Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think most people in the UK don't really care about NI

526 replies

Tooldemont · 07/02/2019 16:23

Just that really, we don't seem to be a together nation and many people I know would just prefer Ireland to become one country on that landmass.

Maybe it's just my circles, but rings true here

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Donmesswime · 08/02/2019 18:49

But that people were nice to you shouldn't be the holy grail.
Go to Ireland, everyone is nice!

FlowersInTheSmallHours · 08/02/2019 18:57

@Donmesswime I live in between Carrickfergus and Jordanstown

There are good and bad everywhere

North and south

Let's all just be nice humans ffs

Sakura7 · 08/02/2019 18:59

Go to Ireland, everyone is nice!

No need, I'm already here. If you read my posts properly you'd know I am Irish! Wink

My point stands. You're making out like people in NI are horrible hostile weirdos. I'm saying that as an Irish person with a Dublin accent going into a very unionist area, I was treated with respect.

Donmesswime · 08/02/2019 19:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Sakura7 · 08/02/2019 19:04

Are you going to address the part of my post where I say that nationalists in NI are as Irish as you or I? How can you claim they're not?

LadyGregorysToothbrush · 08/02/2019 19:24

She goes up to Derry, they don't answer the door.

Is this a real or imaginary scenario? Confused

Because in my experience as a southerner with family from Derry, Derry folk are the absolute best of craic.

Bubastes · 08/02/2019 19:38

She'd have to get in a time machine and go back to 1690 where her mentality is stuck! God help us if she comes over to the mainland to live and spread her bigotry. She'd also find how little she has in common with mainland Brits.

Maybe all the flouncing DUPers could take over an abandoned Butlins camp, pull up the drawbridge and turn it into their idealized land: A cross between the Boyne in 1690 and Surrey in the 1950s.

StreetwiseHercules · 08/02/2019 19:42

In the deepest of ironies for the unionists in the North, the Boyne is in..... the Republic of Ireland.

watsmyname · 08/02/2019 19:45

@Donmesswime you are full of it.

Nice people don't ignore visiting family or treat people poorly because they have a different accent no matter whether they are English or Irish.

People are different all over and cultural differences can occur only a few miles apart so it's not surprising that you feel people in NI are different to you but your naive if you think everyone is Ireland is just like you (with your attitude I hope not). You have made your point clearly - nobody wants us.

Bubastes · 08/02/2019 19:46

Only in decadent 2019. In their Butlins 1690 it will be as it was in the 17th century. A glorious colony.

whitehousemum · 08/02/2019 19:54

Northern Englanders are different to Southern Englanders - doesn’t mean either are less English though? Incidentally the most unfriendly place I have been recently was Dublin - but I put that down to it being a big city and not down to all Irish people being unfriendly. I used to live in a major English city, there were pubs, and indeed whole areas, that I wouldn’t go to because they were a bit dodgy. I go to plenty here in Belfast (when I get the chance as I have a toddler!) The issue is people assuming all NIrish people are like those you see on the news - a bit like assuming all English people hate foreigners, wear bowler has and eat awful food. I fit none of those criteria (apart from possibly occasionally the food as I have a penchant for cheese strings...) but am still English.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 08/02/2019 20:05

Domesswime
My niece did a year in trinity and didn't like it so moved to Queen's. There's nothing wrong with being young and a bit homesick.

I really think you need to chill the fuck out though. Maybe Martha from New York did something unforgivable to the Derry relatives. Maybe the Derry relative has severe mental illness. I've known plenty of assholes in my time. Some of them from ROI too. Saying everyone from Ireland is just so friendly is actually pretty offensive and stupid. Are you trying to tell us that in your entire time living in Ireland you didn't meet anyone rude? Bigoted? Someone you just couldn't stand?

If irish people are all lovely does that mean all blondes are thick? Are all men rapists?

Parthenope · 08/02/2019 20:05

Go to Ireland, everyone is nice!

Are you actually sponsored by Bórd Fáilte, donmess? Mind you, not even they believe that stuff, which sounds more like Dev's 1943 party political broadcast featuring the sounds of happy industry and laughter of happy maidens and romping sturdy children etc etc than any Ireland I recognise.

Out of interest, I could point you to several pubs in my home town where you'd be more likely to find someone to carry out a cut-price hit than people who are dying to get to know tourists.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 08/02/2019 20:12

Out of interest, I could point you to several pubs in my home town where you'd be more likely to find someone to carry out a cut-price hit than people who are dying to get to know tourists.

Drugs?? In Ireland?!?
Bet they are vey vey naice drugs though.

pinkground202 · 08/02/2019 20:13

Sakura7 last summer my 17 year old son and a group of friends went to a festival in Belfast (from Dublin) and booked a Airbnb which turned out to be in a loyalist area. They weren't worried until the first night they got a taxi home and the ( very nice) taxi driver was horrified and waited until they were inside with strict instructions not to leave the house until daylight. The second night they didn't have enough money to get a taxi all the way home do asked the driver to drop them off and they'd walk the rest of the way. He refused as it would be too dangerous for a group of southern kids to be wandering around the area so drove them to the door.

I was pretty shocked, and upset, having been to the naice parts of Belfast and thinking we're all friends now. I felt stupidly naive, and very grateful to those two taxi drivers.

Same son subsequently went on a school history trip to Belfast and they went on the black taxi tour. He said it was really informative and gave him a context for his summer experience, but both trips left him shocked by how divided the communities are still, peace walls and locked gates separating loyalist and nationalist areas, etc. I had thought that was a thing of the past, or at least improving. It makes me think that a united ireland is a long, long way off.

Parthenope · 08/02/2019 20:14

No, as in 'take a hit out on someone'/hire a hitman!

Parthenope · 08/02/2019 20:15

Sorry, that was to NeverTalksToStrangers.

PositivelyPERF · 08/02/2019 20:16

and dropping out of my UNI course as a result

Couldn’t hack the course, so dropped out but would rather blame northerners, than admit she/he wasn’t up to it. Now I understand the bitter ranting. 🤔 💡

PhilomenaButterfly · 08/02/2019 20:16

I think Brexit will be terrible for NI and Ireland alike. A hard border.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 08/02/2019 20:17

pinkground202 A lot of the issues in places like Belfast are due to how much Unionist politicians have failed the working-class protestant youth there.

NeverTalksToStrangers · 08/02/2019 20:18

Really nice hitmen though, parthenope.

Bubastes · 08/02/2019 20:23

A lot of the issues in places like Belfast are due to how much Unionist politicians have failed the working-class protestant youth there.

Sounds familiar. And there's bound to be certain sections of working class NI youth (nationalist and unionist) who feel that they've missed out on the 'excitement' of the Troubles. Most people may look back in horror but things can be idealised by those who never actually lived through them (same as with 50 something brexiters wanking themselves into rhapsodies over the 'glory' of WWII).

pinkground202 · 08/02/2019 20:23

That's interesting Never, it must be incredibly frustrating to ha e no functions government and not be able to do anything about it.

Something that baffles me about NI politics is the rise of the extremes, the DUP and SF. When I was growing up, Paisley and Adams on the news every night, it was the UUP and the SDLP who seemed to be the more likely to compromise and work together but they seem to have been shunned by the electorate.

pinkground202 · 08/02/2019 20:24

'Have no functioning government'

Sorry on phone

shumm · 08/02/2019 20:30

I have been to Ireland many times and NI a few times. The people of NI were just as friendly as those in Ireland in my experience. My car was keyed in Ireland, so make of that what you will.

Like a pp there are plenty of places in my home city in the UK that I wouldn't visit unless I had to.