Comments on: Thousands Are Sailing

By: Sock Puppet of the Great Satan

Sock Puppet of the Great Satan — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:51:34 +0000

“This picture from the Irish Times suggests that changes are afoot in the North of Ireland too.”

No kidding. Norn Iron is now prosperous.

Real Estate in Belfast is almost as expensive as in San Francisco. That seriously messed with my head. However, my arse was even more traumatized, from extensive self-kicking because of my not taking my very shrewd cousin’s advice to buy property over there when it was 1/8 the price right after the Good Friday Agreement.

By: mollymooly

mollymooly — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:59:08 +0000

#6 astrongmaybe: See the census form reproduced on page 70. “Nationality” is question 6; “Ethnic and cultural background” is question 14. “Irish-European” is thus someone with dual Irish and other European citizenship. Of course, since people fill in the forms themselves, there’s ample scope for mistakes and blagging. Lying on the census form is a crime, but given that the information is treated as confidential it would be difficult to prosecute.

Note also the ongoing debate about whether Travellers are an ethnic group or a cultural group. The government tries to be agnostic about this. The census report is thus “Part I – Ethnic or Cultural Background” and “Part II – Irish Traveller Community”.

By: mollymooly

mollymooly — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:48:51 +0000

An African-American acquaintance got the N-word from a random stranger in Dublin, and glared “Excuse me?”, receiving a surprised apology; subtext “I thought you were a Nigerian welfare fraudster rather than a high-spending tourist”.

By: krhasan

krhasan — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:51:11 +0000

I was looking through the papers of my late aunt some time ago and found a newspaper cutting from the 1950s with a photograph of her with none other than the President at that time. I can’t imagine an ordinary university teacher from Pakitan today getting that kind of treatment. The only thing special about her was that she was the Secretary of the Pakistan branch of the Federation of University Women.
Ireland must have changed now, with so many foreign-born residents. She certainly found everyone very friendly.

By: astrongmaybe

astrongmaybe — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:29:52 +0000

Fascinating stuff, and unimaginable in 1993, but I find it very difficult to understand some of these figures. I can’t figure out if the various gradations of self-definition allow for incredible precise expression of identity, or just for an utter mess of mutual miscomprehension.

On page 24, table 6 for example – what is the distinction between “nationality” and “ethnic group” and how was it explained? What does “Irish-American” or “Irish-European” mean as a nationality? And who are the single Pole and Chinese who regard themselves as, ethnically speaking, “Irish travellers”? The appendices don’t help much.

By: Valuethinker

Valuethinker — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:07:59 +0000

Kieran

The anti-immigration stuff in the 6 Counties is still supposed to be brutal. Worst record against racial minorities of anywhere in the UK, from what I read.

By: Kieran Healy’s Weblog » Blog Archive » Net Migration in Ireland

Kieran Healy’s Weblog » Blog Archive » Net Migration in Ireland — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:38:51 +0000

[...] Henry, I’m part of the last generation of Irish people to date for whom fleeing the country was a [...]

By: Crooked Timber » » Net Migration in Ireland

Crooked Timber » » Net Migration in Ireland — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:01:26 +0000

[...] Timber « Thousands Are Sailing | Main [...]

By: soru

soru — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:41:49 +0000

Are they changing the mural to ‘free dearie?’

By: tom s.

tom s. — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:36:25 +0000

Best Band Ever