For people who have live/lived abroad what differences do you find between Irish and

live2thewire

other nations?

my mum does think that irish are more casual generally than germans(bavarians at least). and she is not one of those 'ireland is wonderful' type of people. she left ireland in 1978 and moved to Munich and returned in 1993 the year after i was born.

she finds irish more insular though whatever that means

have u noticed any differences or even simularites, perhaps a prague poster could tells us if the czechs and irish have the same social need for alcohol.

m@cc@

The Irish drink more than the Dutch but on the other side, the Irish are lot more social and welcoming. Maybe the two are related.

prinz

She's right the irish are more insular, self obsessed, backward and generally some of the least friendly and welcoming people I've come across.

That's as an Irish person who has lived and worked abroad in a number of countries.

Hazys

Their cultures don't revolve around alcohol.

live2thewire

whose 'their' unless you lived somewhere stfu

Hazys

live2thewire wrote: »

whose 'their' unless you lived somewhere stfu

Thats not very nice, I'm not going to tell you where i live now

Banter Joe

*insert generic stereotype*

live2thewire

gtfo

luckylucky

Portugal: They love their paperwork here - bureaucracy, lazy and sloppy officials make Ireland seem positively forward thinking. Seriously it can be a right pain in the a$$ to get things done here - it seems like it's practically against the law here not to make thigns complicated.

I live in a rural area of portugal. People are people whereever you go. I find people are very nosey here, probably like most rural communities.

Ireland: Drink. What's a pint now in Ireland €5? not that it's going to happen but maybe in these economic hard times it's time for Ireland to lose its love affair with booze. If one country ever needed to do so it's Ireland.

Taltos

Finland - loved it; once you earn their trust I have found them to be a great people. Found them similar to us in a lot of ways - eg humour

New Zealand - loved it too - again very similar to us

Americans - too varied to pop into this without upsetting alot of folk. Some really good - some really bad.

Australians - very friendly; but there is always a but, maybe I mixed with the wrong groups - found the guys to be bigots and racists

Hungarians -

Ireland - has changed alot in the last 3 decades. Friendliness has gone as has community spirit. On the plus side the day of the priest calling out some kid for falling pregnant has also gone - well maybe - maybe there is no-one there to hear anymore.
I do miss the old days here - we seem to be more materialistic - know I am

ScumLord

The Germans live to work, where as the Irish work to live.

Latchy

The Americans live to eat and the Irish and Brits are not far behind

asdasd

That's as an Irish person who has lived and worked abroad in a number of countries.

Cant see why you came back, if I am honest.

The real spectacular thing about the Irish is that we are not actually as bad, or as inefficent, or as corrupt as we think. Generally the people who think that haven't lived abroad.

m@cc@

asdasd wrote: »

Cant see why you came back, if I am honest.

The real spectacular thing about the Irish is that we are not actually as bad, or as inefficent, or as corrupt as we think.

Disagree with that, only the Italians are worse.

big b

asdasd wrote: »

Cant see why you came back, if I am honest.

The real spectacular thing about the Irish is that we are not actually as bad, or as inefficent, or as corrupt as we think. Generally the people who think that haven't lived abroad.

Wow, we got to post 13 before the obligatory "well, if ya don't like it here...."

We really need to stop this insular, insecure bollox & look at how we can change things for the better.
With a young, well-travelled populace, we should really be able to see that our national traits are not above criticism or comparison.

menoscemo

The biggest difference I have noticed is that the Irish are much less thrifty than anyone else. That is great when you are at the restaurant or buying rounds as you don't have to go through exactly what everyone owes. However it is a real pain in the Arse when you are being ripped off left right and centre by uscrupulous shop/pub/restaurant owners.

asdasd

Wow, we got to post 13 before the obligatory "well, if ya don't like it here...."

Firstly I dont live "here".
Secondly, if someone thinks that the "irish are more insular, self obsessed, backward and generally some of the least friendly and welcoming people I've come across. " it makes no sense to go back to Ireland, or stay.

I dont intend to go back to Ireland, and I think Ireland to be about the same as England where I live in all these traits. I have personal reasons to stay here.

Ponster

live2thewire wrote: »

For people who have live/lived abroad what differences do you find between Irish and other nations?

The fact that this question is being asked is to me a "difference". Ireland is still a very young country that is still defining exactly what it means to be Irish.
While it may seem shocking to a lot of posters, from the outside there doesn't seem to be very much of a difference between the Irish and the British it terms of culture, lifestyle and laws.

Other more 'established' nations don't always need to ask this question because they already now the differences having spent hundreds of years defining them.

chalad07

Live in America at the moment. I find the vast majority of Americans to be very friendly/nice, but very few that are funny.

