Is rural Ireland as backwards as people say?

donegal.

realdanbreen wrote: »

And what has that got to do with the title of the topic?

its the only post in ages that directly addresses the OP

goat2

jonnypacket wrote: »

With all the talk about the upcoming referendum on gay marriage, I often hear people worry that it will be rejected due to the conservative, backward nature of rural Ireland. Obviously rural Ireland is not as cosmopolitan as Dublin and so the people there are less exposed to gay culture so perhaps their opinions stem from innocent ignorance. I'm not familiar with Ireland outside of Dublin but I imagine rural dwellers are more fixated on farming, GAA and the Catholic church. How true is this?

i dont agree with you, i am rural Ireland, and i am a well traveled person, open minded, parts of rural Ireland may be more cosmopolitan than Dublin, and you put obviously before it,
what backward nature are you on about,
what do you mean less exposed to gay culture, i have gay and straight friends,
what innocence and ignorance, ( I find that insulting)
i am very familiar with the whole country, travel the length and breath of it and am in Dublin a couple times a year, you are only familiar with Dublin,
we are fixated with travel tourism, sport of all kinds, farming, socializing and of course enjoying that crisp fresh air, along with many more, too much to mention

Huntergonzo

realdanbreen wrote: »

So you reckon if all families voted the same way like yours does that it would be a sign that they were progressive and not backward?

No, I'm just giving an example of some rural people who are contrary to the stereotype as again our OP said he wasn't familiar with Ireland outside of Dublin. As for what's progressive and what's backward well that's probably a pretty subjective matter, I mean I would consider voting Yes progressive but maybe others wouldn't, I don't know what your thoughts are.

goat2

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

With lots of 'road frontage'
I always wondered why this 'frontage' makes land more valuable.Is it because advertising boards for local businesses can be placed on the side of the road therefore increasing the revenue for the landowner?Or am I way off the mark?
Back on topic,in the internet age we live in no place could really be considered backwards,some of the people on the other hand...

horses like looking over the ditch at what is passing by

UCDVet

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

It behoves you then to create the peo-incest/polygamy groundswell.

Political movements start with one man & a dream.

I know that you probably mean that as a tongue-in-cheek remark, but I strongly believe that it's just as wrong to disallow inter-racial marriage as it is same-sex marriage as it is incestuous marriage, as it is polygamous marriage.

And it really does bother me that gay marriage supporters are claiming this is about 'treating everyone equally', when, clearly, it's just another subgroup of people (same sex). They're not campaigning for everyone's right to marry, just their own.

Now, I support them, because I think it's right. But this is like saying 'You can't beat your wife on Tuesdays'. I support that, but it's also wrong to do it in those other cases. The government shouldn't have any say over who I marry, with the exception of protecting individuals who cannot protect themselves (underage and/or those who are truly unable to make an informed decision about their life).

So yeah - I hope that, one day, I'll be free to marry whomever I want.

wakka12

Dick phelan wrote: »

Why is a love of the GAA used to call somebody backward, I live in an Urban area and love GAA and if the turnout at Dublin matches is anything to go by so do many others living in urban area's. I really don't think it's an urban vs rural thing, it's an age thing urban area's tend to have younger populations compared to rural area's which have an aging population and many of the young people may have left the area. Anyway just because someone is voting no in the SSM referendum does not make them backward and to suggest it does is pure ignorance.

No..theres definitely a rural element, rural people are older on average but not by enough to have a signifant effect on the number of No voters solly because of the age difference. I think there might be something like 2-3% more people aged 18-25 in Dublin than say Mayo. Its quite a large difference but nothing that would have huge effects on the polls. Besides the age difference is restored anyway because a huge number of country students/young workers who make the Dub population younger have to go back to their home constituency to vote anyway

loveta

If the no. Vote wins tomorrow but say only by 5 or less percent will we have to go through all this again?
But if the yes win by the same small margin will the campaign be run again to give the no side another shot.

