Coming to Australia? Don't leave your manners at home

ballooba

seachto7 wrote: »

Anyone notice the picture on the front of the Syndey Telegraph a few weeks back with "Is that all you got" after the first cyclone in QND? it was of 3 rednecks (the only way I could describe them), sitting drinking beer on a porch. It was an embarrassment. I would be embarrassed if I was a Queenslander of that picture...

Just because bogans might be a little unrefined doesn't mean they don't have manners. They're not doing any harm by sitting on a porch drinking. It's not like they're having a few beers before heading out to Bondi Junction to destroy the peace.

hussey

Mod Lads I don't want this to turn into am Irish Bashing thread, or even an Australian bashing thread.

hussey

Any example I read here could easily be about Australians/Kiwis/English in Ireland too.

For most of us it will the first time we are living abroad, so people naturally want to 'have a good time', when this turns into muppetry is subject to opinion.

Also when people say 'all irish hang out with each other' - of course they do, why? Because it is so much easier, people naturally are more open and friendly to fellow travellers, when you land more than likely the only people you know are a) people from home (who in turn, know other people from home) or b) people in a hostel.

I have a good group of friends here, and a lot are Irish, we all have a few things in common, none of us have family here, no mortgage, no kids, all very social and live close to city. Most of the Aussie's I work with live an hour away so have a few after work drinks on friday, but wouldn't go out during the week or a saturday, which my Irish friends(and English, Dutch, Finnish etc etc) would.

A few times I've been introduced to a friend's friend and after an hour I would be invited to a BBQ / Birthday drinks etc, if this was back home I doubt this would happen.

Zambia

Your right no one has a barbie back home to invite you to:-)

Zambia

brendansmith wrote: »

I stopped doing it tbh.

You should start again if they do not acknowledge it they are rude, but your still a legend!

Mahatma coat

I dunno, tis not AS BIG a Problem in Brisbane as they dont seem to have coópted an area to the same extent as Bondi, but its the same wherever you are too to some extent, if the Persion was an ignorant Knownothin Prick before they Left IRekland then why would you expect any different, its the group that meet this Kreacher and think t'd be a right Laugh to ape the oafish behaviour that I have issue with, some of these Fools Truly dont know any better, they found a few quid somewhere and were cajoled by someone else into leaving the Parish to go to Australia.

How can they be expected to learn anything if people wont teach them, and the best way to teach is By Example, if you Give these Low brow Muppets any form of encouragement in their idiocy then thats what you will get, think of it as the class colown mentality, they will drag everyone down.

Replace the Words
Black People == Irish People
N!gger == Paddys/Knackers/Scummers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzFTLKWvfE0

Xavi6

The article speak a lot of truth, especially regarding the Irish just sticking to other Irish. I hate that and would love to see Perth's Rosie O'Grady's burn to the ground.

I also have zero desire to ever visit the Bondi area given what I've read and heard about the place.

Mellor

I think its alll a bit dramatic and sounds like a bit of a idiot.
In every country, every city, every town, amoung people of all ages, both sexes, all colours and races, you have nice people and you have pricks. not expecting this is naive.

He also has the locals up on a bit of a pedestal imo.
The aussies curse jsut as much, if not more, than the irish. Any time spend watching sports, in a pub and on a building site proves this. Obviously the author doesn't spend his time this way. C*nt is far more acceptable out here than it is at home.

Polite and friendly could describe some of the locals. But the sweeping generalisation that they are all like that is laughable. Even worse thean the suggestion that all irish are bad.

Some of my work collugues take a route to the train station that is awkward and longer, so that they avoid a paticular street/area. And its most definitely a case that they don't want to bump into the locals (and not the irish).

Successfully multi-cultural. no it isn't.
Yes, Australia is made up of many many nationalities. But this is simple due to the fact that Australia was a very big place with few people in it. They're was room for everyone.
But do they all get along, no even close. Race/nationality is prob the very first thing out of somebody mouth when they are pissed off at somebody. It's not fat prick, its not ugly prick, it's Leb/jewish/gook prick

Xavi6 wrote: »

The article speak a lot of truth, especially regarding the Irish just sticking to other Irish. I hate that and would love to see Perth's Rosie O'Grady's burn to the ground.
I also have zero desire to ever visit the Bondi area given what I've read and heard about the place.

