East Is East, And West Is West

The conflict in Irish society in recent decades has been measured, particularly from abroad, as relating exclusively with the issues related to the continuing British occupation of the six northern counties in Ulster. But there is also a longstanding division between the east and the west of the country. This also has to do with Britain's centuries-long colonization of the island. Native Gaelic-speaking people tended to be centered in the west of the country, while Dublin and the eastern parts of the country, with few exceptions (noteably the 1798 rebellion in County Wexford), tended to be less resistant to British rule. This has caused an historical split, which also is related to the rural and urban differences and it is part of lexicon of the language.

A Dub jackeen, for instance, is a derogatory term for a Dubliner who is sympathetic or at least tolerant to the Brits. Dub, of course, refers to a Dubliner and jackeen is derived from the England's flag, the Union Jack, essentially meaning "little Union Jack."

A psuedo-British accent, in turn, is derisively referred to sometimes as Mid "Mid-Atlantic.

Dublin Four, is the equivalent of a zipcode of for one of the upscale districts in Dublin and is associated with ambitious yuppies.

Culchies, conversely, are rural folks, bumpkins or hillbillies.