5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
#46
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
Not for my family it wasn't. It was a reality & it was a reality for many who found themselves on low wages , in poverty.
the English hating the Irish in the 1950's is myth.
I'm not confused over your PoV. I simply found it ironic that you don't seem to see yourself as an immigrant to Ireland just like any other nationality that moves to the country and that is regardless of whether or not there is means to gain citizenship.
The point I am making above all else, is that being an Irish citizen when one emigrates to Ireland means nothing. I (wrongly) thought that it did, .
To make it simple for you too. - YOU are the immigrant ....
Spoiler:
..... and that makes you a non-national .
Perhaps the Irish may wish all immigrants out of their own country - including you - but the reality is that in this day and age, that is simply not possible. Just as for so many countries.
edit to add:-
I've now read the rest of your post. I am not sure where or why you draw your conclusions. Probably from just your own personal family experiences & perhaps you are somewhat younger than me. I'm also not sure why you have written in the tone that you have. Perhaps you think I have never been to Ireland and am not in contact with my family or that I was not in England during the 'troubles' or during my own childhood.
Know this though. What you write is just your own personal subjective interpretation and certainly does not represent me or my extended family from either side of the Irish Sea.
Last edited by BEVS; Aug 18th 2015 at 12:04 am.
#47
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Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 42
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
Point of order here.
Not for my family it wasn't. It was a reality & it was a reality for many who found themselves on low wages , in poverty.
For who? Not for me. I was on the receiving end of the myth.
I'm not confused over your PoV. I simply found it ironic that you don't seem to see yourself as an immigrant to Ireland just like any other nationality that moves to the country and that is regardless of whether or not there is means to gain citizenship.
Why ? You were born and bred in England . You are English & an immigrant to the country just like any other immigrant wherever they originate from.
To make it simple for you too. - YOU are the immigrant ....
..... and that makes you a non-national .
Perhaps the Irish may wish all immigrants out of their own country - including you - but the reality is that in this day and age, that is simply not possible. Just as for so many countries.
edit to add:-
I've now read the rest of your post. I am not sure where or why you draw your conclusions. Probably from just your own personal family experiences & perhaps you are somewhat younger than me. I'm also not sure why you have written in the tone that you have. Perhaps you think I have never been to Ireland and am not in contact with my family or that I was not in England during the 'troubles' or during my own childhood.
Know this though. What you write is just your own personal subjective interpretation and certainly does not represent me or my extended family from either side of the Irish Sea.
Not for my family it wasn't. It was a reality & it was a reality for many who found themselves on low wages , in poverty.
For who? Not for me. I was on the receiving end of the myth.
I'm not confused over your PoV. I simply found it ironic that you don't seem to see yourself as an immigrant to Ireland just like any other nationality that moves to the country and that is regardless of whether or not there is means to gain citizenship.
Why ? You were born and bred in England . You are English & an immigrant to the country just like any other immigrant wherever they originate from.
To make it simple for you too. - YOU are the immigrant ....
..... and that makes you a non-national .
Perhaps the Irish may wish all immigrants out of their own country - including you - but the reality is that in this day and age, that is simply not possible. Just as for so many countries.
edit to add:-
I've now read the rest of your post. I am not sure where or why you draw your conclusions. Probably from just your own personal family experiences & perhaps you are somewhat younger than me. I'm also not sure why you have written in the tone that you have. Perhaps you think I have never been to Ireland and am not in contact with my family or that I was not in England during the 'troubles' or during my own childhood.
Know this though. What you write is just your own personal subjective interpretation and certainly does not represent me or my extended family from either side of the Irish Sea.
Today in your own words: I'm not confused over your PoV.
So in 24 hours you have gone from a bit confused, to not confused; well that is progress anyway.
There is a lot of projection in your posts, and that suggests you have some unresolved issues regarding your childhood; which as you state, was unhappy having been on the receiving end of anti-Irish sentiment.
