Northern Ireland - how do you perceive it?

I'm English, live in ROI, I'm Protestant married to a Catholic. I'm 60, so old enough to remember The Troubles.

I remember telling my parents I was going on holiday with DH to NI around 1990. They were horrified for my safety; I was curious about what it would be like. All we really knew about from the news was The Troubles.

It was fascinating, we stayed in B&Bs in both Catholic and Protestant areas and were welcomed in both. We had a great time. We didn't go to Belfast because there had been recent incidents there, but travelled around NI and really loved it.

I've been to NI many times since, including Belfast. It's a very welcoming place IMO, I love it there.

WET!!!!

I’ve visited three times for long weekends and I have never yet had a dry day in Northern Ireland. The odd dry hour, sure, but that is about it.

I’ve had lovely times there and would happily go back. With wellies.

I grew up in Belfast and lived there during the 'Troubles'. I now live in England having left to go to university 'across the water'. I visit frequently to visit friends and family. It's a fantastic place with very friendly people. Schools are fantastic- if you pass the transfer test!
I would have loved to have moved back when my children were younger but careers got in the way. We paid a small fortune in private school fees to ensure my children received a good education in England similar to the high standards of a grammar school in Belfast.

I came over to Belfast many years ago to watch England v N.Ireland play. I found the place and people really friendly. We were meeting friends in a particular pub and asked the hotel receptionist for directions. The look of horror on her face when we said the name of the pub. Turns out it was a loyalist pub, but right on the border of a catholic area. We only found this out when we got to the pub and were told ‘Only turn left out of the pub - under no circumstances go right’

It was a bizarre situation, as it was easy to forget where we were, as the pub was just full of lots of football fans, who just had a good laugh and all got on well. As we were leaving to walk to the stadium, there was a flute/marching band outside the pub, who led the way. I wasn’t 100% comfortable with this whole scenario to be honest, but it was certainly an experience.

Anyway, that was a long time ago and I go over to both N.Ireland and the Republic of Ireland a fair bit with work. I go to Belfast and Lisburn in the North and the first thing that hits me, is they are so similar to Manchester - really friendly people, lots of pot-holes and a fair bit of rain. 😂 I enjoy my work visits as I have such lovely colleagues. When I go to Dublin and Mullingar, it’s just as friendly and I enjoy learning about the different way things are done in ROI compared to England - it’s fascinating. The only issue I have come up against in ROI, is a very small amount of people who have had a bit of a dig about all the ‘immigrants’ that ‘the Brits’ have sent our way because of Brexit. It’s a completely inappropriate conversation for a work environment, so I just shut it down straight away.

I love the variety of accents and usually come home calling everything ‘grand’.

History continues to the present day, we are making history, history is happening as we speak ..... What a bizarre comment

Equally bizarre is the statement that "no-one talks about it in a current sense".

What??

NI politicians talk about nothing else.

The issue of parades is ongoing.

The issue of Brexit and the border... ongoing. That's an issue the UK was central in.

The rise of Sinn Fein as a major party and their agenda of a united Ireland, and the intense opposition by the Unionist community... And the UK and international input on that ... Likewise.

What are you on about?

It's far too soon for sectarianism to be purely in the past. There's too much hurt and the history is very recent. But things are moving in the right direction and given the extent of the Troubles (which I think people who aren't from NI often don't appreciate, I certainly didn't until I'd lived here a good while and I'm from Ireland) I think the progress has been rapid. Like I said upthread, I think NI should be really proud of itself, even if things aren't perfect.

We need another couple of generations of stability though, not shit shows like Brexit.

I work in west Belfast and you are being very very naïve. My children go to grammar schools in BT9- loads of Catholic friends- but it is a very different world for kids going to La Salle or the boys model!

I’m a Londoner. I like Belfast very much. I’ve had some good times, there. And I LOVE Derry.

I know people in both places, though, and my parents are Irish (Republic).

I remember staying in West Belfast as a child, though (early-mid 1980s) and it was a bit mad, to put it mildly…

Im actually planning a solo trip to Belfast and then to the Giants Causeway for next year.

Because no one talks about it in a current sense, hence the word 'history'.

I think that your definition of young and mine are two very different things - I’m talking late teens/early 20s. Those who never saw or lived through the troubles.

