Ireland is a hard place to live

[Mooshamoo]

Just watching the video of the black child being not given a medal by Irish gymnastics.

I was wondering if there is anyone else on here on craicnet, who is not Irish, living in Ireland. What your experiences are.

I think that Ireland can be a very hard place to live if you are not fully white and fully irish.

I'm half Irish. I was bullied all the way through school for not having an Irish surname. Then when I grew up and lived in the same small town, all of the same girls from my school were living in that town. And as adults they refused to talk to me.

I see the women who are fully Irish, being popular , having great lives.

To be totally acceptable and popular in ireland, you have to have a rich family, brothers/father who play gaa etc.

All the rich girls in my school hung around together. And again as adults all the rich Irish women hung around together in small town Ireland.

If you were foreign, from a single parent family, seen as poor, you were not accepted at all.

And it's who you know

I think this makes Ireland a very difficult place to live

Tbf, i don't think we're unable to be critical. We're just a bit more balanced. It's a country with as many problems as anywhere else. You had a shit time and it's fine to acknowledge that, but it doesn't define the country. No more than England.

Oh yes I didn't mean you.

I meant Jane specifically.

You have been very kind, intelligent and balanced on this thread. You have talked about the good and some bad points of Ireland. And your posts were very interesting. Thank you

@Chickenkeev You have been very kind, intelligent and balanced on this thread. You have talked about the good and some bad points of Ireland. And your posts were very interesting. Thank you

People will be insulted when you slag off their country though. You had a horrible experience by all accounts, but it doesn't define the country or the people. If you can, try to know that your experience was just your unfortunate experience, it's not a national grudge and we're lovely, welcoming people. Lots of Irish had a terrible time in England and America, and they pushed through it. Your bullies were bullies, and you could easily have gotten the same in the UK. Life sucks sometimes. But if you can see to drop your guard in Ireland, you'll never look back. It's a fantastic country, lots of its own problems like anywhere else, but it's a great place to live. Just take a deep breath, forget the past, and give it a chance.

I didn't slag off Ireland though. I talked about my own personal experiences here. That is not slagging off an entire country.

As I've said to you - I think you have given very reasoned and interesting and balanced responses on here.

However I've had many chats with Jane on different threads. And her stance is always the same - she does not like to see one negative thing said about Ireland and she always goes on the defensive.

See another poster on here said that she got blamed for Brexit in Ireland and she was upset about it, and Jane came on here and said "well..."

But Jane is one person at the end of the day. You're entirely entitled to disagree with her but i don't think she's ever said she represented the country as a whole. It really seems like you're very fragile about your upbringing, and attributing some of that unfairly towards Ireland (obvs i don't know the full story so I can't say for sure). But no more then England, France, or the States, we are not a homogenous group with one mind. If you live here you should see that we're a very diverse society now, one of the best in the world tbh. You really seem so upset about your school days and it's not great to carry that burden forever. Can you get counselling or talk to a trusted mate?

Are you Irish? I can't find the post where it says what nationality you are

Out of curiosity, why would that matter? Would it negate my points? I am, and i make no bones about it.

Yes it does negate some of yout points. Because you being Irish in ireland - you don't see or experience any racism.

You said Ireland is one of the best society's in the world. I see this attitude amongst a good few Irish people. Racism doesn't happen to them so they don't see it happening at all. They have a great life so they think everyone has a great life.

It's a "it doesn't happen to me so it doesn't happen" attitude.

You don't see it because it doesn't happen to you. I just sat with a man in a meetup group in Ireland last week, who cried as he told me all about the discrimination he was receiving at his work. Because of his race.

Before that, I was talking to a doctor who told me he was going to have to leave Ireland because he was getting so much racist abuse.

have you noticed other non Irish people on this thread saying that they have been abused badly in Ireland ?

