Irish in the UK - what are the things that it took you ages to realise people don't say here.

[ConflictedCheetah]

Inspired by the thread about Pancake Tuesday.

That thread has cracked me up because SO many posters are insisting no one EVER calls pancake Tuesday - it's Pancake Day - and sayu it's weird and wanky to call it that. And then all the Irish people on the thread are like ' wait, we've always called it that and never noticed that no one else did.

So what else you got?

For me, and I'm here 20 years, I only found out about a year ago that no one here calls a birth certificate a 'birth cert'. My English husband thought it was proper weird that I kept saying that. I had never picked up that it wasn't a thing! I think Irish people are so used to talking about the Leaving Cert or Junior Cert etc. that the Cert but feels natural. DH says no.

What other ways have I been unknowingly embarrassing myself for 20 years?

Raining cobblers knives lol. You don't see many shoemakers these days! Had to look it up tbh.

Sean-duine / old man is a pet name for babies apparently , @Librarybooker . Presumably as they're bald and wrinky at first?

Anyone can be a little old boy or girl in our part of East Anglia. It’s just a term of friendliness like ‘me ducks’ in Derbyshire or ‘my lover’ in Cornwall/South West. Sadly, though, the older style local accent has become more and more like a Home Counties all purpose southern accent.

I have two within a mile! Proper old-school spots full of awls and wonderful leather smells.

Yes, I've heard old man used affectionately for baby boys. Not sure about baby girls?

Hmm. Not sure either. A baby girl would have to be sean-bhean I guess. Doesn't sound as appropriate for girls.

I’m back again wondering about another word I heard often growing up. What about streasing. My Mum and several older relatives used it. Usually if one of us was laughing/smiling when we were supposed to be serious. A fit of the giggles was a hazard when my grandad had 10 siblings and cousins kneeling on the kitchen floor to recite the rosary with him. He’d lose patience and say “will you quit the streasing and say your prayers!

Now that's a new one @Jitterybugs !

😀

Did anybody put the Child of Prague out for the good weather. Was it headless for really good weather?

Duck loaf called Iced Duck
1'n'1 - 1 fish & chips

You were called your full first, middle & last name if you were really in trouble with yer ma (sorry ... mammy).

I remember in the 1970s the Child of Prague statue being left out overnight in the hope of good weather for my cousin’s wedding. It rained so hard for 24 hours it washed the paint off it !

The Statue of Prague was left out the night before my wedding and the same for my siblings and also left out once my mother heard one of us was in labour. Neighbours did the same.

I grew up hearing streal and streas the whole time. I do use them occasionally.

It was the mention of streal that reminded me of streas . I hadn’t heard it in years although I grew up hearing both. I think maybe I used to streas when I was asked why I was going out looking strealy 😆

Oh yes, I'd pronounce it streash though but I'm from the wesht

Today I was talking to somebody who told me he attended a conference in "the province" recently. I feigned ignorance and asked which province, he uttered Ulster. I feigned further ignorance and asked if there were representatives from the three counties in the republic which make up the province of Ulster, he confidently informed me there were representatives from "the mainland". Now I became "increasingly confused" and had to ask did he mean the mainland of Ireland.

😀

My DP laughs when his boss calls him “wee man” as he’s about 32 years older than his boss and a fair bit wider!!😄

Brilliant @Jitterybugs ^
^
I was thinking afterwards that it's actually dreesh we use and then I got all confused like when you keep saying a word and it sounds strange like reading the frumpy thread on here frumpy lost all meaning!

I’ve not heard dreesh but I often heard strease growing up. I’ll need to quiz my cousin on it. I think she still says it.

Last night I heard myself telling DH to stop plámásing the dog. It means messing around with or indulging/ humouring someone, at least that's how I'd use it. I just googled it as I wasn't sure of spelling, apparently there is no equivalent word in English. Obviously adding 'ing' at the end is incorrect in every language.

Plámás often used here in Cork ....warm words , flattery ,soft soap.

Also Rámeis , pron Rawmaysh. Nonsense.

@Abhannmor roughly what part are you from, if you dont mind me asking? I'm originally from East County but am in City suburbs for the past 22 years.

I'd think of plámás as flattery/ insincere compliments.

Originally West C but have since lived Westmeath , Roscommon, Tipp , Dublin, England and now in North Cork.

I use plamas all the time, to mean buttering someone up to get them to be more agreeable to what you have in mind. Not in an evil way tho.

This thread has been awesome to read.

I have JUST now also discovered (from reading that other long thread) that English people apparently don't pronounce the letter H as Haitch but instead say aitch. I've been here over 20 years and haven't picked this one up! People are getting quite animated on that thread about it (one early poster literally saying that you wouldn't get a job if you 'mispronounced' it as you'd appear uneducated). I'm honestly stunned by this one especially as my surname starts with H so I've been saying it 'wrong' (obviously NOT wrong) for 20 odd years in London 😂