Irishnessness

Zillah

Soon I will be applying for a foreign exchange type of thing. There are many requirements, but one is that you are expected to show an interest in your own culture and be willing and able to bring it with you.

And frankly I'm not sure what to say... There's all those stereotypical things, like GAA and Guinness, the 1916 rising etc. But I generally don't give a toss about that sort of stuff. I'm a very modern Irish person, and I am unashamedly a Dub...so I'm having trouble grasping things that are distinctly Irish and that I personally am in tune with.

So, my challenge to you is, as an Irish person, what makes you different to any other European person? Or any other person at all? Do you have to sing the Fields of Athenry while downing Guinness to be distinctly Irish? What kind of stuff do you think is cool about modern/urban Ireland?

_blank_

Just tell them you support a soccer team in a foreign country. Scotland should do, or England.

Try for an English city with 'Irish' links.

JackKelly

The Irish sense of humour, that's all you have to bring

Terry

Zillah wrote:

Soon I will be applying for a foreign exchange type of thing. There are many requirements, but one is that you are expected to show an interest in your own culture and be willing and able to bring it with you.

And frankly I'm not sure what to say... There's all those stereotypical things, like GAA and Guinness, the 1916 rising etc. But I generally don't give a toss about that sort of stuff. I'm a very modern Irish person, and I am unashamedly a Dub...so I'm having trouble grasping things that are distinctly Irish and that I personally am in tune with.

So, my challenge to you is, as an Irish person, what makes you different to any other European person? Or any other person at all? Do you have to sing the Fields of Athenry while downing Guinness to be distinctly Irish? What kind of stuff do you think is cool about modern/urban Ireland?

Bitch and moan about everythnig, while not doing a single thing to change it.

qz

Say you're partial to a few dozen pints.

humbert

Turn up steaming drunk.

admiralofthefleet

answer any question asked of you with a question.

GaryOR

what makes you different to any other European person?

Mo theanga

My language

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

read at them

98% literacy level is not to be scoffed at

Zebra3

When you get over there tell them the birds are much better looking than at home.

Zillah

Terry wrote:

Bitch and moan about everythnig, while not doing a single thing to change it.

Trés droll.

GaryOR wrote:

Mo theanga

My language

Yeah like I said, very modern Irish person. Useless dead languages don't do it for me. My Japanese is only slightly worse than my Irish.

Zillah

Mordeth wrote:

read at them

98% literacy level is not to be scoffed at

Wait...there's like, eighty thousand people in Ireland who can't read?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

really slow five year olds?


on a slightly more serious note.. some good irish writing? seamus heaney or somesuch?

Sangre

You identify strongly with your Roman Catholic Irish roots.

qz

Love of spuds.

tolosenc

GaryOR wrote:

Mo theanga

+1

r3nu4l

You say you're a modern Dub? Tell them you love modern Irish fiction like Roddy Doyles Barrytown trilogy. Explain that this reflects Ireland at the very beginning of the Celtic Tiger in the transition from the bad old days to days of "A New Hope".

Don't fcuk it up at this stage by going off on a tangent and starting to talk about Jedi knights!

Modern Ireland is about hope and aspiration, about a 'can-do' attitude rather than feeling sorry for oneself etc etc. Any old bullsh!t will do

Dyr

Zillah wrote:

Soon I will be applying for a foreign exchange type of thing. There are many requirements, but one is that you are expected to show an interest in your own culture and be willing and able to bring it with you.

And frankly I'm not sure what to say... There's all those stereotypical things, like GAA and Guinness, the 1916 rising etc. But I generally don't give a toss about that sort of stuff. I'm a very modern Irish person, and I am unashamedly a Dub...

Claim european citizenship and tell them that like all modern shiny irish liberal surrender monkeys you place absolutely no value on your countries culture and, in fact, despise it as gauche and embarassing, due to the deep feelings of post colonial inferiority that the bourgeois class in ireland suffers from.

No offence like:)

kmick

Turn up drunk, talk about property prices incessantly. At various points leave the room to snort cocaine but make sure to leave some on your nose for when you get back. Tell them about the time you met Colin farrell and you both scored the same bird in one night.

Sing the fields of Athenry. Wait until everyone goes home bar one or two and start crying and gnashing your teeth and mention how your dad never loved you. Tear up a picture of the pope and then get a taxi home.

Alternatively be yourself and take people as they come. Dont play up or down the Irish thing.