Santa Cruz

realdanbreen wrote: »

With all due respect to the men of 1798 apart from knocking a few good old republican songs such as the croppy boy & Boulavogue out of their endevors they did'nt acheive a lot. The shots fired in Solohead Co Tipp kick started the revolution.

It didn't. It was just a continuation of what happened in 1916

realdanbreen

Santa Cruz wrote: »

It didn't. It was just a continuation of what happened in 1916

You do know that 1916 wasn't just about what happened in and around the GPO?

Paramite Pie

UCDVet wrote: »

And it really does bother me that gay marriage supporters are claiming this is about 'treating everyone equally', when, clearly, it's just another subgroup of people (same sex). They're not campaigning for everyone's right to marry, just their own.

Well in fairness, since religious, civil & inter-racial marriage is legal for straight couples it'd surely be a bit redundant to campaign for it?

Unless you want a vote on straight marriage too? Would you feel it was closer to equality if you could vote NO to opposite sex marriage?

loveta wrote: »

If the no. Vote wins tomorrow but say only by 5 or less percent will we have to go through all this again?
But if the yes win by the same small margin will the campaign be run again to give the no side another shot.

California passed same-sex marriage and the No campaign undid it a month later. It took another 5 years to pass same-sex marriage again.
If a Political Party in Ireland wanted to have another referendum, they could. Since most of our politicians are Centre and not Right Wing, it's unlikely.

I don't necessarily think that all Irish politicians are pro-same sex marriage, however I do believe many are not strongly opposed either. There's little political appetite for a re-run on the no side.

Kermit.de.frog

I would not say country people are "backward". What a terrible thing to say.

I'd say they are more unsophisticated.

fryup

as long as the catholic church and the GAA are the main social influences then i'm afraid ireland will always be a bit backward...(both urban & rural)

realdanbreen

fryup wrote: »

as long as the catholic church and the GAA are the main social influences then i'm afraid ireland will always be a bit backward...(both urban & rural)

Then why do you choose to live in Ireland? Only a very weak Individual would remain in a country that they view as being backward.

Kermit.de.frog

fryup wrote: »

as long as the catholic church and the GAA are the main social influences then i'm afraid ireland will always be a bit backward...(both urban & rural)

What's wrong with the GAA?

Stoned Since 2011

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What's wrong with the GAA?

what is right with them?

magma69

realdanbreen wrote: »

Then why do you choose to live in Ireland? Only a very weak Individual would remain in a country that they view as being backward.

Struggle to see the logic in that statement. Only a weak person would run away to another country instead of staying and trying to better the place they were born and reared in?

In my experience, people from rural areas have quite varied views though probably a higher percentage of socially conservative minded people than you'd get in urban areas.

Also, those somehow linking following GAA with being backward are being incredibly silly. It's a sports organisation ffs.

magma69

fryup wrote: »

as long as the catholic church and the GAA are the main social influences then i'm afraid ireland will always be a bit backward...(both urban & rural)

How is the GAA a main social influence. Is GAAism some sort of school of thought that people subscribe to? What's their official manifesto?

Minderbinder

realdanbreen wrote: »

Then why do you choose to live in Ireland? Only a very weak Individual would remain in a country that they view as being backward.

that's a very backward statement. you'd have no time for any of these civil rights movements then? martin luther king should have just moved to nigeria i suppose.

Grayson

Paramite Pie wrote: »

I don't necessarily think that all Irish politicians are pro-same sex marriage, however I do believe many are not strongly opposed either. There's little political appetite for a re-run on the no side.

When you get down to it gay marriage isn't a big deal. Nobody thinks the country will be worse for it. It's not like we're legalizing crystal meth or assault rifles. If it's legalised it won't turn everyones lives upside down (Well, maybe the people who get married will have a big change in their lives ).

Even they yes side aren't saying that Ireland is a hellhole that needs change. They're just saying that it's the right thing to do.

That's why it's a bit crazy that you see so much hysteria from some of the No side. Especially with some of the weird scenarios that they throw out.

