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?

Their newspapers report the names and grades that children achieve in examinations. This includes the uk equivalent gcses, a levels and degrees.

No, they don't.

Their newspapers report the names and grades that children achieve in examinations. This includes the uk equivalent gcses, a levels and degrees.

Really think a lot of yourselves

The big difference with Ireland is Practising Roman Catholicism, I mean they have only just changed the laws on same sex marriage.

I have found that in general my friends and family in Ireland rarely attend mass unless it’s for a wedding, funeral, baptism or at times like Christmas or Easter. Attendance at mass has no bearing on whether a child will get into a particular school or making their First Holy Communion in Ireland. My nieces and nephews have hardly ever been to mass but they will all make Holy Communion. Vast sums of money will be spent on ‘outfits’ for this and venues are booked up months in advance for the party after. Some of these events are like a small wedding.

However in the UK attendance is mandatory for those who wish to attend a Catholic school. Our local church is full of families with young kids that I doubt would be there if it wasn’t for getting the form signed. The priests here are quite militant about it all and far stricter about things than in Ireland.

Also catholic mass in the UK goes on forever with lots of hymns and a very very long sermon. There is no way a priest in Ireland would get away with this

Whoever said that about not getting a job in Ireland coz you're English. That's bollocks. I'm English and live in Ireland and have a job. Perhaps they didn't get a job because they had a massive chip on their shoulder. There are loads of English people in my workplace.

@kenandbarbie - that was me. And that's also brilliant if that's the case. It was a good few years ago. Hang on - it was 15 years ago. Ignore me. I imagine a lot has changed in that time.

I’m Irish. My partner is Scottish. I’d say we have way more in common than not especially as being from a Catholic family he’s fairly in tune with his Irish roots and coming from Glasgow has a very good understanding of the politics of the island of Ireland.

I’ll probably buck the trend here but I find the English to be more friendly than the Irish. I spent a bit of time around the south of England and felt so welcome, everybody was chatty and friendly, it really endeared the country to me after bad experiences in London.

Funerals are definitely a big difference. We bury our dead in 3 days and anyone and everyone comes to the wake and funeral. The idea of waiting 3 weeks to bury a loved one sounds so hard.

I think the Irish have a tendency to ‘mammy’ their kids for a lot longer than in the UK. Living at home in your 20’s is the norm for a lot of people and completely acceptable and a lot of families, my own included, tend to live in each other’s pockets. Also, Irish and English weddings are very different, ours go on all night and into the next day and the only gift you bring is cash.

The English seem to have a misconception about the Irish and religion. A lot of us may be culturally Catholic but not practicing. Yeah we may have weddings and funerals in our parish church and baptise our kids but that’s about the height of it. I don’t know anyone under 60 that’s goes to mass every week. We do it cos that’s the way it’s done, it’s not out of some deep seated faith. I think the last time I was in a church was for my godsons christening over a year ago. That means I didn’t go to mass on Christmas Day 🤭

But at the end of the day we have a lot more in common than not. The thing that I find humorously ironic are the certain groups of young lads that’ll graffiti ‘brits out’ while wearing their Liverpool jerseys 🙄

"Eh no ,thats not the case at all. Mary is an old fashioned name. Im actually struggling to think of someone called Mary."

I would struggle to think of a young person called Mary. But I know tons of middle aged and elderly Marys. Goodness, our only two female Presidents were called Mary, as were our first two female Deputy Prime Ministers, all still alive.

My mothers two best friends are called Mary, the woman across the road is called Mary, the woman next door's sister is called Mary and the woman two doors down.

You can't throw a pebble in Ireland without hitting a Mary.

. Every Irish home has open fires and/or cooking ranges and burn turf.

Think one in every five women in my work place is called Mary. There's four in the pod of desks beside me (and a pod is four desks). Then there's a heap of Marias and a load of Mauras too. Know one child called Mary (parents aren't Irish though!)

Hardly rocket science to work out why people think Irish people are religious Ireland was very controlled by the Catholic church. Add that to the fact people rarely waver from the stereotype they first fall upon plus confirmation bias. (Which you can see throughout this thread in opinions about both sides.)

Thankfully Ireland is moving away from its religious hold more. Recently gathering more moss, so to speak.

My ex who is Irish used to laugh at me (English) when I said that the everyday transactions in shops etc anywhere on the Island of Ireland are conducted with more politeness than in England on the whole. I also noticed that people with menial jobs don't seem so sneered at - as a consequence of which, airport security for example are much more humane and decent than in England.
I've been fortunate not to hear much anti-English stuff which is fairly impressive really given how much anti-Irish racism I grew up hearing.

One parent English, one parent Irish. Half my life lived in each country.

