Is rural Ireland as backwards as people say?

Flood

Sure no where is rural anymore since I got the motor car

Dangerous Man

By some of the incredibly stupid and overly sensitive answers in here to a thread designed to wind people then it's not a stretch to entertain that the answer might be yes.

But it's not.

Ireland, for the most part is a great old country and the overwhelming majority of people from outside Dublin are just as intelligent and just as worldly as their Dublin counterparts.

As for the Savage Eye vid above, I'm from Dublin and I'm a Trinity graduate and no, I don't look at people from Kerry, or anywhere else for that matter, as potato munching savages.

And I certainly don't wear a monocle - I'm just as broke as the rest of you.

Flood

Dangerous Man wrote: »

And I certainly don't wear a monocle - I'm just as broke as the rest of you.

Are you dangerous?

eternal

What's Trinity got to do with rural Ireland I ask myself.

lizzyman

Father Ted Crilly wrote: »

Remember, this is my own personal opinion. Some may hate it, but unfortunately I have to be honest.
I think it's sick, revolting and far from normal.
You cannot start a herd with two bulls.
I'm proud of my country and its history. I will not stand for its reputation being ruined by it allowing people of the same sex to marry.
If the Yes votes won and gay people got married, those couples would get harassed by hardcore Catholics and homophobes. I've seen it happen in this country on TV already, with single homosexuals that is. They were viciously attacked with the attacker calling them "queer" and other words that would insult a gay guy.
The only people from the west of Ireland who will vote Yes would be those Roscommon fools.

So there you have it.

I'm Voting NOrmality I came up with the slogan myself.

Dangerous Man

eternal wrote: »

What's Trinity got to do with rural Ireland I ask myself.

Was in the Savage Eye vid - difference between someone from Kerry and someone from Dublin (one's a Tralee I.T. grad and the other a Trinity grad.)

But in the eyes of a potential American boss, they were both leprechauns. McSavage was making the point that these differences really are fairly inconsequential. He's right. He's still a prat though.

eternal

Dangerous Man wrote: »

Was in the Savage Eye vid - difference between someone from Kerry and someone from Dublin (one's a Tralee I.T. grad and the other a Trinity grad.)

But in the eyes of a potential American boss, they were both leprechauns. McSavage was making the point that these differences really are fairly inconsequential. He's right. He's still a prat though.

Big difference. I didn't watch the clip. Hoping to do an MA in Trinity so no offence intended.

Dangerous Man

eternal wrote: »

Big difference. I didn't watch the clip. Hoping to do an MA in Trinity so no offence intended.

None taken - I'm a Trinity grad myself - it's a better college. But I meant that there was no difference in terms of just being people. We're all the same at the end of the day.

Ozymandius2011

I also recall that when I occasionally stay with my mother in rural Wexford that the security light has a strange habit of getting smashed.

Asarlai

kneemos wrote: »

Saw a gay once.Walked down the street and went into one of the shops beside the Library.

Who walked down the street, etc? You or de gay?

Asarlai

eternal wrote: »

Big difference. I didn't watch the clip. Hoping to do an MA in Trinity so no offence intended.

I thought you didn't have to go to Trinity for an MA, that you just paid about 600 Euro and wait a few years after the BA, and they give it to you.

Grayson

Statistically people who are university educated and earn more are more likely to be "Liberal" and less religious. Since the majority of those people are more ;likely to live in urban areas then urban areas are more likely to be "Liberal". (I'm putting liberal in brackets because I'm using it in he US sense).

Statistically gay people are more likely to be smarter than the average person. Now I do have some issues with that stat. Firstly education does play a part in it. A gay person in a rural area is more likely to want to leave it. Especially if the area is very traditional. That means they are probably a bit more likely to want to get out and go to college. Also people in a very traditional area who are gay might not be as willing to admit it or come out.

The point of that is to say that in very traditional rural areas there will be slightly more straight, catholic people who are more likely to vote No in the upcoming referendum.

Now as a bit of background, I grew up in Westmeath and my family now live in the west. I've had very little contact with westmeath since I left so I can't say if it's changed or not. I'd imagine it has to a certain extent. However I'd imagine the rural community which revolved around the school (which was catholic) the GAA and the church is probably very similar. I know that a lot of people now would have sex before marriage and cohabit. But I still believe that there would be a larger amount of people against gay marriage there than there would be in say lucan.

