Sometimes all you can do is laugh

Foxhound38

I was in London over the past few days with friends and we ended up chatting to a table of Yanks one night. They told us that it was their first time beyond American shores and were only too willing to ream on and on about their Irish Heritage. Eventually, one of them asked if it was not "dangerous for us to be here, what with the Troubles and all?" - I nearly bit off the rim of my Pint glass! It seems these proud members of the diaspora thought that the Troubles are some kind of pitched, conventional war between the British Army and the Irish Defense Forces (which is what they thought the IRA was) over the past 30 years for the North! We just played along for the craic and promised to send them an "Uncle Bertie Wants You!" Poster when the "War" ends and we can f**k the Ration Cards in the bin

4zn76tysfajdxp

Ignorant Americans? Pull the other one...

seanybiker

ha ha ha. Plastic paddys are the funniest intention ever.

MrStuffins

I lived in Spain last year and on Paddys Day this yank approached myself and my friends telling us that they were on their way to Ireland (Newry to be precise) to meet their family.

Thats great we thought....... until they told us they hadn't contacted this family yet..... in fact.... there might not be any family......the only reason they were going to Newry is bacause he put his surname into Google and it told him the name was from there...........

Ridiculous!

The Pontiac

Stupid Americans?

I was in Chicago airport once and overheard two young American girls talking about their trip to Uk/Ireland. Then a guy asked one of them "how are ye going to travel from the UK to Ireland?" She replied.."By train" Her friend then replied, "I think there's water in the middle, though". They weren't joking either.

Jesus, if I were the parents of those two...

Foxhound38

MrStuffins wrote: »

I lived in Spain last year and on Paddys Day this yank approached myself and my friends telling us that they were on their way to Ireland (Newry to be precise) to meet their family.

Thats great we thought....... until they told us they hadn't contacted this family yet..... in fact.... there might not be any family......the only reason they were going to Newry is bacause he put his surname into Google and it told him the name was from there...........

Ridiculous!

Jaysus, I hope he booked a b&b for the night! :pac:

Overheal

Foxhound38 wrote: »

I was in London over the past few days with friends and we ended up chatting to a table of Yanks one night. They told us that it was their first time beyond American shores and were only too willing to ream on and on about their Irish Heritage. Eventually, one of them asked if it was not "dangerous for us to be here, what with the Troubles and all?" - I nearly bit off the rim of my Pint glass! It seems these proud members of the diaspora thought that the Troubles are some kind of pitched, conventional war between the British Army and the Irish Defense Forces (which is what they thought the IRA was) over the past 30 years for the North! We just played along for the craic and promised to send them an "Uncle Bertie Wants You!" Poster when the "War" ends and we can f**k the Ration Cards in the bin

I can see how they might have overlooked that

zudo wrote: »

Stupid Americans?

I was in Chicago airport once and overheard two young American girls talking about their trip to Uk/Ireland. Then a guy asked one of them "how are ye going to travel from the UK to Ireland?" She replied.."By train" Her friend then replied, "I think there's water in the middle, though". They weren't joking either.

Jesus, if I were the parents of those two...

I can see how they might have overlooked that

MrStuffins wrote: »

I lived in Spain last year and on Paddys Day this yank approached myself and my friends telling us that they were on their way to Ireland (Newry to be precise) to meet their family.

Thats great we thought....... until they told us they hadn't contacted this family yet..... in fact.... there might not be any family......the only reason they were going to Newry is bacause he put his surname into Google and it told him the name was from there...........

Ridiculous!

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MrStuffins

MrStuffins wrote: »

I lived in Spain last year and on Paddys Day this yank approached myself and my friends telling us that they were on their way to Ireland (Newry to be precise) to meet their family.

Thats great we thought....... until they told us they hadn't contacted this family yet..... in fact.... there might not be any family......the only reason they were going to Newry is bacause he put his surname into Google and it told him the name was from there...........

Ridiculous!

Also, and i can't believe i forgot this, another yank on the same day asked me this question after i said i was from Ireland

"Do you know Paddy O'Malley"?

Black Swan

I'd be careful about making sweeping generalisations about "Americans" (or us Irish for that matter), but it is humourous to listen and watch some of the responses that Jay Leno gets when he goes "Jay Walking," asking randomers in the street about geography, political figures, world events, and the sort.:D

Oh, I can remember bluffing one bloke from USA about the exquisite quality of the water found in the Corrib near Galway, and that it was comparable to French Evian, and that he should try it.

