Why are some Irish people antagonistic towards the English?

Question

I know most Irish people get on well with their Sasanach Brethren but there's a certain number that don't like us.

You watch our TV shows, read our newspapers, support our football teams, watch our soaps and shop in our stores yet some (particularly young Irish males) depise all things English.

It doesn't make sense in aon chor.

Answer 1

Sasanach  is a scottish word and if you want to know...google the words oliver cromwell in ireland....you'll find your anser

Answer 2

how the **** would you feel if someone stole your land?

Answer 3

I don't have a problem with English people per say. However, I do have a problem with jerks from Britain being obnoxious and then saying 'you don't like me because you're Irish and I'm British' in an attempt to justify they behaviour and the antagonism they cause - please.

Questioner, I'm not saying this is you, not by a long shot, but I am going by my own experience, and I'm happy to say that I have only met 2 or 3 Britons that have tried this on with me, out of the hundreds I have met in my 40 years.

Answer 4

i'm a young irish person,my brother is a young irish person and my friends are young irish people,i nor anyone i know is antagonistic towards any english people,personally,i love them.

i agree with you it doesn't make sense for some people to do this,i have come across a minority of uneducated,mis-informed idiots who do dispise the english and to be quite honest every other nationality because they are just closed and narrow minded.

i think the dislike of english people may stem from 100's of years ago when britain used to rule ireland but stupidly a small minority of irish people around now despise british people who had nothing to do with it,i think they just have nothing better to do they surely can't blame the people around now for the wrongs of people now long dead

Answer 5

Because of the history between the two countries, obviously.  I'm not saying it's right - in fact I think it's a pretty immature attitude to have - but I'm sure you could have easily figured out yourself why some Irish people don't like England.

Answer 6

"some" and add "sometimes" English jingoism is naturally jarring with the "natives" of former plundered "colonies" . Besides, it is a kind of pass time .. we can't just always be griping about the weather!.. and it can be fashionable in "mirthful " company  "Gaisgòireacht", a' dtuigeann tu`?

"DE dibil a bit a harm " Maoibh ; cà raibh tù, tràth mise im' bfolach faoin leabaid ?.. Takes all sorts.!  not a serious problem.!

Answer 7

Me thinks you are an english person with irish heritage and you love both , but if your 100% Irish and studied Irish history since you where 5 and still see British soldiers and the union jack flying up North in our own land you might better understand , nothing personally against and English person per say but english people vote in the Government who implemented bad policies in Ireland for 800 years and they are only starting to get it right now , it's going take time for the wounds to heal , beside's English people are still hostile to germans

Answer 8

Most of the "young Irish males" that hate the English only do so because of the "hard man image". They are very ignorant and they like to pick on others that are different from themselves. It makes them look great in front of their mates. These guys don't contribute to society. They live in the past and don't care about progress or change for the better. And it's not just the British they don't like. They don't like any foreign people. So you're not alone there.

Answer 9

the answer from benny paints the picture, not all Irish hate the english, but there are quite a few, to lable them uneducated is wrong, there is a history between our nations and healing takes time. it is getting better. but as Benny has pointed out the english are as antagonistic towards the germans and the french as the Irish are to the english, mayby you could ask that question and see how you get on.....           the answer above calls for us to just get on with it, it happened in the past, but its not that long ago.....  A very good friend of mine, who is from Derry, lost his father when british soliders shot him and then said it was mistaken identity, how do you get over that, it only happened 24 years ago.. I am the first to say that bridges need to be built, but to shut out the last 150 years and expect people to forget about it is not going to happen..

Answer 10

The Irish people also watch Irish, American, Australian TV, support their own Gaelic football/hurling teams, shop in Irish and other stores and speak Gaeilge

Most people don't antagonise the English (we've better things to be doing), or any other European neighbours.

Anyway, there are strict employment laws in Ireland which prohibit racism among other things, and encourage equality.

Sometines, English people can have what appears to be an attitude towards Ireland, usually born of ignorance, but this is very rare.

Answer 11

Because England invaded and took over Irish land. (I'm a yank, I am repeating what my Irish born friends have said)

Answer 12

People need to dry their eyes and stop cyring about something that happened before they were even born. You can't hate someone for something that their ancestors did before they were even born so, you know, get over it.

Edit: Incrcrn - fair point, but as this was posted in the Ireland section I don't think that The Troubles would come into this. As Derry is in Northern Ireland, that is a different kettle of fish altogether. Although I am against any sort of bigotry, I do fully accept that the Troubles were well within living memory (I live in the north myself) and a lot of people may find certain things hard to deal with, but people just need to remember that you can't write off an entire country full of people over the actions of a few.

Answer 13

it goes back to 1801, when english landlords robbed the irish of their lands, farms,  evicted many, then the irish famine occured, resulting of many dieing of starvation diseases england then formed allience with ireland mainly northern ireland, the south remained free, many in the north managed to flee,

sasanach means lowlander

Answer 14

to find this out go to any good book shop and ask for a book about irish history

all answered will be revealed

Answer 15

Well it's not like we've got a great past history as neighbours. Sure you have a valid point if you leave out the past 700 years of history. Put your feet in our shoes, you'd hardly be to chummy with people in a country that have given your country loads of grief over nearly a full millennium!

(And also it's not like all of England are really nice to us!)

I have to say MOST (but not ALL) answerers above have made very valid points! Plus I was lmao at greenorlagh!

Answer 16

The roots of history run deep. It was handed down from previous generations. I don't blame English people today for what happened, but you can't expect everyone to be best buddies. The English (of long ago) stole our heritage, our language, our land. They caused the famine! With all the problems that STILL go on today in Northern Ireland there is a lot of bad blood, and that needs to be accepted. I think our countries get along well enough, all things considered.

And I've known fellow Irish people to cheer for whatever team is playing AGAINST England.

Answer 17

Sasanach isn't a Scottish term. They use it a lot more than us but believe it is not uniquely Scottish.

Let's turn your question around though - you invaded us, took our land, took our wood, took our food, killed our people, forced penal laws on the land, tried to kill the language etc etc...why, just why should anyone like the English?

Answer 18

this goes way back and over seas not much here unless you are talking about older way back generations but i am also english german and abit of irish and ilove all people and i am near 60