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Top ten things I didn’t like about Irishmen in Ireland

An exchange student lets loose with her Irish beefs

CLARE MACNAMARA,

IrishCentral.com Contributing Writer

Published Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 7:33 AM

Updated Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 4:21 PM

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Still from the movie 'Leap Year' - our Irish American contributor is happy to get back home, not overly impressed with the Irish males

Photo by Universal Studios

Clare has spent the last nine months as an exchange student in Ireland.

Here are her thoughts as she finishes up her year in the Emerald Isle.

1. Lack of shoe polish. I went on three dates and on all three occasions the men, while well turned out, had failed to polish their shoes properly.

2. The lads. Most of their conversation revolved around bar talk and football and how the they and the lads had great ‘craic’ here, there and everywhere. I might as well have been invisible.

3. The mammy. I felt I didn’t match up right away with one bloke when he asked if I liked to cook Irish dishes and let loose a string of them that his mammy prepared for him. Mine’s a McDonald’s I told him.

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4. Thinking all Americans are stupid. A very common refrain,’Dumb Yanks’ etc.

Well we only invented the computer, Apple, automobile, went to the moon - what did you Irish do lately again? Oh yeah another depression.

5. ‘Hilarious’ take off of my American accent --not. If I sounded like a bad Nicole Kidman in ’Far and Away’ they sounded like JR from Dallas constipated for a month

6. Won’t buy me a pint. On three dates, only one lad offered to buy me a drink and only after I had stood the first round.

7. Chivalry? It means hold the door for his mates and then let me pass through after them - if he doesn’t let it swing closed first.

8. Think all Yanks are loaded - with money. Sure I have a mansion back home and am a good catch for the money. Actually mine is a tiny two bedroom share in Chicago.

9. Can’t understand why America won’t open their arms to the Irish. Er, its called immigration law and Ireland isn’t exactly opening its doors to foreigners either.

10. Think Irish Americans are not 'true’ Irish. IE if our ancestors were kicked out by Famine, bad government or economic futility we somehow are not Irish any more.

Cant wait to get back to the good old US of A!

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64 Comments

15 - 64 | See all 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.

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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.

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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!

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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...

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!!

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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?

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

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

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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.

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