EDIT: Geeeeeeeez! I've been across the pond in California for the past 3 years and we just had an earthquake!!!

MrStuffins

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

I'd be careful about making sweeping generalisations about "Americans" (or us Irish for that matter), but it is humourous to listen and watch some of the responses that Jay Leno gets when he goes "Jay Walking," asking randomers in the street about geography, political figures, world events, and the sort.:D

I've never seen this but i can just imagine!:D

magick

working in the USA when a guy asked me "what ya doing over here?"

to which i replied with a depressed look "bad potato crop this year........."

Overheal

Best Jaywalk ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E

edit: oh wait no, its Conan O' Brien. But close enough.

MrStuffins

Overheal wrote: »

Best Jaywalk ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugk37TvIR8E

"It's like you were made a laboratory with parts from other nerds" :pac:

Thirdfox

MrStuffins wrote: »

Also, and i can't believe i forgot this, another yank on the same day asked me this question after i said i was from Ireland

"Do you know Paddy O'Malley"?

Try getting asked "do you know Mr. Wong?" ...it is a country with 1.3 billion people you know

b28

MrStuffins wrote: »

I lived in Spain last year and on Paddys Day this yank approached myself and my friends telling us that they were on their way to Ireland (Newry to be precise) to meet their family.

Thats great we thought....... until they told us they hadn't contacted this family yet..... in fact.... there might not be any family......the only reason they were going to Newry is bacause he put his surname into Google and it told him the name was from there...........

Ridiculous!

That one made me laugh!

seanybiker

MrStuffins wrote: »

"Do you know Paddy O'Malley"?

Nice chap that paddy o malley fella.

My name is URL

meh, I lived in San Fransisco for 2 years. The ignorance of Americans is greatly exagerated, imo

Much like our own stereotypes

battser

I was in San diego for Paddys day just gone as it happens and when I say the americans celebrate it more than ourselves in Ireland Im not joking. They didnt even celebrate it on the tuesday! Instead 1000's of people took to the streets in PB on the sat before and started drinking hard at about 12 in the day! My friend and I tought fcuk this we are irish we better make the most of this.

So we go out, now I have a fairly thick dublin accent and am very talkative. Im walking into a bar with my mate and these girls go to me

"OMG do you guys ever get tired of putting on those silly Irish Accents??" I turn and say " Ehhhh ever think that we could be Irish instead?"

"No way prove it"

Here's my Passport (just then the doorman takes it under the UV light and says thanks man! Queue the america girl screaming to her friends

"OMG Guys look, he has a fake irish passport for paddys day, WHERE did you get that?????"

I was gobsmacked by the utter lack of commen sense.

Funny tho! And I still love the California Women! UNREAL!

Rented Mule

MrStuffins wrote: »

Also, and i can't believe i forgot this, another yank on the same day asked me this question after i said i was from Ireland

"Do you know Paddy O'Malley"?

I wouldn't be too quick to laugh at that one.

My father used to mention to people that he was a Chicago Police Officer while over visiting family. He would often get the question 'my cousin is a police officer in Los Angeles...do you know him? '.

I am not exagerating when I say that he was asked about four other police officers on the same trip over.

Plastic Paddies and Paddies do have quite an interesting genetic link at times.

Rented Mule

battser wrote: »

I was in San diego for Paddys day just gone as it happens and when I say the americans celebrate it more than ourselves in Ireland Im not joking. They didnt even celebrate it on the tuesday! Instead 1000's of people took to the streets in PB on the sat before and started drinking hard at about 12 in the day! My friend and I tought fcuk this we are irish we better make the most of this.

So we go out, now I have a fairly thick dublin accent and am very talkative. Im walking into a bar with my mate and these girls go to me

"OMG do you guys ever get tired of putting on those silly Irish Accents??" I turn and say " Ehhhh ever think that we could be Irish instead?"

"No way prove it"

Here's my Passport (just then the doorman takes it under the UV light and says thanks man! Queue the america girl screaming to her friends

"OMG Guys look, he has a fake irish passport for paddys day, WHERE did you get that?????"

I was gobsmacked by the utter lack of commen sense.

Funny tho! And I still love the California Women! UNREAL!

So where did you get the fake irish passports from ?

