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

Capt'n Midnight

goldenbrown wrote: »

people of vulcan

Irish wimmins are not logical.

Capt'n Midnight

legologic wrote: »

One in particular said Dublin is her second home after Bergen in Norway because she feels very comfortable here around Irish people.

Bergen is the Galway of Norway.

Elmo

goldenbrown wrote: »

people of vulcan

Earth = Ireland
Valcan = England/Germany

markopantelic

Good thread.

Answer we are most like the British, and nothing really like the Americans(culturally we are a homogenous country, they are exact opposite), yes it is in theory much easier for a European from Ireland to assimilate in the USA than a Pole, the same could be said for a south african but many people in Europe consume American culture, me being from dublin, ireland am no more connected with a new yorker than someone in berlin.

we are like norweigans when it comes to sport, a devotion to english football as if its our own, only in these two countries could you get people supporting run of the mill clubs(leeds aston villa, tottenham), anywhere else its always the big teams.(i support an irish team for the record)

in fact we probably share quite a bit with norway overall except we have a conservative country as a whole, their relationship with germany is a little bit like ours with the UK.

iceland is another place we are quite alike.

Ostrom

I would say there is a distinctively regional character to our international similarities - you cant speak in terms of a singular 'Irishness'

Hookey

In some ways like the Poles, fond of a drink, nervous of their bigger neighbours (in their case in both directions), catholic guilt. But in reality we're most like the Brits, but specifically northerners, which isn't that surprising as you don't have to dig very deep to find an Irish ancestor or two in most northern family trees, particularly in the north-west. Its also why the Aussies are the most similar "colonials" to us. (New Zealanders and Canadians have far more of an English and particularly Scottish influence). Weirdly I don't think we're anything like the Welsh.

Elmo

Hookey wrote: »

In some ways like the Poles, fond of a drink, nervous of their bigger neighbours (in their case in both directions), catholic guilt. But in reality we're most like the Brits, but specifically northerners, which isn't that surprising as you don't have to dig very deep to find an Irish ancestor or two in most northern family trees, particularly in the north-west. Its also why the Aussies are the most similar "colonials" to us. (New Zealanders and Canadians have far more of an English and particularly Scottish influence). Weirdly I don't think we're anything like the Welsh.

Northern England?

I think we are all in agreement that we are more like everyone in the world. Which leads me to believe we aren't like anyone other then ourselves.

Answer we are most like the British, and nothing really like the Americans(culturally we are a homogenous country, they are exact opposite),

We are far more likely to use Americanisms then the British from a language point of view, again that relates to immigration and the amount of American movies and TV we consume.

I would say the Americans are far more Homogeneous than most European countries (bar the big immigration cities, but than all cities could be excluded from such a statement).

Lirange

Affable wrote: »

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 think you might find that's true of convicts everywhere. :pac: Don't tase me I'm turkin der piss.

Affable wrote: »

Spain I think invaded Ireland and Wales. Don't the celts as well go back to Northen Spain genetically?

Some do. Some don't. Many of the early "Britons" (I use the term loosely) are descended from people that are today known as the Basques in Northern Spain and Southern France. Their presence is more pronounced in Wales than in Ireland though. The peoples that brought over the "Celt" culture (also loosely applied) were from waves of Gaelic migrations. Their origins are disputed. Some say central Europe, the Belgae, Western France, or a combination of these, etc.

Affable wrote: »

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.

There's a cultural and genetic link there too.

seanybiker

What country is full of begrudgers?
whinges about everything?
Loves the feeling of being more powerful than neighbours?
Farts a lot



We're like them.

Lirange

Elmo wrote: »

I would say the Americans are far more Homogeneous than most European countries (bar the big immigration cities, but than all cities could be excluded from such a statement).

Homogeneous in what way? That's not an accurate description inside or outside of cities. Homogeneous like this? That's just one example of thousands. Emigration to America didn't become a mainly urban phenomenon until the turn of the 20th Century. If they weren't Irish odds are they were settling in more rural agricultural areas. The Irish were just one of many sources of emigrants. They were not even the largest bloc. Also you'll find more Black citizens in rural areas of America, especially the South than you'll ever find in the countryside of the English midlands let alone the west of Ireland.

markopantelic

Elmo wrote: »

I think we are all in agreement that we are more like everyone in the world. Which leads me to believe we aren't like anyone other then ourselves.

This.

civildefence

We're like the British to be honest. We share a cultural, social and political circle with them. Mainly due to the media and our close proximity to eachother.

