64 Comments

• missimerica | Sep 15, 2011, 11:04 PM EDT

  Ehh. I'm gonna have to make a judgement call on this one...the verdict is...your dates must have realized you're no catch yourself. You sound like a majorly uptight buzzkill. Polish your personality.

• abbym7180 | Sep 15, 2011, 05:39 PM EDT

  FYI, a lot of american guys won't buy you a drink either.I'm an american too.

• abbym7180 | Sep 15, 2011, 05:17 PM EDT

  I will gladly put up with unpolished shoes vs some of the clowns i've put with america.There are worse things than that, like finding out my date dressed in drag in college.Thanks , i'll head over to ireland for a semester!

• pat52rk | Sep 11, 2011, 03:43 PM EDT

  she's not far wrong , where is the first country the Irish run to when they cant find a job , the big , bad old Usa, and I'm glad she didn't bring up the irishmans bedroom skills which are non existent and the fact that they think taking a shower once a month is fine...

• DrTrelawney | Sep 11, 2011, 10:15 AM EDT

  Well, I think Trealach -- not for the first time -- wins the prize for dumbest correction of the week. "It was and [sic] Irishman who invented the Motor Car - Henry Ford from Dunmanway." Leaving aside the fact that he was born in Michigan, we should just clarify that Henry Ford DID NOT invent the car.

• bogsidebunny | Sep 09, 2011, 01:27 AM EDT

  Careful when "hiring" a cer in Ireland. Even if you ask for FULL insurance coverage at the airport at 6:30 AM when the staff are overwhelmed, get a staff member aside and ask them about the coverage. If you press hard enough they'll finally admit there's a "deductible" on damage to the car and will take the "deductible" charge from your credit card AFTER you've returned the car and are happily sleeping in your NJ, NY, mConn or Mass bed. I foind out the hard way when the radio was stolen from the hire car in Cork. i was $700 poorer after that. AND, I had requested FULL, TOTAL cover no matter the cost of the policy.

• Springfield9 | Sep 09, 2011, 12:01 AM EDT

  It's a fair list. I've seen it all done. However, it's dangerous to be too general. There are Irish gentlemen. There are polished shoes (some Dubs do it twice a year!). American women are predictably shaken by the absence of their self-absorbed pedestal. Irish women. also predictable, do not require the outward signs of deference. It's enough to know that when you find the right one ..... it sticks. In America it only sticks about 48% of the time.I dated a beautiful and intelligent girl from Co. Clare - expected nothing - got everything and produced a strange atmosphere of bone chilling fear and admiration. Beat that Ms. Chicago.

• mamaginnty | Sep 07, 2011, 04:45 PM EDT

  This little madam is lucky she did not run into my two fine sons, they would have had her eating pigs feet and cabbage in no time at all, plus no polished shoes, they would have her wearing the wellies covered in cow dung and to damn tired to think of taking Them out for a meal, they wouldn't have gone for a meal anyway, they always say " the meals at home are better "hehe.

• cormacmac | Sep 07, 2011, 04:32 PM EDT

  Well done Clare.You had your tongue near your left cheek when you wrote this but so many people clearly read it. Well done. A lot of truths in there too.Our national inability to accept criticism is reflected in many of the comments.Another point,however,in my view, is that you revealed you have a very bad date selection process.It is still rare for an Irishman not to "stand" his round, Where did you find these guys?

• citizen69 | Sep 07, 2011, 11:47 AM EDT

  Steady on guys, it's only one person's opinion and it's probably meant tongue in cheek. Of course all Irish men aren't like that but a few are. Anyway, i'm not sure why someone would be obsessed with shiny shoes! ;-) @Trealach: Henry Ford was not Irish (he didn't invent the car either). His father was Irish (of English heritage) & his mother was Belgian. Ford was American.

• sirpeter | Sep 07, 2011, 11:43 AM EDT

  If she went around criticizing peoples unpolished shoes.I think the other nine moans she has would happen pretty quick.