McArmalite

My name is URL wrote: »

meh, I lived in San Fransisco for 2 years. The ignorance of Americans is greatly exagerated, imo

Much like our own stereotypes

I'd agree with you there. I remember a fella I used to hang out and who reckoned he had an honor in Leaving Cert Geography and he thought New York was the capital of America !! Honest. Also heard of English people who thought they could use sterling as a valid currency in the south. Best one of all, knew a redneck who had only ever been on holidays to England, visiting the brother in some Irish ghetto like County Kilburn or wherever. Anyway, the day before he was due to go to Holland someone mentioned about a passport and redneck couldn't believe he should have a passport to enter Holland.... " But Jayus, I've been ta England and no wan asked for it there "

SuperGrover

Irish workmate of mine one day lately, when I mentioned that I'd like to go to Vietnam on holidays...

"Would it not be mad dangerous with the war and all that?"

Ross_Mahon

Americans on Xbox live seem to think that we are fully part of the United Kingdom and our accents get called Scottish, Australian and English

WillieCocker

"Oh my god.......have you guys sorted out that potato famine yet ?"

Americans.....gotta love 'em and their ignorance.:D

renraw

Don't be rippin on the yanks, we irish can be as bad if not worse and I'm talking bout myself. I was in the US for the first time last year and I blurted out innocently on a transfer to the hotel "jesus, they really do have yellow school buses, its not just in films"....took me a few seconds to realise what I'd said out loud in a bus full of tourists giggling at me and my mates just hiding their heads :o (I do have those moments)

Latchy

I am always amazed whan some English people , on discovering I'm Irish ask '' oh , do you know such and such a person ?

Like god bless thier iggnorance , some still think the whole of Ireland is 700 people crammed into one little big village :rolleyes:

Turd Ferguson

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

Americans on Xbox live seem to think that we are fully part of the United Kingdom and our accents get called Scottish, Australian and English

I love messing with those idiots on Xbox live. I usually start off with "OMG you're American? Do you know Barack Obama?"
I know its a generalisation but there are alot of American who know nothing about the rest of the world. There are some awesome youtube videos from a TV program (the guys doing it were Australian) and some of the answers we're astonishing....

Q: Do you know what the capital of France is?
Dumb american: I dunno...Asia?

I'll try and find these and post em later

Rebelheart

Foxhound38 wrote: »

I was in London over the past few days with friends and we ended up chatting to a table of Yanks one night. They told us that it was their first time beyond American shores and were only too willing to ream on and on about their Irish Heritage. Eventually, one of them asked if it was not "dangerous for us to be here, what with the Troubles and all?" - I nearly bit off the rim of my Pint glass! It seems these proud members of the diaspora thought that the Troubles are some kind of pitched, conventional war between the British Army and the Irish Defense Forces (which is what they thought the IRA was) over the past 30 years for the North! We just played along for the craic and promised to send them an "Uncle Bertie Wants You!" Poster when the "War" ends and we can f**k the Ration Cards in the bin

In fairness, the level of knowledge about such things is not exactly lucid over in Britain where many people seem to think Ireland is in something they like to call the "British Isles", not to mention the perception there that noble and selfless Britain has been trying "to keep the peace" in Ireland for centuries.

Every society has its ignorami, and stereotypes.

Foxhound38

renraw wrote: »

Don't be rippin on the yanks, we irish can be as bad if not worse and I'm talking bout myself.

Ah it's all in good fun! Besides, they have plenty a stereotype for us and yes, many are equally true... :pac:

brummytom

I was in America (Boston to be more precise) last Easter and again this February - the amount of people who say "Yeahh! I'm Irish!" is amazing - I asked my cousins (with who, granted, we share Irish relatives) whether they considered themselves Irish or America, to which they replied "100% American"; 'thank god' i thought... "And 100% Irish".... silly americans, 200%?


And my English accent constantly got mistaken for Australian, which was funny the first 37 times

Overheal

brummytom wrote: »

I was in America (Boston to be more precise) last Easter and again this February - the amount of people who say "Yeahh! I'm Irish!" is amazing - I asked my cousins (with who, granted, we share Irish relatives) whether they considered themselves Irish or America, to which they replied "100% American"; 'thank god' i thought... "And 100% Irish".... silly americans, 200%?

Robocop was Half Man, Half Machine, and ALL COP. So like, it happens.

Other people you meet will say I'm half canadian, a quarter French, an Eight Dominican and a bit Cuban. Heritage is important to them. They might make silly remarks that show they dont know things about the UK and Ireland but they're fully aware of where they originated.