Personally I had a happy childhood, and did not experience any anti-Irish sentiment. As I have outlined, second-generation Irish/London-Irish/Plastic Paddies/Anglo-Irish, etc, 50/50 identify themselves English or Irish.
You clearly feel English, and that is fine. There is no need to project your feelings onto those who don't share the sentiment.
Yes, I do see myself as an immigrant to Ireland, just as my parents see themselves as immigrants to England.
However, what makes me feel different to the other EU immigrants, is that I am an Irish citizen, and they are not. I am Irish, in Ireland; not just European in Europe.
I could go on all day long with examples of; if a cat was born in a stable would you call it a horse?
Ask yourself this, do you consider the following examples Irish or English or Scottish?
Shane MacGowan (born in Pembury)
Paul McGrath (born in Ealing)
James Connolly (born in Glasgow)
Pearse Doherty (born in Glasgow)
I could go on more, but I think you get the point. Cait O'Riordan of The Pogues was born in Nigeria, I suppose you think she is Nigerian then.
You state in your post: ..... and that makes you a non-national .
I have an Irish passport, and am an Irish citizen; therefore by definition I am a national (of Ireland), not non-national (not a national of Ireland). You are mistaken. Irish often refer to non-nationals as foreigners; although this term has now come to have a derogatory meaning, in the same way calling a Traveller a gypsy or tinker has, or calling a black man coloured has.
You may see me as the same as any other EU citizen/immigrant in Ireland, but I see myself as an Irish citizen in Ireland; in any case, I don't see myself as a non-national. I find your notion of calling an Irish citizen a non-national absurd.
The anti-Irish sentiment you speak of in the 1950's and 1960's was rare, and has been exaggerated. Irish Navvies were hard working, hard drinking, and hard living men. And if they were treated badly by the English, it was generally because they behaved badly. If you go looking for trouble, then it finds you. And that's what some of them did, usually after drink.
Just to clarify something, my father is 1 of 7 siblings. They all went to London in the 1960's, one after the other.
So when I speak of London, and the lack of anti-Irish sentiment; then its through their eyes, the eyes of a 16 year old in 1960 fresh off a boat at Holyhead.
I would say your family would have been the exception not the rule if you were experiencing anti-Irish sentiment in the 1950's and 1960's.
Then you say this:
Not for my family it wasn't. It was a reality & it was a reality for many who found themselves on low wages , in poverty.
London was booming in the 1960's, with 1 million Irish in London, and plentiful work in; London Transport, NHS, and construction. The pay was good, much higher than in Ireland; and most Navvies sent postal orders home every week, 10-20% of their weekly wage. Those that didn't spend it all on drink and gambling etc, earned good money. So I find it hard to believe your talk of low wages and poverty. Unless you were a family of 7-10 kids that is, then it could be true. But Irish immigrants of the 1950's and 1960's tended to have less kids than in Ireland; and that was largely due to the women getting the pill in the 1960's; so they didn't have to get pregnant, and more worked than they would have done in Ireland.
It sounds like the bad childhood you had has left you scarred. Its a shame really, as when one has an unhappy childhood like that, ones problems typically manifest themselves as an adult, and one comes out sounding bitter with issues as a result.
As I can't fix your issues, I will have to agree to disagree on this one. I accept you are English, and wish you the best of mental health and happiness with your chosen life.
Last edited by London Irish; Aug 18th 2015 at 12:50 pm.
#48
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I find it quite depressing to read that there are so many immigrants in Ireland (other than UK), it's not what I was expecting that's for sure. I realise that Ireland is a separate country, but I don't think I've ever thought of it as being separate like say France or Germany for example. More like a cousin of Britain, separate but still connected ....... My bad I suppose
#49
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I find it quite depressing to read that there are so many immigrants in Ireland (other than UK), it's not what I was expecting that's for sure. I realise that Ireland is a separate country, but I don't think I've ever thought of it as being separate like say France or Germany for example. More like a cousin of Britain, separate but still connected ....... My bad I suppose
When I moved to Carrick on Shannon, there were less non-nationals to begin with, but in the last 3 years I have noticed a lot more moving here; largely due to the rent increases in Dublin. County Leitrim is the smallest county in Ireland, and least populated; therefore we have among the cheapest rents here in Ireland. Its a case of supply (too much) and demand (not enough).