This bit I don't understand.
If you don't like the idea of it, that's fine. Nobody is asking you to live like that. But some people enjoy the company of irish people more so that others. so, what's the harm if they choose to live like that. Some people like the sense of security a "community" can bring you. There exists an elitest attitude where people often think that they are better than you as they choose to only socialise with australians (not aimed at you btw Xavi). I just don't see how it really matters

I'm here with lads I've known my whole life so i'm not suddenly going to stop hanging around/drinking with them because I came to australia. I work with only australians, but they're mostly a lot older. So i would really see any of them in a solial setting (most of them have kids my age)

runway16

It cuts both ways.

Having been in Sydney, the GAA jersey wearing masses are prevalent - and yes, loud / obnoxious / uncouth. But there are plenty of pleasant, friendly Irish there too.

That said, many Australians seem to think nothing of insulting your nationality with such jibes as "where's your pig/cow/other farm animal". They seem to think nothing exists anywhere else, and that everything Australian is naturally superior (Its the Lucky Country!!!!)

Again, there are also lots of kind and non judgemental Aussies - but the overwhelming impression I took away from Sydney was one of unbelievable insularity and arrogance. No outward hostility, but a sort of contented smugness that matches some Irish People's view of themselves.

Perhaps that the problem - the Irish and the Aussies are too alike.

MyKeyG

runway16 wrote: »

Having been in Sydney, the GAA jersey wearing masses are prevalent

I didn't know it was that prevalent but to be honest I'm not sure if I've ever met a Kiwi not wearing an All Blacks jersey.

That said, many Australians seem to think nothing of insulting your nationality with such jibes as "where's your pig/cow/other farm animal". They seem to think nothing exists anywhere else, and that everything Australian is naturally superior (Its the Lucky Country!!!!)

I have noticed this. I've had a few, not a lot, of Aussie friends and their flippancy and offense at times was downright shocking so much so that I fell out with one and we're still not talking a year on.

Like the Mods said it shouldn't turn into a country bashing episode but maybe some people need to start accepting culture clash. I've been there myself. You're walking through Templebar, you're in a hurry but you can't swing a dead cat for all the european students. It's irritating so your mind exagerrates their behaviour and if one of them is being a genuine knob then you associate the behaviour with the lot. It's only when I lived in France that I learned how difficult it can be to be generalised like that.

BarryCreed

I have heard the "insular and arrogant" thing from people in Sydney too. I suppose the fact that all cities are so far apart in Aus, there is going to be some degree of being insular there...

What about Australians of European continental descent, like Italian, or Greek etc. Are they as "cocky" as your anglo saxon Aussies? Or do they cop some flack from the "locals" as well...?

I have met many Australian-Italians and they are great people. I lived in Italy, and they were proud of their heritage, and stoked that I was able to speak the lingo. I'm sure there is an Aus-Italian woman waiting for me in Melbourne or Fremantle!!

I know many Australian of Lebanese descent have had problems in Aus, but is this more to do with their religion?

Jumpy

BarryCreed wrote: »

What about Australians of European continental descent, like Italian, or Greek etc. Are they as "cocky" as your anglo saxon Aussies? Or do they cop some flack from the "locals" as well...?

Oh they are super cocky. Look up "Guido Hatzis" on youtube.

He is a prank phonecaller who rips off the Aus-Greek accent and the attitude

Jumpy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=domXumvTVI8

man1

Xavi6 wrote: »

I also have zero desire to ever visit the Bondi area given what I've read and heard about the place.

I have lived in Sydney for almost a year now and also have no desire to ever visit Bondi.
We go to Balmoral beach which is great for families, it is quiet, safe and easy for us to get to. I don't want to go somewhere to see Irish drunks falling about the place (which I have read about on here numerous times!!), If I wanted that lifestyle I would have stayed in Ireland.
I agree with the article, I don't have much contact with Irish here in Sydney but when I have, they have embarrassed me!!!:o
One example would be the U2 concert in December, why could the Australians enjoy the concert with a few beers and a laugh when the Irish totally got smashed, were puking up all over the place, screaming at the top of their voices, draped in tri-colours, fighting with security etc... and it wasn't one or two isolated incidents, it was happening a lot both inside and outside the stadium. I am dreading going to Tommy Tiernan in May!!!!!
Whenever my Australian friends say they met/know some Irish and want to introduce me to them, I politely decline their offer.
I previously lived in mainland Europe for 5 years and it was the same there.:(

man1

BarryCreed wrote: »

I know many Australian of Lebanese descent have had problems in Aus, but is this more to do with their religion?

