Why did all the Italians come here and set up Chippers?

Augmerson

F'king serious. Why would Italians come to Ireland? Isn't it always warm and sunny there? Maybe they knew we like fried foods. Cheeseburgers ftw. Ah no seriously. It seemed in the 1950s and onwards lots of Italians people moved to Ireland and ended up setting up takeaways and restaurants.

If you compare immigration in Ireland to other European nations, we haven't really had many peoples come here prior to the 19th and 20th centuries. We had French Huguenot's and European Jews plus all the many people of Scotland, Wales & England.

People from Eastern Europe and Africa came when Ireland was a more prosperous place. What made the Italians want to come back in the 1950s or around that time? Was it because we were a Catholic nation too? Were things worse in Italy?

It'd make you think.

****in' love a Cheeseburger now though.

Pushtrak

I'm not sure there are that many coming over here. Link to something backing that up? Supposing they are, guess they just like to rome around.

Gee Bag

A good question, and furthermore why the fcuk did they forget everything about Italian cuisine when they got here?

3hn2givr7mx1sc

My local Italian chippers is run by Bulgarians.

mikemac1

The Italians may be good but they'll never beat McDonaghs in Galway

facemelter

Cause they make a fortune selling crap food that they buy in bulk, for the same prices are gourmet restaurants in Italy.

plasmaguy

Because they are good at making food fast??

The Irish, it had to be a big sit down meal and it would take hours for the spuds to boil, etc.

Not good when you are hungry on a night out, hence the reason the Italians came along!

Gee Bag

Pushtrak wrote: »

I'm not sure there are that many coming over here. Link to something backing that up? Supposing they are, guess they just like to rome around.

Here ya go!

http://www.itica.ie/

Augmerson

Pushtrak wrote: »

I'm not sure there are that many coming over here. Link to something backing that up? Supposing they are, guess they just like to rome around.

Are there not loads of Italian chippers where you live in Limerick?

mikemac1

TG4 did a documentary a few years back called Chippers

I had a look around but I can't see it uploaded anywhere
Would have answered much of your questions OP

Crann na Beatha

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Augmerson

mikemac1 wrote: »

TG4 did a documentary a few years back called Chippers

I had a look around but I can't see it uploaded anywhere
Would have answered much of your questions OP

Thanks for the info, I'll try and find that.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

one of the best chippers i've been to is run by asians.. probably chinese, but I never asked.
amazeballs burgers and excellent chips
hungry now

Fbjm

Pushtrak wrote: »

I'm not sure there are that many coming over here. Link to something backing that up? Supposing they are, guess they just like to rome around.

Sure they're just milan about over here aren't they :pac:

mikemac1

Augmerson wrote: »

Thanks for the info, I'll try and find that.

Some good info here
http://italish.blogspot.com/2011/01/chippers.html

The links for TG4 at the bottom don't work unfortunately


Seems all the main families came from one small area of Italy
Now they are some of the biggest commercial property owners around, they've done well for themselves

Pushtrak

Augmerson wrote: »

Are there not loads of Italian chippers where you live in Limerick?

My question wasn't how many chippers are there. It was responding to the point as stated in the OP that tries to indicate there is mass immigration from Italy here. I'm still dubious of that particular claim.

St.Spodo

Italians have a long history of emigration, largely down to the slow progression of the economy and the high birthrates. Emigration cooled after the boom in the 60s.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Aquila wrote: »

Which chipper?

Mario's in Mountrath. Possible that they're Romanian either.

golden lane

Augmerson wrote: »

F'king serious. Why would Italians come to Ireland? Isn't it always warm and sunny there? Maybe they knew we like fried foods. Cheeseburgers ftw. Ah no seriously. It seemed in the 1950s and onwards lots of Italians people moved to Ireland and ended up setting up takeaways and restaurants.

If you compare immigration in Ireland to other European nations, we haven't really had many peoples come here prior to the 19th and 20th centuries. We had French Huguenot's and European Jews plus all the many people of Scotland, Wales & England.

People from Eastern Europe and Africa came when Ireland was a more prosperous place. What made the Italians want to come back in the 1950s or around that time? Was it because we were a Catholic nation too? Were things worse in Italy?

It'd make you think.