The immigrants go online, see the cheaper rents on daft.ie or rent.ie, then move here as I did.
Say one is paying 650 Euro per month to rent a 1 bed flat in Dublin, then one sees the same in Carrick on Shannon for 300 Euro; a saving of 350 per month, what does one do? Move and enjoy the 350 saving.
Of course the downside is that nice views don't put food on the table. 160 were made redundant in my town from MBNA this year. That's a lot of people joining the dole queue in a town of only 4000 people.
Another thing one notices in Ireland (all over) is this;
there is a vacuum of 18-25 year olds. They have all left for the UK, Canada, or Australia. Anyone without a mortgage and kids has gone for work.
The Government cut dole rates for the under 25's you see, so they were forced to leave to get work as the dole was so low. Jobbridge schemes have taken away the minimum wage jobs, so there isn't any of that either for them.
What work is left, is taken by immigrants; the Eastern Europeans of the Celtic Tiger boom have been replaced by Brazilians mainly, and also Romanians.
You see the Romanians can't (yet) get dole in Ireland, so they are forced to steal, beg, or work to survive. Legally the Brazilians are limited to 20 hours per week on their student visas, so of course they can't survive on that and work under the table for cash in hand.
In the last 3 years in my town I have seen loads of English come and go back, and a greater number of Irish emigrate, and be replaced by non-nationals; and that is in only 3 years.
I live in an estate with 4 blocks of flats. The front doors are like revolving doors, with immigrants moving in and out every 3/6/9 months. They don't integrate, nor do they want to. Muslims mix with Muslims, and celebrate Eid and Ramadam. You see in Ireland the GAA, pub, church are the 3 core social hubs, and said Muslims won't (for obvious reasons) integrate with any of those social hubs. Their children mix at school, but the parents don't.
So its like living in little Poland or little Brazil here. One is just as likely to hear a Polish accent in my town walking down the street as an Irish one.
David Cameron and Angela Merkel have both admitted multiculturalism doesn't work. When a large ethnic group move into a small area it quickly becomes a ghetto. I have seen this with estates in my town where Travellers have moved in, or Polish and Lithuanians. The estate quickly turned to a ghetto.
As I said before, one doesn't see these things as a tourist. Ireland seems like a utopia when one visits. But doing the typical tourist things like drinking 7 Euro pints of Guinness in Temple Bar isn't a true picture of Ireland.
A visit to the dole office on signing on day gives one the true picture of Ireland.
In the UK people just see the UK's problems with immigrants; Romanians, non-nationals, Muslims; etc. They think Ireland can't be as bad. But believe me, Ireland has the same problems as the UK, but the UK is 60 million and can absorb it better, we are only 4.5 million so its more apparent.
In the North they don't have the same immigration problems we do in the Republic. One doesn't see Romanian beggers on the street, Brazilians and Polish working in the shops and cafes etc. Its Northern Irish people working and on the dole, immigrants can't last up there.
What can one do? Nothing. This is the EU for you, no borders, freedom of movement etc. Welcome to Ireland.
#50
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I find it quite depressing to read that there are so many immigrants in Ireland (other than UK), it's not what I was expecting that's for sure. I realise that Ireland is a separate country, but I don't think I've ever thought of it as being separate like say France or Germany for example. More like a cousin of Britain, separate but still connected ....... My bad I suppose
#51
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 54
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I've read this a few times on this site. For anyone working here they can claim back 20% of the doctor's fees at the end of the year from Revenue.
#52
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
And for the retired, and unemployed; nothing.
Just as well us dole heads get medical cards then isn't it?