Irish people saying that this doesn't happen, and that Ireland is one of the best societies in the world..is what is keeping this problem going

Nobody is saying racism doesn't happen. Of course it does. But you're conflating racism with people remembering colonialism (many of us had family members who died in the war of independence for example). If you really do find it so intolerable here, i suppose the only option is to leave. We are flying along with acceptance here (as can be seen from the referendums) but we can only go so fast. You seem particularly determined to dislike Irish people, that's up to you at the end of the day. But you are making your own choice to live here, and post here. And i've been very understanding. But if you can't meet me half way then there's nothing i can do for you.

I've said already that I have to live here in ireland. My elderly mother has just had a heart attack and is severely ill.

I have to live here. I've never said I dislike Irish people.

Yes I can meet you halfway. I don't think all Irish people are racist . Ive never said that.

I just think that Ireland is a particularly difficult country to live in. It's tough.

But you're conflating racism with people remembering colonialism (many of us had family members who died in the war of independence for example).

The was 1919 to 1921. You surely don't remember any of these family members as they'd be over 100. It's not living memory anymore.

What a sad thread. I’m not Irish but lived in Ireland for over ten years. I never struggled to make friends even though there were cultural differences. Sure some people were curious, and had stereotypes in mind, but so did I about them. I left over 5 years ago and there are some things that I really miss. I gained a whole new family there when I met my “in-laws” and I am still part of their family even though my ex and I obviously broke up years ago.

Sure it isn’t perfect but I cannot fault Irish people as such. You are indeed great craic and it’s so exhausting to see people trying to see everything in a negative light. The housing market is abysmal and the healthcare system needs improvement,but other than that life in Ireland couldn’t be cushier.

Going back to your original post do you not think that in the UK people tend to make friends with 'people like them'. You talk about the affluent women sticking together but why not make friends with people in your own socioeconomic group then? Like I'm not going to lie most of my friends are immigrants to Ireland, people like me. I don't care if affluent Irish people want to be friends with each other, why do you? There really is room for everyone, you don't have to make friends with the 'popular' crowd.

My small town is so diverse, you couldn't leave the house without meeting someone not born in Ireland. Immigrants are absolutely every where living their lives, making friends, working etc. I really think you need to find your own tribe and stop fixating on these women, if you become happy on yourself you will stop caring what this small group of people think about you.

What is the point of this thread? Seems like OP just wants lots of foreigners in Ireland to agree with her that it's a shit, miserable existence surrounded by nasty bullies.

If that was the case, why do so many stay and build their lives here?

I'm sorry you were bullied OP but you seem intent to blame the entire country for that rather than the people involved. Irish kids get by bullied here too, as do English kids in England, American kids in America, etc.

I think you need to find ways of accepting the past and moving on from it. Counselling would help I'm sure.

The stuff carried on through families.

👏

Where are you from Sakura7.?

Why is it so important to you where people come from OP?. It's as if you just want people to bitch about Ireland. You are on the wrong thread here. Go n'eirigh an bóthar leat.

🙄

Honestly OP, if you're this dismissive of Irish people in real life then it's no wonder you're having difficulties. People have responded to you in good faith and you've shot them down.

It's clear from your other posts that your difficult upbringing is the root of the problem. Specifically the abusive mother who loved to torment you. Why are you staying in a country you hate just for her?

If you genuinely want your life to improve you've got to take responsibility and do something about it.

And yes, I'm Irish. So I fully expect you'll dismiss every word I've said.

Of course its important where people are from.

As another poster said on the first page . She asked "is it Irish people on here that are dismissing the OP?"

You're Irish. You've dismissed what I've said. I'm assuming Sakura7 is Irish too.

The way you're acting (dismissive, don't want to see any racism, just get over it) fits precisely into what im describing

I didn't even really need to ask you. I knew you were.

From what you said

Literally nobody is saying that racism doesn't exist in Ireland. It unfortunately exists here and in every country in the world.

The majority of Irish people are not racist.