****in' love a Cheeseburger now though.

look at the 1901/1911 census......lots of italians in dublin.........and a pizza hut in glencree.

philstar

baz2009 wrote: »

My local Italian chippers is run by Bulgarians.

who pretend to be italians

mikemac1

Pushtrak wrote: »

It was responding to the point as stated in the OP that tries to indicate there is mass immigration from Italy here. I'm still dubious of that particular claim.

It's just a few hundred people and most of that was decades ago, 1950's

aligator_am

I'm sure I read an article about this before, it was something along the lines that a single Italian family (no pun intended) started off in Yorkshire selling chips from a wheelbarrow or some crazy stuff, was so popular that they expanded and in then wandered over here.

Little did they know of the Irish people's inherent love of batter, and not of the booze kind

true

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

one of the best chippers i've been to is run by asians.. probably chinese, but I never asked.
amazeballs burgers and excellent chips

that reminds me - where are all the f***ng cats gone?

mackeire

Maybe the italians realised that they could come over here and sell fried potatos to drunk irish people and make a fortune off of it!

Pushtrak

mikemac1 wrote: »

It's just a few hundred people and most of that was decades ago, 1950's

Yeah, that probably about sums up the situation. Was browsing the CSO site for info on the subject, but trying to parse through loads of census data for this.. Eh, my not knowing specifics is something I can live with.

Lionel Messy

I don't care how they got here, i'm just glad they are here. Get a bag of chips in the UK and it's nothing like here. Long live the eye-talians!

Kamjana

The history of the Irish Italian community goes back to origins when Italians arrived in Ireland in the 1880’s. All members of this community come from the villages in Val Di Comino in Southern Italy. These families bore the names well-known at the local chipper today. The Irish Traditional Italian Chipper Association was formed to celebrate the unique identity of the traditional Italian chippers in Ireland and to mark the contribution we have made to the community.
All ITICA outlets are owned by Irish Italians who are as proud of their heritage as they are committed to preserving the hard earned reputation for serving the best fast food in Ireland.

Theres your answer.

birchtree

knowing the resistance of irish people to try out new foods, italians did amazing job! i guess the key was they served chips!

Crann na Beatha

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patrickbrophy18

One word? Demand!

P. Borza do an amazing 1/4 Pounder with Cheese Meal!:D

bob50

And the best part of this story..... The Italians wouldn't ever eat the food they serve in the chipper

dlofnep

I asked this question on here before - the consensus was that Italy is extremely poor and corrupt, and that they have a better life in Ireland.

Zaph

mikemac1 wrote: »

The Italians may be good but they'll never beat McDonaghs in Galway

Having seen numerous posts praising McDonaghs on Boards over the years, I eventually got round to eating there last year. A truly underwhelming experience if there ever was one, very average fish and chips. I've been in plenty of chippers in Dublin that are far better (and admittedly some a lot worse).

wilkie2006

I just thought it was one massive Italian family - the Borzas - that came over

Mr.Biscuits

Good documentary if you can find the full version online:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaJTSsV7zzo

Bandana boy

I always thought they came here via Scotland where the notion of chippers originated

mikemac1

I think wan n'wan came about as the Dubs and the Italians couldn't understand each other


Nowhere else in Ireland uses that

LH Pathe

They're only dirty crook guido son of some sicilian who are almost more established here than the Irish emselves yer they rarely seek to improve their piss poor practice and do their great nation a disservice so don't buy it

Pride Fighter

The Mezzogiorno region of Italy was very poor. So many left to find employment elsewhere. Some made their way to Britain in the 19th Century (Ireland was a part of Britain then, as much as we'd hate to admit it), and found the locals liked battered fish and chips. There was no demand for their indigenous food and it would have been to expensive to import Italian foodstuffs anyway. They set themselves up, brought over their relatives and kept their take aways in the family.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Aquila wrote: »

Mountrath...
Mountrath :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qFJ09KY-A

:pac:

Thankfully I live a few miles outside it!:D

K-9

Good few emigrated to Northern Ireland as well.

patrickbrophy18

Zaph wrote: »

Having seen numerous posts praising McDonaghs on Boards over the years, I eventually got round to eating there last year. A truly underwhelming experience if there ever was one, very average fish and chips. I've been in plenty of chippers in Dublin that are far better (and admittedly some a lot worse).