FlutterinBantam

Modern Dub Eh?

Ok get yourself a few tats, when you speak make sure you don't use correct tenses,any event such as christening/birthday/dog has pups/goldfish died,make sure you go into debt to fund the party which will go on for two days,with full extended family.

ALWAYSbe the last to leave a pub,whether you are full or not.

Never sip your drink,horse it down,get it into ya.After all drink was never meant to be enjoyed,just to get blotto.

Always be the lovable rogue,the guy who never does anything to earn his keeep,but use the good nature of the populace to keep you going.

"Ah shure he's harmless" usually works well.

Live for the day,never ever ever put anything by for the rainy day.

"Ah shure it'll be foine,we'll have an auld singsong.

Celebrate EVERYTHING, victory,defeat,humiliation,court cases,deaths,poor results.

Thats a good start now for you, nobody will doubt you are not a true Dub if you follow that track.

Good man;)

Panda

memorise and repeat ad infinitum.

61 THINGS CULCHIES LOVE!!!
1 A nice bit of ham.
2 Buttered biscuits.
3 Diggin Houles.
4 Saying its too cold to snow
5 Pretending to know about The Ra.
6 Tayto Cheese & Onion
7 Pretending they're in The Ra.
8 A stretch in the evenings
9 Lucozade
10 Accordians
11 Pretending to like Holy Week.
12 A dinner dance
13 Gettin clattered in muck.
14 Shania Twain.
15 Hefers
16 Spittin in their hands before doing anything manual
17 Steel toe caps.
18 A big bowl of carrots & parsnips.
19 Eating sangwiches out of the boot of a car at GAA
20 Saying someones 'Opened a Book' on something.
21 The smell of fresh dung.
22 Slice-Your-Own Loaf.
23 Work Clothes
24 A bottle of mineral.
25 Fightin'.
26 Puttin on a ganzee to stop them from bein foundered
27 'The' Hurling/Fitball.
28 Being overweight.
29 Wimen wha resemble Hefers.
30 Saying "Aaah" after taking their first sup of tae.
31 Drink driving.
32 Red diesel
33 The Fear of Change.
34 A nice bit of Barnbrac
35 Lying.
36 Building walls.
37 Being starved with the cold rather than with a lack of food
38 Pretending to like mass
39 Talking about sugar like Flax and the Corncrake.
40 A good blackthorn walkin stick.
41 Shouting 'Yeeeeeoooo' when something good happens.
42 Mohammed Ali.
43 Machinery.
44 Strange uppy-downy walks.
45 A good f**kin read of Irelands Own.
46 Gelling their 1cm fringe tight to their forehead.
47 Scandal, as long as its about other people.
48 Turf, because Sentirl heatin's for wimen.
49 Soda farls.
50 Sponge 'n Custirt
51 Newmerica', and anything to do with it.
52 Givin the dog the wildest baytins.
53 Givin the wife the wildest baytins.
54 The Ra.
55 Winning a leg of lamb in a raffle.
56 Wrecking the house whilst steaming.
57 Club Orange
58 Rubbing their hands together before tucking into their
dinner
59 The Foot & Mouth.
60 Aetin' a big feed of spuds.
61 TK Red Lemonade


'nuff said

Tar.Aldarion

I have eaten more potatoes than there are people in Ireland.

ScumLord

Maybe it would just be easier to say your English and not worrie about any of this Irish stuff.

estebancambias

Say arsehole.

big b

Just tell 'em you're mad into property, travel & self-analysis.

Maybe the modern stereotypes will be more palatable for you than the more traditional ones.

Spyral

you forgot "pretendin' ta be in deh RA"

thelordofcheese

Give out about 800 years and all that, while supporting an english premiership side.
But above all else, never spot the irony in the above, otherwise they'll know you're only faking the irish thing.

baztard

Think your home city is the only city in the world, and that everyone who's not from it is below you.

Have a dyed blonde chicken head haircut.

Pay a load of money to drink pissy pints in pubs where none of the bar staff are Irish or know what they're doing.

Sit in traffic all day.

Support an English football/soccer team, and refer to them as 'we' as if your related to them in some way. 'We' won the game yesterday.

Speak slang like 'kiss my swiss' and 'dog and bone' and think your original, when really your just ripping off London cockney slang.

Everywhere you travel, shout really loud in a thicker than normal home accent so people know your not from around here.