5 ms·
As a UK person visiting Ireland for the first time it was fun to notice all the things that are the same and the ones that are the same but a bit different. Lik
by nicky0 6y ago
As a UK person visiting Ireland for the first time it was fun to notice all the things that are the same and the ones that are the same but a bit different. Like Ireland has Primark, but it's called Penneys, and you have the same post boxes as the UK except they are green instead of red. We all have the same plug sockets. We have pretty much the same road signs but Ireland has YIELD to the UK's GIVE WAY. The font used on Irish speed limit signs is almost unreadable at a distance, but your pedestrian crossings are the best with that awesome tik -tik -tik WAKAWAKAWAKA noise.
EDIT: as corrected below, Penneys is the original, Primark is the name change. Apologies!
- randompwd 6y ago> same and the ones that are the same but a bit different I think the UK needs their schools to study our shared(!) history/past 800 years of colonialism. > Like Ireland has Primark, but it's called Penneys Penneys is an Irish founded & HQed company. "The world has Penneys, but it's called Primark" would be more correct - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primark https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primark > The Penneys brand is not used outside of Ireland because it is owned elsewhere by American retailer J. C. Penney.
- nicky0 6y agoMy Irish friend usually makes a similar response to yours. If I notice something is the same she says - "well you know, we do have a shared history, of course things are the same" If I notice something is different she says - "well you know, it's a different country, of course things are different" But in either case she bristles a bit, like these things ought to be neither surprising nor interesting to me. Like the UK ought to teach the colour of Irish postboxes in schools and of course the road signs are in kilometres and we use the Euro but we drive on the left and have the same plug sockets. It is all a sign of my colonial arrogance I am sure.
- randompwd 6y agoYou are a product of your environment. It is moreso a product of institutional British arrogance where they don't acknowledge the wrongs of Britain. Given how much trauma and suffering Britain caused in Ireland (& a lot of the world), yeah, you guys should be taught about the ugly side of British history and not just the 'ra ra, Britannia rule the waves' > Irish postboxes in schools and of course the road signs are in kilometres and we use the Euro but we drive on the left and have the same plug sockets 3 of those are hangovers from colonial rule in Ireland. 2 are common sense things we've adopted since becoming both indepenent and a member of the EU. So in both cases, having a more outward looking and (ironically) inward looking education, yes, you would have been able to deduce the grouping of those things in to 2 distinct categories and you wouldn't have been so "AmaZED"
- djmobley 6y agoIf we’re being pedantic, Primark/Penneys is a subsidiary of ABF, which is a British company.
- randompwd 6y agoYour attempt at pedantry has failed. > Penneys is an Irish founded & HQed company Primark/Penneys is still an Irish founded company whose headquarters and decision making happens in Ireland, regardless of who the owners are.
- pjc50 6y ago> pedestrian crossings are the best with that awesome tik -tik -tik WAKAWAKAWAKA noise These are present in a few European countries; my favourite variant was visiting Stockholm for the Eurovision song contest, where some had been reprogrammed to play beepy but recognisable versions of Sweden's last two winning songs. So you could listen to a ticky version of "Euphoria" while waiting that switched to a fast version of "Heroes" while it was time to cross.
- Y_Y 6y agoThe postboxes really are the same. They were all installed during the occupation, and still have the on the front the initials of whichever English monarch was around at the time.