What nationalities do you think Irish people are similar to?

tolteq

Do you think we're similar to the Brits or Americans?

Do you think perhaps we're similar to cultures further afield

Mr. Presentable

We are most like Italians, IMO. Happy go-lucky and disrespectful of law.

mike65

Well if Mary Robinsons various platitudes are to be belived the Irish are like whoever she is meeting at the time.

Balmed Out

ive always noticed similarities between us and the spanish who are in some other respects our polar opposites. Also there are some strange similarities with coptic egyptians.
This thread probably should be in a different forum.

thusspakeblixa

We are very similar to the Basques and Hungarians, IMO.
I was in Bilbao once and you'd swear it was feckin Connemara or something. The amount of 'Irish heads'.
And the Hungarians, personality-wise are very similar. I put it down to our shared colonial past.

McArmalite

I think our history is quite similiar to the Czechs. Annexed by a foreign power, having an ethnic minority ( Sudeten Germans ) willing to stab the country in the back at the first chance.

tolteq

McArmalite wrote: »

I think our history is quite similiar to the Czechs. Annexed by a foreign power, having an ethnic minority ( Sudeten Germans ) willing to stab the country in the back at the first chance.

well i dunno if i meant politically. i was thinking more culturally

Red_Marauder

Irish people are basically white south africans. In Ireland we love to drink and party, we are quite a chilled out people, and tend to be quite opinionated. I figure that any likened nationality must also bear some colonial baggage and share our general waryness about the United Kingdom:D

People say that Irish people are Italians without the sun, I would say we are far more like the South Africans

seanybiker

Red_Marauder wrote: »

tend to be quite opinionated.

I really cant stand opinionated people. IMO.

conchubhar1

Red_Marauder wrote: »

Irish people are basically white south africans.

I would say we are far more like the South Africans

i hope you are joking - how did you come to have this view?

how are we like white south africans - despite the fact we are mostly white

donaghs

Over-generalizing racial stereotypers?

Red_Marauder

conchubhar1 wrote: »

i hope you are joking - how did you come to have this view?

how are we like white south africans - despite the fact we are mostly white

Sorry maybe that wasn't clear. The majority of South Africans outside of the Western Cape are black or coloured, basically we are the white version of South Africans (even if a small amount are already white)

Interestingly, if I had meant the Boer and new European south africans, (being the white population) would it be any less acceptable than saying we are more like South Africans in general?!

Elmo

I think the Irish are like everyone else in this world. I see many similar traits across the world. I agree with the Bould Merser.

FiSe

McArmalite wrote: »

I think our history is quite similiar to the Czechs. Annexed by a foreign power, having an ethnic minority ( Sudeten Germans ) willing to stab the country in the back at the first chance.

I think that that's a big missinterpretation and misunderstanding of Czech or Czechoslovak history and it's a whole theme for a new thread...

But in some respect, yes the mentality would be similar: very low national selfesteem, better-have-a-pint-ism, everybody-love-us-ism, that'll do-ism and all that temporary-ism and pub-rant-ism are almost exactly the same

Elmo

FiSe wrote: »

But in some respect, yes the mentality would be similar: very low national selfesteem, better-have-a-pint-ism, everybody-love-us-ism, that'll do-ism and all that temporary-ism and pub-rant-ism are almost exactly the same

Yeah but surely it is better than better-take-over-the-world-ism, hate-us-ism and permanent-ism.

Ostrom

Balmed Out wrote: »

ive always noticed similarities between us and the spanish who are in some other respects our polar opposites. Also there are some strange similarities with coptic egyptians.
This thread probably should be in a different forum.

One of Estyn Evans' last fieldtrips before his death was with Des McCourt (Queens' institute of Irish studies) to a village in the North of Spain, supposedly of similar Celtic settlement (similar in time and settlement pattern) showing many similar archaeological features and elements of folklore as Ireland.

johndaman66

Red_Marauder wrote: »

we are quite a chilled out people

I certainly wouldn't agree Red_Marauder. We may have being before but certainly aren't any more for the very most part anyway. My own opinion and love em or hate em but I suggest we are like the Brits and have become more so like them in recent years. No one can deny they are bound to be highly influential over us. We shop in British chain stores, buy their music, magazines and newspapers and watch their television stations and programmes. Watch and support their sports and even use their expressions and slang in every day language.

seanybiker

johndaman66 wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't agree Red_Marauder. We may have being before but certainly aren't any more for the very most part anyway. My own opinion and love em or hate em but I suggest we are like the Brits and have become more so like them in recent years. No one can deny they are bound to be highly influential over us. We shop in British chain stores, buy their music, magazines and newspapers and watch their television stations and programmes. Watch and support their sports and even use their expressions and slang in every day language.

The majority of football fans in the world support a british team.

Id be one of the old proper Irish. The nice friendly ones from before the boom. Not one of the stuck up , change my car every week to make me feel better than my neighbours. I think we should bring back the days where everyone was friendly and it was acceptable to call in next door to ask for a bowl of sugar, drop of milk etc and not feel poor for doing it. I hope this recession brings people back down to earth .

legologic

I've found Irish and Norwegians to be very alike in many ways.

1. Laid back attitudes
2. Potent drinkers
3. Previously invaded by our neighbours



Seriously though. I think we're very similar races. I have a few norwegian friends who wholeheartedly support this having lived here for a while. One in particular said Dublin is her second home after Bergen in Norway because she feels very comfortable here around Irish people.