It really depends on what chipper you are used to or brought up with. For example, if you have a chipper from a Borza's for your entire life and then switch to a Mario's, Marsella's, Macari's or McDonaghs there is bound to be some difference in the taste or texture of the food. So, of course, there are people who will be biased or favour their local chipper over those elsewhere because it has sentimental value. Completely understandable though!

pawrick

One of my ancestors left Italy in 1799 due to the wars with France around that time and settled in Belfast before moving on to Brazil. His sons came back here however otherwise I wouldn't exist and the world would be a poorer place for it!

LH Pathe

silvios, borza etc they've got a monopoly on food. it's an extortion racket always some shady goings on with these guys Mario's micro-chain for the middle classes doesn't do it for me and these greasy racketeers never change their oil, let alone their menu

Run_to_da_hills

National Fish & Chip day in two weeks.

http://www.itica.ie/

Eggy Baby!

I got a friend who has a chipper here in Navan and I think he told me his grandad left Italy during the war and settled in Ireland. Presumably he set up a chipper the same way Chinese might set up a Chinese restaurant abroad.

P.S the chipper my friend's family owns does a lot of authentic Italian stuff. I'm guessing a chipper is some sort of symbiosis between Italian and English fast food cuisine.

dermo88

I think like Ireland, Italy was a poor country, especially the Mezzogiorno, with a poor economy that could not sustain the population levels. But it still does not answer why they choose Ireland.

If I am not mistaken, traditional Fish and Chips as we know it is actually a Jewish kosher recipe, prepared and made the night before Sabbath.

One of my classmates, Marco Marsella, if I am not mistaken said his Grandfather came over in 1946 after World War Two....

So a logical deduction - here goes.

Likely, what I think happened, was the first 'wave' of emigration between 1880-1910, which then stopped with World War 1, War of Independence, etc. The families stayed in contact by post, sending letters, possibly even money back to the 'old country'. Then we can readily assume that between 1940-1946 communication with WW2 on would be impossible, and that when contact resumed, the 'second wave' of emigration took place.

But the fish and chip recipe itself, despite numerous secret variations on the formula has Jewish origins, and it is likely that the Italians would have some awareness of their food traditions also. It fulfilled all the basic requirements of a successful business, especially in a Catholic country on a Friday. It was cheap to buy, could be bought in large quantities fresh, and could be sold in large volumes.

And whoever got there first, was on to a winner.

IrishAm

The Irish enjoy their drink. A staple of the Irish diet is the humble potato. The Italians saw a niche market. Fried spuds, drunk Irish. A match made in heaven.

We shall beat them next month, they wont be so smart then!

IrishAm

mikemac1 wrote: »

It's just a few hundred people and most of that was decades ago, 1950's

That, it was. Most set up wee markets/take aways in Dublin. They had little english. Hence the Dublin term one and one, when talking about fish and chips.

Uno, point to chips on the menu. And uno, whilst pointing at fried fish on the menu.

Thats me lunch sorted for tomorrow.

Dinner box, batter sausage, pint of milk, nice weather and the happiest cunt in Dublin, I shall be.

opinion guy

Gee Bag wrote: »

Here ya go!

http://www.itica.ie/

Kamjana wrote: »

Theres your answer.

patrickbrophy18 wrote: »

It really depends on what chipper you are used to or brought up with. For example, if you have a chipper from a Borza's for your entire life and then switch to a Mario's, Marsella's, Macari's or McDonaghs there is bound to be some difference in the taste or texture of the food. So, of course, there are people who will be biased or favour their local chipper over those elsewhere because it has sentimental value. Completely understandable though!

Hmm I'm inclined to think bull**** on this. I remember the 80's. All these chippers had different names in different places. Then through the later 90's and 2000's they all started streamlining and all became Macari's. Seems more like some consolidation of the market to me. I also think Eddie rockets is now part of the same chain since the woman running the eddie rockets near me used to work in the macaris near where i grew up.

Sindri

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

National Fish & Chip day in two weeks.

http://www.itica.ie/

Can't wait. Half price Fish 'n' chips. Yum yum.

mikemac1 wrote: »

I spy some drunken posting

Have you seen the movie 'The Van'. 'Wha' would ye like'? 'Wurld peace'. 'Fuck off.'

Fuck Schillaci.