#53
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
#54
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Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-30337269.html
Last edited by London Irish; Aug 24th 2015 at 9:06 pm.
#55
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,148
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
This is my point; not everyone on the dole is eligible to a medical card.
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
Cancer survivor's medical card 'taken out of blue' - Independent.ie
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
Cancer survivor's medical card 'taken out of blue' - Independent.ie
#56
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Joined: Nov 2012
Location: bute
Posts: 9,740
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I am puzzled when I read posts saying that they are disappointed that there are immigrants in Ireland.
Do they expect real life in Ireland to be like a Hollywood movie ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man
Do they expect real life in Ireland to be like a Hollywood movie ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man
Last edited by scot47; Aug 25th 2015 at 7:24 am.
#57
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,148
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
I am puzzled when I read posts saying that they are disappointed that there are immigrants in Ireland.
Do they expect real life in Ireland to be like a Hollywood movie ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man
Do they expect real life in Ireland to be like a Hollywood movie ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man
#58
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 83
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
This is my point; not everyone on the dole is eligible to a medical card.
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-30337269.html
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-30337269.html
#59
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 83
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
This is my point; not everyone on the dole is eligible to a medical card.
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
Cancer survivor's medical card 'taken out of blue' - Independent.ie
Often the unemployed on the dole have to pay 50 Euro to see their GP.
The Government here withdrew thousands of medical cards, and made people re-apply with assessments.
The whole thing was a debacle; with terminally ill cancer patients refused medical cards etc.
Realising the mess they have made of it, they have now begun to reissue some of the medical cards they wrongfully withdrew.
The end product is many on the dole haven't got a medical card; hence me saying they get nothing.
I hope this clarifies the meaning of nothing for you; no medical card while unemployed, means nothing.
I know many of the cynics on here don't believe a word I say though, I am just being negative and exaggerating how bad things are in Ireland right?
So here is one of thousands of examples for you:
Cancer survivor's medical card 'taken out of blue' - Independent.ie
#60
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 28
Re: 5 years in Ireland now and wish I had stayed in the UK
Hi, if people think that coming to the UK is going to be an easy ride, think again, people who are on the dole here are having hard if they are 1 minute late for their appointment they are sanctioned which means no money no dole for how ever many weeks they are sanctioned for, their families have to go with out this is tough on families and very wrong, we have foodbanks over here where people donate food for the poor i always give them money, its so hard on our poor people mr cameron is a nasty piece of work thanks to the people who voted him back in, please do not think the UK is like it used to be many things have changed here the NHS is at breaking point people are waiting for ops almost a year, they do not do any ENT for children they have cut that out so many kids have bad tonsils but they wont take them out, care has gone down, maternity is worse than the 60,s its gone backwards, and so many mistakes being made with peoples health in hospitals everywhere the UK people have had enough, the reason im moving to ireland is i can buy for cash a bigger house for less money and have it adapted for my wheelchair, because even though i own my house here in the uk there are no grants to help me for adptions no OT here, no nurses who visit, our carers only get £55 a week to look after someone with dissabilities, and its a hard job to do, i am a pensioner so i dont have to worry about finding work, all my worries are about health care in the republic, but i have found out that i can get a medical card being a pensioner, and i think my meds will be ok as well, im waiting on a lot of tests here so i can be diagnosed, then i will be moving to ireland, id move now but have to wait for all these tests as im seeing a top doctor and its taken me a while to get all this done so cant go yet, but im getting my plans ready in the mean time as its a lot to do moving abroad, but the UK is a mess, its not such Great britain anymore we have lost the GREAT in it people wont stand up to the government anymore, i dont feel proud to be british either so be careful if you think its going to be wonderful in the uk it wont you cant even get a dentist you have to wait up to a year not nice when you have a raging toothache even doctors are full, its chaos dont be fooled, i was born in the 1950,s which was a good time to be born the 70,s was great so much work, it all went down hill in the 80,s and now its at rock bottom,