Quirky Dublin

Some say the greatest perk about living in another country is enjoying the differences in culture.  Although we speak the same language as the Irish, there are many differences at both work and play.

Here are a few differences that we have found holds true with most of our Irish friends. When you finish, think about how different U.S. culture is, and how unusual you will inevitably seem to your new coworkers!

Abair é sin arís, le do thoil? There’s an Irish language?

You may have heard of “Gaelic” as the native language of Scottish and Irish people.  Irish people refer to Gaelic as it is spoken in Ireland as “Irish.” Although Irish is officially the first language of the Republic, is an official “working language” of the European Union, and is used on official documents, street signs, and buses and trains, it is barely spoken outside Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas on the west coast of Ireland. While many Irish adults will recount the horrors of learning Irish (it is a mandatory subject) as children, in recent years, efforts to preserve and revive the language have become more sophisticated, with a cutting edge Irish language TV channel (TG4) and the middle classes lining up to send their children to Irish language schools with their extremely low student to teacher ratio.

Dzień dobry

That said, you’re more likely to hear Polish spoken on the streets of Dublin than Irish. When Poland became part of the European Union in 2004, Ireland was one of only three E.U. countries to open its labor market to Polish workers.  Roughly 150,000 Polish people used this opportunity by moving to Ireland in the following years. However, the Irish recession along with a Polish economy and currency that is gaining in strength have slowed down Polish immigration into Ireland significantly since the second half of 2008. In addition, some of those already in the Republic are starting to return to their home country. Nevertheless, the Polish remain the largest minority group in Ireland.

“Smoke-signals are loud-mouthed compared with us.” - Seamus Heaney

We’re not just talking about volume - although compared to Americans, Irish people practically whisper - but being indirect. For example, Irish people will typically turn down a cup of tea when offered (even if they’re dying for a “cuppa”) two or three times before they finally accept - they’d consider it a bit rude and abrupt to accept on the first offer. Likewise, if your Irish neighbor were to comment in the friendliest tone of voice that you must really like that new CD, they’re practically screaming at you to turn your stereo down. There are no words for “yes” or “no” in Irish - and this tends to carry over not only to the way Irish people speak English, but the Irish psyche as well.

Get your skates on

Irish people are officially the fastest walkers in Europe - definitely faster than Americans (who ranked last in the world!). Forty-six percent of Dubliners walk, cycle, or use public transport to get to work - probably because the traffic is so terrible.

What’s the hurry?

They may be walking fast, but they probably took an indirect route or stopped for a chat, because Irish people are late for everything. Anything up to 25 minutes late is considered “on time.”  However, if you’re American, they know you’ll be on time, so they notice if you’re even a few minutes late.

What’s the story?

“What’s the story?” is Dublinese for “How are you?” or “How’s it going?” Ireland is an oral culture, and Irish people take time to talk to each other, which is demonstrated by the fact that they are the biggest cell phone users in Europe - 3.78 million mobiles for a population of 4 million people. While Americans tend to give more authority to the written word - “I saw it in the paper” or “Put it in writing” for example - Irish people place a much higher premium on the spoken word. Try to keep that in mind if your written job description seems a bit vague - what matters is what your supervisor tells you at the interview.

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