I didn't know anyone religious outside of the cultural sense
I knew no one called Mary
I've never been in a house that burned turf
I've never been forced to have tea
Nearly everyone I know arrives at the appointed time

I've never known a jingoistic racist
I've known many very warm and inclusive English people
English people have had greater openness and diversity in terms of race, but less in terms of class in the corridors of power. Brexit seems to have been orchestrated by old Etonians and targetted towards the other end of the socio-economic ladder (who'll pay the price).

IN MY EXPERIENCE:

Irish people are warmer, and funnier, and familes tend to be closer into adulthood.

English people are more career focussed, work is more important than leisure time.

Irish people don't 'love' funerals, they are more accepting of death as a part of life.

English people aren't repressed or stultifyingly polite, it's a stereotype that can only be applied - if at all - to a small strata of society

Class is less of an issue in Ireland, it's much more of a meritocracy.

British people - the English especially - seem to have a more rigid sense of fitting in and where there place in society is, probably related to the old class system. I think they do better in the service industries in many ways.

English people are more acutely aware of their history and heritage in terms of art and architecture, and have been more active in preservation than Irish people were (until the last few decades, I'd think)

Irish people are optimistic. Whenever disaster strikes the attitude is usually 'Be grand'. It can be so endearing, and very frustrating, take your pick.

There are marked differences between the culture of city life in Ireland and rural life or small town life. Twitching curtains are a reality of life but that's equally so in both countries.

Food is better in Ireland. Small farms producing carefully overseen products that have less miles to travel means that Irish farming tops the more industrial level farming in the UK.

Transport is better (generally) in the UK, but horrifically expensive in both.

I love Irish people, I can spot an Irish person a mile off and it's usually because they're chatting to someone animatedly. The Irish use of idiom and wider vocabulary is impressive, and people love to talk and laugh and get to know new friends. You're only a stranger for five minutes.

English people are reserved and measured, less likely to be impulsive or driven by emotion. All those things are good - and bad - depending on context.

I love English people for the reliability and stoicism, and I genuinely think that these superficial differences are nothing compared to the vast swathes of similarities of the two nations. When I'm in Ireland, I miss England and when I'm in England I miss Ireland. Different people but with fundamental similarities and the most endearing trait of both peoples is the easygoing way they have with each other.

Stereotypes are often outdated and insulting, but all the nice ones of both nations are true.

In my experience, of course.

Food is better in Ireland. Small farms producing carefully overseen products that have less miles to travel means that Irish farming tops the more industrial level farming in the UK.

I forgot about this - another thing my Irish ex denies but I really think I can tell the food is better in Ireland.

I live in N Ireland and I don't know anyone who doesn't have an open fire, getting the fire lit in the winter is a big marker for the weather getting cold. 'Have you yer fire lit yet?'. Don't know all that many people who burn turf, but that's probably because it's harder to get hold of these days. It does smell amazing though.

Driving around some really rural bits of Donegal I thought I had burnt the clutch out on the hire car until I realised it was the peat fires.

I don’t think there is any difference apart from us English are more serious. My mum comes from a huge Irish Catholic family(although she is English, her mum and dad were Irish) and only one or two of them are nice. Most never treated me nice since a child, any of them. A lot of abuse going on. Same with her English family. There are English and Irish narcassists. Just as there are English and Irish nice people. My family is messed up lol

Putting the messages away in the press and turning off the fecking immersion in the hotpress.

It's unlikely that any other nation in the world - the known universe - lives in fear of that worst of all sins...forgetting to turn off the immersion.

Basically the only thing that'll send you to hell.

It's also an annual family thing to spend the day bringing in the turf to have a stockpile for winter.

That's just rubbish. I don't know anyone who does this.

Another memory from childhood holidays "will you take a mineral" translated as would you like a drink of 7up/red lemonade/club orange etc. Have never heard that expression other than in Ireland.

Also takeaway in Ireland was called carry out and you didn't get say fish and chips it would be fish and chip! Always thought this was funny.

I’ve never heard of carry out nor any of families taking a holiday taking the turf in. Bogs are in very short supply in towns.

A mineral is from mineral waters which is what soft/fizzy drinks used be called.

Yes we would always have called it getting a carry out rather than a takeaway. Getting a carry out could also refer to going to the off license woth your mates, buying a bottle of thunderbird each and drinking it in the local park.

Yes fish and chip (singular) rather than chips (plural). Or just asking for a chip. My husband thinks this is very weird.

Minerals/press/messages all words I have to be careful with in England as nobody knows what I’m banging on about. Also a bold child means something different on each side of the pond.

And nobody takes the turf in! I’ve hardly seen an open fire for years. We had one when I was a child but no turf.

Not sure it's an Irish thing or just my Irish family thing, but they have a secret spoken code that took me some time to understand !

Fairly good = not good
Quite good = good
Really quite good = excellent

France is so much closer to Britain than Ireland is.

What are the differences and similarities? Might need another thread though!

What about the Isle of Mann?