Went to quite a famous stand-up night last night in NYC, and the standard was piss-poor. These lads would get booed off the stage in somewhere like the Hay-penny Bridge Inn or similar.

For laughs, you need the Irish or English,

live2thewire

another thing i notice about irish is we tend to not give a **** about other peoples cultures, contrast that to a country like croatia where irish culture is massive. could you imagine in irish teenagers listening to the latest croatian or non-english/american music? not a chance. perhaps this happens when you speak the most dominant language in the world.

big b

asdasd wrote: »

Firstly I dont live "here".
Secondly, if someone thinks that the "irish are more insular, self obsessed, backward and generally some of the least friendly and welcoming people I've come across. " it makes no sense to go back to Ireland, or stay.

I dont intend to go back to Ireland, and I think Ireland to be about the same as England where I live in all these traits. I have personal reasons to stay here.

No, but the poster you were referring to is "here". And maybe they've discovered the traits they dislike since coming back? Or maybe they'd prefer to try to change those traits in some small way than run away from them?

My comment wasn't aimed at you personally, I just see so many threads where people are too insecure to accept that there are some things we could learn from other cultures, it's easier just to say "feck off if ya don't like it here".

Ruu_Old

chalad07 wrote: »

Live in America at the moment. I find the vast majority of Americans to be very friendly/nice, but very few that are funny.

Went to quite a famous stand-up night last night in NYC, and the standard was piss-poor. These lads would get booed off the stage in somewhere like the Hay-penny Bridge Inn or similar.

For laughs, you need the Irish or English,

I have to agree, I'm no funny man but I always have to explain things to some people and make sure they know I was just having a laugh and not serious. I guess it is the laid back Irish thing.

Example.
Boss: Ruu, would you come here for a moment?
Me (joking) : What now? Can ya not let me do a bit of work?!

First time they were a little confused I think but now they just laugh.

My name is URL

I lived in Miami for 2 years.

I came home broke to a dwindling, self-pitying bog of dreariness with less prospects than I had going.

I worked as a furniture removal man there, after spending 4 years in college here (which now seems like a terrible idea [fcuk you Media Studies]).... the weather was fantastic, the women were unreal and the pay was great.

And still, I'm glad to be home. Because that's what it is

luckylucky

m@cc@ wrote: »

Disagree with that, only the Italians are worse.

I think Portugal would well surpass either Ireland or Italy in that department. Perhaps you are too used to living in efficient Holland. Yeah in comparison to the likes of Holland Ireland would be inefficient.

menoscemo wrote: »

The biggest difference I have noticed is that the Irish are much less thrifty than anyone else. That is great when you are at the restaurant or buying rounds as you don't have to go through exactly what everyone owes. However it is a real pain in the Arse when you are being ripped off left right and centre by uscrupulous shop/pub/restaurant owners.

Yip, I'd say that is probably one of the main things we are different in.

asdasd

another thing i notice about irish is we tend to not give a **** about other peoples cultures, contrast that to a country like croatia where irish culture is massive. could you imagine in irish teenagers listening to the latest croatian or non-english/american music?

Since we are neither English, nor American that doesn't hold.

Anyway I might as well get into this. There are two obvious differences between the English and the Irish ( I am talking in general here about the culture of the middle 80%).

1) We are cruder. We curse more.
2) We queue worse.

Compared to the US.

1) We are cruder.
2) They queue just as bad.

In no way are we more "insular" than either the Americans, or the British.

Woger

Somewhat related, what is Irish culture? Recently it seems to be a new generation of obnoxious snobby cokeheads, over priced shoe boxes and an obsession with celebrity. Please no it's the Americanisation of Irleand, that's BS, we let it happen. Our language is on the way out and we let the hil of tara be bull dozed.

luckylucky

Woger wrote: »

Somewhat related, what is Irish culture? Recently it seems to be a new generation of obnoxious snobby cokeheads, over priced shoe boxes and an obsession with celebrity. Please no it's the Americanisation of Irleand, that's BS, we let it happen. Our language is on the way out and we let the hil of tara be bull dozed.

That part happened 150 years ago, it's long gone and besides lip service and an education system which instead of encouraging the Irish language actually ends up alienating people from it, it's gone for 99% of us.

ejmaztec

I don't think that places like Dublin or Cork were ever that insular, but out in the sticks it was a totally different world. Thanks to being introduced to foreign cultures in recent years, the places that were once twenty years behind the main population areas, are now only ten years behind.:D

Purple Gorilla

TBH I don't think we're half as bad as some of the posters here make us out to be. Some people like to jump on the "Irish people are ****bags" bandwagon with no real reason for thinking that. They might have had a couple of bad experiences, but compare that to all the good experiences you've had..and if you say you haven't, then maybe you're living in the wrong area? And don't just say you don't live in a bad area, and then make up all these generic bad stories that "happened" to you...

