Irish in Ireland AMA

[SrSteveOskowski]

Following on from a Dane in Denmark, I'm Irish, living in Ireland AMA

No! It was cos they were born in the year of the Eucharistic Congress! 1932!

Well that's according to my Mam when I asked her why our neighbour was called Eucharia.

Though now I think about it, that neighbour would have had to be mid forties having her child and is still alive and kicking so I suspect they are actually a lot younger. Maybe that's where it started but then it became popular for a generation afterwards?

I know a trendy young Cornelius, who is known as Con, whereas his mountainy man great-uncle, also Cornelius, was known to one and all as Nelius, pronounced 'Nailus'.

I assume something to do with the Eucharist? But I nearly prefer it to Assumpta, Attracta and Concepta, the holy trinity of Catholic Auntie names. Or Gobnait.

Or Imacculata.

I used to hang around with a Eucharia back in the 1980's who was around my own age so she'd be in her mid fifties now.

Who has tuned in to Daniel and Majella?
Couple goals!

Fiontar me! We seem to like the same crap telly

Hah Jane... you mean "top quality programming"

Oh yes I meant RTE's finest. Americans are so enthusiastic about everything aren't they

They ooze enthusiasm.
The woman with all the tat memorabilia was very sweet.

I don’t live in Ireland atm, so am blissfully ignorant of what Wee Daniel is up to currently, but some time I was at home, I sat open-mouthed through an entire episode of a spectacularly weird programme where he and Majella stayed in random B and Bs around the country, and got serenaded by all the kids of the owners singing an Oldies and Irish medley, or had the owners get overexcited and smash plates while making The Fry, and lots of footage of Daniel and Majella padding in and out of the en-suite in their pyjamas and getting under the covers with all the smiley convincingness of Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Mind blown.

Tanya - you don't know what your missing. It is the Yank version, they are travelling the States in an RV. Yee-haw.

It is awesome.

*You're

(hangs head in shame)

My God. I bet my mother watches this.

It HAS to be an arrangement no?

Daniel and Majella padding in and out of the en-suite in their pyjamas and getting under the covers with all the smiley convincingness of Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

Surely you mean Bogart and Bacall?

I can feel the sizzle from here.

Ah they're lovely though, they get on so well. I'm low key obsessed with Majella, though I'll take it to my grave.

Her episode of Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne is really really good, she talks all about her past battles with depression.

Oh and if you haven't seen their episode of Room to Improve, are you even Irish? Apparently it was the third most watched thing on Irish TV in 2018. Including the World Cup.

Ah here, now you have me wanting to watch "Daniel and Majella in the US" on the RTE player.
I hate using the RTE player. All those ads and you can't fast forward!

Definitely more Doris Day and Rock Hudson than Bogart and Bacall !

I ended up in a lift in Beaumont hospital with two of my sisters and Daniel and Magella got in. None of us sisters could look at each other in case we got a case of the hysterical giggles. Thankfully D&M got out after one floor and we could let go. No idea why we were almost hysterical but that’s the effect wee Daniel has I suppose.

I’ve just checked and the swimming pool is still at the top of Northside shopping centre. I think I was in it once.

Aw, I have a real grá for Danjella
I think they are a great pair, and they are hilarious in their grumblings, but they really love and support each other. I don't think there is any fakeness there.

My mother was one of 10 in her family, 4 sisters . All but 1 sister emigrated , 2 to USA ( including mine) 1 to UK. Every summer , all the sisters came HOME with assorted kids. Had great time with cousins. All the siblings who emigrated , despite living in places for over 50 years, raising children and grandchildren, always referred to Ireland as Home. A bit unfair to their families I thought as my cousin once said , " according to my Mum, everything Irish is great and living here ( UK ) is shite." This and she married an English man and raised a large family,lived there over 60 years!!
Is this an uniquily Irish thing? Do other nations also have this nostalgia thing? Even young people who travel tend to eventually want to come HOME.

God yes, everyone wants to go back home. During the recent nurses strike all the Irish nurses in Oz had a big demonstration in front of Sydney Opera House with a huge banner that said : "GIVE ME A REASON TO COME HOME"

That said, the longer you're away the less likely you are. Once you start a family with a guy from Over There, forget it. You're stuck there. That can be painful. My friend went to England for a couple of years just to get some training. Got pregnant by a guy she'd been dating about 4 months. Big shock. And now she has an English partner and an English baby and has an English house. It all happened really fast. Now she's facing the very real likelihood of never Coming Home and it's quite distressing. But what can you do? You have to make a new home.

I had 2 babies in UK ( loved the NHS) but dragged my UK hubby back to Ireland.Couldn't think of raising children without me Mammy !

This thread is brilliant.
Can anyone explain why there is no fourth year in secondary school? And why there are references to seventh class, but as far as I can tell there is no such thing (any more)?

I did that Elspeth. Moved to London late 80s and met now DH. We lived overseas for years and had DS. Now back in UK. However things aren’t great with DH and DS is almost 18 will be off soon so I am seriously contemplating coming home. Ending marriage obviously. Just don’t want to live here anymore. I am only contemplating moving home because I know DS loves Dublin and will be very happy to visit often. He wants to go to uni at the other end of the country anyway so will essentially be same travel time away from him.

@rivierliedje, there's no 'fourth year', but transition year is between 3rd and 6th year. It's a laid back year with lots of trips and no main exams or no study towards them.

Study for leaving cert (A level equivalent) starts in 5th year. For leaving cert (aka 'the leaving') students take 7 exams. English, Irish and maths are mandatory (though some students are excused Irish if they weren't born or brought up here before a certain age) then students pick 4 other subjects. Usually a language, a science subject, a business subject and something else.

Junior Cert exams vary from school to school. 8 subjects is average, but when I did mine the school we went to did 10.