Cringeworthy irish traditions that won't just die

gormdubhgorm · 05-11-2016 7:33pm

Sienna High Blackjack wrote: »

Fair City what a greatest load of siht. The whole theme around Fair City is awful. The actors look lkie couldn't act to warm themselves and should stick to stage acting. RTE I think spent more money on makeup and clothes than they did on the actually set. It looks like if someone leans up against a wall the whole set would fall on them. Every time someone talks you can hear an echo. Yet with all it's faults it has become a great irish tradition for many people to tune in. I Can't understand the obession with it. Rant over.

The actors are sound though!

George White · 05-11-2016 9:12pm

Sienna High Blackjack wrote: »

Fair City what a greatest load of siht. The whole theme around Fair City is awful. The actors look lkie couldn't act to warm themselves and should stick to stage acting. RTE I think spent more money on makeup and clothes than they did on the actually set. It looks like if someone leans up against a wall the whole set would fall on them. Every time someone talks you can hear an echo. Yet with all it's faults it has become a great irish tradition for many people to tune in. I Can't understand the obession with it. Rant over.

It's a series that the writers I think take too seriously. It should go high camp, self-parody, really go up the insanity, go ultra-Acorn Antiques, almost Dark Shadows, but I remember a doc that Vogue Williams did on Home and Away where she interviewed a Fair City writer who claimed "unlike Aussie soaps, we stick to real life, so no ghosts for us."
And I was like, "yeah, but if you did, people would enjoy your show more."
The Katy-kept-prisoner storyline almost goes there, but they treated it too po-faced.

05-11-2016 9:27pm

Timmyr wrote: »

May have been mentioned before, but clapping on airplane landings really grinds my gears.... I hang my head in shame when it happens

I think you hang your head in shame because you realise that, instead of accompanying sophisticated international jet setters as you had thought, you have been lumped up with people for whom flying is a novel experience and who have rarely travelled outside ireland.

Actually you get clapping on flights from many countries, but its mainly on holiday charters....

mzungu · 05-11-2016 10:59pm

George White wrote: »

It's a series that the writers I think take too seriously. It should go high camp, self-parody, really go up the insanity, go ultra-Acorn Antiques, almost Dark Shadows, but I remember a doc that Vogue Williams did on Home and Away where she interviewed a Fair City writer who claimed "unlike Aussie soaps, we stick to real life, so no ghosts for us."
And I was like, "yeah, but if you did, people would enjoy your show more."
The Katy-kept-prisoner storyline almost goes there, but they treated it too po-faced.

I think they should go for the daytime US soap opera vibe. Bringing people back from the dead, evil doppelgängers, that sort of thing.

George White · 05-11-2016 11:54pm

mzungu wrote: »

I think they should go for the daytime US soap opera vibe. Bringing people back from the dead, evil doppelgängers, that sort of thing.

Exactly - that's what I mean and Dark Shadows was the one that went further - having a vampire in the lead role, time travel, Frankenstein's monsters, anything went - no wonder Tim Burton made a crap film from it.
Although when I say further, in the early 80s, General Hospital brought in Elizabeth Taylor (yes, that Elizabeth Taylor) as a supervillain who wanted to freeze the world with the aid of her shipping tycoon husband, played by John "Baltar in Battlestar Galactica/chief Klingon" Colicos.

As for FC, I'd begin by having a rabid dog wander in, bite someone and then rabies spreading through Carrigstown, and blokes in Hazmat suits would come in, like the Cassandra Crossing and try to quarantine the place.

I'd kill off half the cast in a plot about an unexploded Civil War bomb being found in the mysteriously bordered-up cellar of McCoy's.

The thing about FC is that most of the regular actors are simply not good enough and those that are are let down by the scripts/direction, because the writers and directors can't seem to handle the blend of humour and social realism provided to make a great soap work. Even the great TP McKenna looked lost when he appeared.

mzungu · 06-11-2016 12:23am

As for FC, I'd begin by having a rabid dog wander in, bite someone and then rabies spreading through Carrigstown, and blokes in Hazmat suits would come in, like the Cassandra Crossing and try to quarantine the place.

This story needs a resurrected Harry Molloy. Maybe as a cyborg. Part man, part machine...all mechanic.

The thing about FC is that most of the regular actors are simply not good enough and those that are are let down by the scripts/direction, because the writers and directors can't seem to handle the blend of humour and social realism provided to make a great soap work. Even the great TP McKenna looked lost when he appeared.

Aye, in the case of FC, if you can't make a good show, then you might aswell be really good at making a bad one.

Widdershins · 06-11-2016 2:44am

Leaning on the car horn non stop while doing a circuit of the village, with five young lads sitting on the window with their upper body hanging out of the car, to remind everyone you've won a match.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 06-11-2016 2:58am

This is something I love about the Irish people.

We refuse to acknowledge corporate naming rights.

The Aviva Stadium is still Lansdowne Road.

The 3 Arena is still The Point Depot.

Widdershins · 06-11-2016 3:03am

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

This is something I love about the Irish people.

We refuse to acknowledge corporate naming rights.

The Aviva Stadium is still Lansdowne Road.

The 3 Arena is still The Point Depot.