I've spent the last couple of Summers in Chicago living with family for 3 months and I've found the Irish better. Not a lot better but still better. Every time I went into a shop the people were kind, but it was fake kindness...all they did was say "Hey how are ya?" with a cheesy smile and then that was it... Whereas at home, you could actually have a decent conversation with the person. I was in Kildare Village today and the people there were so nice. Actually had a decent conversation with one of the girls working there.

Also the Irish/English have a way better sense of humour. The Irish more so are less Politically Correct..we can tell more risque jokes that Americans would generally be like "omg" at :P

jester77

The Germans are more efficient than the Irish.

There is no where near the level of begrudgery here, I found it strange at first that people were actually genuinely happy for you.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Xavi6

Australians drink as nuch, if not more, than the Irish.

They are quite racist, though generally very friendly and welcoming, once you're white I guess.

Sense of humour isn't a patch on ours, though no ones' really is.

They have real tans. None of that out of a bottle crap or streaks.

Taltos

Iolar wrote: »

What did Hungarians do to ya?:pac: nem jo!

Wrecked my head
Nice bunch - but like anywhere - some real prats - unlucky to be landed in a group of them for a while.

galwayrush

Just back from a few days in Oxford.
On refusing a down and out some money because i didn't have any on me at the time,
In Oxford......No problem Sir, you have a nice day
In Galway.....**** off ya ****.

Tom65

Sweden is pretty much the perfect country, apart from two things: the people and the weather. The winter here lasts from November until last week, and none of that "bit of rain there" winter. Snow/ice always on the ground, and generally -5 degrees at the warmest.

The people are interesting here. They're very helpful, and nice, but really withdrawn. I was told they would be like that, and once you got to know them they'd be great, but that's a lie. I've gotten used to it now.

Every thing regarding amenities is great here though. Off hand, I can think of 10 football pitches, 5 playgrounds, two big parks, a swimming pool, ice rink, and basketball court all within a 5 minute walk. None of them are ever vandalised and used as a sport to go drinking. Speaking of, I've never been threatened here at all (yet anyway). And I supposedly live in the dodgy area.

To sum up: I think it's a double-edged sword: the people here aren't as friendly as people in Ireland, but people in Ireland (not everyone, obviously) can be more violent. Also, high tax welfare state systems are brilliant

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Electric Sheep

prinz wrote: »

She's right the irish are more insular, self obsessed, backward and generally some of the least friendly and welcoming people I've come across.

That's as an Irish person who has lived and worked abroad in a number of countries.

Have to agree - as another Irish person who has lived and worked abroad in several coutries. It often seems that Irish people are superficially friendly, but just waiting to talk behind your back in a very unfriendly way.

Another trait is the tendency to "talk in circles" and use implication and innuendo rather than just come straight out and say what they mean. Contrast this to, say, Israel, where people tend to say exactly what they mean in a very direct manner. It can be disconcerting if you are not used to it;)

Darkbloom

Xavi6 wrote: »

They have real tans. None of that out of a bottle crap or streaks.

And in a couple of decades they'll look like this:
http://www.spray-tan-byron-bay.com/images/sundamagedskin.jpg

gary the great

Russia, St petersburg -

Young people are as friendly and as funny as irish methinks.
But the buracracy in that place is unreal, everythign system is incredibly inefficent.
They are so patient to, they will wait in queues for hours without moaning.
They are very lazy and will not rush themselves when working.
Feel they have to prove something to you a lot of the time.
They drink way more than irish.


England:
The moaniest nation of people ive ever come across, they never stop.
A lot of them want something for nothing.
Funny enough, but not as much as Irish.
A lot of know it alls.

Milkey Bar Kid

I was living in Germany for a good few years and plan to go back
The one Differance between the two countries is that in any Major city in Germany could walk down the main street by yourself at 2 in the morning and feel safe . Try doing that in any city in ireland .Alot of irish people think you have a problem with them if you catch their eye

Darkbloom

gary the great wrote: »

Russia, St petersburg -

Young people are as friendly and as funny as irish methinks.
But the buracracy in that place is unreal, everythign system is incredibly inefficent.
They are so patient to, they will wait in queues for hours without moaning.
They are very lazy and will not rush themselves when working.
Feel they have to prove something to you a lot of the time.
They drink way more than irish.

