comment.

Tits or face?

battle_hardend

Onthe3rdDay wrote: »

Northern Irish people are not foreigners, but as time goes on I find I have more in common with Scottish people and English people from the north of England. Take someone from A farming background in Yorkshire and someone from the same background in Cork or Tipperary and there's not that much difference in values and outlooks in life.

that suggest scottish people and people from the north of england are particulary similar , ive never found that at all

Sunnyisland

If your born on the Island of Ireland your Irish, doesent matter what you wish to be.

donegal_road

I never hear anyone refer to people as 'foreigners' anymore, not in years in fact. Its a word used only by people who haven't travelled or experienced life outside their own area.

token101

I consider anyone from outside Cork a foreigner, boy.

quickbeam

It depends. Some hold British passsports and they are foreign. Some hold Irish passports and they are Irish. It's a unique situation where an individual gets to choose their nationality.

Brinimartini

I have to admit I do

Sunnyisland

quickbeam wrote: »

It depends. Some hold British passsports and they are foreign. Some hold Irish passports and they are Irish. It's a unique situation where an individual gets to choose their nationality.

And a lot have both passports

tfitzgerald

I would consider them Irish

68Murph68

How many people who don't consider people from the north foreigners, do so because they don't consider people from Britain/Scotland/Wales foreigners?

Sunnyisland

68 Murphy 68 wrote: »

How many people who don't consider people from the north foreigners, do so because they don't consider people from Britain/Scotland/Wales foreigners?

I would personally believe people from England/Scotland & Wales to be foreigners,I belive that people born on the Island of Ireland are Irish.

Defiler Of The Coffin

I don't consider them foreign. You never hear of someone 'emigrating' to NI from the Republic or vice-versa.

battle_hardend

quickbeam wrote: »

It depends. Some hold British passsports and they are foreign. Some hold Irish passports and they are Irish. It's a unique situation where an individual gets to choose their nationality.

the definitive answer

case closed

awec

quickbeam wrote: »

It depends. Some hold British passsports and they are foreign. Some hold Irish passports and they are Irish. It's a unique situation where an individual gets to choose their nationality.

Not true.

My passport says I'm British, but I'm still irish like.

In the same way a scottish person's passport says they're a brit, but they're still scottish.

You don't have to be one or the other, certainly not the irish in the "born on the island of ireland" sense.

Chuck Stone

bwatson wrote: »

Well, most of the people of Northern Ireland wouldn't class themselves as Irish.

Really? Do you have a source for this or is that simply your opinion?

We fit every single criteria necessary to being foreign, likewise do those in the Republic fit the criteria to being foreign from us! Nothing wrong with that though, being foreign doesn't mean you can't closely identify with others on many issues.

We = anti-Irish Unionists.

Please make that distinction when you talk about the people who live in the north.

Mr Benevolent

Yes, in the same way that Spanish people don't consider themselves Portugese. Or Palestinian don't consider themselves Israeli.

TL;DR: They're from another country, i.e the UK, therefore they're foreign.

Defiler Of The Coffin

Confab wrote: »

Yes, in the same way that Spanish people don't consider themselves Portugese. Or Palestinian don't consider themselves Israeli.

TL;DR: They're from another country, i.e the UK, therefore they're foreign.

It's not that black and white. The Irish constitution guarantees the rights of people from NI to be part of the Irish nation. Therefore they are not foreign if they don't wish to be.

KeithAFC

bwatson wrote: »

Well, most of the people of Northern Ireland wouldn't class themselves as Irish.

I assumed that people would view the British peoples of Northern Ireland as foreign - despite their being many cultural similarities we have a different passport and a different allegiance. We fit every single criteria necessary to being foreign, likewise do those in the Republic fit the criteria to being foreign from us! Nothing wrong with that though, being foreign doesn't mean you can't closely identify with others on many issues.

+1. Nothing wrong with it though. Just a people who are different.

Jimmyhologram

The word "foreigner" is ugly and always reminds me of Enid Blyton. It doesn't really say very much, but implies a whole lot of negatives. People who live in different jurisdictions, speak different languages, look different, have different values ... when people say "foreign" they usually imply some or all of these, though it's not necessarily clear which ones. Better if people avoid the word altogether and specify what it is they want to talk about directly, ie. citizenship, language, race etc.

Debating over whether people are Irish or not in the touchy-feely sense of some vague, undefinable sense of "Irishness" is at best a waste of time, and potentially quite morally dubious, since you are setting yourself up as some kind of arbiter over who belongs and who doesn't.

battle_hardend

awec wrote: »

Not true.

My passport says I'm British, but I'm still irish like.

In the same way a scottish person's passport says they're a brit, but they're still scottish.

