So where were you the day that Great Britain decided to depart from the EU?

Did you find yourself oblivious to Brexit on Friday morning, only to become the pre-eminent analyst on British current affairs mid-afternoon? The word "Brexit" will forevermore form part of our cultural lexicon. It’ll be known as the day the streets hummed with disbelief and uncertainty, the day British PM David Cameron resigned, the day Scotland considered a second independence bid, and the rug was potentially pulled from under the Northern Irish peace process. https://twitter.com/graceyosmiley/status/747476828827299842 It will also be known as the day the clothing retailing giant ASOS’s website crashed - that's when people really freaked out, fearing some Millennium Bug-style scenario, linking Brexit to the end of times. https://twitter.com/fcblda/status/746189988056936448 Journalists clamoured over themselves to find the perfect Brexit analogy; it sounded like a breakfast cereal, was compared to an awkward break-up, or the dog who fervently chases a bus and upon catching it doesn’t know what to do. The internet rushed to create the perfect meme and we were spoilt for choice considering Boris Johnson's dubious hairdo.  

??? its so terrifying that it’s funny!!#BorisJohnson #DonaldTrump #Ireland #NIreland #EURefResults pic.twitter.com/VB0t9CDMFb

— Unhinged Comix (@DaB_unhingedInk) June 26, 2016

Memes and analogies aside, the connotations associated with Brexit are that of racism, fear, and hysteria. The success of the 'Leave' campaign, flanked by rabble-rousers Nigel Farage and Johnson, was underpinned by a stark message – Britain for the British. The referendum was won by inciting fear over immigration throughout the ranks of the elderly and disenfranchised working class. With immigration on everyone's mind, we caught up with young Irish people currently living and working in the UK to get their take on a Britain in flux.

Kirsten Shiel is a freelance illustrator and designer for animation, currently living in Manchester.

What are you feeling at the moment in regards to the UK's decision to leave Europe? I am utterly and completely shocked and appalled. There was so much fear surrounding the vote, but I always thought that common sense would win out among the British public. Farage's proposal to call June 23 "Independence Day" is a kick in the teeth to countries who suffered bloodshed to gain their independence from the British Empire. Have you considered how Brexit might affect you living and working in the UK? This decision is an absolute disaster for the animation, gaming, and film industries, on which I rely quite heavily for my work. There are a few international animation studios here in Manchester, which have large numbers of EU employees. UK studios will suffer from lack of EU funding. I've been thinking that I'll stay a year to see out the end of my lease, and then I'll either go back to Dublin or over to Vancouver. Results are also indicating that people from lower income backgrounds tended to vote to leave the EU. Do you have any thoughts on this? I'm going to put on my tinfoil hat for this one. I fully believe that the wealthy and elite used the working class to further their own interests through spreading of fear against immigration: "We'll fix the NHS, we'll get more jobs." Then, within hours of the result, these claims were taken back. It's horrible how people have been used like this, when in the end, it's them that will suffer the most. People are comparing the UK's decision to leave the EU to a nasty break-up. What is your favourite break-up song? Bob Dylan – 'Tangled Up In Blue'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSZvHqf9qM  

Alastair Moore has been living in South East London for almost two years and works for a policy innovation hub that is currently working on drug policy and prison reform

 What is the atmosphere like over there? Is it madness or just business as usual? Every person on every Tube, in every coffee shop, and on the streets were (and still are) talking about it. We called it a day at work around lunch time on Friday as we couldn’t think or talk about anything else. The next few weeks and months are full of uncertainty. Did you follow both sides of the campaign, and if so, what was the stand-out moment for you? Both campaigns were not what I’d consider honourable. That Farage-Geldof flotilla was a total joke. What in your opinion drove the majority of UK citizens to vote to leave the EU? A mix of confusion about what was being voted on, the over-simplification of the vote around issues like immigration, this idea of British sovereignty, a growing inequality gap, and frustration at a London-centric England. People are comparing the UK's decision to leave the EU to a nasty break-up. What is your favourite break-up song? Sibylle Baier- 'The End'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-r1b2H9FKs  

Liam Morrow has just finished his first year of an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art and lives in Forest Gate, London.

What is the atmosphere like over in London at the moment? Sadly, I feel a xenophobic undercurrent in what I had considered being one of the world’s most progressive and internationally-minded nations has surfaced. I cast a confident 'Remain' vote, so was genuinely surprised on Friday morning. This disappointment is mitigated by gladness for my Irish and therefore European nationality. However, I do regret suddenly not sharing that identity with my UK friends.  Have you considered how this might affect you living and working in the UK? Speaking as a designer and a student, London, which overwhelmingly voted 'Remain', still feels like a good place to be for now. However it's possible that fewer international graduates will be as eager to choose to stay and work in the UK, and if they want to, it may not be as easy for them to do so. What in your opinion drove the majority of UK citizens to vote to leave the EU? I think that people’s frustration at a number of issues has been subverted to coerce them into thinking that leaving the EU is a good idea. One positive repercussion of Brexit would be for the people of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Gibraltar who all voted to remain in the EU, to hold their own referendums, and have the chance to decide for themselves where their allegiances lie. There have already been rumbles of a move towards the formation of a United Celtic Nation of 'the Craic'. People are comparing the UK's decision to leave the EU to a nasty break-up. What is your favourite break-up song? Caribou — 'Can't Do Without You (EU)'   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI2Et19vDCM