How different do you think the people of Great Britain are from the Irish?

Posted by Nervous_Yard7034@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 45 comments

Obviously, the Republic of Ireland is a different country, but my feeling is that we east of the Irish sea share a lot common with those to its west and kind of share a lot in the way we act and behave.

That's not to say that the Irish are Brits, because I think the Brits are Scots, Welsh and English (and possibly more diverse than that). I also do think a united Ireland makes sense as does Welsh and Scottish independence.

However, I feel that we all have more in common with each other than we do with say the French, the Dutch or the Swedish and that's not just to do with the amount of movement we've experienced throughout the British Isles and intermarriage.

The reality is we are our own little group in Europe, very different to those on the continent and really we should try to recognise that.

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Truewit_@reddit

I think the English are the odd ones out actually and this is why this discussion even exists really. I think the further northwest in England you go the more similar to the rest of the British isles it becomes. The further east and south you go, the more European it becomes.

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Nervous_Yard7034@reddit (OP)

Coming from the South, living in the East, and having lived elsewhere in Europe, I disagree.

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Truewit_@reddit

Born and bred in the southeast and now live in the northwest. I guarantee there’s a world of difference. There’s a lot more in common between Kent and the northern coast of France and the Netherlands than there is between Cumbria and the northern coast of France and the Netherlands.

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Icantdoitidk@reddit

As a Scotsman, Wales feels 100% more foreign to me than the south of England.

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Truewit_@reddit

Where in Scotland

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Rags_75@reddit

Due to the migrations / invasions from the continent starting around 500 AD which pushed Britons west.

I wonder if the Welsh can request reparations?

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HungryFinding7089@reddit

Welsh reparations from the Romans for the genocide of its cultural structure (the Druids) and theft of its mineral wealth. No coincidence that gold in Welsh is Aur, from the Latin Aurum, as the Romans literally washed hillsides away to get at the stuff. Similar story with the lead in the north of England.

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Successful-Home-8032@reddit

Almost as if

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ampmz@reddit

How so? Also we are all European people.

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danieljamesgillen@reddit

They are very different. Irish are generally a bit rowdier. You should go drinking with lads from Derry Jesus never seen anything like it - Glasgow matches it maybe.

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Nervous_Yard7034@reddit (OP)

which is in Britain.

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DB-DanCooper@reddit

How come you think each place should go independent?

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HungryFinding7089@reddit

Because OP thinks it's trendy and "with the proper thinking" without realising that the UK would not gave a monarchy without Scotland or a functioning democracy without Wales.

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Nervous_Yard7034@reddit (OP)

Nope. It's because I think we're different countries and the benefit of a shared union is often overstated.

I think our current system isn't working and you'd either need centralised government in London or a more federal system with some shared powers and then separate bodies for each country.

I also think we live at a time where power is centralised in capitals that then flows to the regions. I think Edinburgh and Cardiff are provisional outposts and that Wales and Scotland (and NI) will continue to be financial drains on London and England.

Liberate them and set them free on their own path to prosperity.

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SecretHipp0@reddit

They're basically the same and should all be one country called The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

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Icy_Place_5785@reddit

Why not the Greater Republic of Ireland and Britain?

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SecretHipp0@reddit

Why would I want to live in a shitty republic when I could live in a glorious kingdom

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Icy_Place_5785@reddit

In a republic, there’s the possibility that you could end up being the president

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SecretHipp0@reddit

Why would I want that?

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Pick_Up_Autist@reddit

We tried that one, cased a bit of trouble.

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SecretHipp0@reddit

If at first you don't succeed...

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Pick_Up_Autist@reddit

.... probably stop colonising people.

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SecretHipp0@reddit

Hahahaha that's a good one, could you imagine

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AtebYngNghymraeg@reddit

"The Kingdom of Ireland plus one"

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SecretHipp0@reddit

I would be happy with The United Kingdom of Ireland and Great Britain

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kilgore_trout1@reddit

You madman lol

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Cinn4monSynonym@reddit

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JusNoGood@reddit

I’ve worked with the Irish, French, Germans, Belgians and Dutch. I’d say the south east are more similar to the Dutch. Similar work ethic, humour and general approach. Id agree the further north or west you go the more similar to the Irish, more relaxed, time to talk etc.

But who cares. Let’s just be friendly and nice to everyone

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Wamims@reddit

Fundamentally? The same. And it's worth pointing out that there are bigger genetic differences between some tribes of Africa than there are between all white Europeans and Asians.

Culturally or course there are differences but the UK and Ireland are probably about as close to each other as any pair of European countries you could name.

Human beings of all stripes are so so fundamentally the same that it's a shame certain groups try to pretend otherwise.

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GrumpyOldFart74@reddit

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Dublin with work, and I have colleagues from Dublin and Cork

If anything, they and Dublin feel more alike to me (a Geordie) than places like London and Manchester and their inhabitants.

So I think there is no more difference between the Irish and British than there is between people from different parts of Britain.

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ScotlandisThrowAway@reddit

I mean culturally as a Scot, Irish people are as different to me as say someone from London. We are incredibly similar with the occasional cultural difference.

In general, I think you’d struggle to find people from different countries more similar than Brits, Aussies, Kiwis and Irish. I think there is a reason why we all settle so well in each others countries.

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kilgore_trout1@reddit

I think we’re all pretty similar to be fair - much more in common than separates us.

Some are more alike than others obviously but that’s what you’d expect of a combined group of around 75m people.

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sandshill@reddit

This feels like that episode of Derry Girls..... But personally I don't think we are that different but I can respect that other peoples life experiences may say otherwise.

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Impossible_Bag8052@reddit

They are still our cousins even if they are batchy.

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ThrowRASoooSleepy@reddit

On a purely genetic basis, the Irish, Scots, English and Welsh share almost the exact same regional DNA. Contrary to belief that the English are overwhelmingly Germanic ‘Anglo Saxons’, in reality the White English are over 50% Insular Celt like the Irish, 20% Continental Celt like the French, and then only around 25-30% Germanic, from a mixture of Norman and Viking Invasions. The Anglo nobility was almost completely wiped out by the Normans, estimates of at least 100,000 people killed by the 1100s.

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