Irish Elections

[Godred_Crovan]

I have travelled extensively in the UK and Europe.(East and West)

 

 

I believe that the Manx people have more in common with the people of Connemara than with Lancashire.

 

 

Granted in the past 50 years there has been a great influx from the UK (England in particular) to the island.

[Mutley]

I believe that the Manx people have more in common with the people of Connemara than with Lancashire.

 

Very few scallies and chavs in Connemara - mostly boggers and muckahs.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I agree many of us perhaps do feel closest culturally to people from Northern England but that is a purely artificial effect which comes from transport & media links aswell as immigration and perhaps an ingrained Manx inferiority complex coupled with the ingrained English superiority complex.

I don't really know what you mean by an artificial effect. I don't know what your use of the word is to signify but I would not use the term to describe the effects that the media, transport and immigration has had on Manx culture and the affinities people form between northern englishmen and others.

 

I also agree that "just because a country is close doesn't mean it is necessarily important or should be". I think this is exactly the mistake that has been made with the UK in the past.

Well...why do you think that 'closeness' or rather proximity means that another country is more important than other a little farter away. What is it about the proximity that is important?

 

Is a country like the UK really the type of nation we want to represent us on the international stage? (assuming we really need someone to represent us).

Maybe not. But that is a different question altogether.

 

I certainly think the links we should forge with the ROI should be economic but certainly not exclusively so. I think there would be much to be gained from cultural, political & economic relationships with Ireland. Ireland is closer to ourselves in terms of population size, foreign policy, history & traditional culture than the UK. It is better regarded internationally & is almost certain to deal with our reciprical requirements more sensitively than the UK has of late.

There may be much to be gained from political and economic links. It may be a very sensible idea.

But the Island does not have a similar popular - the Island's population is tiny compared to Ireland's; the Island has no foreign policy; and in respect of history, well for the past six hundred years and more the Island has been affected far more by developments over in Great Britain, not on the other Island. And I don't know what traditional culture means. There was a shared community language, and many other cultural similarities but then there are many cultural similarites with the English, more so the closer we come to the present.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I believe that the Manx people have more in common with the people of Connemara than with Lancashire.

And by this you mean Isle of Man born and bred people? For what reasons do you think this?

[Snaipyr]

Well the people closest to us culturally I would say are the people of northern england. With the Irish not far behind.

I mean, I feel I have a closer affinity to an northern englishman than I would have to an irishman. I would expect most on the Island would say the same. I might be wrong though.

 

I think all the Manx gaelic speakers and Manx/Irish/Scottish traditional music players would disagree! English folk singers piping up in the middle of our jigs and reel sets are certainly not appreciated!

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I can understand why they would disagree, but their interests and social life are focused on particular cultural matters that have a great deal of commonality with certain aspects of Irish culture. This is not the case for most.