Irish Studies 101 An Introductory Course in Irish College Culture

As I’ve been writing this blog it seems that the most successful posts have been those where I discuss the differences between Irish and American culture.  So I wanted to devote a couple of posts just to his topic.  So here I’m going to write about different observations I’ve made about the Irish people (at least Irish college students), their culture, turns-of-phrases, and anything else that I think you might find interesting.

“Having the craic” OR “What’s the craic?”

This is the single most common phrase that you hear around college age people.  “Craic” is an Irish word, and loosely translated it means “fun”; it is pronounced like “crack” so yes it can be pretty surprising when people use it at first!  Basically people use this to greet eachother but also to talk about going out or partying.  

“Babs”

Used when addressing women/girls.  It is kind of a shorter version of “babe”.  Used like: “How ya doin, babs?”

Potato Chips

As you’ll read later on, the brands are a bit different here.  But the strangest thing about Irish potato chips is that the “regular” flavor isn’t plain salted potato chips, it is cheese and onion!  Definitely a weird combination.  The most popular potato chip is made by Tayto Crisps, and is cheese and onion.  But there are also strange flavors like Prawn Cocktail, Paprika, and Thai Sweet Chili!  I miss my plain old Lays salted chips.

Informal government agencies/practices

In general things are a bit more relaxed in Ireland than in the US.  For instance, in terms of government practices…when having to get clearance to work with young children, instead of going to the Garda (police) station and getting things signed, we had a solicitor come and sign our papers in a parking lot!  You wouldn’t see that in the USA!

"Cheers"

This expression is used in 2 ways: to say “you’re welcome” or to say “good bye”.

“Oi”

An expression used to get your attention.  At home you’d hear a lot more “excuse me”.

Monday Night Partying

The big night to go out here in Galway is Monday night, mostly because Irish students all go home on the weekends.  In the USA this is almost unheard of, Thursdays-Saturdays are considered the going out nights.

1-4pm Lunch Break

Everyone here takes an extended lunch break.  Good luck trying to go see a professor or anyone in school administration, or even to the post office during the hours of 1-4pm.  They won’t be there.  Much different than the American mentality of work work work with a 15 minute break.

Sales Tax

There is none here!  If the price of an item is 10 euro, than that is the price. I love it.

Tipping

There really isn’t a system for tipping in Ireland.  Although at restaurants you are expected to tip, 10% is really the highest that is expected unless a stellar job is performed.  This is really different form the USA where you are considered stingy if you give anything less than 20%.

A “trolley”

A trolley is the Irish word for shopping cart.

Lecturer vs. Professor

In the USA all of the people who teach in universities (unless they are a TA) are considered professors.  Here, you better not call a “lecturer” a professor, because they haven’t earned that right yet.  A lecturer is an academic early on his or her career who haven’t earned a doctorate yet.    Also, don’t call a professor a professor if they have their doctorate.  Always address them as “doctor.”  It gets very confusing when you’re just trying to be polite and ask a question!

Tutorial

The Irish word for a “discussion section.”  The smaller groups that large lecture classes are broke up into to facilitate discussions.

Sausage Roll

A delicious breakfast or snack!  Essentially a light and flakey pastry dough filled with a savory meat filling.  You can buy them everywhere here, at convenience stores, bakeries, and EVERYWHERE on campus.

Gypsies

At home we don’t really have to deal with this population.  Gypsies, or “travelers”, are a part of everyday life here in Ireland.  They speak a different language called Shelta and live apart from other Irish society.  They are racistly called “pikeys” from the word turnpike since they are a nomadic people.  They are considered fascinatingly frightening here...for instance a very popular reality show just came out called "My Big Fat Gyspy Wedding" which chronicled 16 and 17 year old Travelers getting married.

Snood

A snood is like a scarf.  It is essentially a scarf with the ends sewn together as well, so that it basically looks like a fabric necklace.  They come in very handy and are easier to wear here because they don’t get blown off!

Smoking

EVERYONE smokes here.  And I mean everyone!  I’m so not used to the smell of cigarettes haunting me through the halls!  During the day, even in the worst and coldest weather there will be huddles of people lighting up outside of the library, on their apartment balconies, and outside of every pub.  This is one difference that I really dislike.

"Solicitor"

The word for lawyer.

"Car Park"

A parking lot.

Chips vs. Crisps

A chip is a French fry.  A crisp is a potato chip.  Don’t get this wrong because you get some mighty strange looks when you ask for sour cream and onion chips…

“Hiya”

The way everyone greets each other here.  The way that American college students would say “hey”.

I also wanted to list a few Irish relatives of big name American brands that I’ve seen so far in Ireland!

• Eddie Rockets Diner: the less-tasty Irish half-brother of Johnny Rockets
• TK Maxx: the Irish cousin of American clothing store TJ Maxx
• Walkers: the Irish and UK cousin of Lays Potato Chips
• Radisson Blu: the worldwide name for the US Radisson hotels.  The only difference?  Looks like the only difference is that there are neon blue lights shining on the building at all times!

I’ll keep an eye out for any other big differences and American companies in Irish disguises!

Cheers!