Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Simply British?
I see an interesting debate has kicked off over on A Tangled Web due to Richard Delevan classifying the blog as Irish. Gerry O'Sullivan felt this would cause problems. I myself had also noticed ATW was listed as an Irish blog and didn't see a problem. I still don't. Clearly the content of the blog is not Irish in nature but David Vance was born on the island of Ireland and is thus Irish. If putting the word 'Northern' before Irish is really necessary then fine, but an Irish-born man is still an Irishman.
Andrew McCann had this to say:
"People in Northern Ireland are British, whatever delusional label of nationalistic convenience they choose to ascribe themselves."
That is nonsense. Anyone born in the island is entitled to class themselves as Irish. That goes without saying. If people wish to define themselves as Irish and British, then fair enough. But how can you claim to be British and British alone when you are born in Ireland?
David Vance had this to say about United Irelander (I would hope this was tongue-in-cheek!) :
"I plan to amend my links section with an exciting new group of great British blogs...United Irelander is living in historical Little Britain so I thought it would be nice if he too could share in our wondrous British heritage."
As I told David, thanks but no thanks! I am a born and bred Dub and this blog is certainly not written from a British standpoint so there is no justification for labelling me British! What I think this boils down to is a hostility, not towards Irishness, but what Irishness has come to symbolise. That Oirishness if you will which paints Irishness as involving wearing green, getting drunk, singing some rebel songs and having a bit of "craic". It is a hostility towards a narrow view of Irishness. It seems to me that the probem unionists have with being labelled Irish stems from a discomfort with their own Irishness. That's a shame.
Andrew McCann had this to say:
"People in Northern Ireland are British, whatever delusional label of nationalistic convenience they choose to ascribe themselves."
That is nonsense. Anyone born in the island is entitled to class themselves as Irish. That goes without saying. If people wish to define themselves as Irish and British, then fair enough. But how can you claim to be British and British alone when you are born in Ireland?
David Vance had this to say about United Irelander (I would hope this was tongue-in-cheek!) :
"I plan to amend my links section with an exciting new group of great British blogs...United Irelander is living in historical Little Britain so I thought it would be nice if he too could share in our wondrous British heritage."
As I told David, thanks but no thanks! I am a born and bred Dub and this blog is certainly not written from a British standpoint so there is no justification for labelling me British! What I think this boils down to is a hostility, not towards Irishness, but what Irishness has come to symbolise. That Oirishness if you will which paints Irishness as involving wearing green, getting drunk, singing some rebel songs and having a bit of "craic". It is a hostility towards a narrow view of Irishness. It seems to me that the probem unionists have with being labelled Irish stems from a discomfort with their own Irishness. That's a shame.
# posted by United Irelander @ 6:29 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