Electric Ireland is still the ESB
Eircom is still.. crap

FanadMan · 06-11-2016 4:56am

Widdershins wrote: »

Eircom is still.. crap

And O2 is now oh dear....

tomwaterford · 06-11-2016 6:30am

And some people still refer to an post as PandT

Fred Swanson · 06-11-2016 12:18pm

This post has been deleted.

Capt'n Midnight · 06-11-2016 6:32pm

FanadMan wrote: »

And O2 is now oh dear....

Not it's still too dear

lawlolawl · 06-11-2016 6:35pm

Widdershins wrote: »

Leaning on the car horn non stop while doing a circuit of the village, with five young lads sitting on the window with their upper body hanging out of the car, to remind everyone you've won a match.

"G'wan de ladz, hup ya boy ya!!!!!!!!!"

jonnny68 · 06-11-2016 7:14pm

Not so much a tradition but similar, people voting for either FF or FG , 2 political partys who are all but the same and have caused untold damage and misery to this country over the years, yet some people still vote for either or, instead of actually voting for someone else, the mind boggles.

wakka12 · 06-11-2016 8:18pm

Sienna High Blackjack wrote: »

Fair City what a greatest load of siht. The whole theme around Fair City is awful. The actors look lkie couldn't act to warm themselves and should stick to stage acting. RTE I think spent more money on makeup and clothes than they did on the actually set. It looks like if someone leans up against a wall the whole set would fall on them. Every time someone talks you can hear an echo. Yet with all it's faults it has become a great irish tradition for many people to tune in. I Can't understand the obession with it. Rant over.

I think its popular because its a soap opera, and because of that it isn't taken as seriously as other shows which are held to a higher standard. Personally I find emmerdale entertaining, its nice to switch your brain off and watch it, its just ridiculous though so I don't exactly critique it like I do other shows which I consider high quality television. I don't think soap operas claim to be or try to be anything more than they are!

BabyE · 06-11-2016 8:31pm

Fawning over rugby, cringeworthy as ****. I don't know what it is that irks me about rugby so much, it's probably that we are okay at it but the mindset is just different I think it's the lack of awareness among it's fans that it's a minority sport yet fans try to present Irish rugby success as extremely globally significant. Popularity doesn't make something credible but rugby circles here seem to think that rugby puts Ireland on the map

ClovenHoof · 06-11-2016 10:15pm

When a visiting celebs comes and they get they 'sure aren't we great!' rountine. I recalled that cnut Kathryn Thomas at the Special Olympics telling Arnold 'sure isn't this a grand stadium we have!' as if no where else on earth has a large sports stadium.

fryup · 10-11-2016 11:03am

during the summer...

eating an icecream whilst driving,

one hand on the steering wheel the other holding the cone......looks so paddy'ish

Sam Kade · 10-11-2016 11:13am

jonnny68 wrote: »

Not so much a tradition but similar, people voting for either FF or FG , 2 political partys who are all but the same and have caused untold damage and misery to this country over the years, yet some people still vote for either or, instead of actually voting for someone else, the mind boggles.

Out of interest who do you vote for?

Sam Kade · 10-11-2016 11:17am

Sienna High Blackjack wrote: »

Fair City what a greatest load of siht. The whole theme around Fair City is awful. The actors look lkie couldn't act to warm themselves and should stick to stage acting. RTE I think spent more money on makeup and clothes than they did on the actually set. It looks like if someone leans up against a wall the whole set would fall on them. Every time someone talks you can hear an echo. Yet with all it's faults it has become a great irish tradition for many people to tune in. I Can't understand the obession with it. Rant over.

It's the greatest comedy on RTE.

whisky_galore · 10-11-2016 11:41am

tomwaterford wrote: »

And some people still refer to an post as PandT

I know ould lads who still refer to Connolly Station as "Amiens Street".

TheDoc · 10-11-2016 11:44am

Government departments still operating via letter and not e-mail

Fred Swanson · 10-11-2016 4:36pm

This post has been deleted.

5rtytry56 · 10-11-2016 4:40pm

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I believe it's okay to refer to Dunleary as well as Edgeworthstown stations.

Ragnar Lothbrok · 10-11-2016 5:27pm

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

Not restricted to the elders. I've been blessed by folk of all ages. I think they do it to stop me sneezing. Can be no other logical reason.

I always understood that it was originally "God Bless You", meant as a protection against the pneumonic plague, which was passed by sneezing.

I say "Bless You" whenever anyone sneezes. I'm atheist but it's just a habit I must have picked up from my parents. It must work though, as no-one I know has died of the plague

Dick phelan · 10-11-2016 5:39pm

People arriving to the Debs in tractors attention seekers.

RainyDay · 10-11-2016 11:20pm

TheDoc wrote: »

Government departments still operating via letter and not e-mail

They will generally respond using whatever channel you use to contact them. So if you email them, they will generally email back. There are some exceptions on legal matters like planning, where they are required by law to communicate in writing.

Capt'n Midnight · 11-11-2016 11:43am

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

And Kingsbridge

Capt'n Midnight · 11-11-2016 11:50am

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

And Kingsbridge

Cringeworthy irish traditions that won't just die

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