Do you feel a difference between North and South?

fasttalkerchat

John Doe1 wrote: »

Yeah when i go from my home in east donegal to derry, i break out in nervous sweats over the difference in accents and culture. Also I hear they eat their children:eek:

You're a brave man. I got a post card from someone who visited Derry once. Never seen him again.
The postcard read "Beware: Protestants. Protestants Everywhere!"

Eurovisionmad

People down South tend to have more kneecaps.

Qualitymark

Thing about things from the North (/South) is not that they eat their children, it's the way they lick the plates after.

fasttalkerchat

Qualitymark wrote: »

Thing about things from the North (/South) is not that they eat their children, it's the way they lick the plates after.

Plates? None of that up North!

John Doe1

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

You're a brave man. I got a post card from someone who visited Derry once. Never seen him again.
The postcard read "Beware: Protestants. Protestants Everywhere!"

Oh well that wouldnt be so bad for me seeing as i live in town which is mostly protestant and technically am one:p (albeit atheist)

girl2

John Doe1 wrote: »

Oh well that wouldnt be so bad for me seeing as i live in town which is mostly protestant and technically am one:p (albeit atheist)

A Protestant atheist.

Totally "no words come to me in response" :eek:

fasttalkerchat

John Doe1 wrote: »

Oh well that wouldnt be so bad for me seeing as i live in town which is mostly protestant and technically am one:p (albeit atheist)

Do they have those down south? :eek:

John Doe1

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Do they have those down south? :eek:

Do they have what?

oppenheimer1

bstar wrote: »

the roads in the countryside in the North are alot better than the ones in the south. The country roads in Kilkenny and Carlow area are like dirt roads still with grass up the middle, you wont find that in many places in the North.

Also find Belfast one of the easiest cities to drive around

http://goo.gl/maps/MhhVN

Really?

Looks as bad as any "dirt road" you'd find in Carlow tbh.

fasttalkerchat

John Doe1 wrote: »

Do they have what?

Protestants....

Ok, I should point out I have been taking the piss out of this thread for a while now. The only difference between North and South are the ones imposed by the partition itself and a few cultural ones depending on people who came to live there, be that English and Scotish in the North or more recently, Africans in Galway and Dublin.

fasttalkerchat

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

http://goo.gl/maps/MhhVN

Really?

Looks as bad as any "dirt road" you'd find in Carlow tbh.

I drove that road to Cushendall recently and it had a poor surface but it is totally traffic free unless you meet a tractor.

Before the EU roads in the North were much better but now the South has slightly passed the North (with a few exceptions).

oppenheimer1

Crooked Jack wrote: »

Some people seem to be using this thread as a thin veil for spouting their own political views. The fact is there is no difference in the people between north and south, at least not one that you wouldnt find between east and west, carlow and cork, dublin and donegal.
True, there are a few superficial things like signs etc but sure what the hell does that matter.
Someone in belfast for example, coming from a city, is going to have a lot more in common with someone from Dublin than I will. Whereas I will have a lot more in common with someone from Louth or Monaghan than I will from Derry.
These are the same little subtle differences and regional quirks that you will find across the island.
To suggest that there is some sort of fundamental change in the people and the place once you cross an imaginary line that has only existed for a fraction of a second when compared to the time Irish people have been here is utter rubbish

What?! There are major cultural differences between north and south. For one they are obsessed with parading up there. Additionally people in the south are far far more tolerant and open in outlook. I know a person from down south who moved up there and went to join one sports club - first question was her religion. She gave the "wrong" answer and was told that she wouldn't fit in. That simply wouldn't happen in the republic.

girl2

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

What?! There are major cultural differences between north and south. For one they are obsessed with parading up there. Additionally people in the south are far far more tolerant and open in outlook. A friend of mine lived up there and went to join one a sports club - first question was her religion. She gave the "wrong" answer and was told that she wouldn't fit in. That simply wouldn't happen in the republic.

Total nonsense. Every sentence of that is nonsense. All you're on about is the protestants. The Catholics aren't like that. :rolleyes:

oppenheimer1

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

I drove that road to Cushendall recently and it had a poor surface but it is totally traffic free unless you meet a tractor.