For being Christian? Aren't they mostly Catholic/Orthodox with a Muslim minority?
I could be wrong though.

sydirish

here are my thoughts on this story:

true enough backpackers are here to have a good time, which involves drinking as well. all nationalities, not just irish,

A New Zealander friend of mine told me that he had been thinking of moving to Bondi, but he was deterred by the presence of Irish backpackers - so you know one person who was deterred by the packpackers, one? i know people who will not move out west because of the 'friendly' locals, but are people out west allowed to be like this because they are local?

2. A trip to the beach actually means reaching the sand at some point. It doesn't mean eight of you sitting around one of those dingy wooden shelters in Coogee while 20 green bottles pile up on the table in front of you. That's a notch away from wino territory, guys. - any time i have been in coogee or bondi, the 'dingy wooden shelters' & also the cooge bay hotel are mostly full of australians drinking during the day. are they allowed to do this because they are local?

3. Guys: don't go out on a Saturday night wearing a GAA jersey. People will assume that this was the cleanest item you could find in your wardrobe. None of Sydney's hot women are going to sidle up to you in a bar and ask what Mhaigh Eo means. And if they really knew . . . - i always see australian & NZ rugby jerseys on a night out, are they allowed to do this because they are local?

4. If you are holding a heavy shopping-bag in either hand and you need to cross the street, don't use the sole of your foot to press the pedestrian-crossing button. Kicking public fixtures in full view of everybody never endears, even if it's preceded by "Ah sure f***in' ... " - i personally have never seen this happen, but i am pretty sure that it would not be just the irish doing it

5. Try to actually get to know some Australians. Whenever one encounters Irish people in Sydney, they always seem to be exclusively hanging around other Irish people. Please don't reproduce the post-war ghettos of Manchester and London in Bondi and Bronte. To avoid habits that might make non-Irish people avoid you, see all of the above. - from my experience it is the backpackers who are only here for a year or two who just stick predominantly with other backapckers, not just their own nationality. the long term irish who settle here would be more inclined get to know the locals.

Final word? I grew up in a guesthouse on the coast of Clare. As a kid I met fascinating people of various nationalities every summer: I probably have Germans, Americans and Scandinavians to thank for instilling in me a lifelong curiosity about the world. - just how far is your head stuck up your own ar*e?


the irish are not angels over here, they like to enjoy themselves, get drunk and have some fun. they do not go around in groups bashing the locals, robbing people, ending up in prison. i personally did not drink as much back home, only when i came over here.

anyway, if anyone would like to comment on my thoughs, i will be checking regurlay for updates,

'com'n the town'

brendansmith

Funnily enough I was telling a Kiwi lad here I work with about lads on here asking if they will get visas with convictions etc and he ask me had I any convictions.
No I said
Really he said, you must lead a boring life
Says I, yes I guess I do. Go on so, what have you done you mental pr!ck
And so he began telling me about having 3 convictions. 1 in France, 1 in Canada and 1 in nz. 2 of which were for D&D behaviour and 1 for being way way over the limit whilst driving. He told me about overstaying visas by years and sneaking into countries without visas and all sorts of wonderful things.

Moral of the story. Folks away from home love to get up to boldness.

Xavi6

Mellor wrote: »

This bit I don't understand.
If you don't like the idea of it, that's fine. Nobody is asking you to live like that. But some people enjoy the company of irish people more so that others. so, what's the harm if they choose to live like that. Some people like the sense of security a "community" can bring you. There exists an elitest attitude where people often think that they are better than you as they choose to only socialise with australians (not aimed at you btw Xavi). I just don't see how it really matters

It's not about only associating with Australians, it's about getting out of your comfort zone and discovering a different country and people of varying backgrounds. Getting off a plane, going to the first Irish bar and staying there for the duration is ridiculous and it happens.

Also, I find the crowds in your typical Irish bar (i.e. Rosie's in Perth) to be largely **** and the sort of crowd who give the Irish a bad name in terms of the whole drunk and disorderly thing. For that reason I avoid the place like the plague and think we'd be better off without it.

I'm here with lads I've known my whole life so i'm not suddenly going to stop hanging around/drinking with them because I came to australia. I work with only australians, but they're mostly a lot older. So i would really see any of them in a solial setting (most of them have kids my age)

In fairness that's not what I said. Of course you aren't going to abandon your mates but by simply meeting other Irish people and confining yourself to them you might as well be at home.

