Do you feel a difference between North and South?

Fenian Army

I don't notice much difference, depends where you go I reckon. I live near the border btw

MJ23

The accents from the north are painful. The cork accent is bad too, but not as bad as the north.

swimming in a sea

i always like going to NI when a kid in the 80's since they had a much better selection of sweets and to think of it they still have a better selection

Also having a black car with a yellow number plate is much cooler

IceFjoem

I find the number of Protestants up North to be highly suspicious.

Colmustard

Belfast looks and feels like an English city, a nice city as well. I use to think the nicest countryside was in the south, but not anymore. The North is beautiful.

Mr_Spaceman

IceFjoem wrote: »

I find the number of Protestants up North to be highly suspicious.

Suspicious of what, exactly?

IceFjoem

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

Suspicious of what, exactly?

Do I need a reason, can't I just be small-minded?

Defiler Of The Coffin

The roads aren't better up North, that's just a myth. The Motorways aren't that well maintained either, the (NI) M1 needs serious maintenance in some parts

Daniel S

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Maybe in the 80s the roads were better in the North, but now we're streets ahead (Pun definitely intended) down here. Except in Clare, maybe.

What? Roads here are grand, look at the bypass ffs! Roads in Quilty are ****e though, but so is Quilty in general.

hiDEhi

I spend a lot of time working in the north and there are several differences. The roads in the north are definitely worse. It's ok travelling up the M1 to Belfast, but when you have to go to Derry, Ballymena, Coleraine, Omagh, Portrush, there is no great road that leads to any of them towns/cities. The road network in general is bad when compared to the south. There is a great motorway network in Ireland now which is a lot better than the motorway network in the north which is essentially the M1 from Dungannon to Belfast (which is 50 years old) and a few other bits of motorways north of Belfast.

There is also some lovely areas of the north, nice British towns and villages, lovely scenery. The people are friendly and it can be quite cheap to stay there too. I get to stay in different parts at times for work, not as a tourist.

Yes there are areas that have the union jacks and British flags flying, but it is another country, another culture, I like it and at some stage will be going there for a holiday to explore the parts that I don't get to see.

charlemont

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I love the northies. For me Northern Ireland is a separate state and I'm fine with that. Fair play to them, they've a population of one million and they've produced three major golf winners in Rory M'cilroy, Graeme Mcdowell and Darren Clarke.

How many people again ? or are you reading from an old geography book..:D

The only things I find different above are the road markings and I like the way every road has an individual name with a name plate so its hard to get lost in the countryside unlike down here.

For Forks Sake

They will put alloys on any sh1tebox of a car.

Technique

The roads were better 20 years ago but not any more. Derry is the furtherest city in the UK from a motorway.

donegal_road

there are many northerners whose only experience of the south is Donegal, it can be quite insular in NI.

will.i.am

We don't have Sainsburys down here!:mad:

Mr_Spaceman

will.i.am wrote: »

We don't have Sainsburys down here!:mad:

Ahh, but there's no Superquinn in Norn Iron!

LordSutch

Technique wrote: »

The roads were better 20 years ago but not any more. Derry is the furtherest city in the UK from a motorway.

Interesting, considering that Derry/Londonderry it is due to be "UK City of culture" 2013.

donegal_road

LordSutch wrote: »

Interesting, considering that Derry/Londonderry it is due to be "UK City of culture" 2013.

so by that logic, Birmingham should be British capital of culture because it is well serviced by spaghetti junction?

desertcircus

Progress: half the posts on a discussion regarding Northern Ireland and its differences to the Republic constituting an extensive dialogue on the relative quality of road surface between the two.

PaurGasm

Sorry to be blunt about this but...

I hate Northerners... Their accent an cocky, ignorant and unmannerly attitude towards other people(especially people from the South) is absolutely terrible...

I have a part time job in a petrol station/shop in Donegal and every single person I work with hates to see a northern reg pulling in because they know about 50% of them will kick up a fuss about sterling/euro(up to dates rates given in shop), the price of something(cheapest Diesel/Petrol in town) or just be plain ignorant to the staff...

Dont get me wrong, I do know a handful of nice Northerners, but to me the majority are fcuking c*nts

holystungun9

ted1 wrote: »

Northie girls are easier and wear shorter dresses, however they don't age aswell.

Where To wrote: »

no they aren't. Yes,they do xx

First part confirmed! Easiest two kisses I've seen yet on Boards.

Herb Powell

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Class is a bigger deal up north.
It's more conservative and religion is more of a big deal.
People have better manners in general.
Services are better.
Property is maintained to a higher standard.
It feels more sterile and less relaxed than in the republic.

I don't find that at all

PaurGasm

Herb Powell wrote: »

I don't find that at all

100% agree

Real Life

I dont know how anyone can say the roads are better down here. have you ever been outside of any of the major cities? the roads are disgraceful, id go as far as to say an embarrassment to the country.

Fenian Army

I dont know what roads you guys drive on, country roads in the north are worse than in the 26

hattoncracker

Fenian Army wrote: »

I dont know what roads you guys drive on, country roads in the north are worse than in the 26

They are way better mostly in the north.. I'm from a border county and you notice it the second you enter .NI.

mikemac1

You can stand outside a pub or club some evening, maybe waiting for your friends before heading on somewhere else and you get approached by a pair looking to talk to you about religion, hand you some leaflets and invite you to their next mass/celebration/whatever they call it

Methodists I think they were

Happened me a handful of times

They're obsessed with religion up north

And I don't think approaching drunks is a good way to recruit

However they are very friendly and will happily chat to you about anything. Nothing devious about it, just hard workers for their community

snubbleste

They actually have much better public services and there is a distinct lack of bungalow blight. Plus the cost of living is lower even with the lower wages taken into account.

