Before I left for Dublin, I wrote a little piece about the 5 "true misconceptions" of Americans abroad. Well, now that I'm here I would like to write something a little similar, but about the Irish. Why 6? Yeah I don't have a good reason, I just couldn't come up with 10.
6. The Irish really do like their drink - I have it on good authority (the word of several sober and drunk Irishmen) that the Irish do, in fact, enjoy a good drunk. An older gentleman told me about how a pint of Guinness should be served and what a good Guinness looks like. He knew this because he was a Guinness representative for a while and because, "We are alcoholics."
5. Everything is seriously f-cking green - It rains here. A LOT. The first full day we were here, we walked through rain, sleet, snow, rainsleetsnow, and then sunny clear skies. Whatever photographs you've seen of the rolling hills of sunny Ireland were taken in the 3 minute timespan between torrential downpours. Because of all this rain, it is always green here. As one of my professors described it, in Siberia you have to wear sunglasses to protect you from snow-blindness, but here you have to wear sunglasses for green-blindness.
4. Dont' bring up the British - Just... Don't.
3. They do not like leprechauns - Of all the stereotypes, this one took the longest to come up. They see it as a stupid myth that Americans think is actually real. I have never met anyone that legitimately thought leprechauns were real, but my professor knew a police officer who met a rather drunk American man who asked him wear the "lupreeshins" were. As a kind Irishmen would, he directed him toward the park down the street. Maybe the Leprechauns moved to Mobile, Alabama? (See above video to get that reference)
2. Guinness is the national economy's mainstay - Though the Celtic Tiger (Ireland's economic boom) is long over, there's one thing the economy can count on and that's Guinness. Not only is it a tourist attraction 365, it is the most common drink purchased in every pub/bar/club I've been to thus far. So don't be shy to order a pint next time you're in town, you'd look weird if you didn't.
1. If you've got any Irish in your blood, you're Irish - I'm Irish, according to the Irishman at a pub I visited. He was very curious why all these Americans are always coming over to Ireland to study. I tried to explain that traveling/studying abroad is just a thing that attracts a lot of students. He then asked if I had any Irish heritage, I explained that it was waaaay down my mother's line and that I was actually an Arab-American. He cut me off about halfway through my sentence and said, "You've got Irish in you, you're Irish." So yeah! I'm Irish! Don't kiss me.
P.S. I hope that news station was shut down after that report.
Clint Alwahab - A photojournalism major at the University of Missouri, self-described old man, and admitted snob. My most passionate debates spark from politics, government and religion but I will gladly talk about movies and music (as long as we're not talking about Michael Bay or Miley Cyrus).
Tyler Echols - An 8th grade US History teacher in Nashville, TN, self-described sweater vest lover, and admitted geek. My most passionate debates spring from politics, religion, and who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo...though everyone knows the answer to that. I am more than happy to talk about both Michael Bay and Miley Cyrus, as everyone knows that Americans love explosions. Yes, I was referring to Miley as well.