Also they brought a Father Ted boxset home to Norway when they left... Sure if you like Father Ted you can't be that bad right? :D:D

johndaman66

seanybiker wrote: »

The majority of football fans in the world support a british team.

Id be one of the old proper Irish. The nice friendly ones from before the boom. Not one of the stuck up , change my car every week to make me feel better than my neighbours. I think we should bring back the days where everyone was friendly and it was acceptable to call in next door to ask for a bowl of sugar, drop of milk etc and not feel poor for doing it. I hope this recession brings people back down to earth .

I think seanybiker if I called in to the neighbours for a bowl of sugar I'd be branded a bit of a looper and be the talk of the parish for a while! Dunno bout football fans the world over supporting a British team though. Then again I stand to be corrected. Do Liverpool have an alegiance of loyal supporters in Panama city? Somebodys probably gonna post a link to the Panama city Liverpool supporters club now!

Affable

I'm English, so what do I know, but I always thought the Irish had some similarities with Aussies. A dislike of affectations of refinement, and taking ones dignity too seriously, an irreverence, some insousciance, laid backish, straight talking, hard work ethos, know when to satnd up for yourself etc. Masculinity emphasised.

I guess there is of course the catholic thing in other European countries but that's obvious. Spain I think invaded Ireland and Wales. Don't the celts as well go back to Northen Spain genetically?

I always thought the English were less like Irish and Scots and more like Dutch, and believe it or not, Germans, perhaps Swedes as well. More detached, aloof and logical than emotional.

Acacia

I've always thought we were similar to the Spanish in some ways. But with much lower self esteem. Like Spain's depressed cousin.

Elmo

Affable wrote: »

I guess there is of course the catholic thing in other European countries but that's obvious. Spain I think invaded Ireland and Wales. Don't the celts as well go back to Northen Spain genetically?

I always thought the English were less like Irish and Scots and more like Dutch, and believe it or not, Germans, perhaps Swedes as well. More detached, aloof and logical than emotional.

Just like Star Trek

The Spanish didn't invade they settle

I certainly wouldn't agree Red_Marauder. We may have being before but certainly aren't any more for the very most part anyway. My own opinion and love em or hate em but I suggest we are like the Brits and have become more so like them in recent years. No one can deny they are bound to be highly influential over us. We shop in British chain stores, buy their music, magazines and newspapers and watch their television stations and programmes. Watch and support their sports and even use their expressions and slang in every day language.

The TV channel are very American and since we always had more American TV in our schedules one could say we are more like the American since much of the UK TV we watch happens to be American. We used to have our own chain stores.

The majority of football fans in the world support a british team.

Who supports Cardiff? I suppose we have Celtic Supports. But mainly English teams.

Some one said something about Egypt, Niall of the Nine Hostages (Most Irish people claim some blood from him) was married to a woman of Egyptian decent, cann't find the link now.

Elmo

Acacia wrote: »

I've always thought we were similar to the Spanish in some ways. But with much lower self esteem. Like Spain's depressed cousin.

Slowpoke Rodriguez?

Affable

FiSe wrote: »

I think that that's a big missinterpretation and misunderstanding of Czech or Czechoslovak history and it's a whole theme for a new thread...

But in some respect, yes the mentality would be similar: very low national selfesteem, better-have-a-pint-ism, everybody-love-us-ism, that'll do-ism and all that temporary-ism and pub-rant-ism are almost exactly the same

How do you mean by all those better have a pint-isms/tamporary-ism/pub-rantism?

I'm not au fait with those terms.

Pino76

FiSe wrote: »

I think that that's a big missinterpretation and misunderstanding of Czech or Czechoslovak history and it's a whole theme for a new thread...

But in some respect, yes the mentality would be similar: very low national selfesteem, better-have-a-pint-ism, everybody-love-us-ism, that'll do-ism and all that temporary-ism and pub-rant-ism are almost exactly the same

Maybe it's because our ancestors were celtic as well... (They named our country Bohemia cca two thousand years ago. It means "The Land of Boii". Today is Bohemia one of two historical regions of the Czech republic.) I would agree with most of your words although I've found Irish people somehow more easy-going and far less depressive than the Bohemians are... I can see also some similarity between Irish and Greeks. But your post makes me suprised.. I thought nobody knew anything about us in Ireland :-)

FiSe

No, nobody in Ireland actually knows about that country. Is it near Afghanistan? :rolleyes:

How do you mean by all those better have a pint-isms/tamporary-ism/pub-rantism?

I'm not au fait with those terms.

Irish are reactive nation. It's easier to talk over the pint then actually do something about what bothers me... Some people call it laid back or chill out nature, but I think it's mostly an excuse for not be able or willing or just too lazy to take action to stand for ourselves as a nation. That '..couldn't be bothered...' attitude.
We're pretty good in doing so in more selfish way though.
Which I found very similar to the attitude of Czech people. In comparsion to, let's say France, where people get into streets immediately over, well, almost anything.

Gadfly

Italians for sure. I sometimes drive a tour bus and they have the same sense of humour and generosity as some of the Irish.

Pino76

FiSe wrote: »

No, nobody in Ireland actually knows about that country. Is it near Afghanistan? :rolleyes:

Well.. The most of people have really no idea. Once one irish girl asked me the question.. "Czech republic? Is there a war..?"

Elmo

Pino76 wrote: »

Well.. The most of people have really no idea. Once one irish girl asked me a question.. "Czech republic? Is there a war..?"

I am sure their are many people around the world who would ask the same question about Ireland.

goldenbrown

people of vulcan