And please note that I'm not saying country people are thickos. I knew quite a few that were but probably no more than you'd find anywhere else. What I'm saying is that in the rural Ireland i grew up in the society revolved around the church.

Grayson

One small anecdotal story. Don't draw anything from this. It's not supposed to cast a reflection on any community.
My best friends mum when I was a kid rarely swore. The family was very religious. They were however the nicest possible people I have ever known.
One day I heard her get angry. Someone had done something very nasty and she refereed to him as a "Fecking ******".
Now she had absolutely no idea what a ****** was in relation to a persons sexuality. She meant it as a bundle of sticks. And we never told her what it was. We kinda liked the innocence and just left it at that.

Asarlai

Grayson wrote: »

One small anecdotal story. Don't draw anything from this. It's not supposed to cast a reflection on any community.
My best friends mum when I was a kid rarely swore. The family was very religious. They were however the nicest possible people I have ever known.
One day I heard her get angry. Someone had done something very nasty and she refereed to him as a "Fecking ******".
Now she had absolutely no idea what a ****** was in relation to a persons sexuality. She meant it as a bundle of sticks. And we never told her what it was. We kinda liked the innocence and just left it at that.

Brings me back. My ma used the same expression all the time "Feckin Stickeens" she used to say when she got mad at us.

But we never held it against her or anything. We were 4 lads, and not one of us got married or even dated girls or anything, so we could stay at home to take care of her.

bjork

Asarlai wrote: »

Brings me back. My ma used the same expression all the time "Feckin Stickeens" she used to say when she got mad at us.

But we never held it against her or anything. We were 4 lads, and not one of us got married or even dated girls or anything, so we could stay at home to take care of her.

"That's terrible language" as my ma would say if she heard us using the "Sticks" term, before serving us up pig's heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and sometimes bread crumbs.

The J Stands for Jay

madmaggie wrote: »

I take issue with an earlier statement that Donegal is the forgotten county. It is not, it is Carlow (scallion land) or had ye all forgotten that?.

Come back to us when the Department of Education sends a map to schools showing part of Carlow in the UK.

jester77

We will find out after the referendum when the results are broken down by region if rurual Ireland has moved on or is still in the dark ages.

PeteFalk78

jonnypacket wrote: »

I imagine rural dwellers are more fixated on farming, GAA and the Catholic church. How true is this?

Yes 100% true. Rural dwellers also think that the city people are more fixated with heroin, shellsuits and shoplifting.:rolleyes:

Sam Kade

eternal wrote: »

I'm a woman and never said I was from Dublin.

Well then, stop acting like one.

mariaalice

Its very hard to quantify, the countryside is not more conservative as such its more subtle that that, the population in certain country areas is maybe older because of lack of employment for younger people, younger people learn to drive much more quickly in the countryside because of the lack of transport and isolation, binge drinking culture is more pronounced in rural areas a lot of the time. A job in the civil services is still highly prized even a poorly paid one where as its not the same in urban areas and cities, farming and construction are the main sources of employment in rural areas.. in cities employment is more diverse.

Rural areas are not all the same either, there is a big difference between somewhere that has a large tourist industry and some remote rural area that far form a city or large urban area.

jimgoose

Rural life is a game of three halves. You have the Hardy Buck types running the length of the main street of a Saturday night whaling shít out of each other. Then you have the respectable farmer/shopkeeper types who are seen at Mass and all the funerals and are to be heard lamenting that "Shure in the name a' Jaysis you'd want a great job ta keep a farm a'land going nowadays!". Finally, you have the last remnants of the old Anglo-Irish gentry, who are to be seen sitting on the tailboard of Grandmama's 1988 Range Rover sipping four-star Tawny Port, watching the last of the hawses drop dead of hunger and wondering how all the grandeur faded.

jmayo

jonnypacket wrote: »

So are the worries about rural Ireland rejecting the referendum unfounded? Hasn't Donegal voted no to most referenda in the past in an effort to stifle progress? And believe me, allowing two men to be husband and husband is progress for the human race. And I never suggested that rural dwellers should be denied the vote, so you can kill that strawman.

Donegal just likes being awkward because they think they are forgotten.

cocoman wrote: »

He 's probably only endorsing the yes side because Ger Brennan is endorsing the no side

So let me get this straight.

