Why do so many Irish people wear GAA jerseys in Australia?

Pisco Sour · 11-01-2011 12:42PM #1

Whats the deal with loads of Irish people in Australia wearing their GAA jerseys everywhere? Surely going to live in a new country is an opportunity to interact with the locals and immerse yourself in the culture of that country. I havent seen a single person from another country wear their sports jerseys here. Why do the Irish have to do it? Is it a case of people trying to remind everybody where they are from? It looks ridiculous and embarrassing to be honest.

AntiMatter · 11-01-2011 12:44PM

To disassociate themselves from the British.

Because discerning Australian sports fans can tell the difference between an English league jersey and a GAA jersey.

Stercus Accidit · 11-01-2011 12:45PM

Wearing a GAA jersey anywhere is embarrasing. :pac:

Angron · 11-01-2011 12:46PM

Why is it embarrassing exactly? They are just wearing their teams jersey, albeit abroad. And we have Irish GAA players went over to Australia to play Australian Rules, so they are relatively familiar with our game too.

Aodan83 · 11-01-2011 12:48PM

Because its hot in Australia and the jersey helps stay cool and many jerseys have a collar to keep the sun off their wearers easily burned necks.

ntlbell · 11-01-2011 12:49PM

So when they're been bounched of a pavement after starting a row in bondi all the other little backward culchie f*cks can identify one of their "own" and assit the drunking f*ck tard

thomasm · 11-01-2011 12:49PM

04072511 wrote: »

Whats the deal with loads of Irish people in Australia wearing their GAA jerseys everywhere? Surely going to live in a new country is an opportunity to interact with the locals and immerse yourself in the culture of that country. I havent seen a single person from another country wear their sports jerseys here. Why do the Irish have to do it? Is it a case of people trying to remind everybody where they are from? It looks ridiculous and embarrassing to be honest.

Couldn't agree more. Walking into that hole of a pub in bondi the cock and bull and seeing all the jerseys was enough to make me move to the city.

Pisco Sour · 11-01-2011 12:49PM

Denny M wrote: »

Why is it embarrassing exactly?

Because bars and nightclubs arent exactly places where GAA jerseys should be worn....

prinz · 11-01-2011 12:49PM

I only wear jerseys if there is a match on that day and I am going to watch it.

Have gotten to know a few people that way who are still friends when I was abroad. However it does begin to look stupid when people wear them constantly and hang around together/with lots of Irish.

TheZohanS · 11-01-2011 12:52PM

So they'll recognise people from their own county.

Angron · 11-01-2011 12:54PM

04072511 wrote: »

Because bars and nightclubs arent exactly places where GAA jerseys should be worn....

Well that's down to the nightclub/pub dress code then. If they don't stop people who are wearing jerseys (GAA or not), people will more than likely wear them if they want. I think you just get embarrassed too easily.

Aodan83 wrote: »

Because its hot in Australia and the jersey helps stay cool and many jerseys have a collar to keep the sun off their wearers easily burned necks.

Curse us Irish and our tendency to burn easily

AnonoBoy · 11-01-2011 12:55PM

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Wearing a GAA jersey anywhere is embarrasing. :pac:

In Croke Park it's surely passable.

I always thought it was because the sort of people who go to Bondi beach to get p*ssed, have the craic and deal with a crisis pregnancy within the year are the same people who to Copper's week in week out to get p*ssed, have the craic and deal with a crisis pregnancy withint the year?

mikemac · 11-01-2011 12:55PM

Same reason American college students wear T shirts and hoodies with the college name, even when on holidays.

Sense of belonging, shows where you're from

Not saying it's right or wrong, the Irish may wear GAA jersey but other nationalities have similar

juma · 11-01-2011 12:56PM

ntlbell wrote: »

So when they're been bounched of a pavement after starting a row in bondi all the other little backward culchie f*cks can identify one of their "own" and assit the drunking f*ck tard

You Sir, are an idiot

Notorious97 · 11-01-2011 12:57PM

I don’t see why people have a problem with this, in a nightclub any jersey looks stupid, don’t know anybody who would wear one to a nightclub and i wear Dublin jerseys myself.

I also don’t see how people have a problem with hanging around with loads of other irish people abroad, just because you go to a new country doesn’t mean you have to adopt their culture and immediately surround yourself with only the natives of that country. To be honest i think its a bit sad people who wish to forget their own culture and distance themselves from being irish.

11-01-2011 12:57PM

That program last night about folks emmigrating, your man heads off to Canada in snickers style trousers and a GAA hoody, ffs :rolleyes:

stoneill · 11-01-2011 01:00PM

And when he got back for the new baby a week later - he was still wearing them!

prinz · 11-01-2011 01:00PM

RoverJames wrote: »

That program last night about folks emmigrating, your man heads off to Canada in snickers style trousers and a GAA hoody, ffs :rolleyes:

Yes, there was a time when flying was a glamourous gentleman's pursuit. Now we let any riff-raff get off the ground.

fakearms123 · 11-01-2011 01:00PM

"I love to wear gaelic jerseys when I go abroad because I love to fly the flag for me county and let all the foreign bhoys know that I would love to gaelic their holes!" - Seamus from County Wicklow

jimthemental · 11-01-2011 01:02PM

04072511 wrote: »

Whats the deal with loads of Irish people in Australia wearing their GAA jerseys everywhere? Surely going to live in a new country is an opportunity to interact with the locals and immerse yourself in the culture of that country. I havent seen a single person from another country wear their sports jerseys here. Why do the Irish have to do it? Is it a case of people trying to remind everybody where they are from? It looks ridiculous and embarrassing to be honest.