I know tonnes of young people who never lived through the Troubles but are either Irish Republican or Unionist and deeply Sectarian.

They constantly wear sportswear from clubs that represent their loyalties (Celtic or GAA, and Rangers) and if they're banned from wearing sportswear in bars for example, they wear green & white striped sweaters, or Ben Sherman clothing with union jacks

They care very much what community you appear to be from, it's the defining factor.

They are young.

I am from the Republic and have been a few times but don't know it well.
As a kid in the 80s I remember being incredibly scared the few times we went there.
I visited a few times recently and liked it better. Lots to do in Belfast and some beautiful scenery.
I found the areas covered in Union Jacks quite intimidating and some parts seemed quite poor and run down.
I would not like to live there because I prefer the education system in ROI for my kids and feel that ROI is a lot more liberal and progressive (although this is only the case in recent years).
I hope to visit again soon and get to see other parts I have not yet been to.

I love the coast a lot and have good memories from my 2 trips there. The people are really kind as well specially if I mention im basque.

I hadn't expected segregation between areas.

If you are familiar with NI history, why not?

I'm from the Republic and it wasn't always a welcoming place for me: being told to leave establishments because of my accent, having soldiers take our car apart at the border, with guns pointed at us because we were dirty southerners, etc. I haven't had reason to visit in recent years, other than drive through, though most people say it's a lovely place and is unrecognisable from before. I just wouldn't choose to visit and stay. I don't think I would relax tbh.

because of the connotations of the Union Jack that have been prevalent throughout my life

What connotations?

Apparently there is no such thing as sectarianism when it's directed at a Protestant though... 🤫🥱

Because of the segregation between towns and villages, because of the connotations of the Union Jack that have been prevalent throughout my life, because it made me feel odd.

Yes I am familiar as it has affected our family, I spent time during our stay and after finding out more too as a way to understand.

Would it be better to not answer truthfully?! It did make me feel that way, I hadn't expected segregation between areas.

Growing up in the 90s, NI never had particularly good press and was never somewhere I particularly wanted to go.

A few years ago we met some lovely people from NI on holiday and they spoke at length about what a wonderful place it was so we booked a holiday there. I completely fell in love with the place. We visited Bangor, Belfast, Eniskillen, and met up with our friends in Coleraine. They showed us Giants Causeway, Bushmills and Portrush. We had such a wonderful week there and I really hope that we can get back. Everyone was so friendly and I never encountered anything that made me feel uncomfortable.

I’ve never been but would very much like to go.

I grew up in the 80s. I remember reading Joan Lingard books about The Troubles and RC children who couldn't be friends with Protestants

Also remember children from NI coming to our school for a homestay. We weren't allowed to visit them in NI as it wasn't considered safe

Subsequently met my ex h, who had been in the Army. He had been injured in NI in the 70s and his friend was killed in a separate incident

It's good people have moved on, but we shouldn't forget the terrible things that happened

younger people don’t even take religion into account

As someone who hosted an Austrian woman who was asked by her (young) temporary work colleagues what my name was and then declared "oh, she's a Prod", ..... and then went to a bar with her and was asked by a young man in their wider group where i was from - and when I specified the area - he shouted "she's a Hun, we have a Hun here!" while pointing down towards my head from above ..

...... And also had young people who worked with my Polish ex (when they asked my name and he told them) tell him - again - "oh she's a fkg Hun".

Likewise I lived in a shared house with a young man, whose behaviour was atrocious and would take a separate thread to outline .. but when he found out I was a Protestant, decided all our problems of interaction were because I was a Protestant.

... I can't say I agree with you.

This was in Derry/Londonderry.

(Where all the protestants, except for one tiny enclave, moved out from the main city area between the 60s and 80s... because they didn't feel safe).

Ironically my late Grandmother was a Catholic from Donegal and we have an entire Catholic side to the family, including people whose family business is printing mass cards ......

But no-one I've met cares about that (or could even conceive of it), my name is "protestant" therefore I am a Prod and a Hun.

I absolutely love it and am always happy to visit - my husband is from Co Antrim. He does NOT like to go back! The Antrim coast is so beautiful, very reminiscent of Cornwall but not completely overrun by tourists.