• gcy1980 | Sep 07, 2011, 11:25 AM EDT

  Re Siobhan39 Irish people are not above criticism. But be a little bit fairer. She is judging all Irishmen by her experiences with a small few. I'm an Irishman and none of these things stated here are a fair reflection on me. Thats all we ask for!!

• gcy1980 | Sep 07, 2011, 11:22 AM EDT

  And Claire, you contradict yourself when you complain that Irish people don't see Irish Americans as true Irish(most of us do see ye as true Irish) by then stating than Americans set up Apple. Wozniak and Jobs were polish American and Syrian American. So by your insistence they would be true Polish and Syrian. It is OK for you to interpret peoples the way you want when it suits you but when an Irish person has an opinion on someone else's heritage, they are ignorant!! What "lucky bag" did you get your journalism qualification out of?

• gcy1980 | Sep 07, 2011, 10:59 AM EDT

  Americans invented the automobile and the computer?? My,my,my? You hear something new everyday!!

• Siobhan39 | Sep 07, 2011, 10:18 AM EDT

  Dear God, someone criticized Ireland and all of the pseudo Irish (as well as Irish) are up in arms. Talk about thin skinned. Are the Irish above criticism.

• jamieLM | Sep 07, 2011, 09:49 AM EDT

  One should have a good attitude and an open mind when traveling. We're all used to our own customs, but when you travel, you have to be open to other people's way of doing things. Another country and it's people are not a clone of yours. Rude, obnoxious, and unwelcoming people are a put-off, but every country has its fair share of them, and no one likes to be stereotyped. I think most travelers return home thinking "there's no place like home," even if they had a wonderful trip to another country. Every traveler can make a list of likes and dislikes, but hopefully the likes greatly outnumber the dislikes. Clare's list seems rather petty to me. Btw: Henry Ford was born near Dearborn, Michigan, the son of an Irish immigrant - William Ford. I don't think Henry ever traveled to Ireland during his lifetime.

• JBRAFTREE | Sep 07, 2011, 06:46 AM EDT

  Dear Clare, I'm an old guy, still have my hair, spit-shine my boots, open doors for ladies, buy drinks for females, returned from a trip to Galway in May, have a paid-for house in Chicago, (good neighborhood), retired, have a few bucks, sadly, though, married.

• IronMountainMovies | Sep 07, 2011, 04:40 AM EDT

  Oh and by the way Henry Ford was an Irish man from Cork!

• IronMountainMovies | Sep 07, 2011, 04:38 AM EDT

  Lets have a look at some other US inventions. Iraq being responsible for 9/11! The 'Daisy Cutter Bomb'! The Nuclear and Hydrogen bombs! Napalm! Oh and of course that wonderful icon of American culture, Mickey Mouse. No wonder Clare can't wait to get back home to Mom and apple pie!

• PatriciaMarya | Sep 06, 2011, 10:33 PM EDT

  Eh, excuse me - TV was invented by a guy in Utah and there was this man near my home town of Orange, NJ, his name was Thomas Alva Edison and his laboratory in West Orange, NJ did a lot of great things. But really - aren't we all in this together? It is a truism that the Irish man owes his first loyalty to his Mam, but then again, forever? We Yanks are not rich, not by a long shot, you know that! The person who has a regular job treats - that is the rule we use in show business and it is not a bad one in life. But then again, none of us are working, are we?!

• macalister | Sep 06, 2011, 10:15 PM EDT

  With that attitude,you're lucky ANYBODY talked to you.

• badolan | Sep 06, 2011, 10:02 PM EDT

  I adore Ireland. It is truly a beautiful country. However, I have noticed a distinct anti-American or anti-Irish American sentiment. My first visit was in 2000. At that time, the people were generally polite and pleasant. However, during our visit in 2009, things definitely changed. We were treated rudely on a regular basis. For the most part, the general consensus was that all anyone there wanted was our money. I'll return to Ireland ASAP but I'll avoid the larger cities and as many people as possible. As far as the article goes, pretty petty stuff she complains about - if she really exists.