BraziliaNZ

Go to the Redback or the Walkabout in West London and see how the Antipodeans behave when they're on their "Overseas Experience" as they like to call it. Even worse is The Church on a Sunday. As bad as or even worse than the Irish. In saying that I never went to Sydney but never noticed any Oirish thuggery in Perth or Melbourne.

Plus all the Antips live together in London too, and hang out in certain areas. I'm using London as an example as there's a large number of them there and not in Dublin. But they're guilty of the same carry on. All young people from cultures like ours seem to carry on like this when abroad. The author of that article needs to stop worry about how other people behave and learn to be comfortable with himself and his nationality.

brendansmith

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

In saying that I never went to Sydney but never noticed any Oirish thuggery in Perth or Melbourne.

You obviously stayed away from St Kilda then, I went to the elephant and wheelbarrow once and I felt instantly uncomfortable the moment I walked through the door and got my coat stolen for good measure.
Full of Irish, but not your regular Irish, the nasty type of Irish that fill up on rocket fuel and unleash themselves on the town.

BraziliaNZ

brendansmith wrote: »

You obviously stayed away from St Kilda then, I went to the elephant and wheelbarrow once and I felt instantly uncomfortable the moment I walked through the door and got my coat stolen for good measure.
Full of Irish, but not your regular Irish, the nasty type of Irish that fill up on rocket fuel and unleash themselves on the town.

I spent 6 months staying in St Kilda and loved it there! This was only 3 years ago or so surely it hasn't gone so downhill since.

hussey

man1 wrote: »

I have lived in Sydney for almost a year now and also have no desire to ever visit Bondi.
We go to Balmoral beach which is great for families, it is quiet, safe and easy for us to get to. I don't want to go somewhere to see Irish drunks falling about the place (which I have read about on here numerous times!!), If I wanted that lifestyle I would have stayed in Ireland.
I agree with the article, I don't have much contact with Irish here in Sydney but when I have, they have embarrassed me!!!:o
One example would be the U2 concert in December, why could the Australians enjoy the concert with a few beers and a laugh when the Irish totally got smashed, were puking up all over the place, screaming at the top of their voices, draped in tri-colours, fighting with security etc... and it wasn't one or two isolated incidents, it was happening a lot both inside and outside the stadium. I am dreading going to Tommy Tiernan in May!!!!!
Whenever my Australian friends say they met/know some Irish and want to introduce me to them, I politely decline their offer.
I previously lived in mainland Europe for 5 years and it was the same there.:(

I went to the u2 concert and I didn't see anything (apart from a tri colour) out of the normal for a rock band.
Yes there were drunks, but same with any other concert I seen, pearl jam, muse, big day out (prob can't compare this)

If you are dreading it so much then don't go ... again I went last year, I went to the duke hotel, had a few drinks and went home, same as 95% of the people.

You said you'd decline your friends offer to introduce you to Irish, would you do the same if they were Australian, spanish, english, indian?

Bondi is actually quiet nice, it's bondi junction where the Irish bars are.

Xavi6 wrote:

It's not about only associating with Australians, it's about getting out of your comfort zone and discovering a different country and people of varying backgrounds. Getting off a plane, going to the first Irish bar and staying there for the duration is ridiculous and it happens.

Spot on, I'll openly admit when I first came over I was in Tea gardens, cock and bull, Coogee Bay Hotel every weekend, why? Cause the only people I knew were down there.
after a few months we started to try new places and areas, but it did take a while.

My local in Newtown is Kellys, it's not because it is full of Irish, it's because it's a nice bar, pool tables, nice (small) beer garden, friendly people, wooden tables etc and a real pint - in fact on a friday I'd say 75% of people there are Uni students looking for cheap drinks + pool

Another great bar is the welcome inn balmain, again just a nice bar, they can be a world apart from scuffys, Cock and bull etc.

ballooba

brendansmith wrote: »

You obviously stayed away from St Kilda then, I went to the elephant and wheelbarrow once and I felt instantly uncomfortable the moment I walked through the door and got my coat stolen for good measure.
Full of Irish, but not your regular Irish, the nasty type of Irish that fill up on rocket fuel and unleash themselves on the town.