Before the EU roads in the North were much better but now the South has slightly passed the North (with a few exceptions).

So the roads up there were better than down in the Republic 40 years ago, yet the mindset still persists?

oppenheimer1

girl2 wrote: »

Total nonsense. Every sentence of that is nonsense. All you're on about is the protestants. The Catholics aren't like that. :rolleyes:

They're as bad as each other up there.

girl2

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

They're as bad as each other up there.

I'm up here. So I think I might know a wee bit

fasttalkerchat

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

So the roads up there were better than down in the Republic 40 years ago, yet the mindset still persists?

From what I read on wikipedia the improvements started in the 80's and by the late 90's the south was up to scratch... Cavan too by 2030
Donegal and Cavan still have the worst roads in Western Europe IMO.

oppenheimer1

girl2 wrote: »

I'm up here. So I think I might know a wee bit

Well you'll have to agree that there is an "us-versus-them" attitude that permeates Northern Irish society, and despite the progress of the last 10 years, it hasn't gone away. This doesn't exist in the Republic (or England for that matter) and manifests itself in the peace lines, the marching in areas for provocation alone, the complaining about bag packers in Tesco wearing GAA shirts among other things.

For example down in the Republic, where there are a few dual currency shops - particularly in border areas, you won't be met by a snooty shopkeeper complaining about being presented with "funny money", unlike my experiences on the far side of the divide. Northern Ireland is far from healed and can be a frosty and confusing place for visitors http://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/news/local/quot_derry_does_not_exist_quot_1_1964803

woodoo

John Doe1 wrote: »

Oh well that wouldnt be so bad for me seeing as i live in town which is mostly protestant and technically am one:p (albeit atheist)

I don't believe there is a town anywhere in ireland that is mostly protestant.

oppenheimer1

woodoo wrote: »

I don't believe there is a town anywhere in ireland that is mostly protestant.

I'd say there might be a few in Cavan and Donegal and some enclaves in Cork and Dublin.

fasttalkerchat

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Well you'll have to agree that there is an "us-versus-them" attitude that permeates Northern Irish society, and despite the progress of the last 10 years, it hasn't gone away. This doesn't exist in the Republic (or England for that matter) and manifests itself in the peace lines, the marching in areas for provocation alone, the complaining about bag packers in Tesco wearing GAA shirts among other things.

For example down in the Republic, where there are a few dual currency shops - particularly in border areas, you won't be met by a snooty shopkeeper complaining about being presented with "funny money", unlike my experiences on the far side of the divide. Northern Ireland is far from healed and can be a frosty and confusing place for visitors http://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/news/local/quot_derry_does_not_exist_quot_1_1964803

That article is from a Coleraine newspaper. Coleraine, Articlave and Ballymena will never really be Irish.

John Doe1

woodoo wrote: »

I don't believe there is a town anywhere in ireland that is mostly protestant.

Raphoe, County Donegal. Also the only place in the republic to hold a march by the royal black preceptory.:)

oppenheimer1

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

That article is from a Coleraine newspaper. Coleraine, Articlave and Ballymena will never really be Irish.

The incident happened in Belfast Europa Bus Station, despite it being reported in a Coleraine paper.

fasttalkerchat

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The incident happened in Belfast Europa Bus Station, despite it being reported in a Coleraine paper.

Sorry, read that and forgot to correct myself. Maybe there is hope for us yet!

In work an English guy asked me how to go about getting a bus/train to Londonderry. This was in a fairly nationalist town so I told him how to go about it and said eh, we just call it Derry here. And he said "No, I meant LONDONderry". Clearly he had family here

woodoo

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Sorry, read that and forgot to correct myself. Maybe there is hope for us yet!

In work an English guy asked me how to go about getting a bus/train to Londonderry. This was in a fairly nationalist town so I told him how to go about it and said eh, we just call it Derry here. And he said "No, I meant LONDONderry". Clearly he had family here

Did you ever find out where he was referring to i've never heard of it.

fasttalkerchat

woodoo wrote: »

Did you ever find out where he was referring to i've never heard of it.

Maybe he asked for the London-Derry train. I should have told him there is no tunnel/bridge across the Irish Sea. :D