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What are some things an American should know about the Irish Culture?

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    #182
    Where To
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    WickedWest wrote: »
    Just some lessons on giving rides, not liking U2, and replacing 's' with 'c' even in the case of socks...

    ...Or should I say cocks?

    I'm PRETTY sure I know which ones are jokes.
    The ancient Irish art of self-loathing forbids any notions of narcissism :p

    Just a heads up:pac:


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    #183
    mcw92
    Registered Users Posts: 1,499 ✭✭✭mcw92


    exador wrote: »
    A Euro is worth about 20 american dollars

    cUNtu.png


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    #184
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    WickedWest wrote: »
    I'm an American woman from the heartland of the United States, and I've been thinking about getting involved in the study abroad program at the university and studying in Cork, Ireland.
    Providence strikes oil off Cork coast

    Hmmmm........


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    #185
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    ballsymchugh wrote: »
    what? when did the belgians take over?
    handshake for the lads, shifting for the burds.

    What does that mean?


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    #186
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    Where To wrote: »
    The ancient Irish art of self-loathing forbids any notions of narcissism :p

    Just a heads up:pac:

    I see what you did there! Let me rephrase: "I'm relatively sure I know which ones are jokes."

    Better? God forbid I become a narcissist! If I were to actually refer to myself as pretty, it would be in sarcasm lol.


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    #187
    rab!dmonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 629 ✭✭✭rab!dmonkey


    WickedWest wrote: »
    What does that mean?
    One of many localised colloquialisms for what is known as 'making out' in the US. Some of the other words have even more mundane standard meanings.


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    #188
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    Jimoslimos wrote: »
    Providence strikes oil off Cork coast

    Hmmmm........

    You caught me, the only reason I want to go to Ireland is oil. I'm such a greedy American!


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    #189
    Where To
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    WickedWest wrote: »
    What does that mean?
    Fornicating if you believe some of our TD's*






    *TD's are the Irish version of Jabba The Hut, if you are a Star Wars fan


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    #190
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    WickedWest wrote: »
    You caught me, the only reason I want to go to Ireland is oil. I'm such a greedy American!
    Stereotypes are fun!


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    #191
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    rab!dmonkey wrote: »
    One of many localised colloquialisms for what is known as 'making out' in the US. Some of the other words have even more mundane standard meanings.

    Girls make out in greeting?


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    #192
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    This might help http://www.slang.ie/ although some of the descriptions are a bit vague.


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    #193
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    Jimoslimos wrote: »
    Stereotypes are fun!

    Give me some other stereotypes, I'll tell you if they fit me or not ;)


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    #194
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    Do you talk too much in a very loud obnoxious way?


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    #195
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    tuxy wrote: »
    Do you talk too much in a very loud obnoxious way?

    I'll try to be objective lol.

    Only if I'm VERY excited about something. Soo... Not very often?


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    #196
    Where To
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    This poor girl is gonna end up in France or somewhere if we don't start playing nice
    .


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    #197
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    Where To wrote: »
    This poor girl is gonna end up in France or somewhere if we don't start playing nice
    .

    Oh God - never!


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    #198
    whatdoicare
    Registered Users Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭whatdoicare


    One thing to remember - whatever you've seen in the movies about Ireland - just disregard it.
    Look up "Darby O' Gill and the little people" - it's a true life story and everything about it is factual. Copy everything that Darby says and does and you'll be "Grand" or "A OKAY". :)


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    #199
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    WickedWest wrote: »
    Give me some other stereotypes, I'll tell you if they fit me or not ;)
    Well, my preconceptions about American girls, especially college students tend to revolve around GGW springbreak types!

    EDIT: ***NSFW*** -at the very least don't search images or have safe-search switched on please


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    #200
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    Jimoslimos wrote: »
    Well, my preconceptions about American girls, especially college students tend to revolve around GGW springbreak types!

    Nope, that's not me, lol. Just so you know how much that isn't me, I actually had to look up GGW on Google. I shoulda known.


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    #201
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    whatdoicare wrote: »
    One thing to remember - whatever you've seen in the movies about Ireland - just disregard it.
    Look up "Darby O' Gill and the little people" - it's a true life story and everything about it is factual. Copy everything that Darby says and does and you'll be "Grand" or "A OKAY". :)

    I'm watching it right now, so if it's not factual (which I'm guessing it's not) it had better be hilarious! :)


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    #202
    IrishAm
    Registered Users Posts: 1,576 ✭✭✭IrishAm


    WickedWest wrote: »
    Oh God - never!

    When you arrive, just be yourself. You will have a great time. West Cork is a beautiful part of the world. But dont just limit yourself to there. Try and take in as much of Ireland as you possibly can during your one year studying here(presumably?).

    Ignore the Dublin/name a town or place here is sh*t posters and explore the country with an open mind. Americans are, mostly, very well liked in Ireland. As are most nationalities. Judging by the amount of tourists Dublin gets, it must have something going for it. :)

    I would advise you to visit for a week or two and get a feel for the place, before you finally decide if you want to study here or not.

