The Fighting Irish

[nzrugby]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

The fact is no-one does victimology like the Irish.
I live in Ireland and while people here are much the same as they are anywhere there's an undercurrent of low self-esteem and inferiority complex.
While many other countries which gained independence from Britain within the last century have embraced their freedom, cast off the historical shackles and created a new identity Ireland still remains inextricably linked to its neighbours and living in the past.
In the century since independence successive generations have managed to make a monumental balls-up of their own affairs, destroyed their own economy, failed to improve on the infrastructure built by the British and allowed the unelected Catholic church to become arbitrator of morals and social standards and permit its priests to indulge in widespread and unspeakable acts of child abuse which still go unpunished today.
100 years after the Uprising and you'd be hard-pressed to find any sense of Irishness in the Republic - shopping centres and high streets are filled with familiar British shops, everyone reads Irish editions of British tabloids because they all follow British soaps on TV, Irish football is dying on its knees because everyone supports an English Premier League team ( only the top five,natch ) instead of their local club.
Even the majority of Catholics in Northern Ireland, in every single poll carried out, would prefer not to be joined with the Republic.
Why should they when they enjoy their single tier health care, free education, free access to drugs, independent police and judisciary, non-localist politicians, functional democracy and international respect instead of being the begging bowl of Europe.
So ignore the Paddy Bar-Stoolers who trot out all the nonsense about how Ireland has been mistreated by everyone else over the years.
They just desperately need someone to look after them ( currently Germany ) and always have done because they can't look after themselves.

Yes, it is strange how the Irish allow the Vatican to run so much of their affairs, abortion is banned in Ireland but being hypocrites they do not check every woman leaving Ireland for England to see if she is pregnant.
It will be interesting if England does what the Scots keep whining about and leave the union, then you will hear the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish whine.

If the English are so bad why so much English spoken in Ireland, should a proud independent country that is not part of the Commonwealth not use only Gaelic ?

[corsa71]

Originally Posted by irish_bob

your a troll and a smug one at that

Like calling the pot kettle black isn't it Bob?

[Derek40]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Conkling

The fact is no-one does victimology like the Irish.
I live in Ireland and while people here are much the same as they are anywhere there's an undercurrent of low self-esteem and inferiority complex.
While many other countries which gained independence from Britain within the last century have embraced their freedom, cast off the historical shackles and created a new identity Ireland still remains inextricably linked to its neighbours and living in the past.
In the century since independence successive generations have managed to make a monumental balls-up of their own affairs, destroyed their own economy, failed to improve on the infrastructure built by the British .
100 years after the Uprising and you'd be hard-pressed to find any sense of Irishness in the Republic - shopping centres and high streets are filled with familiar British shops, everyone reads Irish editions of British tabloids because they all follow British soaps on TV, Irish football is dying on its knees because everyone supports an English Premier League team ( only the top five,natch ) instead of their local club.
Even the majority of Catholics in Northern Ireland, in every single poll carried out, would prefer not to be and allowed the unelected Catholic church to become arbitrator of morals and social standards and permit its priests to indulge in widespread and unspeakable acts of child abuse which still go unpunished todayjoined with the Republic.
Why should they when they enjoy their single tier health care, free education, free access to drugs, independent police and judisciary, non-localist politicians, functional democracy and international respect instead of being the begging bowl of Europe.
So ignore the Paddy Bar-Stoolers who trot out all the nonsense about how Ireland has been mistreated by everyone else over the years.
They just desperately need someone to look after them ( currently Germany ) and always have done because they can't look after themselves.

Any irreligous individual that wants to attack the Catholic Church often points to this one.
It simply is a red herring.
There are many Irish descendents in Australia today, and particularly from the potato famine.
Just happens many of my family were amongst them, and some of which were even in the clergy.

[Huckleberry3911948]

its unfortunate. but the english figured out how to channel this force and used it to conquer a good chunk of the world.