You don't have to be one or the other, certainly not the irish in the "born on the island of ireland" sense.

most scottish people consider themselves british so its hardly a fair or accurate comparison

KeithAFC

awec wrote: »

I never viewed people from the ROI as foreign. Technically they were but very few people would actually view them that way.

I think the idea that someone who was born 15 minutes down the road could be foreign was just strange for people to relate to. Two tiny countries on 1 tiny island.

That and the way many families have relatives on both sides of the border.

I don't see why that would make any difference. A person in the Republic is a foreigner to me. You will find this all over the world in America and Africa and so on.

Defiler Of The Coffin

KeithAFC wrote: »

I don't see why that would make any difference. A person in the Republic is a foreigner to me

You should head down south sometime. You will find people there aren't as different from you as you might think.

cocoshovel

No. I wouldnt really even consider English/Scottish/Welsh people to be foreign. I dont know why but thats just the way I am.

IM0

yes, they use £. even the people who use the same currency* as us are foreigners so norn iron has no chance

*the eurozone!

bwatson

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Really? Do you have a source for this or is that simply your opinion?



We = anti-Irish Unionists.

Please make that distinction when you talk about the people who live in the north.

There is a difference between being anti-Irish and non-Irish. You are an intelligent poster. You know very well what the difference is.

I do not see myself as Spanish, I presume using your logic I could be described as anti-Spanish as a result? Its a bizarre and atypical post in truth.

I'm not anti-Irish, I enjoy posting on this board and have great respect for many of the posters (including yourself) however I simply don't identify as being Irish. Your equating me being British rather than Irish to being an expression of xenophobia is very much wide of the mark. I don't begrudge anyone from Northern Ireland the right to acquire an Irish passport, fly the tricolour and call themselves Irish, I just won't be joining them any time soon.

KeithAFC

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

You should head down south sometime. You will find people there aren't as different from you as you might think.

They are different though in many aspects.

battle_hardend

bwatson wrote: »

There is a difference between being anti-Irish and non-Irish. You are an intelligent poster. You know very well what the difference is.

I do not see myself as Spanish, I presume using your logic I could be described as anti-Spanish as a result? Its a bizarre and atypical post in truth.

I'm not anti-Irish, I enjoy posting on this board and have great respect for many of the posters (including yourself) however I simply don't identify as being Irish. Your equating me being British rather than Irish to being an expression of xenophobia is very much wide of the mark. I don't begrudge anyone from Northern Ireland the right to acquire an Irish passport, fly the tricolour and call themselves Irish, I just won't be joining them any time soon.

cant ask for more than that

Shane Gillespie

how stupid are you?
They are IRISH, sure its in the feckin name, northern IRELAND!!!
its not their fault the Brits decided to refuse it back to Ireland in 1921, my father is from the north and he considers himself Irish more than I do myself, and I'm from the south!
well then, rant over

don ramo

if they have the same passport as me then no

Chuck Stone

bwatson wrote: »

There is a difference between being anti-Irish and non-Irish. You are an intelligent poster. You know very well what the difference is.

I do not see myself as Spanish, I presume using your logic I could be described as anti-Spanish as a result? Its a bizarre and atypical post in truth.

I'm not anti-Irish, I enjoy posting on this board and have great respect for many of the posters (including yourself) however I simply don't identify as being Irish. Your equating me being British rather than Irish to being an expression of xenophobia is very much wide of the mark. I don't begrudge anyone from Northern Ireland the right to acquire an Irish passport, fly the tricolour and call themselves Irish, I just won't be joining them any time soon.

Okay. My bad.

Peace.

woodoo

I've been up to a part of Belfast covered in union flags it felt pretty foreign to me. But then places like Derry city feel very Irish.

deisedave

Defiler Of The Coffin wrote: »

You should head down south sometime. You will find people there aren't as different from you as you might think.

Considering how much he posts on an Irish boards I would assume he is not as anti-Irish as his posts make him sound. If he was so into the union why would he spend so much time posting on boards.ie

People from Northern Ireland are pretty much Irish and there is some pretend brits up there. I find alot of them go way to much over the top with the Irish or British thing its fair annoying. If you go through Clough all the British flags and curbs painted is ridiculous you would get nothing like that in England they are just over compensating.

RichieC

No.

tfitzgerald

Shane Gillespie wrote: »

how stupid are you?
They are IRISH, sure its in the feckin name, northern IRELAND!!!
its not their fault the Brits decided to refuse it back to Ireland in 1921, my father is from the north and he considers himself Irish more than I do myself, and I'm from the south!
well then, rant over

Good man . Relax now that you got that out of your system .

P s of course they are Irish and we love them for all their faults