• sirpeter | Sep 06, 2011, 10:00 PM EDT

  If that's the best she could come up with after nine months.It ain't much.Never heard of a guy not buying the drinks out on a date.Must be the younger generation or something.I do know some guys won't get up and let a lady sit down in a crowded bar.They say women want to be treated as equals.I guess that's the way things are going.

• EileenL | Sep 06, 2011, 09:12 PM EDT

  Clare Macnamara you should be ashamed of yourself to spend nine months in my beautiful country and return with nothing good to say for the privilege ,i have a feeling IF YOU DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN YOU WOULDNT LIKE IT

• AlunPalmer | Sep 06, 2011, 07:00 PM EDT

  BTW, Marconi's mother was a Jamieson, of the Irish whiskey distilling family.

• AlunPalmer | Sep 06, 2011, 06:58 PM EDT

  Shoe polish is rare enough in America. Not treating the ladies to a drink/holding the door is true equality, you know. And, of course, the car is a German invention, while computers, as well as television and radar, were all invented by the Brits. The Irish invented the submarine, however, and Marconi, who invented radio, was Irish on his mother's side. It's true the Americans did put men on the moon, though.

• Trealach | Sep 06, 2011, 05:35 PM EDT

  1 - It was and Irishman who invented the Motor Car - Henry Ford from Dunmanway. (2) It was TWO Irish Scientists who headed up the Lunar programe, which put the first Yank on the moon. (4) When a person swears 'allegiance' to a foreign power and is willing to take up arms against his home land, then they are NOT Irish, they are Traitors. (5)The vast majority who left Ireland and Europe for the US after the Famine were DEPORTED CRIMINALS. (6) Did she mean the "good old US of Assholes?"

• joycean | Sep 06, 2011, 05:08 PM EDT

  When seagreen states that the Irish-American "thing may be fading" he may mean that the large influx of Irish to this country was a couple of generations ago. Aside from a common language, Americans may become less inclined to visit Ireland.In fact, I read that other places, like the Far East, are becoming more popular.

• Stiofain | Sep 06, 2011, 04:21 PM EDT

  The "modern" automobile was invented by Karl Benz in 1885, Germany. Daimler/Maybach went in to production in 1890,Germany. Armand Peugeot opened automobile plant in 1892,France. Detroit Automobile Co.(Henry Ford)short lived production in 1899,USA. Ford Motor Co. started production in 1903,USA.

• ancavker | Sep 06, 2011, 02:57 PM EDT

  There is some truth to these observations, and the Irish born should not be so sensitive. As far as the Irish_American thing dying out as one poster claims, no, not at all. Irish culture in the U.S. has never been as strong and popular, even among many with no connection to Ireland at all. Contrast that to the Coronation Street/Manchester United obsession in Ireland. Because in Ireland with many people. if it is English/British it is better then anything Irish. Now that does not mean there are not a few silly Irish-Americans who make fools of themselves when they visit Ireland etc. Two other points, the drink culture over there is out of control, and he use of the c word even among some women is offensive.

• christilcaugh | Sep 06, 2011, 02:49 PM EDT

  Shesh! Kind of a shallow list? I live in the States and polishing shoes went out in the sixties (Unless you're from the well-to-do group.)! What's important? Looks and an giving a person what they want to hear, or having fun and getting to know a person? For me, it would be the later.

• muirisobric | Sep 06, 2011, 02:21 PM EDT

  Geeeeze, we didn't polish our shoes in Kerry - we always wore wellies. If we'd ask about úr cookin' it's because we're dyin' for somethin' different than what we're used to. Wont buy ú a pint? I refuse to believe that. It's funny, when my daughter goes to Kerry, she refers to it as going home. They must be treating her well there.

