Differences between Irish and British people

[Picnicinnovember]

Inspired by the very interesting thread on differences between British people and Americans.

I'm Irish and over here we watch British TV, have loads of British chain stores in our towns and cities, read very similar newspapers, British magazines, grew up reading British comics etc. but yet we're very different in many ways from British people, particularly English people I would say.

I'm just wondering what people think the main differences are? We're pretty crap at timekeeping in Ireland, have a fairly distinctive sense of humour, and aren't that bothered about breaking minor rules and regulations.

Any other differences people have noticed?

Oh ffs as if anyone was seriously looking forward to learning a bit more about Irish culture on a predominantly British site .

There have been plenty of similar threads in the past and there's been little light hearted about a lot of the ignorance shown.

Can't think of any differences that would matter other than the forthcoming and upsetting change next year to the colour of British people's passports

Also, we live in the southeast but visit family in Midlands and the Northeast and I find people very friendly compared to where we live, in fact my 11 year old son thought various men we'd come across out and about - in shops, parks etc were chatting me up as why else would you chat to people you don't know!

Irish people sit smugly with their good Cadbury's and tayto. While the English lament.

its offensive and ignorant to say the Irish love a funeral, why would someone love a funeral, in Ireland it a culture that more people attend a funeral than in the U.K. For instance a firm will send a representative, it's not because they love bloody funerals! Doesn't mean either country have it wrong

Sowhatifidosnore I live in the North West in a very friendly small town where everyone chats in shops and at bus stops.

Neither the Irish or the British are a hive mind. This is perhaps one of the most ridiculous threads started this week.

I'm Irish. Living in England. My god going to a English persons catholic funeral is really weird to me. Still can not get over he huge difference. The major being time between death and burial. In Ireland your talking 2/ 3 days at most over here they have no clue ca be 2 weeks....

Tea breaks, when whenever my crews work on Ireland the 'everything stops for breaks' mentality's hard to get, especially when you are stopped as a mobile crew working in the outside lane of an M road

Yes Pan but on these threads you get lazy, often offensive stereotype, with little or no understanding of the reasons behind different practices and cultural norms.

Yes indeed. The american/british thread was full of them about americans (so loud and no sense of humour don''t you know). interesting to see people object to it on this thread.

What I don't understand is why people are engaged about the differences. Is it really so surprising that a country with an utterly different geography, history, idiom, culture, literature, music, education system, health system etc would be have a different zeitgeist (for want of a better word)?

The Irish side swear a lot, oh I know feck sounds nicer but it still fuck

Can I clear this up as an Irish person. Feck does not equal Fuck in any way shape or form. I thank you.

Do they sell cadbury's creme eggs in Ireland at Easter?
Yes they start to appear in the shops about the week after Christmas.

@CantSleepClownsWillEatMe Well said! The Irish love a funeral is so insulting. It conjures up visions of us waiting for Paddy up the road to pop his clogs so we can have a good knees up ffs.

With the time keeping thing, rude late people hail from all parts of the world not just Ireland.

The Irish enjoy denyig women human rights, the British are more relaxed about woen enjoying sexually autonomy. This is fun!

I think the above proves the below:

On Irish history, forget it, some don't even understand the NI border exists and I am not joking about that.

I was shocked to realise not too long ago that women in Northern Ireland cannot access abortion services on the NHS. Why isn't the rest of the UK up in arms about it?

And the dishonesty description is blatantly offensive.

Honestly I would have liked to know real differences culture the only Irish I've ever met have been chatty and generous one lady would buy a packet of cigarettes a year around Christmas just so she could offer them around to people I got chatting to some Irish drivers in a pub didn't have to pay for a drink or a ciggie even when I went back to my family they sent some over however the flip side is the Irish I have "heard" about growing up there were several times when there were bomb scares that was apparently Irish people too I find it hard to reconcile the two groups so 🤷‍♀️

British people will buy occasion gifts according to their budget.
Irish people would go into debt to ensure their gift is generous enough to avoid 'losing face' in front of people.

British people are socially polite to the point they sabotage their own best interests.

Irish people are polite to the point that someone starts taking the piss, then they'll let you know.

CantSleepClownsWillEatMe

FFS, Irish funerals are well attended as they are not treated as some borderline taboo event that only the immediate family can attend. Pretty much anyone who knew the person can come and pay their respects. The nature and tone of the wake will obviously depend on the manner of death of the person concerned. If it is tragic and untimely that will be reflected. If, however it is a funeral of someone who had died peacefully in their sleep at a grand old age then it is more of a celebration of life. My grandad died at 97, it was a huge piss up, the service was lovely, caught up with distant family, sang some songs, enjoyed the craic. My grandad would have been delighted with his send off. Context is everything and people are not going to be doing what they did a my grandads funeral at the funeral of 17 year old car accident victim.

In Ireland you have better Chinese takeaways
Fecking hell really? They generally sell muck here, what the feck comes out of the takeaways in Britain.

Personally I think there’s shag all difference. The variety of stereotypical personality in Britishness is huge. From your friendly Gordie to your aroscratic Etonian back to your laidback highlander. There’s a variety of Irish stereotypical personalities too from inner city ‘witty’ Dub to the friendly obliging stranger in the West.

Most people take one favourable trait of a stereotype from a country and compare it to a negative trait of one of the stereotypes of the other country. [Please see above]

Irish and English are similar, and they vary similarly too. Except for funerals; that’s one big difference. And possibly tipping.

British people will buy occasion gifts according to their budget.
Irish people would go into debt to ensure their gift is generous enough to avoid 'losing face' in front of people.

Really? Like really?

Also the Irish are waaaayyyy better at rugby!

Only the English have won the world cup though.

Weddings would be a difference, in particular wedding gifts. As mentioned above, there is a cultural bias towards generosity (sometimes too much, I would be reasonably frugal by Irish standards). A fairly normal wedding gift in my experience would be €150-200. Below €100 would be a bit tight.

(That’s for a couple). I think uk gifts tend to be less?

I find it odd that Irish have the reputation for drinking, but in England (London anyway) there's a pub down most streets, even in residential areas. In any Irish town I've lived in the pubs have been clustered together on the main Street, but in London you throw a stone and you'll hit a pub (or a house that used to be a pub).