to wonder what 'an Irish goodbye' is?

[UnreasonablyPissedOff]

I saw this term used recently and have to admit I have NO idea what it means....

Any ideas?

I honestly never realised that some British people are so racist about Irish people until I joined mumsnet

Oh honey......where've you been???

But Katiepoes doesn't the phrase goodbye imply just that - that we are huge pissheads, so much so that there is the need for a special phrase required to describe how we leave social events.

Why is it an Irish Goodbye, not and English or a Welsh or Scottish goodbye....

Guess this will run like the Irish Twins threads and there will be divided opinions on it. I'm holding my hand up and saying I have lived in Ireland all my life and have never heard of this until today and I don't like the phrase or it's implications.

I thought it was said because Irish people are really friendly and chatty and if you try and leave you end up staying for 5 hours saying goodbye to everyone. I’ve heard the expression before said by an Irish ex of mine. He only used the phrase when we were in his hometown in Ireland and I queried him at the time. He said he only needed to do Irish goodbyes in Ireland.

I’m Irish an have never heard of it. When I saw this threads title I assumed it was something like the goodbye that last forever because it takes hours to leave anywhere as you have to say goodbye to everyone and you always getting chatting about something with everyone.

Why is it an Irish Goodbye, not and English or a Welsh or Scottish goodbye....

Why is it called a 'French Exit' then?

I don't think its to do with being pissed, I think it's more to do with the fact that if you actually try and say goodbye it will take forever, because everyone will chat to you/try and convince you to stay etc.

A bit like it takes forever for my Irish mum to get off the phone because she is like 'right, bye now, yah, good luck now, right, bye, bye, bye....' etc

BeerFlavoured the dictionary definition of it does refer it it being specifically because you are too drunk to stay not just that it takes a long time to say goodbye.

I also dislike the French Exit too.

I've only heard it said by Irish members of the family.

I can think of other current threads more offensive to Irish people tbh

Unreasonably that is the urban dictionary's definition for goodness sake.

Really I don't see it as that Unreasonably, purely the sheer length of time it takes to say goodbye to the family, esepcially when one aunt wants to tell you something she only that minute remembered, one uncle cannot bear to end an evening, three more cousins want your email so one goes off to find a pen/phone....it's a pain in the ass. So I sneak out and call it an irish goodbye, as do may of my friends. Nothing to do with being a pisshead, that is a whole different discussion (and frankly many of us Irish are our own worst enemies with that one).
If it bothers you then it bothers you. Not much help am I?

I am Irish living in Dublin and have never heard it!

Why is it an Irish Goodbye, not and English or a Welsh or Scottish
An Irish family gathering a wedding or funeral is usually over a much longer period. My Aunt passed a few weeks ago and there was a 3 day wake, family from the UK even Australia attended. Yes there was alcohol flowing, I dont drink, lots of family don't but there was a few Irish goodbyes to grab a snooze etc.

I am Irish and never heard that phrase

I am 60 and English and have never heard the expression. It seems the only ones who have ARE Irish, so self-deprecatory?

I'm half Irish. It is racist. But also sort of true 😂

I thought it meant taking hours to leave though. Not slinking off because you are pissed.

I am Irish. I love in England. I only ever hear it used by one of mum's cousins. He said it at a funeral recently. Was nothing to do with being drunk and he doesn't really drink. He will say to me or my mum 'time for me Irish exit' we say bye and he goes.

He does it cause he usually has a flight back home. He wouldn't get out otherwise. Never heard it in reference to being drunk and only used by an irish man.

A French goodbye is the same. You just leave.

As mentioned earlier it’s also an English exit according to the French. So it does actually apply to a number of nationalities.

OMG!

Right. That is racist.....but it’s also exactly what my Irish mother and aunts are like on the phone. They all just hang up when they’ve had enough. Suddenly there’s nobody on the other end!

(Not helpful)

I am Irish.Heard this expression when I lived in the States so it has nothing to do with Mumsnet.It does not mean leaving without saying goodbye at all but not making a fuss and 'kissing everyone on the cheek' when leaving and thereby disturbing a party in full swing.Cant see why anyone would be offended by it.

YABU to pretend you don’t know what a phrase means when really you do and just wanted to start a discussion about it.

I’m Scottish and get pissed off with the mean and drunk stereotype bandied about, but the one that bugs me the most is the fucking deep fried mars bar.

Also Scottish and I don't like the mars bar one either but Glasgow kiss, etc doesn't bother me in the slightest. I tittered at Glasgow salad the first time I heard it.

Gosh, My experience of an Irish goodbye is taking 3 hours, saying goodbye to everyone a million times, being given a picnic for the car you don't want or need (ffs, it's 45 mins, and 3 people cannot eat 5 rounds of sandwiches, a 12 pack multipack of crisps and a packet of biscuits.), and then being rung the minute you get through the door to check you got home ok, and to apologise for so little food.

According to the urban dictionary, a “Scottish goodbye” is when you say goodbye to everyone but don’t actually leave...

Or something to do with a penis.

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Scottish%20Goodbye

@superchill I don’t believe you even know what you’re talking about because you didn’t mention asking how long it took to get home - a key question regarding Irish travel times. It’s obligatory to ask/answer how long every journey ever took so that it can be charted and catalogued on a giant communal national spreadsheet to understand the impact of the new road