• clarec77 | Sep 06, 2011, 02:15 PM EDT

  Well we only invented the computer, Apple, automobile, went to the moon - what did you Irish do lately again? Oh yeah another depression. Actually Karl Benz (who was German) is acknowledged with the invention of the modern automobile, so this really shows how stupid and ignorant the author actually is.

• peterson | Sep 06, 2011, 02:03 PM EDT

  She has a bad attitude --- nice guys would avoid her !!

• dwilson94 | Sep 06, 2011, 01:50 PM EDT

  Go home and grow up Claire. When other countries don't care for us, there usually is a good reason why. They aren't the only ones that call us Yanks by the way. Shoe polish, get real! If you act the way you write, I wouldn't like ya either. Why are you using an Irish accent over there anyway?

• RichardP | Sep 06, 2011, 01:40 PM EDT

  How did you manage to pick three useless losers to go out with Clare? Did you trawl the lines of candidates for Jerry Springer shows or is your judgement really that bad? Where were you studying that you found these guys? In 9 months you could only find moronic, self-centred, mammy's boys to date? How's your success rate back home? Or are you just a whiner with zero personality of your own that no decent guy would date?

• seagreen | Sep 06, 2011, 01:38 PM EDT

  She is not far off on a few things ! Lots of thin skin in Ireland now that much of the population has become monied, and the dislike of Americans is rampant among those under 45 years old. (those that have not been to Ireland might not believe it !) This age group are now Europeans, and the relationship to aunt Margaret and Uncle Michael in Chicago or Boston is fading, and at the same time the Irish/American heritage thing is also fading. In a few years, there will be no special kinship with Ireland. Relations will be as they are with most other countries. Ireland can be whatever it wants to be. If you find Americans irritating , kick them out, its as simple as that ! As for Immigration, The so called irish/americans are no longer calling the shots or holding all of the government jobs, they may have names like Martinez,Jackson Chou, or Patel, and the afforementioned sirnames have other priorities than offering an Irish advantage.. Being Irish has its advantages, you can vacation almost anywhere, and not be tainted by some deviant setting off drones in Pakistan and killing goats and villagers. Nobody hates you like they hate us,and the irish are the largest group of caucasian illegals in Australia, Canada, and the US, so enjoy that, and some of the other main events that you are entitled to by not being a citizen of a complex, diverse,contentious,,potentially violent nation that is just barely under control. So rather than getting bent out of shape, just revel in your new status, and be magnanimous, and hold the door or buy somebody a frigging pint..

• derrymarch | Sep 06, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

  Dating is a desultory, haphazard business at best, Clare:the likelihood of soul-mate matches is hard-hit by other girls snapping up guys at an early stage, many time-tables won't correspond, emigration and joblessness tend to give an appearance of"hardness", and most men love America and maybe you were being "slagged", which sometimes can be crude and belittling. However, Clare:"Would to God the gift he gave us to see ourselves as others see us" but most people are very kind indeed and really appreciate others.

• manhattan | Sep 06, 2011, 01:08 PM EDT

  Greenhorns, narrowbacks, stage Irish etc. etc. etc. The Irish born and oops! sorry to offend the pure Irish, have been battling each other since immigration to America began. Our Irish relatives told us to keep the tradition alive and when we do we get insulted. I guess it is a inborn thing to fight and argue and be sure we are better then others. There are dopey men here as in Ireland so no more inflamatory articles like this please or we will all be at each others throats forever.

• feliciamaisey | Sep 06, 2011, 12:51 PM EDT

  What a revolting commentary on an American perspective in Ireland. I have been to Ireland numerous times and have found people to be really well-rounded and kind. Whilst there is nothing wrong with a want of polished shoes, do oyu not consider the amount of walking the Irish do in contrast to most Americans? Such an endeavor could take many more minutes per day than the walks themselves.

• Deidra47 | Sep 06, 2011, 12:42 PM EDT

  Maybe at times they were offensive in your eyes....but you know...you are in their country/if you don't like it....go home and don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.

