To thoroughly enjoy being Welsh

[ByseddSosij]

....it's my first language but am baffled by tourists asking if we have our own currency do people not do their research before visiting a country?

The hostility towards the English is understandable through the lens of history, its certainly become less of a 'thing' in North Wales than it used to be growing up in the 70's and 80's.

Reasons for the hostility included things like, demolishing a village to provide drinking water for liverpool, the hollowing out of communities in the 80's so people could have a 2nd home for 6 weeks a year and then it would remain empty for the rest of the year, the welsh knot, the banning of the welsh language, treated as a 2nd class citizen in your own country, being legal to shoot a welshman in the back with a longbow within the city limits of chester after 6pm, the closure of the pits by an English prime minister

*Welsh Not stupid autocorrect

My mum is Welsh. She doesn't speak Welsh though. My dad is Scottish (and doesn't speak Gaelic). I'm British and it seems to piss English, Scottish and Welsh people off that I identify that way. I keep being told I have to be one of the three and the British doesn't mean anything. I igore that sort of tosh.

I have a lovely Welsh friend and some family living there but they are not Welsh. Watching Stella made me want to be Welsh though

Just saw this thread. Love the 2nd post by BoysofMelody. Made me laugh! (Even though I'm Welsh and proud of it. The clue's in my username)

Im Welsh and very proud of the nation. The heritage, language, mountains, countyside, castles...... dont mind a quick visit to a city like Manchester/Chester but boy i love seeing that Cymru/Wales sign when i come home. The overpopulation in cities make me scream inside.

You know its summer in Wales when the mountain rescue are forever having to find people who have either worn ridiculously unsuitable clothing to walk up Snowdon and have got lost or theyve just fallen off did wonder if Snowdon falling had become an English hobby at one point

Oh you also know its summer because its raining but is different to winter rain, spring rain or autumn rain

I'm not at all Welsh, but I love Wales (bits I've been to), love the accent (varying ones I've heard) and the Welsh people I've met have been lovely. I always wanted to live there.

Everywhere has it's shit bits though.

I'm proud to be Welsh, and of the community I live in. That doesn't mean I'm better than other nationalities, just that I am proud to be Welsh. Also I don't know anyone who seriously hates or dislikes the English. Yes there's the jokey 'as long as we beat the English' but let's be honest that's born of old rivalry, and it's nothing more than jokey banter now, or at least where I live. We joke we're 'old enemy' but it's in good humour and I can't really understand people getting annoyed over it. Over some North Walians attitudes to the 'Saes' by all means get offended, but not over a bit of ruby banter
I am proud to be Welsh. Not everyone is (some people I knew in uni, particularly those close to the border, aren't) but I am. To me it's not just the nationality, it's the culture behind it.
It's the small close knit village I live in
It's singing Bread of Heaven very loudly and enthusiatically
It's the language (which admittedly I'm not fluent in but can hold a conversation in - and would love to be fluent) and words like Cwtch
It's the friendliness (which isn't true of everywhere in Wales I know but is in the valleys, ime)
It's the music
It's getting dressed up in the welsh womans dress in primary
It's the welsh baby shawl, handed down generation to generation
It's the lovely areas - the Mumbles, all the fantastic scenery over the valleys, the fact that I look out my window and see lots of green. And sheep, lots of sheep.
It's the food - welshcakes, cawl, welsh raebit
It's the heritage and history - the legends, the mines etc
To me it's not just a nationality - it's a heritage and culture, and one I'm proud of yes

I'm proud to be Welsh. Minesa I'm not a Welsh speaker, although I know a few words but couldn't put them in a sentence. I don't understand the first bit but say sosij and you should have half an idea.

Or just use Google translate

I'd love to visit Wales.

I'm proud to be Irish, and love living here. tumbleweed

I'm baffled by this. How can you be proud of something that happened by chance ? I.e. Where you were born/raised ? It wasn't something you achieved. You just are.

You can love it yes but I don't get it when people say they're proud.

100% Welsh and proud here of it too. My OH is sais but I don't hold that against him as he loves the country.

It is an immense privilege to be born Welsh. My heart always lifts when I cross the border to come home.

It's like being proud of being 5ft tall or having blue eyes. It's just how you were born.

@Sn0tnose try being Yorkshire ... patriotism rivalling the US up here

I like Wales - lovely place. I am English. Totally understand why Welsh people want to preserve their language too - why shouldn't they?

Don't quite understand why the Welsh have to go on about being Welsh so much though... Have a look at their menus in restaurants... the Welsh lamb I'll accept. But it comes with Welsh potatoes, Welsh carrots, Welsh parsnips... Weird.

Nice words, Shark; it's a good thing there are no people here from Newport for you to offend. Ooh, hang on....

We like homegrown Merchant.

I'm English ,from Liverpool originally, but have lived in North Wales for over 30 years. It's just somewhere to live, there's some lovely parts and some absolute dumps, just like anywhere else. I still get the "OMG a Scouser" attitude even now.

I am more proud of being Welsh than I am of anything else really, other than my kids - but then they are Welsh too!

I can't explain it ... but I just am. It's at the very heart of me, who I am, my ancestors, where I came from and where I belong.

I admit to bawling my eyes out when I hear a crowd singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau and I also think we have the best flag in the world. As an American friend once said to me - "you've got a freakin' dragon on your flag .... how cool is that?"

He wasn't wrong!

It is an immense privilege to be born Welsh

"You are an Englishman, and have subsequently drawn the greatest prize in the lottery of life."

Cecil Rhodes. Enough said.

This Yeats quote is the only one about being Irish that immediately came to mind.

'Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.'

I'm also very proud to be Welsh. I'm also incredibly proud that I can speak Welsh. I'm lucky that I live in a beautiful country and that I can gossip to my DP in Welsh when abroad about other people hehe.

I will always say I'm Welsh before I am British.

To be born Welsh is to be born priviliged. Not with a silver spoon in your mouth but with music in your blood and poetry in your soul.

What a load of fatuous bullshit.