Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

jetsonx · 26-11-2020 6:46pm #1

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?

Jimmy Bottlehead · 26-11-2020 6:49pm

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

Church on Tuesday · 26-11-2020 6:56pm

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.

COVID · 26-11-2020 7:37pm

What about our penchant for the porter?

Wibbs · 26-11-2020 7:41pm

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.

drake70 · 26-11-2020 7:54pm

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.

Interrogator : "Who do you work for?"

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

Augme · 26-11-2020 7:56pm

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.

26-11-2020 8:03pm

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

drake70 · 26-11-2020 8:06pm

Deleted User wrote: »

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

Purple Mountain · 26-11-2020 8:08pm

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.

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

Captain Havoc · 26-11-2020 8:19pm

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.

ablelocks · 26-11-2020 8:19pm

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"

Aongus Von Bismarck · 26-11-2020 8:20pm

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.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 26-11-2020 8:22pm

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

We'd make far better baddies.

Ekerot · 26-11-2020 8:34pm

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.

COVID · 26-11-2020 8:44pm

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

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.

26-11-2020 9:01pm

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.

topper75 · 26-11-2020 10:00pm

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.

Yurt2 · 26-11-2020 10:20pm

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.

topper75 · 26-11-2020 10:35pm

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.

jetsonx · 26-11-2020 10:38pm

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.

Pasteur. · 26-11-2020 10:39pm

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

Insect Overlord · 26-11-2020 10:41pm

Dheara, muis, sure ya know yourself.

For Forks Sake · 26-11-2020 10:45pm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Dheara, muis, sure ya know yourself.

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

Yurt2 · 26-11-2020 10:52pm

For Forks Sake wrote: »

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

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...

trashcan · 26-11-2020 10:59pm

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.

26-11-2020 11:20pm

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

jill_valentine · 26-11-2020 11:27pm

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.

_Brian · 26-11-2020 11:52pm

Too quick to share a juicy bit of gossip

topper75 · 27-11-2020 12:08am

jill_valentine wrote: »

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.

Capt'n Midnight · 27-11-2020 12:35am

No one's ever seen an Irish Ninja.

just saying...

Thelonious Monk · 27-11-2020 1:45am

This guy was amazing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Chapman

Caught by the Nazis in the Channel Islands while locked up for being a crim, double agent, spy schools in Norway, V1 rockets, 2 fiances at the same time, and then got a movie made about him. Ok he's not Irish but worra ledge.

Yurt2 · 27-11-2020 4:27am

topper75 wrote: »

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.

the purple tin · 27-11-2020 12:35pm

COVID wrote: »

What about our penchant for the porter?

That would be a point in our favour.
An important part of spy work is getting somebody pissed enough to blab their mouth off while you remain just sober enough to remember what they said.

27-11-2020 8:49pm

No self-respecting Saville Row tailor would make a suit or tuxedo with boot cut trousers.

L1011 · 27-11-2020 9:38pm

Irish diplomats are considered to have the ultimate in soft power, able to make unofficial deals and line stuff up in advance of the political end of the setup being seen to do it in public. If we needed a secret service we wouldn't be short of suitable candidates

ILoveYourVibes · 27-11-2020 11:19pm

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?

How many languages does the average Irish person speak with no accent?

Without that skill ...bam as soon as you speak that person knows a huge amount about you.

People who grow up in bi -lingual environments and can fit in and be accepted as a local in a few environments are perfect spies.

Its why Irish intelligence was better at infiltrating the IRA. They could pass.

It is why spies working against ISIS have to be of Arab descent. They have to culturally physically and linguistically pass for people in the area.

There are cultural attaches etc MOST of them who are from an enemy country ..are spies ...but its like both countries know ...and are both doing it ..its like an open secret ...they don't usually know or learn anything THAT important.

Also there are lots of different kinds of spies.

If you are required to spy on a nuclear lab ...you are going to be useless without a university science background. People always think a spy needs to be good with people and gaining trust. But what is they spy doesnt actually NEED information from people at all but needs to be able to understand scientific information fast and easily?

A lot of the time spies have to be of a specific gender also. As they have to infiltrate or gain the trust of someone or a group that prefers the company of a certain gender. If you want to gain the trust of the wife of a diplomat ..you have to send a woman.

Intelligence agencies just use people. There is no such thing as a better personality type for being a spy. They just use who they need at the time. There was a huge recruitment drive for spies of asian or arab descent who could speak arabic after 9/11. They had to look and SOUND the part. They had to understand the culture.

We often say ...you can spot an Irish guy abroad. That is a sure sign ...he is not going to be a good spy.

The skill with languages ...is a must ...

Take 'Jack Barsky' ....a KGB agent who went as a sleeper agent to the US.

He was given training in english and skills to avoid surveillance for years in East Germany. His English was constantly under evaluation by Americans who had defected and linguists. Think professor Higgins in my fair lady.

Even THEN when he arrived in the states he realized his training had been poor. He stood out from Americans as not being 'one of them'.

Personally i don't think many Irish people could be a spy. Except maybe in NI.

Cultural attaches ...diplomats etc ..its generally accepted that they ARE spies and everyone just is polite about it. But they rarely gain important secrets etc.

A country where they have many languages ....many cultural backgrounds ....etc would make good spies. People are the resource in the spy game.

In fact NKVD .precursor to the KGB..would recruit people from every nation who was sympathetic to the soviet cause. THey realized they needed people of every language ...every race etc. Sorge and kim Philby were both part of the NKVD. Kim Philby ....was also famously involved in the CIA and MI 6. He was british...but his loyalty was with communism.

The best spy is someone FROM that country.

ILoveYourVibes · 27-11-2020 11:34pm

topper75 wrote: »

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.

That is because MOST agents ...stick out like a sore thumb in reality ...but contrary to popular belief ..most countries don't kick them out when they are found ..first they worry about their own people elsewhere ..even if they are not spies ...but also its better to feed the agent false info than simply get rid of them.

What happened to Nairac ...was amateurish. Let him think he infiltrated republicans ...feed him false info.

AS I said ..90% of spies are identified soon after deployment. The smart ones know this ..and play along.

the purple tin · 28-11-2020 6:25pm

There was some Irish priest in America years ago who was spying for the spooks for ages, it never came out until after he died.
American missionaries are able to travel all over the world especially south and central America.

Edgware · 28-11-2020 7:55pm

People think that spying is all James Bond, Richard Burton and Checkpoint Charlie stuff. That day is gone. Most spying now is done by natives to the country who know what needs to be feeded to the highest purchaser

Stateofyou · 28-11-2020 9:16pm

jill_valentine wrote: »

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.

:pac: That gave me a great laugh

Capt'n Midnight · 28-11-2020 10:34pm

Edgware wrote: »

People think that spying is all James Bond, Richard Burton and Checkpoint Charlie stuff. That day is gone. Most spying now is done by natives to the country who know what needs to be feeded to the highest purchaser

It was ever thus as Sun Tzu pointed out 25 centuries ago.

There are five classes of spies

(1) Local spies; - using the locals

(2) inward spies; - getting officials to work for you by money or blackmail or using their resentment if they were conscripted or convince them to join the wining side to save their skins.

(3) converted spies; - using the enemy's spies

(4) doomed spies; - disinformation

(5) surviving spies. - our agents who come back with the intel.
"Your surviving spy must be a man of keen intellect, though in outward appearance a fool; of shabby exterior, but with a will of iron. He must be active, robust, endowed with physical strength and courage; thoroughly accustomed to all sorts of dirty work, able to endure hunger and cold, and to put up with shame and ignominy."

Is the Irish personality perfectly suited to secret service roles?

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