• Jamcelt | Sep 06, 2011, 12:40 PM EDT

  Yo butlerreport, would you like all of us to start pontificating about those of you who have abandoned your country? Quite a few words for people like you. You don't know Eoin Morgan, do you?

• kellykstl | Sep 06, 2011, 12:33 PM EDT

  As an American woman, I have NEVER had a problem with the men in Ireland. In fact, the ones I met were nicer and more chivalrous than most of the men I've met in America. And even if they weren't, I would not take my experiences and make a judgement on an entire race.I really hope that those Irishmen you dated don't think that all American women are like you. "Lack of shoe polish"? Really? Where do you come from that all the men polish their shoes? Get over yourself.

• shamrock99 | Sep 06, 2011, 12:24 PM EDT

  "RIGHT ON" CLARE!!

• ruairiny | Sep 06, 2011, 12:22 PM EDT

  seems to me that you - clare macnamara are a bit of a snob.I mean polished shoes!just in case you didnt realise not all the world behave like you americans. who do you think you are? I think the reason you had not much luck with irish men in ireland was because your head is stuck up your own arse.You are shallow and ignorant.you are childish in saying that all the irish did lately was another depression. grow up clare. and for your most retarded statment that irelands doors are closed to foreigners well that says it all. I live in the good old us of a, also but i hope i dont have the misfortune to meet a horrible little woman like you. maybe when you were in ireland you should have caught a plane to london your type might enjoy that city more. disgusted in your garbage views on ireland.

• DrTrelawney | Sep 06, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT

  Two points on this pathetic attempt to stir up controversy. The Americans did not invent the computer. The two men who have the best claim to that achievement are Charles Babbage and Alan Turing, both of whom were British. In truth, it was a collaborative effort -- involving many Americans, of course -- but the statement in this article is balderdash. Secondly, of course somebody who claims to be Irish because his or ancestors once lived in the place is not "truly" Irish. None of us claims to be a fish simply because our ancient ancestors once lived in the sea.

• stephendoyle | Sep 06, 2011, 12:00 PM EDT

  From the sounds of your "whinning" I think the irish lads are better off without you.Go back to America and make someone miserable there lassy!

• antoman | Sep 06, 2011, 11:59 AM EDT

  I take it we can take down the Wanted posters of georgyboy at Dublin airport. And put her picture up.

• Aislinngrace | Sep 06, 2011, 11:59 AM EDT

  Sort of sounds like someone can't take a good slagging. Now I understand why whenever I go home for the summer, people hear my accent and are subsequently shocked that I am "so sound for an American girl." Also - my take on the whole "Irish Americans" aren't "true" Irish thing actually stems from a confusion with meanings of the term - like Irish-Americans aren't claiming they are FROM Ireland (unless they actually are), they're claiming Ancestry, which is a sort of a confusing concept for people to understand anywhere in Europe, not just Ireland.

• imuverin | Sep 06, 2011, 11:54 AM EDT

  I think the expression is "IRISH PRINCESS"

• hwodunnavent | Sep 06, 2011, 11:31 AM EDT

  Some people go to a "foreign culture" and explore the differences and similarities. Others go and compare to what they know. It's easy to do, and easier to find fault if things are different from what you are used to. It appears that Clare has grown too fond of what she has in America to truly embrace what is available in Ireland. I hope she had more luck with her studies.

• clarec77 | Sep 06, 2011, 11:16 AM EDT

  Really this author comes across as pretty shallow based on the content of her list. Firstly she makes a general assumption of a whole race of people based on her experience with a few people. From her list does she expect people to talk about depressing topics she seems to have taken offense that the guys she went out with actually went out for a good time. She was questioned on her ability to cook they obviously do not like a continuous diet of processed food. And finally how shocking that in the 21st century in Ireland if you go on a date the guys expect you to split the bill. Really her list is nonsense there is good and bad everywhere.