Aidan O'Shea (who the OP would probably consider a backwards bogger from Mayo) is for the Yes campaign and Ger Brennan (who the OP would probably consider a semi sophisticated cosmopolitan from the urban mecca of Dublin) is for the No side ?

He would only be semi sophisticated since he plays GAA.

marklazarcovic wrote: »

is a handpainted sign up in a field in oranmore co galway ..

'ya cant start a herd with two bulls' it says

'vote no'


had to laugh

But you can make a fair bit of money by selling one of them to some eejits on the internet as discovered by a Mayoman.

John Doe1 wrote: »

Location:Donegal
Religion: Presbyterian atheist
GAA: Load of bollocks, especially hurlystickball. I'm a rugby man.
...

If more Donegel people were of your opinion we might have an All Ireland.

John_Rambo

Intifada wrote: »

A lot of the time when I go to Dublin it is quite hard to discern "gay culture" from the hordes of metrosexual embarrassments that pass for lads up there.

I find it interesting the amount of thanks this sort of anti-gay post. You see, that's the beauty of cities. You can (most of the time) dress how you want. People are made welcome. Sure millions of rural people from all over the world have made Dublin their home. Hipsters, rockers, lovers, ravers, elderly, foreigners, LBGT, visitors etc.

I was walking up South William st. a while ago and I spotted a guy walking towards me in a dress with make up and high heels. I distinctly remember a mix of fear, apprehension, bravery and defiance in his face as he walked towards me. I got the impression this might have been one of his first outings in this attire. I had my two year old on my shoulders.

His eyes caught mine and I nodded and smiled, he returned my smile, waved at my two year old boy, threw his shoulders back, stuck his chin up in the air and marched on by me with a quick hello leaving me in a whirl of excellent perfume. If you're reading this my friend, you looked fantastic.

I love city life. I love the warmth of the city, my close knit community, the interaction I have with an amazing mix of people, the opportunities it affords me, the random conversations, the depth of culture, the beaches, parklands, woodlands, wildlife... everything about it.

I don't care if you're metrosexual, gay, straight, rural. I'm accepting. Cities are accepting, that's the nature of them.

RonanP77 wrote: »

I'd hate to live in a city, the noise, the lights and all those people would drive me crazy. The peace and comfort of acres of land with no need to interact with people and only a few cows, along with the sound of all the birds and insects us pure bliss.

Interaction with people is actually a good thing. You should try it in real life, not on the internet.

wendell borton

I wouldn't say your made welcome in the city by being different, it more safety in numbers.

John_Rambo

wendell borton wrote: »

I wouldn't say your made welcome in the city by being different, it more safety in numbers.

No. You're welcome. It's not a case of safely in numbers. There's a huge degree of acceptance, non-judgement and we basically don't really care how you dress or behave as long as you're not harming or being rude.

Asabiyyah

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?

In the city, people can more easily pursue a singular insular lifestyle, unexposed to different perspectives. You confirm this with your sectarian observation. Dublin is so small that the countryside is visible from the centre. There is no excuse for you "ignorant innocence". They say travel broadens the mind. Why not try it for half an hour.

silverfeather

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?

When you beg the question it's pretty obvious you are propagating a rather silly opinion without having to justify it.

Stop baiting with these threads.

For Forks Sake

Asabiyyah wrote: »

In the city, people can more easily pursue a singular insular lifestyle, unexposed to different perspectives. You confirm this with your sectarian observation. Dublin is so small that the countryside is visible from the centre. There is no excuse for you "ignorant innocence". They say travel broadens the mind. Why not try it for half an hour.

You waited 2 and a half years to make that your first post??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

pauliebdub

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?

Not backwards at all, most people have access to the internet, TV and newspapers. Older people and younger people often communicate with each other so have a perspective on each others lives.

I don't think the area I'm from is especially religious. People like routine in their day to day lives.

Also, there are plenty of gay people in rural Ireland many of whom are comfortably out.

Dirty Dingus McGee

John_Rambo wrote: »

No. You're welcome. It's not a case of safely in numbers. There's a huge degree of acceptance, non-judgement and we basically don't really care how you dress or behave as long as you're not harming or being rude.

So you've taken it upon yourself to speak for everyone who lives in a city.

I don't know which is worse to assume everyone from the country is backward or to assume everyone from a city is progressive.