Matthew Whelan: 'I'm proud of the men who died for the country'
Taxi driver Matthew Whelan, from Clontarf in Dublin, says that although he’s generally proud to be Irish, there are a number of things that make him ashamed. The drugs problem in Dublin is one of them.
“Druggies on the streets. Drugs, drink. It’s an epidemic,” he says.
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“The guards were down here today, they shifted a whole load of them, young kids as well. Terrible. I wouldn’t say they were more than 15 years of age. The police had to move them on for drinking cans.”
Although he says that the 1916 commemorations haven’t affected how he feels to be Irish, he added that they were a proud moment for Ireland. “I’m just proud of the men who died for the country. I think they would be ashamed of a couple of our politicians, but I don’t want to go down that road.” He welcomes the changes that have come to the city during his lifetime. “I reared my family here, I’m proud of my family. Two lads, two teachers. I didn’t get a good education when I was growing up, so they got it,” he said.
“We saw the hard times in this city too when we were growing up. It was very hard. But it’s multicultural now Ireland, isn’t it? It’s great. It’s no more Dublin in the rare ould times.”
Una Murphy: 'Ireland is now an integrative society'
Though she has lived most of her life in Australia, Una Murphy now lives in Rathfarnham in Dublin. She still remembers a little of the Irish language from her childhood.
“It’s just there inside me,” she says. “Even though I’ve got an Australian accent to some degree having lived there for 40 years, we did use bits and pieces of Irish when we were there. Not that we had any kind of proper grammar, but a lot of vocabulary was there.” Una returned to Ireland in 2009. She says the country has changed dramatically since she left as a young teenager.
“You would never hear someone speaking a different language walking down the street previously, when I was young,” she says.
“I came back from Australia in 2009 having left in 1969. I look around and I see the buildings and they’re all the same. But as far as how the Irish culture itself is growing, there is that change in the acceptance towards – I wouldn’t say multicultural because that’s old fashioned now – I’d say integrative society.
“That we accept other people have their ways but they must relate to us. It’s a two-way street.”
Francis Mumbley: 'What do I do for my country? Same as they do for me: nothing'
Francis Mumbley (above) from Dublin’s Stoneybatter says he doesn’t think about Irishness very often, but that he enjoyed the centenary celebrations when they came around. “I like the Irish culture. The 1916 commemorations were good. But the one in ’66 was better; I saw the one in ’66,” he says.
When asked what the country does for him, he gives a definitive “nothing”. “There’s no government in this country that ever did anything for people. The budget is a budget for themselves, it’s not for the people. It’s all for themselves. It’s the same every year.”
What does he do for his country? “Same thing they do for me, nothing,” he laughs. Francis isn’t sure whether he’s proud to be Irish. He pauses, and a passerby listening in to the conversation laughs: “Well what would you rather be, British?” “Sometimes!” he says.
Anna Mai Fitzpatrick: 'I don't drink and I don't like that part of Irishness'
As an Irish dancer, Irish culture is key to Anna Mai Fitzpatrick’s life. “I’ve been dancing since I was four and I’m 19 now. I do it all the time, so I’m really into Irish culture – it’s what I do with my life,” she says.
“I like to think that I kind of continue on the tradition. Wherever I go it’s something I have to show that I’m Irish.”
From Navan, Co Meath, Anna Mai is proud of her culture and her country. She notices it particularly while travelling abroad.
“It gives me a sense of who I am. When I visit other countries and people say ‘oh you’re Irish’, you do take pride in it.
“It’s such a beautiful country,” she says. However, she says the perception of Ireland as having a drinking culture makes her less proud to be Irish.
“I don’t drink myself, and I don’t like that part of it. I suppose it’s a bit of a laugh.”
She watched the 1916 centenary celebrations on TV and enjoyed them.
“My friend performed in the choir that was shown on television. It was lovely; really, really nice. I liked all the celebrations on the streets. It was a lovely atmosphere.”
Shauna Quinn-Byrne: 'I'd like to see Irish being used more'
“The Gaeltacht, tea and crisp sandwiches,” are the three things that Shauna Quinn-Byrne says she most associates with Ireland.
Shauna studies event management and Irish at DIT. She says she enjoys the language. “I’ve been to the Gaeltacht and I study Irish in college. I’d like to see it being used more. It’s part of my course that I had to study a third language, so I chose Irish,” she says. She enjoyed the 1916 commemorations this year, but says that they didn’t make her feel any more proud of the country.
“They were very good, very informative.”
Nick Hughes: ‘Ireland makes me think of the pub, rugby and Gaelic’
Nick Hughes arrived in Dublin four hours ago from Durham, England. This is his second trip to Ireland.
“I’m here for 48 hours; my mate lives here,” he says. “I was here for a stag-do about two years ago but I don’t remember very much of it!” He says he doesn’t know very much about the country. “What comes to mind when I think of Irishness? I don’t know, you’ve got me stumped,” he says. “Guinness, friendliness, I suppose.” He also associates Ireland with prowess in sport and drinking. “I think of the pub, sport, rugby and Gaelic football,” he adds.
Karen Boerssen: ‘I’m a good citizen. I pay tax. A lot of tax’
“What does Ireland do for me? It gives me a home,” says Karen Boerssen. Originally from South Africa, Karen moved to Ireland 13 years ago. She visits home once a year, but when she first moved to Ireland she hadn’t planned to stay. “I never imagined myself staying this long but I’m still here. So at the moment it’s my home. I met an Irish guy. We’re not together anymore but I stayed. I like the country,” she says.
Karen says life in Ireland is completely different from living in South Africa. “My favourite aspect of life in Ireland, I have to say, is the friendliness. I do appreciate that. And obviously the night life, the pubs – there’s one on every corner,” she says. “I’m a good citizen. I pay tax, a lot of tax. I consider myself a good person, so that’s what I do for Ireland. It’s nice to be nice.”