You left out the sharp-elbowed auld wans who'll viciously force their way through crowds, almost pushing you into traffic.

luckylucky

galwayrush wrote: »

Just back from a few days in Oxford.
On refusing a down and out some money because i didn't have any on me at the time,
In Oxford......No problem Sir, you have a nice day
In Galway.....**** off ya ****.

The guy from Galway obviously just knew you better. :P

Hazys

I live in Cambridge in Boston and its nothing like the stereotypes people expect from America. I live in the middle between Harvard and MIT.

You don’t get the image of very fat Americans as the main supermarkets are Wholefoods and Trader Joes which sell all organic foods and crap (just give me food I can just throw into oven). They have great facilities in the area, there are several soccer, baseball pitches, basketball courts, playgrounds and parks all within 10 mins walk of my house.

You also don’t get the uneducated, uncultured Americans, everyday I walk home from the T, I walk past art galleries, open jazz sessions, spice shops, book shops full of hippies. The T (subway) all the advertisements are for free yoga classes, language classes, colleges etc.

The main square I live on has no franchises only home grown businesses, so I see very little of corporate America in my neighbourhood. My area has many different ethnic shops and restaurants, my area is considered little Portugal.

Nightouts are pretty good too. There are some great Irish pubs, one even serves a half decent pint of Guinness. The main bars/clubs vary massively in type and none play mainstream music.

Cambridge has a pretty cool vibe off it, nothing like stereotypical America. Its so different to what you get back home. America is a vast country with different cultures and traditions so I do find it funny when people try to pick out the typical American. Overall i find Americans very friendly and very chatty.

live2thewire

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

I was living in Germany for a good few years and plan to go back
The one Differance between the two countries is that in any Major city in Germany could walk down the main street by yourself at 2 in the morning and feel safe . Try doing that in any city in ireland .Alot of irish people think you have a problem with them if you catch their eye

obviously you havent heard of the racist attacks in berlin. berlin is well dodgy. having said that i never felt in danger but ive never felt in danger on any main street in dublin either.

m@cc@

Milkey Bar Kid wrote: »

The one Differance between the two countries is that in any Major city in Germany could walk down the main street by yourself at 2 in the morning and feel safe .

The same in the Netherlands.

luckylucky

m@cc@ wrote: »

The same in the Netherlands.

Really! I have a few dutch friends out here. They are always going on about how holland is getting so violent. A few months ago one of their sons - got set upon by a few guys just for fun and ended up with a smashed up jaw, just a couple of weeks ago the same thing almost happened to him again but he saw it coming and ran off. He lives in Utrecht also fyi.

m@cc@

luckylucky wrote: »

Really! I have a few dutch friends out here. They are always going on about how holland is getting so violent. A few months ago one of their sons - got set upon by a few guys just for fun and ended up with a smashed up jaw, just a couple of weeks ago the same thing almost happened to him again but he saw it coming and ran off. He lives in Utrecht also fyi.

The problem is that that it used to be extremely safe in the Netherlands and safety has definitely decreased. It's still easily safer on nights out here, 10 mins in any bar will tell you that. I've lived here 10 months and not once, not once seen a fight break out.

Mr. Frost

Can't Irish people stop talking about themselves for 5 minutes? :rolleyes:

I know it's an boards.IE and all but I find Irish people a tad narcissistic.

m@cc@

Mr. Frost wrote: »

Can't Irish people stop talking about themselves for 5 minutes? :rolleyes:

I know it's an boards.IE and all but I find Irish people a tad narcissistic.

Look up narcissistic in dictionary. Self-obsessed - maybe.

triple-M

I've lived in the south of holland (noord brabant) and found dutch people in general to be alot more intellegent and future focused than the irish almost all the young people i knew there in their 20s had their own house or were saving like mad to get one,but on the other hand the dutch sense of humour is very dry and its near impossible to get them to laugh at a joke and they were a wee bit stuck up ,but thats just my opinion of people in one particular town,from a safety point of view i think holland is safer in general but then again i walked through Hoog Catharijne(shopping centre in utrecht) while waiting on a train one night and almost got stabbed and forced to buy drugs in the space of 5 mins

m@cc@

triple-M wrote: »

I've lived in the south of holland (noord brabant) and found dutch people to be alot more intellegent and future focused than the irish almost all the young people i knew there in their 20s had their own house or were saving like mad to get one,but on the other hand the dutch sense of humour is very dry and its near impossible to get them to laugh at a joke and there a wee bit stuck up and not very welcoming to newcomers,but thats just my opinion of people in one town

I'd agree with most of that, apart from the intelligence part.