Serenity Now!

markopantelic wrote: »

we are like norweigans when it comes to sport, a devotion to english football as if its our own, only in these two countries could you get people supporting run of the mill clubs(leeds aston villa, tottenham), anywhere else its always the big teams.(i support an irish team for the record)

Norway is a much more sporting and outdoor country than Ireland will ever be. Premiership soccer (and that pathetic two-horse race in Scotland) is followed just as keenly by other Nordic countries and European countries such as Germany and even Italy.

markopantelic wrote: »

in fact we probably share quite a bit with norway overall except we have a conservative country as a whole, their relationship with germany is a little bit like ours with the UK

Norway's relationship with Germany is NOTHING like that of the Republic of Ireland and the UK. I honestly have no idea where you get this weird notion from.

Serenity Now!

civildefence wrote: »

We're like the British to be honest. We share a cultural, social and political circle with them. Mainly due to the media and our close proximity to eachother.

Correctimundo.

Elmo

Lirange wrote: »

Homogeneous in what way? That's not an accurate description inside or outside of cities. Homogeneous like this? That's just one example of thousands. Emigration to America didn't become a mainly urban phenomenon until the turn of the 20th Century. If they weren't Irish odds are they were settling in more rural agricultural areas. The Irish were just one of many sources of emigrants. They were not even the largest bloc. Also you'll find more Black citizens in rural areas of America, especially the South than you'll ever find in the countryside of the English midlands let alone the west of Ireland.

My idea of American Homogeous comes from their View point. I have met many americans and they seem to have the same out look regarless of background i.e. African, Irish, Italian. I am of course talking about 2nd + generations rather than then newer immigrants who would be obviously more like their native country.

Elmo

civildefence wrote: »

We're like the British to be honest. We share a cultural, social and political circle with them. Mainly due to the media and our close proximity to eachother.

How do we share a political circle with them? Our political system is based on their but so are many of the other counties that they ruled over during the 18th Century.

I think The British are very different in terms of culture, i.e. English, Welsh and Scotish are all very different.

As for our media, most of what we watch on TV is American and we really don't listen to British Radio. Our newspapers have seen an influx of Irish editions in more recent years.

Lirange

Serenity Now! wrote: »

Norway's relationship with Germany is NOTHING like that of the Republic of Ireland and the UK. I honestly have no idea where you get this weird notion from.

Having spent a couple summers in Trondheim I'm probably even more startled by that idea than you. Norwegians are not generally keen on Germany nor German culture. They really are only tapped into three countries in any significant way: Iceland, Sweden, and the UK.

Lirange

Elmo wrote: »

My idea of American Homogeous comes from their View point. I have met many americans and they seem to have the same out look regarless of background

So you're talking strictly about attitudes? And just going on your anecdotal personal experience? Cities are always generally going to be more cosmopolitan than rural areas in any country. C'mon you've seen Hot Fuzz! My anecdotal personal experience seems to support the idea that America has more elements of the polar extremes when it comes to outlook, attitudes, etc.

Elmo

Lirange wrote: »

So you're talking strictly about attitudes? And just going on your anecdotal personal experience? Cities are always generally going to be more cosmopolitan than rural areas in any country. C'mon you've seen Hot Fuzz! My anecdotal personal experience seems to support the idea that America has more elements of the polar extremes when it comes to outlook, attitudes, etc.

In fairness America is a very big country, I am sure the people in Alska are quite different to those in New York.

But then if we look at culture the US is quite Homogenous.
Media: NBC, CBS, FOX ect with local varients. We don't have such pan-
European stations. And course HOLLYWOOD in general.
Sports: American Football, Baseball and Ice Hockey
Culture: Accent fairly similar across the US with some changes, and lack of cultural identity due to immigration.
Politics Democrat or Republican.
The so called American Dream.

And lets all face it we are all giving opinions based on anecdotal personal experiences.

Lirange

Elmo wrote: »

But then if we look at culture the US is quite Homogenous.
Media: NBC, CBS, FOX ect with local varients. We don't have such pan-
European stations.

You did state America was more homogeneous than most European countries. Not the whole of Europe. If you want to argue that the USA is more homogeneous than the entire continent you'll get no argument from me. Otherwise many of the other things you mentioned are also characteristics attributable to most of the large European Countries. I also wouldn't equate provincialism or insularity with lack of homogeneity. Lack of outside influence doesn't preclude a heterogeneous population. It's not hard to selectively scrape the surface of America to construct a false impression of a monolithic culture.