You can see English people with their various club or national jerseys. I've seen a lot of americans here with basketball and hockey jerseys. I met loads of people out foreign by wearing a leinster or kilkenny jersey, it's a handy way to let someone know you're Irish. Fair enough I wouldn't wear it non stop but I don't really see what harm it is.

AnonoBoy · 11-01-2011 01:03PM

Notorious97 wrote: »

I don’t see why people have a problem with this, in a nightclub any jersey looks stupid, don’t know anybody who would wear one to a nightclub and i wear Dublin jerseys myself.

I also don’t see how people have a problem with hanging around with loads of other irish people abroad, just because you go to a new country doesn’t mean you have to adopt their culture and immediately surround yourself with only the natives of that country. To be honest i think its a bit sad people who wish to forget their own culture and distance themselves from being irish.

I think people have a problem with the type of person who goes abroad and only hangs around with Irish people and only drinks in Irish bars. It's like the people who go to Spain and pack a suitcase full of Pot Noodles and sausages because they "don't eat that foreign muck".

It's not about forgetting their own culture, it's about almost isolating yourself from any chance of even slightly embracing a new culture.

prinz · 11-01-2011 01:03PM

Notorious97 wrote: »

I also don’t see how people have a problem with hanging around with loads of other irish people abroad, just because you go to a new country doesn’t mean you have to adopt their culture and immediately surround yourself with only the natives of that country. To be honest i think its a bit sad people who wish to forget their own culture and distance themselves from being irish.

Your Irishness can't be taken away. It's not like some wizard points on an online game. You don't lose it and need to top it up regularly. One of the benefits of going abroad is meeting new people, experiencing new languages, new cultures and new identities. If I want to keep a barstool warm while drinking piss-poor Guinness with a gang of GAA-heads I can do that right here in Ireland.

Sykk · 11-01-2011 01:05PM

Looked at the thread title and clicked in... To my amazement.. It's not been created by CorkMan

Pisco Sour · 11-01-2011 01:05PM

jimthemental wrote: »

You can see English people with their various club jerseys.

If the jersey is MUFC or LFC then there is a decent chance many of those people are Irish aswell :rolleyes: But thats a different discussion entirely.

Xavi6 · 11-01-2011 01:05PM

It's a warning symbol to let the rest of us know which people to avoid.

Irishoz · 11-01-2011 01:05PM

For the same reason they wear them when on one of their 'lads' holidays to Gran Canaria or Majorica - to make themselves stand out to other Irish people as 'one of them'. They're lazy, they ain't bothered trying to interact with Ozzies. It's really embarrassing when you see them in big group of 10 to a table all pis*ed and screaming in their jerseys drinking at 5pm on a Wednesday while all the ozzies are passing by The Cock n' Bull or Tea Gardens in their work clothes coming home from work.

11-01-2011 01:08PM

They do this in America too. I guess in San Diego it's a way for the landlords to know who not to rent to.

kfallon · 11-01-2011 01:08PM

04072511 wrote: »

I havent seen a single person from another country wear their sports jerseys here

Really???
I've seen Polish, Italians, Cameroon natives, Ivory Coast, Spanish, English amongst others wear their Country/Club colours when over here!

Plus a lot of the African guys wear Arsenal stuff!

Notorious97 · 11-01-2011 01:09PM

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I think people have a problem with the type of person who goes abroad and only hangs around with Irish people and only drinks in Irish bars. It's like the people who go to Spain and pack a suitcase full of Pot Noodles and sausages because they "don't eat that foreign muck".

It's not about forgetting their own culture, it's about almost isolating yourself from any chance of even slightly embracing a new culture.

I know it cant be taken away obviously, my point was i think its sad for somebody to criticise somebody for what they wish to do, if they want to be around irish people then let them, who is it bothering? If they wish to try new things, meet new people, embrace a new culture as stated, then let them, who is it bothering?

Xavi6 · 11-01-2011 01:10PM

Irishoz wrote: »

For the same reason they wear them when on one of their 'lads' holidays to Gran Canaria or Majorica - to make themselves stand out to other Irish people as 'one of them'. They're lazy, they ain't bothered trying to interact with Ozzies. It's really embarrassing when you see them in big group of 10 to a table all pis*ed and screaming in their jerseys drinking at 5pm on a Wednesday while all the ozzies are passing by The Cock n' Bull or Tea Gardens in their work clothes coming home from work.

In fairness you're just as likely to see a group of Aussie tradies in the pub at 5pm on a Wednesday.

baltimore sun · 11-01-2011 01:11PM

I wear a New York GAA jersey, confuses the f*ck outta loads of people.....
if you're judging people by the clothes they wear then you obviously lead a very lonely and boring life, get off your high horse

Why do so many Irish people wear GAA jerseys in Australia?

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