The Real Irish
Without Prejudice
They are all angry, passionate and swear a lot. They drink a lot, very few not and the have the highest incidence of madness and alcoholism, per capita, in the world, so they say.
The biggest thing I found out about them was they are all highly intelligent, and active in politics and can discuss subjects from history to current events, and they know who is the Prime Minister in outer Tezrafinstan.
I was overwhelmed at first by their verbosity, their total lack of reverence, their strict Catholic religion and their passion. They are passionate for everything, music, alcohol, food, entertainment.
They demand the best and they get it. They don't welcome refugees as they like to keep Ireland, Irish. I am talking about the Republic and at the time I had an Irish fiance and a newly adopted family of relatives and Irish friends.
And to stay mobile in a conversation you had to develop a quick wit and a love of the ridiculous.
I asked Tommy once why there were so many dumb Irish jokes and he said it was political. The Brits wanting to out psych the Irish people. And the more I met, the more intelligent, cultured people I met.
Dublin was perfect. We scoured Temple Bar and Grafton Street and Trinity College, staring long and hard at the Book Of Kells" and Tommy said, his favourite movie had been made there in Trinity College, "Educating Rita"
The real Irish hate anything "Twee" Irish, like Riverdance, The Corrs, but love U2 and Ronan Keating and Irish Theatre and authentic music played with a bowron, usually the Chieftians who they say are "gas". Or "mad," and greetings are
"Hoo ya/"
They are wordy, they love the words of James Joyce and Brendan Behan, J.P. Dunleavy, and they can drink enough alcohol in one go to drown themselves and when they "are in their cups", they sing, and cry.
They can all usually speak Gaelic as well as English and are taught it in schools.
And some of the places in Dublin are the most dangerous in the world and they don't tell you that bit, nor that they are xenophobes. I saw one old Irish lady berating Phillipino girls on the bus, "Get back to your own country, you slanty eyed bitches", she said and no one turned a hair.
We met Enya's Brother weaving his way back from the local, rotten drunk and clutching a take away under one arm. Thats "authentic" Irish, as he is a Man that is not "full of himself".
the Dubliners really do say Tanks and two tirty. Tommy from Palmerstown which was a bit upmarket from Ballyfirmagh, where the real "Dubs". live.They are guttural in speech and louder than the rest and then there is the Northern Accent,
"Lut me tell you neeew"
They are all hard accents to follow, speaking quickly as they do and almost angrily, but Tommy was a soft spoken Dub, until he was drunk and then he was like the man in the Movie the Mask, it's
" Showtime "
Fun times and me always freaking when he was too drunk, but no one else seemed to mind.
I could match him beer for beer until about the 3rd, but he taught me to drink, and have fun and relax. Being drunk in Ireland is just par for the cause.
And I did notice that when they drink there are never punch ons, just singing and staggering a lot.
But I have a few whinges about the friendly Irish myth. They are not that friendly to "outsiders", when I was there I couldn't open a bank account, Nev could and did for me, but I was not allowed even though I had been born in the UK.
So that was annoying and there are hundreds of job agencies over there and lots of work but as soon as they heard my Aussie accent, that was it. Closed doors, finally after a month of walking the streets dropping in resumes, I had a bite. One bite. 30 days of going out and being met with friendly faces that would "get back " to you.
And I was so homesick and the dislike of outsiders had worn me down and Nev had to stay another 4 months, so we had a massive row about his drinking and I demanded to go home, my home, Australia.
I should know this, I am always homesick for family and Australia and Nev didn't have children and couldn't understand my need to be near them, so for a while, that was it.
Love Janette x
They are all angry, passionate and swear a lot. They drink a lot, very few not and the have the highest incidence of madness and alcoholism, per capita, in the world, so they say.
The biggest thing I found out about them was they are all highly intelligent, and active in politics and can discuss subjects from history to current events, and they know who is the Prime Minister in outer Tezrafinstan.
I was overwhelmed at first by their verbosity, their total lack of reverence, their strict Catholic religion and their passion. They are passionate for everything, music, alcohol, food, entertainment.
They demand the best and they get it. They don't welcome refugees as they like to keep Ireland, Irish. I am talking about the Republic and at the time I had an Irish fiance and a newly adopted family of relatives and Irish friends.
And to stay mobile in a conversation you had to develop a quick wit and a love of the ridiculous.
I asked Tommy once why there were so many dumb Irish jokes and he said it was political. The Brits wanting to out psych the Irish people. And the more I met, the more intelligent, cultured people I met.
Dublin was perfect. We scoured Temple Bar and Grafton Street and Trinity College, staring long and hard at the Book Of Kells" and Tommy said, his favourite movie had been made there in Trinity College, "Educating Rita"
The real Irish hate anything "Twee" Irish, like Riverdance, The Corrs, but love U2 and Ronan Keating and Irish Theatre and authentic music played with a bowron, usually the Chieftians who they say are "gas". Or "mad," and greetings are
"Hoo ya/"
They are wordy, they love the words of James Joyce and Brendan Behan, J.P. Dunleavy, and they can drink enough alcohol in one go to drown themselves and when they "are in their cups", they sing, and cry.
They can all usually speak Gaelic as well as English and are taught it in schools.
And some of the places in Dublin are the most dangerous in the world and they don't tell you that bit, nor that they are xenophobes. I saw one old Irish lady berating Phillipino girls on the bus, "Get back to your own country, you slanty eyed bitches", she said and no one turned a hair.
We met Enya's Brother weaving his way back from the local, rotten drunk and clutching a take away under one arm. Thats "authentic" Irish, as he is a Man that is not "full of himself".
the Dubliners really do say Tanks and two tirty. Tommy from Palmerstown which was a bit upmarket from Ballyfirmagh, where the real "Dubs". live.They are guttural in speech and louder than the rest and then there is the Northern Accent,
"Lut me tell you neeew"
They are all hard accents to follow, speaking quickly as they do and almost angrily, but Tommy was a soft spoken Dub, until he was drunk and then he was like the man in the Movie the Mask, it's
" Showtime "
Fun times and me always freaking when he was too drunk, but no one else seemed to mind.
I could match him beer for beer until about the 3rd, but he taught me to drink, and have fun and relax. Being drunk in Ireland is just par for the cause.
And I did notice that when they drink there are never punch ons, just singing and staggering a lot.
But I have a few whinges about the friendly Irish myth. They are not that friendly to "outsiders", when I was there I couldn't open a bank account, Nev could and did for me, but I was not allowed even though I had been born in the UK.
So that was annoying and there are hundreds of job agencies over there and lots of work but as soon as they heard my Aussie accent, that was it. Closed doors, finally after a month of walking the streets dropping in resumes, I had a bite. One bite. 30 days of going out and being met with friendly faces that would "get back " to you.
And I was so homesick and the dislike of outsiders had worn me down and Nev had to stay another 4 months, so we had a massive row about his drinking and I demanded to go home, my home, Australia.
I should know this, I am always homesick for family and Australia and Nev didn't have children and couldn't understand my need to be near them, so for a while, that was it.
Love Janette x