It was the same when I was there for a football match two years ago. Pushing and shoving, everybody in a hurry and nobody going anywhere.

brendansmith wrote: »

Moral of the story. Folks away from home love to get up to boldness.

Maybe that's the nub of it. Some are "away from home", have no respect for this country and have no problem with staying only until they are no longer welcome. Others consider this home or potentially could be home and are taking a more sustainable approach to their welcome. It's the former who are ruining it for the latter.

To be honest though I see the same behaviour when I go back to Dublin so it's not just a case of being "on tour". The endemic alcohol problem in Ireland is a major one, see forums like these for foreigners emmigrating to Ireland for examples.

Mellor

Xavi6 wrote: »

It's not about only associating with Australians, it's about getting out of your comfort zone and discovering a different country and people of varying backgrounds. Getting off a plane, going to the first Irish bar and staying there for the duration is ridiculous and it happens.

Your missing my point. If its not for you, then fine.
But the people who do this are clearly happier doing it, its not like they aren't aware that there are aussie out there.

My attitude is that if that's what they want, then let them off. Its not for me or you, but what's the harm. i don't understand how this could bother anybody. What somebody else does is there own problem imo.

In fairness that's not what I said. Of course you aren't going to abandon your mates but by simply meeting other Irish people and confining yourself to them you might as well be at home

I wasn't talking about what you said, I was just talking about my situation.
I never planned to only hang out with mostly irish people, but with firends from home etc just was best/easiest. And all my work firends are aussies, by house mates are german and polish.

hussey wrote: »

If you are dreading it so much then don't go ... again I went last year, I went to the duke hotel, had a few drinks and went home, same as 95% of the people.

Agreed. no need for hyperbole really.
I was there last year, and I don't see how the crowd matters. It's more of a sit there and listen thing, was pretty early too so few drunks. Even at Jason Byrne afterwards.

Spot on, I'll openly admit when I first came over I was in Tea gardens, cock and bull, Coogee Bay Hotel every weekend, why? Cause the only people I knew were down there.
after a few months we started to try new places and areas, but it did take a while.

My local in Newtown is Kellys, it's not because it is full of Irish, it's because it's a nice bar, pool tables, nice (small) beer garden, friendly people, wooden tables etc and a real pint - in fact on a friday I'd say 75% of people there are Uni students looking for cheap drinks + pool

Another great bar is the welcome inn balmain, again just a nice bar, they can be a world apart from scuffys, Cock and bull etc.

I live in the eastern suburbs, not in bondi. I'm in the Tea Gardens and the Bull the odd time. I don't paticularly like them, and neither is my local by any means. But if I was near bondi junction and fancied grabbing dinner and a pint, I'd choose either of them over the Nelson or one of the other aussie pubs there. There are about 5 pubs in the area, the irish two are imo the best of a bad lot.

Welcome Inn is a nice little bar. Kelly's is good too, but i've only been once.

Basically my point is that I agree it's a bit sad to only drink in irish bars, but its down right pathetic to avoid them all irish bars altogether just simply because its an irish bar.

Xavi6

I don't want to quote heaps of text so I'll just go on your summary point if that's ok.

Mellor wrote: »

Basically my point is that I agree it's a bit sad to only drink in irish bars, but its down right pathetic to avoid them all irish bars altogether just simply because its an irish bar.

I don't see how it's pathetic to avoid a place because of the crowd. It's a pretty important part of the pub experience for me.

raymann

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Go to the Redback or the Walkabout in West London and see how the Antipodeans behave when they're on their "Overseas Experience" as they like to call it. Even worse is The Church on a Sunday. As bad as or even worse than the Irish. In saying that I never went to Sydney but never noticed any Oirish thuggery in Perth or Melbourne.

Plus all the Antips live together in London too, and hang out in certain areas. I'm using London as an example as there's a large number of them there and not in Dublin. But they're guilty of the same carry on. All young people from cultures like ours seem to carry on like this when abroad. The author of that article needs to stop worry about how other people behave and learn to be comfortable with himself and his nationality.

i lived in london for years and they never generated any negative press or criticism from their own community while i was there. the town i live in now, hossegor in france, is known as 'aussiegore' because of the amount of australians here.

again they tend to mix really well with the locals (as i found in london) and people really like them.

one of the dirty secrets of the irish is that when they acted up abroad it usually got blamed on the english. well the numbers are making that too hard to do now. i think people need to cop on to themselves and realise that this criticism is coming from all sides for a reason.

i left ireland to get away from gaa shirt wearing morons, based on this and a few other worries im going to give aus a miss i think.

