24 Comments

• ancavker | Jul 13, 2012, 01:16 PM EDT

  Ciara: No need to slag on my Sister, she is simply stating that she receives these benefits and does not need them. Surely you will agree that there are many others who are as well. She employs 12 people, and provides a much needed amenity for the local people in her area. And she works most weeks 7 days a week. She acknowledges that the monies being handed out are just not sustainable. But as long as the government is giving than she and everyone else in the country will take it. Simple human nature. No arguments on the language and Henry VIII and all the rest. My suggestion is simply that more Irish people in Ireland be proud of their culture and language, and not always copy the English and Americans, thats all. As for the Scots well which language Gaelic in the Highlands or Scots in the lowlands?

• ciaradexy | Jul 13, 2012, 12:08 PM EDT

  Ancavker, I have 2 jobs and I dont get any handouts. Maybe your sister needs to look at herself, maybe shes the type of person we dont need here. Shes getting handouts while working. Thats not right. Just because someone is a 'single' parent doesnt mean they are parenting alone. Many are just unmarried. I know plenty of people with kids who are not married and who do not receive handouts. They work hard like the rest of us to pay their mortgages and bills. The Irish culture was nearly decimated after 800 of foreign rule. I watched a programme recently on TG4 called Sceal Na Gaeilge and it explained beautifully that the language nearly died after the famine. Irish people were forced into learning Irish. Henry VIII made it his lifes mission to kill off the language which very nearly happened. Irish people were killed for attending church, speaking their language or using any part of their culture. So whats your suggestion? How do you suppose this changes? The Scottish dont speak their native tongue and yet Im sure Yanks with Scottish grannys dont constantly whine about that. Delighted you'll be in Meath. I'll be in Spiddal.

• ancavker | Jul 13, 2012, 11:36 AM EDT

  Ciara: El Salvador and Nicaragua, and the Middle East are all other countries or other places in the world, and yet the Irish felt no need to be silent about U.S. involvement there. And yet the silence on the north for years. As far as teaching, when people with or without Irish connections have questions about Ireland and it's culture, I simply answer the questions, and point out resources to further advance their knowledge. It is nice to tell people who do not know, that Ireland has another language beside English, and that U2 is not all there is to Irish music. As far as the love for native American culture, which would that be, Apache, Comanche, Seminole, Sioux? Sadly most of native American culture has been wiped out. A trip to an Indian reservation will sadly display that fact. I did not turn my back on my country, I was a child when my parents came to the U.S. due to my Father being transfered. Ironically one of my U.S. born sibling's went back to Ireland to live, and so did one of my sisters. I too was going to go back, my wife did not want to, and she grew up in Ireland. As far as the migration issue I understand that. I am simply pointing out it is not sustainable, and neither are all the hand outs given to people who do not even need them. Stipends for unwed mothers, free council housing. My own sister who owns a successful business gets all sorts of goodies. She knows she does not need them but as long as the government continues with this, then her and so many others will take them. And I will clarify that I speak for most Irish, to I speak for a lot of Irish when I say they have no use for Irish culture, that is a fact. Anyhow I will be home next week and will be spending some time in Royal Meath for a family function.

• ancavker | Jul 13, 2012, 09:40 AM EDT

  dingles; We know who created Riverdance, that is not the issue. The issue is so many Irish who roll their eyes, when it is mentioned, and do not understand that that production did more for recognition of Irish culture than anything else.

• IrelandNorth | Jul 13, 2012, 05:52 AM EDT

  In an era of global communication and enforced racial mongrelisation, (ooops, multicultiralism!) it's inevitable that native traditional culture gets subsumed by default. Yet, the up side is that members of the host nation will get up off their punani's and fight back. With some young Irish parents calling their baby girls Keighley (céilí) due to inane English soap opeeras, it's onlyl a matter of time before Mohammed Murphy or Ali Mac Namara replace ethnically correct names such as Seán Ó Murcú or Ciara Nic Mháthúna, given the apparent rise of Islam in Ireland.

