Just something I noticed over the last decade or so, but was very impressed yesterday ( and in Manchester earlier this year). The English are a very friendly lot. For years the Irish and English would tiptoe around each other, the English cos they thought we were all lunatics and killers and bombers and the like, the Irish cos we thought the English were knobs who didn't have a clue what happened in Ireland. We were fine in each other's company once we got to know each other.
Now, it's gone to the other extreme. You hear loads of English accents at the school gates, in pubs, at tourist spots. The banter is epic when there is a football/rugby match on. Yesterday, people couldn't have been friendlier to me.
They all ( well the 4 people I spoke to ) wanted to know where in Ireland I was from. They all seem to have visited. I still got asked if I was from Northern or Southern Ireland ( I was asked the same in Manchester ).( Have a feeling that there still is a cautiousness when dealing with a Northern accent) so when I answered "the west" you can see just a flicker of confusion for a second 
. I think a holiday may be in the offing soon. Wouldn't mind 4 or 5 days on Scotland's west coast 
, then couple of days on England's east coast, night in Leeds to see what kind of cars and vans Reg has in stock 
, then on down to the south west to devon and cornwall . Just have to wait for sterling to fall a bit more. 
Now, it's gone to the other extreme. You hear loads of English accents at the school gates, in pubs, at tourist spots. The banter is epic when there is a football/rugby match on. Yesterday, people couldn't have been friendlier to me.
They all ( well the 4 people I spoke to ) wanted to know where in Ireland I was from. They all seem to have visited. I still got asked if I was from Northern or Southern Ireland ( I was asked the same in Manchester ).( Have a feeling that there still is a cautiousness when dealing with a Northern accent) so when I answered "the west" you can see just a flicker of confusion for a second . I think a holiday may be in the offing soon. Wouldn't mind 4 or 5 days on Scotland's west coast , then couple of days on England's east coast, night in Leeds to see what kind of cars and vans Reg has in stock , then on down to the south west to devon and cornwall . Just have to wait for sterling to fall a bit more. 