Pure_Cork

There's no significant difference between North and South, the 6 counties feel as much like home as the 26. That much is clear from reading this thread, the majority of the 6 pages are about the quality of the roads lol plus a few trolls! The same culture is shared all over the island, the people are no different (apart from the Unionist minority who are reluctant to integrate).

LordSutch

Pure_Cork wrote: »

There's no significant difference between North and South, the 6 counties feel as much like home as the 26. That much is clear from reading this thread, the majority of the 6 pages are about the quality of the roads lol plus a few trolls! The same culture is shared all over the island, the people are no different (apart from the Unionist minority who are reluctant to integrate).

I haven't been up there much ever, but when I do I always always feel like I am in a different country, which I am I suppose!

PS; As fas as I am aware Unionists are in the majority in Northern Ireland, not that it matters.

Pure_Cork

LordSutch wrote: »

I haven't been up there much ever, but when I do I always always feel like I am in a different country, which I am I suppose!

PS; As fas as I am aware Unionists are in the majority in Northern Ireland, not that it matters.

Guess we'll disagree on that, I'll be there next weekend watching the Ireland match with my fellow Irishmen (and women). Maybe it's the clash of culture, green/orange, that makes it feel different to some as it's not present down South.

They've a slight majority in the North of Ireland alright, but they're a minority in Ireland itself.

guinnessdrinker

I really don't feel like being in a different country at all. Crossing the border by car feels no different to crossing any county boundary.

On the roads issue, having driven on a lot of different roads on both sides of the border, both main roads and country roads I must say I don't see a whole lot of difference.

Mr_Spaceman

Pure_Cork wrote: »

Guess we'll disagree on that, I'll be there next weekend watching the Ireland match with my fellow Irishmen (and women). Maybe it's the clash of culture, green/orange, that makes it feel different to some as it's not present down South.

They've a slight majority in the North of Ireland alright, but they're a minority in Ireland itself.

Incorrect.

But if you mean Northern Ireland, then yes, you're right.

Border-Rat

They're a minority under the age of 27. They were kicking up a fuss here recently about why there were less Protestant students in the North. They insisted that the best Prods went to UK colleges in Scotland and England. They had a bit of a wakeup call when Catholic Northern students outnumbered them in students headed to Britain too. They call that dwindling numbers, and they noticed shifting the goalposts didn't work. That's why people like Robinson are much more affable these days.

Pure_Cork

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

Incorrect.

But if you mean Northern Ireland, then yes, you're right.

Should've said the 6 counties

wendell borton

There realy is a big differnce the north has been described by many outside organizations as a totalitarian, Stalinist dictatorship with an elaborate cult of personality around the Kim family and one of the lowest-ranking human rights records of any country, though the Northern government denies this.

As a result of its isolation and authoritarian rule, it has sometimes been labelled the "Hermit kingdom", a name once given to its predecessor. In 2011 it had the lowest Democracy Index of any nation on earth. It is one of the world's most militarized countries, with a total of 9,495,000 active, reserve, and paramilitary personnel. It is a nuclear-weapons state and has an active space program.

Lawrence1895

They have Black Bush and a different dialect

Claregirl

Do Northern cars come without indicators?

Does this stem from paranoia about being followed?

Nearly rear-ended a few cars on my last trip up north!

Jonah42

Some southern accents are just cringy - particularly midlands and Connaught.

Maybe only something I've noticed but I think people down south are generally taller???

Mr_Spaceman

I've never been able to get red lemonade in Norn Iron.

I can't remember if brown lemonade is available in the south, though?

2 stroke

Claregirl wrote: »

Do Northern cars come without indicators?

Does this stem from paranoia about being followed?

Nearly rear-ended a few cars on my last trip up north!

Norn drivers only indicate when they are in the wrong lane. Sometimes.

fasttalkerchat

Claregirl wrote: »

Do Northern cars come without indicators?

Does this stem from paranoia about being followed?

Nearly rear-ended a few cars on my last trip up north!

Ever seen a free state car at a roundabout??

fasttalkerchat

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

I've never been able to get red lemonade in Norn Iron.

I can't remember if brown lemonade is available in the south, though?

It is banned under UK rules but still sold in corner shops etc. because they have the same suppliers both sides of the border.

jill_valentine

Wait, whoa, brown lemonade?!?! What sorcery is this?!?!

Dubhlinner

instead of curry chips they eat gravy chips. they're a bit more racist up there on other issues too

Mr_Spaceman

jill_valentine wrote: »

Wait, whoa, brown lemonade?!?! What sorcery is this?!?!

It's good stuff you know!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_lemonade

Lapin

You know you're back in the republic when the cycle lane comes to an end.

Derry Donegal border.

Dr Turk Turkelton

To be honest you really have to feel for the nordies-it's like driving into a third world country when you get there.
The roads are crap the people bitter it's like Biafra looking for indepence from Nigeria in the 70's.
The shops are cheap and the people are so downtrodden looking.
Never mind a penny for the black babies we should all be donating a penny for the poor Nordie babies.

Mr_Spaceman

Lapin wrote: »

You know you're back in the republic when the cycle lane comes to an end.

Derry Donegal border.

That's both an excellent observation and exactly the kind of thing this thread is all about. Interesting pic.

Irish Government's anti-cycling stance exposed!

pontia

Jonah42 wrote: »

Some southern accents are just cringy - particularly midlands and Connaught.

Maybe only something I've noticed but I think people down south are generally taller???

thats because the chips on their shoulders are weighing them down