No, it's not offensive. It's meaning also depends on where you're from. Around Newry, a culchie is someone from south Armagh - even if you lived on top of the Mournes you wouldn't be a culchie.
To Dubs it's any non-Dubs.
To me it's anyone who doesn't live in a town/city - even people from small towns are townies to me.

OgraAnDun (Down) - Posts: 406 - 01/08/2012 16:26:31    1235789

Somebody call?

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 01/08/2012 16:39:14    1235802

I have never found it offensive. I've found it laughable, if anything, particularly when people from Longford town refer to people who live outside the county's sprawling metropolis, as 'culchies'. Ridiculous!!

cmondetown (Longford) - Posts: 122 - 01/08/2012 16:39:54    1235804

MesAmis
You're opening a can of worms with your description of anyone outside the M50 as being a culchie as your very own contributor here, Clondalkindub will be highly offended at his inclusion. What are people from the rural areas of North County Dublin and the south western and southern areas such as Lucan and Rathcoole called?

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3027 - 01/08/2012 17:02:29    1235818

lilywhite1
County: Kildare
Posts: 1373

1235818 MesAmis
You're opening a can of worms with your description of anyone outside the M50 as being a culchie as your very own contributor here, Clondalkindub will be highly offended at his inclusion. What are people from the rural areas of North County Dublin and the south western and southern areas such as Lucan and Rathcoole called?

Not at all, sure thats a generous description, some would say anyone from outside the canals is a culchie!

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12311 - 01/08/2012 17:09:35    1235823

The word "culchie" is a manufacture of loyal Dubs in the seat of British rule in Ireland . Those from within the Pale could signify thier differnce from full Irish peole and fealty to thier British overlords by categorisng those not from the "second city of the Empire" as culchies , and a potential threat . Most of the fellas in the GPO military disaster were culchies, the fellas who survived it were abused and spat at by the Dubs as they were led to the gaol. And the Dubs didn't really turn up for the successful War of Independence either. I'd have been happy ifwe got Derry instead in the treaty negotiations. Theycould have kept Dublin as a British enclave, like Hong Konh was, and possibly revert to Ireland once we were sure they were proper Irish after all.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 01/08/2012 17:10:34    1235825

Interesting......Most Cork people think the term rebel county is derived from 1916.....war of independence etc....
..

Cork were given that title by the brits after the war of the roses in Britain. One of the Houses (York or Lancs...not sure which) needed troops so sent a boat to Cork as Hudreds of Corkmen signed up to go and fight the war (They ended on the losing side)

Hence the name REBEL COUNTY.......

I still just call them culchies!!! ;-)

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 01/08/2012 17:10:41    1235826

I never took offence to been called a "culchie"

What about the west brits:) that now live outside Dublin known as "dulchies", do they take offence??

allSOran (Sligo) - Posts: 690 - 01/08/2012 17:16:01    1235832

You have dubs and culchies and then you have what is a pretty new term which is the "Euro Culchies" which pretty much means everyone who is irish. So actually dubs are no ordinary culchies, they are Euro Culchies!

AfricanGael (UK) - Posts: 1947 - 01/08/2012 17:17:55    1235835

I'm not usually, but I can be!

Down here it means somebody from a rural area, not a town or city.

Culchie (Cork) - Posts: 799 - 01/08/2012 17:18:55    1235838

Only someone devoid of an ounce of humour in their soul would be offended by the word 'culchie'. Besides, we have 'jackeen' by return, so we'll call it even!

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 01/08/2012 17:25:47    1235847

Interstingly Jay P, it is little wonder that people in Cork have never heard your theory because it is bullshit.

You are confusing it with a very minor pretender to the English throne called Perkin Warbeck who landed in Corkto look for support of his claims to the throne held by Henry VII. The (English) merchants who controlled Cork didn't support him or send any troops. Apparently, and confusingly, Henry VII apparently called the English merchants of Cork 'rebels' in gratitude. But there is no evidence that Henry VII ever came up with the term 'Rebel county' , or ever uttered the words. But it has beeen attributed to him since in the last number of years. It all smells to me like the alternative theory for the origins of the term 'Rebel County' is a complete red herring. Probably devised by a Dub with an interest in hiistory and a bit of time on his hands.

KeyserSoze (Cork) - Posts: 363 - 01/08/2012 17:27:27    1235850

Isn't history gas all the same :p

Jackeen (Dublin) - Posts: 4097 - 01/08/2012 17:30:14    1235853

Lilywhite

As Breff rightly pointed out the two canals used to be the border point between proper Dubs and the rest of the country ie culchies.

However as the city has grown the M50 is a more appropriate border.

Those you mentioned who fall between the M50 and the ends of county Dublin are still Dubs but they are also culchies as they are not from the city.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13796 - 01/08/2012 17:35:25    1235860

I often use the term 'culchie' but I never mean it in an offensive way. Purely for banter and conversational purposes only. As someone said, a lot of Dubs have culchie parents - my own father is from west of the shannon so its just a term to me, not an insult. I often like to wind people up by saying if you don't have a postcode, then you're a culchie (this really annoys the foxrock brigade).

I only think of southsiders as being jackeens/west brits and, to be both honest and hypocritical in one fell swoop, it does actually grate on me when I'm called a jackeen.

But yeah, nordies are just nordies. And the world would be a duller place without them.

DNS16 (Dublin) - Posts: 53 - 01/08/2012 17:48:33    1235870

Generally a cluchie is anyone not from Dublin - note Dun Laoire and Rathdown is not Dublin, Fingal is not Dublin. I'd say most of the Northside, west and south west. The southside postal districts have no Dubs at all they are Dubs aspiring to be British and therefore above us all - Dubs nd Culchies.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4953 - 01/08/2012 18:31:34    1235895

come on the nordies lol....................................................well take our near old Ireland back from the crown yet, might think twice about asking the "langers" for help though ;-)...............................never knew they fought for the crown lol

DownStar29 (Down) - Posts: 172 - 01/08/2012 18:33:17    1235899

Thanks MesAmis, then it's official so; Clondalkindub is a culchie albeit a Dub one!

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3027 - 01/08/2012 18:34:07    1235901

Yeah I'm a pure Culchie me Robbie keane , Richard Dunne ,damien duff , bernard dunne , kenny egan etc pure Culchies. When they built the M 50 20 years ago they said this is the boundary between Culchie and Dub. Sorry Dublin airport but your real name is Culchie airport. Poor owl craobh Ciaran are a Culchie club now playing out in the sticks.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 01/08/2012 18:47:53    1235916

wait till he hears that he may change his name to condalkincluchie!!

lilywhitemagic (Kildare) - Posts: 1693 - 01/08/2012 18:55:05    1235922