• dingle999 | Jul 13, 2012, 04:02 AM EDT

  "All true there is more love an appreciation for Irish culture in the U.S. , and U.K. than there is in Ireland." So the British and the Yanks appreciate Irish culture while the Irish themselves do not ... Let me see = utter garbage Riverdance was created by Moya Doherty and John McColgan who are Irish. The original music was created by Irish musicians . But wait a minute some people might argue Riverdance gave Irish dancing a Hollywood makeover i.e sexy women dancing wearing sheer pantyhose. Indeed they would be correct. Of course we all know the background story of Ceili music and the role of the Catholic Church played.. it was a safe way for people of the opposite sex to meet without getting too close to each other Of course WoundedKnee probably practices traditional 'wakes' in the area he lives in America.. Wow they must be popular because during Pre Famine Ireland Irish people in rural area were very sexually liberated and would adopt minor sexual orgies during 'wakes' I kid you not :)) Of course the Church banned the sexual element. So people go forth if you want true Irish culture GO TO America and visit 'WoundedKnee' in Georgia. He will speak fluent Irish all day, he will tell stories oh what it is like to be an Irishman, he will do Irish dancing (without wearing pantyhose), he then will proceed to drink 10 pints of Guinness with 10 glasses of poteen and then he will invite you into his own 'Irish' sexual orgy. (Remember to condoms - The Irish Catholic Traditional way could kill you)

• dingle999 | Jul 12, 2012, 10:03 PM EDT

  The above list of names given to babies born in the Irish state doesn't indicate the most prominent names for children born to Arab, Asian or African couples. I have never met any Arab couples.. you are indeed so lucky

• Seanmor | Jul 12, 2012, 06:04 PM EDT

  A year of two ago Liam ranked number 15 as the name given to boys born in the U.S. Liam and Nora are the names of the grandchildren of the minister of the Methodish in which I often addend services with my wife who is of that denomination. About 15 years ago the early morning financial report from the Far East heard on one of the radion stations was presented by LIAM LEAVY. The above list of names given to babies born in the Irish state doesn't indicate the most prominent names for children born to Arab, Asian or African couples.

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 04:34 PM EDT

  Ankavker, Im not arguing but most people on here just will not debate, like Georgie there who will not answer questions.''All true there is more love an appreciation for Irish culture in the U.S. , and U.K. than there is in Ireland.'' Where is the love for native American culture from people like you and others who migrated to the US?''most Irish who use the term use it in a derogatory manner,''. You come home once a year and now youre speaking for most Irish? well Im here 11 months of the year and 'most' Irish that I know which is probably more than you as I meet new people everytime I am out at these sessions, do not use it in a derogatory fashion. So you 'educate' people on Irish culture? Well then youll know the saying 'Those who can, do and those who cant, teach'. Again ''the Irish in the south turned their backs on the nationalists in the North'', they live in a different country! People like you turned your back on your country and you have the cheek to comment on us!! Seriously!? As for the migration issue, as I said, you can travel through 50 states legally with your US passport or Greencard, well I can travel through Europe with my passport as can all other Europeans. We are part of Europe, we signed up for this. We had a vote and the majority voted YES to open borders and yes to free movement, the right to work in any country in the EU. This is the law. I have said before, there are no anti-immigration parties and so far, no one has set one up so until they do, then this is how it is.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 04:19 PM EDT

  Woundedknee: All true there is more love an appreciation for Irish culture in the U.S. , and U.K. than there is in Ireland. Not to mention again, that it is very popular in many other parts of the world. Only in Ireland is it derided by so many people.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 04:16 PM EDT

  ciara: Diddly aye or diddly dee can be a term of affection for those of us who love the music, but most Irish who use the term use it in a derogatory manner, and I see and heard that every year when I am home.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 04:14 PM EDT

  Ciara: There you go again, lecturing and being argumentative, just to be argumentative, and closed minded as usual. And ironically you are agreeing with me (whether you realize it or not), you acknowledge that the U.S. and The English bought kr@p to Ireland. And yet the Irish have lapped every bit of it up. And I am a great cultural influence, as I educate those people on Irish culture who would like to learn (no to mention my wife teaches Irish classes). And I am not complaining about migrants to Ireland, simply stating a simple economic fact, a country that is bankrupt, broke, cannot afford to take in people, wherever they might be from, and then provide all sorts of aid and assistance, nor can they continue to provide it for the Irish born. It is just a simple economic fact. But alas you choose to hear what you want to hear. And finally you go on with what was done to the indigenous people in the U.S. First;y most Americans recognize it was a tragedy and wrong, and second the overwhelmingly majority of Americans had nothing to do with it, simply because most of it happened before their ancestors came to the U.S. And that dear ciara is another fact you choose to ignore. Of course the Irish in the south turned their backs on the Catholic/Nationalist people in the 6 counties, but that as always is conveniently ignored.

