Very Irish Things

[RocketPanda]

A thread of appreciation of things that only seem to happen in Ireland.

I was away for two weeks and a couple of days after I returned the postman knocked on my door with a big bag of packages ( they were sent from work, only two were very delayed orders). He realised I was away so instead of leaving them and risking theft or damage he stored them for me.

Anyone else any good stories?

I’d often have a cup of tea with no food. But if we had guests we’d always offer biscuits with tea alright.

No biscakes here either but I might introduce it!

The watching your neighbours house while they are on holiday and the day they are coming home you go and buy a sliced pan, some milk, some ham, and something sweet so they have some food in when they arrive home.

Dubliners referring to anywhere else in Ireland as “down the country”.

Cork people thinking there is rivalry between them and Dubliners when Dublin people don’t give them a second thought.

I've never heard biscake, maybe it's an accent thing like Mattie McGrath's who are you loyal to and perceived as lying to.

No, that happens everywhere!

I have a map of Ireland which is three parts : The North, Dublin, The country.

Also we dont care too much for Cork they just like to think they are in competition with us but you can't compete with the best ;)

When I lived abroad I would often say 'yr man' and people would look at me and say he's not my man or 'yr one'.
Sudocrem, it is great for so many things. It was originally called Soothing Cream but with the Dublin accent it sounded like they said Sudocrem so they changed it.
My sister used to always do the 'bye bye bye bye bye bye' thing but has stopped as we were laughing about it.
Also when I came home from abroad visited my dad with my son and we popped into his local for a cuppa and everyone was giving my son money and saying 'good lad' because they all loved my dad and my son was shocked and got lots of money.
Giving someone a good send off after a sad funeral with a few drinks and telling stories and sounds awful to say but prefer a funeral (not wishing death on anyone) to a long drawn out wedding anytime as the crying, laughing, reminiscing about the good and the bad times and get to see people don't see much of after living away for so long.
We never take a compliment compared to other countries, if someone tells us we look well or have nice hair etc we say oh no.

Such a blast from the past

I say ur man or ur wan :)

If someone compliments something someone's wearing a lot of people will reply Penneys

Cat alter

I know that the irish radio says the death notices the smaller stations I do not know if it is every county.

From a foreigner living in Ireland for 20+ years:

Everything is grand, grand could be just OK, or good, or even great or not great but just grand.

People genuinely don't know how to accept a compliment. If you tell a woman you like her dress she really makes sure to say it's old/ cheap/ first thing she found/ from Penny's while looking very uncomfortable.

The happiness in people's faces in a sunny day is difficult to describe. Its a fenomenon never observed in the South Europe. Random people talk to you at the supermarket about their BBQ plans etc.

Irish skin doesnt tan but there is an obsession with tan. Skin goes from red to white (which I think looks much better as it is), however people say "you got a bit of a tan".

I agree funerals are amazing, I don't think there are funerals like in Ireland.

Workplace: During meetings Irish people hate confrontation at all costs. This also happens outside work. But in a work meetings if things go the wrong way there are longs silences with a few short sentences in the middle. Only Irish people can interpret why/ how/ when it comes from. For foreigners it's a real mystery. But Irish can interpret what it's all about. It's fascinating.

The rivalry when it comes to the GAA

The Angelus
Calling cupboards ‘presses’
Every primary age child having a cul camp top and bag

I do not get the love of GAA. Or rugby. Or horses. It's all too tribal. I can't bear the TV ads in recent years trying to sex up the auld GAA and pretend that we're all mad into it. No thank you.

I'm also indifferent to all the saints and associated tat. Although when I was a child I used to sit solemnly in front of the TV, rocking back and forth saying "Bong, bong" along with the Angelus. My son, on the other hand, used to cry when the bongs came on - MiL accused me of pinching him!! 😂

The one finger (index) acknowledgment of thanks when you pull in. Particularly on a Sunday morning.

Years ago knocking on doors to ask to take the baby out for a walk in its pram. Usually granted .

No matter where on the world you go , always meeting another Irish person . Often you know people in common .

Spent 6 weeks and quite a bit of time in Ireland as a child loved the homemade colcannon, buttermilk and silver mints they were lovely. Also loved red lemonade and the thinnest ever Cadbury bars I never seen them in the uk. I hated tayto and the barnbrack that had the coin in it. While driving rurally you were bound to get a barking sheepdog follow the car at least once a day. The expression its a nice day for it never understood that. you never came home from holiday without a bottle of holy water that someone gave to you.

Ah no decent barmbrack is lovely and made you feel quite special if you got the ring. I think it tastes a bit like if simnel cake was actually nice

Your one man in the town who is the taxi company. Occasionally tries to rope in his polish mate, often to little avail

A nice fruit soda bread.
Various accents which no one outside Ireland can understand, from a cork lilt, to the north, and the Midlands. Well hai in the wee county.
The sea in summer, a giant 99, bag of chips with loads of vinegar.
Being genuinely interested and friendly in others and then answering how are ya with 'grand'.

Ha! Explaining to visiting foreign friends that it's not just them or their lack of familiarity with Irish accents, but people who are not actually from Kerry cannot understand Kerry folk either.

Driving two hours up the country after work to go to the removal of an oul lad you've never met, but is your school friend's wife's grandad.

The tea and sandwiches brigade at funerals. Actual lifesavers. At my grandad's the first woman to arrive for tea duty brought two extra kettles. Well-oiled machine, I swear to god.

Going out to the pub after you've had a bit of dinner, a quick snooze and the 9 o'clock news has ended. No point arriving earlier; sure no one will be there.

A novena for the Leaving Cert (might be showing my age here).

Did you hear what the Burkes are up to now?

Did you hear what the Burkes are up to now?

Shhh, we definitely don't want to be broadcasting about that lot internationally

TK orange🙌

@SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs re Padre Pio they are mad for him oot Motherwell way cos apparently he appeared to some wummin there and cured her illness. They can't get enough if him . I think it's Carfin or Holytown or one of the villages down that way. They love Padre.
This thread is making me realise I am turning into my Irish nana /Scottish mammy( who spent alot of her childhood in Donegal. They are both long gone sadly but I have become a mix of them !😂

I've always wondered if this was typical or not. Years ago, on a cycling tour, passing through a small village i got a flat. The first safe place to pull in to change the inner tube was outside the garden wall of a house. It was Sunday and the family, an older couple and one of their siblings, arrived home from church. They said hello and we immediately apologised, explained the problem and that we'd be in our way asap, it really was only a matter of minutes to swap out the inner tube, but they invited us in to lunch! We said no thank you loads but moments later were in their kitchen with them eating lunch! It's such a fond memory. Only the more eccentric families would do this where i live.