• JimmieM | Sep 06, 2011, 11:13 AM EDT

  I don't know....9 months....3 dates...not a large sample and it would seem to indicate that she was, maybe not a lot of fun herself?

• beaumax99 | Sep 06, 2011, 10:37 AM EDT

  When I travelled to foreign lands I encountered ignorance in every country. I also experienced arm open welcomes in every country. Therefore I have determined that.... "IGNORANCE"...IT IS NOT A WHOLE NATIONALITY, COLOR, OR, CREED. IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL TRAIT.

• mcdolan | Sep 06, 2011, 10:33 AM EDT

  @jamcelt - a bit harsh, don't you think? I'm here 14 years and still some yahoos make fun of my 'Amurican' accent in tones that I know I've never spoken! And what's wrong with polished shoes??

• butlerreport | Sep 06, 2011, 10:30 AM EDT

  Good for you Clare. We who left the green shores believe that the smart ones left and those who remain behind are the dregs of the barrel in a very shallow gene pool.

• irishtonyo | Sep 06, 2011, 10:30 AM EDT

  I notice in point 4 you say 'you Irish' and are derogatory, then in point 10 complain that we do not consider you Irish, so which is it are you part of the 'you' in point 4 or part of the 'we' in point 10. Or just picking and choosing as you see fit? In point 3 you judge a race on your experience of 1 person? As to point 9, Ireland has one of the most open immigration policy in Europe and far more open even than your beloved US, imagine that. And if you failed to notice the large number of foreign nationals in the country you obviously had your head in the clouds. As to point 7 we believe in equality, did you open the door for the men to pass through? Or do you only believe in equality when it suits you? Judging from your article I would say any so called bad experience you 'may' have had would have been the result of your attitude. And I am sure I speak for a lot of Irish people reading this article, don't bother coming back. We are very welcoming and friendly to everybody, but with the attitude and 'contempt' exhibited in your article, we can do without a return visit thank you very much.

• Jamcelt | Sep 06, 2011, 09:51 AM EDT

  Clare, Number 4 is a global conception now, not just among the Irish. Number 5, now you know how we feel in the US every time some stupid yokel says "Top o' the marnin to ye" when he sees you. Number 3,as American women are now the world's most likely to divorce a man and take his kids, house etc, it's good to have a mammy to fall back on. I could keep this up all day, but now that you have said your bit, and are presumably going back to the land that has whack jobs like Bachmann and Palin running loose, may we satisfy ourselves with the knowledge that you will blight our shores no longer?

• joycean | Sep 06, 2011, 09:43 AM EDT

  I was just thinking how many stupid "Ten Things Americans Should Know..." articles could IC come up with, usually meaning that Americans aren't "sensitive" enough to Irish mores. Good to see an essay that suggests some of the insensitivity is Irish.

• bunkerisland | Sep 06, 2011, 09:43 AM EDT

  Such rash generalization about the Irish show rather shallow thinking. Good luck Yank!

• pugsmom | Sep 06, 2011, 09:42 AM EDT

  Properly polished shoes? Seriously?

• BallinaLass | Sep 06, 2011, 09:39 AM EDT

  Are anti-American sentiments a fairly recent development? When I was last in Ireland in 2008, a young lady actually shook my hand after asking if I was American, saying "We love youse over here." Of course, she had a few drinks in her, but it was still sweet of her to say. I never encountered any negativity on previous visits either.

• antoman | Sep 06, 2011, 09:29 AM EDT

  In nine months you dated three men or more. My mother would see the lust in your eyes and tis a bucket of cold water over the head you be getting. Rampant journalism right here.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 06, 2011, 08:19 AM EDT

  Clare: You're mostly on the money, but your Point 9 is really dumb. If you spent time in Ireland and didn't notice the vast numbers of foreign migrants there then maybe you need to make an appointment with your ophthalmologist back stateside. Or maybe you heard Russian or Lingala or Polish in the street and you thought it was Irish Gaelic! It wasn't. By the way, how much Irish did you try to learn in those nine months?