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 04:08 PM EDT

  Ancavker, I dont pretend to be all-knowing when it comes to the US which is why i dont comment on American issues unless they involve some Irish link but for you generalise with your 'many of the Irish' comments is disgusting. You visit once a year? Big deal. I visit the US twice a year and the UK 5 or 6 times a year. If doesnt mean a thing. If you feel Ireland is 'so special', why arent you living here? Dont tell me a migrant took your job too? Your comments on the irish are as offensive as me saying all Americans are thick as 2 short planks.

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT

  Kathleenusa, take your meds. Youre going off on a mad one again. Ankavker,so the English brought nonsense to the US, well then the English and the Americans brought 10 times the cr@p to Ireland! You're a great cultural influence on Ireland all the way over there in the states by the way. Its funny to hear Irish migrants complaining about other migrants to Ireland and their influence considering what migrants did to the indigenous Americans.

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 03:59 PM EDT

  George, I did Irish dancing as a kid as did ALL of my school friends and family. Some kept it up, others didnt. thats the beauty of free will.And trad is called 'diddley aye', which is a slang term for it. its not a derogatory name but as youre not in Ireland or Irish, you'd not understand that or irish people in general.

• WoundedKnee | Jul 12, 2012, 03:37 PM EDT

  Re Riverdance, it's worth remembering that Irish dancing was in the doldrums in Ireland until then. It was kept alive in places like the cities of northern England, the US and Australia, mostly by working-class descendents of Irish emigrants. The Irish in Ireland sneered at it, just like many of them now term Gaelic football "bog ball" and Irish music "diddle die". It wasn't Irish who brought Irish dancing back from the brink in Ireland, it was AMERICANS, Butler and Flatley, just like it was the Irish-American Clancy Brothers who brought Irish folk music back from death's door in the 1960s, just like Irish-American Chief O'Neill kept Irish dance music alive when it was looked down on in Ireland. If it was left to the Irish the dance and music would be rotting away, just like the language is.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 02:58 PM EDT

  sparklet: I have also seen the same. Lots of people with absolutely no connection to Ireland, are very interested in the language and culture, including many of the beautiful names. The Irish in Ireland can say what they want about Riverdance and roll their eyes (and they surely do), but that show did more to give people an appreciation for Irish culture than anything else.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 02:55 PM EDT

  ciara: Yes I am slagging off popular American culture, because so much of it has become mindless debased nonsense. And I blame the English for part of it!!! Not because of Irish history, but because they exported that mindless reality nonsense to the U.S. Once again you reveal yourself to be closed minded, and always right and never wrong. I know Ireland very well as I go home every year. I am going next week and will be attending a wedding. You have made a few trips to the U.S. to just a small number of places, and yet you claim you know the country well and all it's people. I was born in Ireland, and go home every year, so I am far more qualified to comment on Ireland, and how it has changed (both good and bad) than you will ever be to comment on America. And I have seen it over and over again many of the Irish have absolutely no use for anything Irish, and in fact show down right hostility to it. That is just the way it is. I find it very sad. It really is what makes the country so special.

• kathleenusa | Jul 12, 2012, 02:01 PM EDT

  I AM JUST AS IRISH AS U AND WE MADE AMERICA GREAT PRESIDENTS AND ALL SORTS OF OCDUPATIONS. MY FAVORITE NAME IS BRIDGETT GOD BLESS HER.

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT

  I like how Ankavker is slagging off American 'culture' here! You live in it!

• ciaradexy | Jul 12, 2012, 12:10 PM EDT

  Ancavker, 'the irish'? So youre including yourself in that generalisation then yeah?

• Sparklet | Jul 12, 2012, 12:09 PM EDT

  I know people in the UK - not Irish - who have called their kids Roisin, Calum, Connor. Irish names are very popular. Go figure.

• ancavker | Jul 12, 2012, 09:10 AM EDT

  Wounded: It offers much that is different and individual to the cultures of the world, only sadly so many Irish are ashamed of it. I see it time and time again when I am home. The Irish are fast becoming a combination of the worst of both English and American popular culture.

• WoundedKnee | Jul 12, 2012, 07:47 AM EDT

  Sure provides a good snapshot of where the Irish are culturally right now. Turns out they're somewhere in the southern counties of England, with their Sophies and Chloes and Emmas. I often ask mhyself when I'm in Ireland--does this country have any reason to exist as an independent state? Does it offer anything individual to the cultures of the world? Increasingly I decide it doesn't.