Things you should know about Irish people before visiting Ireland

People have varied versions of what they think Irish people look and sound like and many of them aren’t true. If you are planning on traveling to Ireland, there are things you should know about Irish people.

Like any other group, Irish people face their fair share of stereotypes. And for many Irish people, this can get rather frustrating.

When visiting Ireland, when you will be surrounded by Irish people, it’s best not to offend. You are a visitor, after all.

We don’t say ‘top of the morning to you’

As Irish people, we don’t really know where this one came from. Never, ever, will you hear an Irish person say ‘Top of the morning to you’. Ask yourself, what does that even mean?

We don’t all drink all the time

Contrary to popular belief. The Irish aren’t a nation of drunks. Yes, there are a lot of pubs there and drinking culture is prominent, but there is so much more to Ireland than excessive drinking.

Ireland is home to some of the most exciting restaurants in the world and the country has a thriving modern food scene. There are also plenty of cultural experiences to be had including theater, art, and comedy.

We don’t grope the Molly Malone statue

This is something you might see tourists do in Dublin that often really offends locals. Located on Suffolk Street near the Grafton Street shopping area in Dublin City Centre, the Molly Malone statue is almost always surrounded by tourists.

For many visitors, it is a tradition to touch the breast of Molly Malone. An unfortunate assumption is that people touch her breasts simply because her top is low-cut. Others say it is because touching her breast gives you luck, but there aren’t any stories related to Molly Malone to back this up.

The latest example of vandalism on the iconic Molly Malone statue in Dublin

The Republic of Ireland is not in the UK

If there is one thing that is going to upset Irish people, it’s being mistaken for being part of the United Kingdom. Irish independence was a long and hard fight, and one that Irish people are proud of.

Granted, some confusion comes into play when you look at the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland situation. The island of Ireland is split into two parts, Northern Ireland in the northeast corner of the island, and the Republic of Ireland makes up the rest.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It was not given independence from the British Empire when the rest of Ireland was and that’s when the border was created. From that, The Troubles stemmed.

The ‘Irish Goodbye’ is very un-Irish in nature

It’s often confusing to an Irish person when they hear the phrase ‘Irish goodbye’. The term means dipping out of a gathering or situation quickly without anyone noticing or without telling anyone you are leaving.

If anything, Irish people take a long time to say goodbye when leaving a party or a gathering.

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