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?

Haha! Oh yes! Haha!

I've only heard the phrase used in Dublin. By Dubliners. So I guess it's ok there. I wouldn't say it myself (English in England) and I've never heard it here, but then I am always quick at correcting people here on Irish stereotypes when I hear them used!

It’s not one I’ve heard of ever before.

If I was to guess what it meant, I wouldn’t have thought it was an extravagant or long drawn out goodbye such as Irish wakes and weddings.

I have never heard anyone saying it! Irish and living in SE Ireland. I personally have never left without the what seems like 2 hours of goodbyes and don't know anyone who sneaks off without saying goodbye either.
To the poster who said about the picnic, that sounds like my parents house and subsequently the rest of us now. Except it's proper dinners/lunches that will last a few days!

Seems like a vaguely xenophobic term to me- and I have NEVER heard of it. And being Irish, I can confirm it’s not applicable to any Irish people I know becuase it take us FOREVER to say our good byes at a gathering! And on the phone ‘ ok, bey then. Bye, bey, bye bye’...

I’ve never heard it and come from a big extended Irish family on both sides. If I had heard it I would have assumed it was the opposite of taking French leave though. As in taking forever to say goodbye at great length to everyone (some of them twice) at the end of a party, in my family that could take hours per departing guest, my dad used to joke that my mum should just start saying goodbye when she got there..

Never heard of it (live in Dublin but have live in UK for a long time). When I say the thread title I presumed it was "bye, bye, bye, bye, bye ..." on the phone.

Wouldn't be to eager call 'racism'. Especially as its not abundantly clear who uses the term!

Yeah, that was me that said it.

As some others have pointed out, I’m an Irish poster, living in Ireland.

you didn’t mention asking how long it took to get home

Nor “how were the roads? Was there much water on them? There’s to be a frost tonight, did you cover the car? I forgot yesterday and had to get out the scraper. Have you a scraper? Lidl have them in, I should’ve got you one when I was in. Do you know what else they have? Those hanging things for the shower to put your shampoos in? You probably already have one. We need two as your sister has so many of them expensive shampoos, you can well see I’m the one paying for it! Doesn’t know she’s born, that one. Did you know she’s off to Spain next month?”

I do Mum, you told me when I was at your house. Half an hour ago.

I'm Irish and never heard this expression until I heard Ryan Tubridy mention it, while interviewing Hugh Jackman last week on RTE radio.

Then Tubridy asked Jackman a question and there was total silence - they assumed connection was lost. Jackman then came back after a few long seconds, basically saying 'Gotcha! That was my Irish goodbye!

Thought it was a little witty, and the bonus was that it completely freaked out Tubridy.

IloveMaxiBondi are we related?

We used to call that a ninja exit (possibly racist to the Japanese??)

possibly, sure aren’t we all from massive families and related to half the world?

Some amount of people going out of their way to be offended.

Irish, living in Ireland. Have never heard it used here, came across for the first time a few years ago either in the US or on American TV, can't quite remember now.

Like others, I misunderstood it the first time as to me an Irish goodbye would be one that took at least an hour.

Asked DH (Irish but from a different part of the country), he's never heard it here and says he thinks of it as Irish-American.

I don't think it's as nasty a phrase as throwing a paddy, Irish twins etc, but I don't like it - largely because of the inaccuracy. Feels like someone non Irish just decided what the Irish are like without understanding.

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

An Irish exit is a relatively widely used term in the US, so it might be worth looking elsewhere for this particularly piece of lazy stereotyping.

ILoveMaxiBondi are you the ones we don't speak to because someone sent a present and they never rang up to say it arrived until two days after it should have arrived?

I’m Irish living in Ireland and as far as I know this is an American slang term for leaving a party drunk without saying good bye. I’ve heard loads in America but never once at home in 40 years.

One of dh's (Irish) best mate (also Irish) always leaves without saying goodbye, because he gets too drunk. They call it the Royal Walkout.

Yes LivLemler a proper Irish goodbye would be
"Bye bye bye bye bye bye" hang up/walk away 😂

I'm Irish living in England & never heard the phrase before. TBH though, I do this all the time & it's definitely because I'm far too drunk that I like to just sneak away, so it definitely applies to me!