    There are an awful lot of Americans resident in Ireland, so there is probably an American forum, giving you their American perspective of life in Ireland. Which might be of some help.


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    #203
    southcentralts
    Registered Users Posts: 833 ✭✭✭southcentralts


    I think she is starting to catch on. Do not take anything too seriously.

    Except the advise of the earlier poster who advised to substitute "grand" for anything to do with feelings or emotions - which don't really exist anyway, until you get "that" drunk ( around the 15-20 pints mark when your feelings and emotions burst forth, and you spend the next day apologizing to everyone you know. Thus we don't speak of them.


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    #204
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    Word.

    The Fear is the term coined to describe the god awful terror that all Irish people experience every Sunday morning wondering what the eff they may have said or done the night before in between pints #26 & 27.

    Don't ever describe a guy as being "cute". Here, it's an insult that means someone is a sly, shifty, dishonest smooth operator. Call him "a ride" instead.

    It's perfectly ok to call small babies and puppies cute, just not grown men.

    We love our "u's" here. Honour. Colour etc etc will make the spell check facility on your American laptop explode. That's just how we roll.

    We are also a tad partial to "re's" too. As in theatre and city centre.

    Watch and memorize every single line of dialogue of Fr Ted. You will earn major bonus points where ever you go if you can drop in the odd "Doesn't Mary have a lovely bottom?" or "Careful now" into a conversation every now and then. It is also a wonderful learning tool to equip you with the necessary life and death etiquette of being offered a cup of tea and a ham sandwich. You'll also need it to know what constitutes "a lovely girl" exactly.


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    #205
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    southcentralts wrote: »
    I think she is starting to catch on. Do not take anything too seriously.

    Except the advise of the earlier poster who advised to substitute "grand" for anything to do with feelings or emotions - which don't really exist anyway, until you get "that" drunk ( around the 15-20 pints mark when your feelings and emotions burst forth, and you spend the next day apologizing to everyone you know. Thus we don't speak of them.

    I think the whole emotion thing will be a bit of a culture shock for me!


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    #206
    WickedWest
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭WickedWest


    ProudDUB wrote: »
    Don't ever describe a guy as being "cute". Here, it's an insult that means someone is a sly, shifty, dishonest smooth operator. Call him "a ride" instead.

    Watch and memorize every single line of dialogue of Fr Ted. You will earn major bonus points where ever you go if you can drop in the odd "Doesn't Mary have a lovely bottom?" or "Careful now" into a conversation every now and then. It is also a wonderful learning tool to equip you with the necessary life and death etiquette of being offered a cup of tea and a ham sandwiche. You'll also need to know what constitutes "a lovely girl" exactly.

    What DOES constitute as "a lovely girl"? And is it okay to call a guy "handsome"?


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    #207
    Corruptedmorals
    Registered Users Posts: 4,194 ✭✭✭Corruptedmorals


    No handsome isn't used at all, except for a mother going on about her son at his wedding, that kind of thing. Instead any of the following, a ride, sexy , or in parts of Dublin and probably cork..massive! Totes amazeballs is becoming increasingly popular, you can use it in this instance or for anything good. You'll definitely hear it anyway.


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    #208
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    WickedWest wrote: »
    What DOES constitute as "a lovely girl"? And is it okay to call a guy "handsome"?
    Handsome is fine, just don't be expecting to use it often.


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    #209
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    Yes, it's ok to call a guy handsome. Just not to his face. Or he'll blush bright red and run crying for his mammy (*1) coz the scarily pushy American lady made him wet his knickers. *2

    You'll have to watch Fr Ted to find out for yourself what constitutes a lovely girl.

    *1 An Irish mammy is a stereotypically Jewish mother or Italian mama. Only far, far worse, or better depending on whether or not you are her darling boy, or the shameless hussy trying to take him away from her.

    *2 Underwear. "Wet yer knickers" here means "pee your pants" stateside.


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    #210
    Where To
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    WickedWest wrote: »
    ProudDUB wrote: »
    Don't ever describe a guy as being "cute". Here, it's an insult that means someone is a sly, shifty, dishonest smooth operator. Call him "a ride" instead.

    Watch and memorize every single line of dialogue of Fr Ted. You will earn major bonus points where ever you go if you can drop in the odd "Doesn't Mary have a lovely bottom?" or "Careful now" into a conversation every now and then. It is also a wonderful learning tool to equip you with the necessary life and death etiquette of being offered a cup of tea and a ham sandwiche. You'll also need to know what constitutes "a lovely girl" exactly.

    What DOES constitute as "a lovely girl"? And is it okay to call a guy "handsome"?
    I don't mean to be sexist here but a lovely girl is generally a lady who makes nice sandwiches


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    #211
    southcentralts
    Registered Users Posts: 833 ✭✭✭southcentralts


    also be prepared for a big shock to the system - the news will deliver basic headlines and will never say that you have to wait until after the break to hear who or what is trying to kill you, which really bugged me in New York.

    Here it is more like "That's all the important stuff so you make a cup of tea for yourself while the ads are on."

    and here is a taste of cork for ya.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCxax4vS1lY


    best of luck fitting in with these Cork animals.


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