It's like immigration. In the UK it's perfectly acceptable to have concerns about emigration. It's acceptable in any country. However our anti abortion crowd are closer to UKIP or BNP in terms of craziness than they are to conservatives.
Although a lot of tories will pick up on common sentiment and address immigration they're still going to distance themselves from rightwing parties.

In our case there are a few politicians who rely on the rightwing catholic vote and are against it, most realise it's not a political vote winner and want to distance themselves from the No crowd.

That sounds very cynical. I do believe most are supporting because they believe it's the corrrect thing to do. But I also believe there are some that would have supported a no vote if they thought it would help themselves.

Grayson

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What's wrong with the GAA?

It was founded as a sectarian organisation.

realdanbreen

Minderbinder wrote: »

that's a very backward statement. you'd have no time for any of these civil rights movements then? martin luther king should have just moved to nigeria i suppose.

Well unless you believe that this guy, fryup, is going to dismantle the structures of the GAA and the Catholic church, then his only course of action is to leave. As for Martin Luther King, he was an American so why would he move to Nigeria?

wp_rathead

fryup wrote: »

as long as the catholic church and the GAA are the main social influences then i'm afraid ireland will always be a bit backward...(both urban & rural)

Ah yes, the good auld Three Pillars of Being Irish:
GAA, Catholic Church and voting Fianna Fail

iDave

The GAA is the best thing to of happened to this country so go swivel.

Santa Cruz

Grayson wrote: »

It was founded as a sectarian organisation.

So sectarian it named its premier trophy after a Protestant Sam Maguire and has elected a Protestant a President of the GAA Jack Boothman.

iDave

Santa Cruz wrote: »

So sectarian it named its premier trophy after a Protestant Sam Maguire and has elected a Protestant a President of the GAA Jack Boothman.

No problems with urban middle class IRFU not standing up to apartheid or urban working class FIFA building stadiums with slave labour.

Santa Cruz

realdanbreen wrote: »

You do know that 1916 wasn't just about what happened in and around the GPO?

I do. Thats why I know what I am posting about and not bogged down in a simplistic view of our history as taught down around Moycarkey or Gortahue

mariaalice

This thread is all over the place, they have been Gay GAA players and prominent ones as well, the reason for rural areas voting more conservatively is simple its an age thing rural areas generally have an older population and older people vote more conservatively every where not just in Ireland, plus older people are more likely to vote. That does not make rural Ireland more conservative as such.

The influence of he catholic church is well gone at this stage those who blame the catholic church for repression then to engage in a bit of projectionism blaming outside forces for their own issues.

realdanbreen

iDave wrote: »

No problems with urban middle class IRFU not standing up to apartheid or urban working class FIFA building stadiums with slave labour.

Don't forget 'Ireland's call'.

realdanbreen

Santa Cruz wrote: »

I do. Thats why I know what I am posting about and not bogged down in a simplistic view of our history as taught down around Moycarkey or Gortahue

Well if you had been lucky enough to study your history in Moycarkey, Gortnahoe or Borrisokane, then you would know that ALL historians regard the actions at Soloheadbeg in Tipperary as the start of the war of Irish Independence.

Huntergonzo

mariaalice wrote: »

This thread is all over the place, they have been Gay GAA players and prominent ones as well, the reason for rural areas voting more conservatively is simple its an age thing rural areas generally have an older population and older people vote more conservatively every where not just in Ireland, plus older people are more likely to vote. That does not make rural Ireland more conservative as such.

The influence of he catholic church is well gone at this stage those who blame the catholic church for repression then to engage in a bit of projectionism blaming outside forces for their own issues.

The influence of the catholic church certainly is weaker than it was in the 40s and 50s but it's certainly not well gone. They are still running over 90% of our primary schools, indoctrinating young children with highly conservative catholic dogma, many of which grow up probably never questioning their unfounded beliefs, if that isn't influence I don't know what is.