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Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

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  • 26-11-2020 6:46pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭


    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 10,118 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?

    "Because that's still how Irish people are seen, as twinkly-eyed f**kers with a pig under their arm, high-stepping it around the world, going 'I'll paint your house now, but watch out, I might steal the ladder later, ohohoho!' Which is only half true."

    - Dylan Moran


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them.
    Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?


    Pierce Brosnan would beg to differ.


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭COVID


    What about our penchant for the porter?


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    We do have the skill of speaking for hours, even days without actually saying anything at all and being friendly at the same time, which could confuse interrogators, so there's that. :D

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



  • Registered Users Posts: 656 ✭✭✭drake70


    Wibbs wrote: »
    We do have the skill of speaking for hours, even days without actually saying anything at all and being friendly at the same time, which could confuse interrogators, so there's that. :D

    Interrogator : "Who do you work for?"

    001_3/4 : "God, are ye lads from the social?"


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,155 ✭✭✭Augme


    Our pitfall would be our burning desire to be loved by everyone, no matter what. So for that reason I think we would be terrible at it because we would give up all secrets just to be liked by whoever is asking.


  • Posts: 6,192 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    We'd be unreal at intelligence gathering,of even obscure pointless info (ask anyone from a small provincinal town)


    But the need to endlessly gossip and share this info would be the undoing of our good work


  • Registered Users Posts: 656 ✭✭✭drake70


    We'd be unreal at intelligence gathering,of even obscure pointless info (ask anyone from a small provincinal town)


    But the need to endlessly gossip and share this info would be the undoing of our good work

    But there would be so many half-truths, exaggerations and lies mixed in that no discernible information could be gained :)

    Yay, 600th post


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,017 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    Wibbs wrote: »
    We do have the skill of speaking for hours, even days without actually saying anything at all and being friendly at the same time, which could confuse interrogators, so there's that. :D

    They're called cute hoors round these parts...

    To thine own self be true



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 11,391 Mod ✭✭✭✭Captain Havoc


    We're a nation of gossiping biddies, we'd be terrible at it. Plus our sense of humour would probably get us shot by the villains : "My name is Goldfinger" Seamus O'Bond : "so is mine, well that's your ma calls me" as he proceeds to sniff his fingers.

    https://ormondelanguagetours.com

    Walking Tours of Kilkenny in English, French or German.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,685 ✭✭✭ablelocks


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?

    given our known quality of being able to keep a secret, absolutely....

    "now, you didn't hear it from me, but wait till i tell you what Mary said the other night...."

    "c'mere till i tell you..."

    "you'll never believe what i saw the other day"


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,794 ✭✭✭Aongus Von Bismarck


    I don't think so. The alcohol abuse and gossipy nature is one thing, but some of the Irish are so hideous looking if they were offered sex they would reveal every secret they know.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,041 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    Nah, the moment someone mistakes the agent for British, that's it. Cover blown.

    We'd make far better baddies.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



  • Registered Users Posts: 534 ✭✭✭Ekerot


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?

    But that's really the personality of every James Bond though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭COVID


    Nah, the moment someone mistakes the agent for British, that's it. Cover blown.

    We'd make far better baddies.

    We'd be good baddies, that's for sure.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Arm Paddy Bond and send him out into a world of bars that might not have Guinness, never mind an actual tulip glass?

    Yeah, that's gonna end well.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    Quite a few 'James Bond' wanabees were sent here over the centuries. They didn't get to go home.

    Sad really. Nobody is willing to tell to this day what became of Robert Nairac for instance.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭Yurt2


    The CIA heavily recruit from the Mormon community. The reason being, many of them have excellent foreign language skills from their overseas missionary work, are typically teetotal, are utter bores and are very reliable. A world away from the archetype of Jason Bourne or slick James Bond types.

    So if you're ever at a diplomatic soirée, and you meet a straight laced Mormon bore with a fuzzy job title in the American Embassy, chances are you've met the resident spook.

    Alumni of Brigham Young University (the Mormon flagship university) and Texas A&M (George Bush Sr. Former CIA director had strong links with here, and it has a world class 'hard languages' learning program) are overrepresented in the CIA and other American intelligence agencies.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    Everyone's a hard languages spook until they stand at the barcounter in a Knocknagoshel pub of a Friday night.

    Mormon converts to date: Nil.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,326 ✭✭✭jetsonx


    Yurt! wrote: »
    The CIA heavily recruit from the Mormon community. The reason being, many of them have excellent foreign language skills from their overseas missionary work, are typically teetotal, are utter bores and are very reliable. A world away from the archetype of Jason Bourne or slick James Bond types.

    So if you're ever at a diplomatic soirée, and you meet a straight laced Mormon bore with a fuzzy job title in the American Embassy, chances are you've met the resident spook.

    Alumni of Brigham Young University (the Mormon flagship university) and Texas A&M (George Bush Sr. Former CIA director had strong links with here, and it has a world class 'hard languages' learning program) are overrepresented in the CIA and other American intelligence agencies.

    Fascinating. I suppose being a preacher/teacher from the Mormon church provides the ultimate cover story as well.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 256 ✭✭Pasteur.


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?

    Yes


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,857 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    Dheara, muis, sure ya know yourself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,482 ✭✭✭✭For Forks Sake


    Dheara, muis, sure ya know yourself.

    Yerra, now lookit, shur no-one would suspect these boyos

    image.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭Yurt2


    Yerra, now lookit, shur no-one would suspect these boyos

    image.jpg

    Funnily enough, Michael and Danny Healy Rae's mother apparently worked at worked at the Syrian embassy to the UN in New York and spoke Arabic. I'm not even joking...

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/the-woman-behind-the-healy-rae-name-is-laid-to-rest-31572697.html

    The conspiracy theory that the Healy Rae dynasty is actually a psy-ops operation designed to undermine the Irish state directed from Langley maybe isn't so ridiculous after all...


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,907 ✭✭✭trashcan


    jetsonx wrote: »
    Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

    Contrary to popular belief, most secret service organisations don't actually want a a James Bond type character working for them. Their smoothness would make them too conspicuous.

    Instead they want a normal person as possible who has an easy going dis-arming charm along with high emotional intelligence. The also want people with a calm disposition but a steely determination underneath.

    Easy going charm comes naturally to the Irish. Our national temperament is relatively calm and we are emotionally intelligent. Moreover, we don't have the historical baggage of other nations (like those next door, ahem...) And according to international workplace studies, the Irish are a fairly motivated bunch.

    So, does this make the Irish perfectly suited to undercover secret service jobs?

    Yes. That’s why MI5 recruited me.

    Doh, just blew my cover. Damn.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Just employ people from Kerry. They’re as nosey as ****.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,090 ✭✭✭jill_valentine


    Aegir wrote: »
    Just employ people from Kerry. They’re as nosey as ****.

    UNBELIEVABLY suspicious of outsiders too. A friend of mine worked in Kerry on a contract for about two years, and one of the locals took down the car's reg in his notebook every single time she parked on the road near his house until the very last week she was there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,478 ✭✭✭✭_Brian


    Too quick to share a juicy bit of gossip


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    UNBELIEVABLY suspicious of outsiders too. A friend of mine worked in Kerry on a contract for about two years, and one of the locals took down the car's reg in his notebook every single time she parked on the road near his house until the very last week she was there.

    Hold on - seeing what somebody is writing in their notebook is Jason Bourne level stuff in itself.

    plot twist: your 'friend' isn't who they said they were.

    Get a set of their prints and come back to us. We need to know who they are really working for.


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  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,749 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    No one's ever seen an Irish Ninja.

    just saying...


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