BraziliaNZ

raymann wrote: »

i lived in london for years and they never generated any negative press or criticism from their own community while i was there. the town i live in now, hossegor in france, is known as 'aussiegore' because of the amount of australians here.

again they tend to mix really well with the locals (as i found in london) and people really like them.

Yeah have a look at gumtree flatshares for London and see how many ads for Aussie/Kiwi flats you see looking for other Aussie/Kiwis to move in. Take a look at the bars on Waitangi day or Australia day around Shepherd's Bush for e.g. if you want to see messy behaviour, or any Sunday evening at the SheBu Walkie after they've been in the Church all day. You don't hear bad publicity about them because they're a small minority in a massive city. Anyway Irish mix in everywhere quite well too usually. There's some astronomical figure of them in Oz at the moment, so it's obviously a small minority carrying on like this. We're just a self-loathing nation. I don't know why people keep bringing up this subject. If I were you lot I'd worry about your own image rather than other people's, and we'll all do fine in this world.

mobby

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12535581

The Boys and Girls of the Australian Navy seem to think they know how to have a good time, when away from oz

jank

TBH the reporter sounds like a total twat. Painting all the Irish in Australia as GAA wearing slops who load up on drink and destroy the place on a daily occurrence, while he is there sipping iced tea and reading Nietzsche or some other existentialistic $hite...

Irish people like to drink. So do the Aussies! Sure there are plenty of Irish people who act like muppets on a daily occurrence, mostly out in the Bondi region. Tools the lot of them if they behave like that. However Aussies in London in general dont have a stellar reputation either! As mentioned maybe he should take a trip up the coast for scollies week! Might open his eyes a bit.

Irish and Aussies are more alike than we would like to admit. That is the issue here. He spoke of the Americans, Germans and Scandinavians.. well Australia isn't that.

Something else touched on here. We love to bash ourselves. We always point to the negative and go on and on about it until we are blue in the face. Irish people are generally negative towards themselves, their country and each other.

Yes, I find in Sydney "city" anyway that people are generally ruder then home (think its a Sydney thing as Melbourne and Perth people were a bit nicer) by contrast to NZ anyway which are the politest people you will ever meet. Sydney is a big city though that has that reputation but the bark is generally alot worse than the bite. All big cities around the world are like that. London, Paris, NY and so on. If you want polite then go somewhere smaller.

This isnt exactly "news" either

Doc

I have to say I have cringed a couple of times over here at some of the things I have seen other Irish people do. The other week down at the St.Kilda festival in Melbourne I was walking along and saw one lad completely pissed saying to every girl that passed him “Hug me I’m Irissssh!” he was in a state and no one wanted to stand near him and defiantly didn’t want to hug him. I just thought to myself what a bad image he was giving of the Irish and therefore indirectly me. It was like he expected that just by simply being Irish women would throw themselves at him He wasn’t the worst person I saw that day or even close to it though and only sticks in my mind because of what he said and the fact he was Irish. I have never liked the Idea of playing up to stereotypes of the Irish and don’t like to see others doing it.

To be fair I notice if Irish people are doing things over here a lot more then locals or any other nationality just because when I hear the accent I become interested. I have said to my Ozzy friend’s lots of times that St.Kilda has loads of Irish living in it but they always seam surprised at that because they don’t notice them as much as I would.

A quiet Irish guy having a drink with some friends in a bar would not grab my attention for more then a minute if I heard the accent but an Irish person who dose something stupid would stick in my memory for much longer. I don’t think we are that bad really I’ve never heard anyone here complaining about the Irish.

Until recently I didn’t hang out with many Irish people over here purely because I live in an area that isn’t the usual for an Irish person to live in when they first come over, but I have meet some through a sports team I joined (It was tip rugby not GAA so I didn’t expect to meet any other Irish people on the team) and it turned out that there were 4 other Irish people on it who I got on well with and hang out with a bit now. I defiantly don’t avoid Irish people over here and do occasionally go to an Irish bar (mainly to watch sports).

My only problem is when people play up their Irishness or use it as an excuse or justification for actions like being drunk. You got drunk because you lost your self control and drank too much not because your Irish. I don’t mind the GAA jerseys but I don’t think people should act differently over here to how they would at home.