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An American in Ireland by The Yank

Disney World's message to Ireland: don't come here

Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 11:52 PM

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Disney World is operating a 'No Irish Welcome' policy. Or so it seems. Okay, it's not that serious, but it was brought to my attention last week that Disney's web site has omitted Ireland.

Yup, that's right. When you use Disney's web site to buy tickets to visit Disney World in Florida you're asked what country you are from and, well, Ireland's not on the list. Canada is there. The United Kingdom is there. Germany is there. Israel is there. Guatemala is there. Iceland is there. Kuwait is there. And so on.

Just about any country you could imagine is on the list, but not Ireland. To be absolutely certain I checked for Rep. of Ireland, as it's known on many European web sites, and I even checked for Eire, which I've seen on a couple of sites. But Ireland is nowhere.

I could get all emotional about it and wail about the insult to the Irish nation by virtue of this omission. Or I could speak of my deep sadness that a company founded by a man who was proud of his Irish roots could deny his ancestral homeland it's right to nationhood.

I could do that, but that would be a grotesque exaggeration of how I feel about this because I'm really curious about how this could have happened and not angry or saddened. {Although, when you combine this with the snub of Ireland at Epcot, well ...}

I don't know how many people go from here to Disney World each year, but it's not an insignificant number. I'd be pretty confident that more Irish people go to Disney World than do Icelandic or Kuwaiti people. In fact, I suspect that Ireland sends a disproportionate number to Disney in Florida when compared with other EU states and, I'd bet, more than quite a few countries on the list.

That's why I'm curious. How did Ireland get left off the list since, from my own experience in web site development, these lists are pretty standard? And how is it nobody at Disney has noticed or been notified of this because I'm sure many people in Ireland must have come across this already.

It's really only a minor issue, but still it's one that I bet Walt Disney would not be happy to learn of. Walt's grandparents - Kepple Disney and Mary Richardson were both Irish immigrants. The name Disney was originally d'Isigny, which is a Norman name, and his family at some point found its way to the area around Counties Carlow and Kilkenny, from where Kepple left Ireland.

Walt visited Ireland many times and his affection for Ireland was what drove him to make "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," which Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole says is much misunderstood in Ireland.

Disney's nephew Roy, who twice ran the Disney Corporation, also loved Ireland. Roy used to come to Ireland regularly and bought Coolmain Castle in County Cork in the early 1980's.

Maybe I've misunderstood the Disney web site and this is a tribute to the Disneys' Irish ancestry. Irish people probably don't need to buy tickets to Disney World because it's free for everyone coming from Ireland. If that's it, then great. I'd like my free family passes please.

UPDATE Jan 25: Disney's web site has been corrected to include Ireland. Again, I was pretty sure it was only an oversight, but I was curious as to how such a thing could happen and go unnoticed because so many people from Ireland go to Orlando.

Thank you to PatrickLee whose comment below "brought to my attention" the fact that the web site had been fixed.

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skmcoke | Feb 26, 2010, 10:25 AM EST

I think it was an oversight, and they fixed it as soon as they knew about it. America LOVES the Irish - please come - many and soon!

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galway2001 | Feb 25, 2010, 08:39 PM EST

don't spend your money at disney, spend it in ireland

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TheYank | Feb 25, 2010, 01:25 AM EST

Again, I was mostly curious as to how this had happened because any time I've had to create such a list for a web site I've simply copied over a list I used before. And I was knew I wasn't the first person who lives in Ireland to try Disney's web site to check ticket prices, etc.

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TheYank | Feb 25, 2010, 01:20 AM EST

PatrickLee, Yes, I tried it myself, 5 or 6 times actually. And, yes, I see that the error has been corrected. But, what "conclusion" exactly did I "jump to"? Other than I was curious as to how Ireland was left off the list I didn't conclude anything. I said it was "only a minor issue."

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AUDREY1 | Feb 25, 2010, 12:25 AM EST

Being American I've seen a lot of things done that Walt would not approve of, not only in the park, but in the movies. Though I do think this is an oversite. We love the Irish!

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PatrickLee | Feb 24, 2010, 05:34 PM EST

It was brought to you attention?? Did you actually try? I just checked the box to buy tickets and the country list included Ireland. I also opened an account and Ireland WAS on the list of countries. Maybe you should delve into the facts a little deeper before you jump to a conclusion.

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Siobhan39 | Feb 24, 2010, 01:43 PM EST

Much ado about nothing. It was an oversight. Someone call it to their attention and it will be fixed. Will I? Nope. I don't consider it a big deal.

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irishmoonfrog | Feb 24, 2010, 01:17 PM EST

Just as long as Disney isn't coming to Ireland! EireDisney would be a travesty!

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antrimliam | Feb 24, 2010, 12:50 PM EST

I can only imagine it is an oversight on Disney,s part.I will be making inquiries as I have booked to go there very soon . If I don,t get a reasonable response I will cancel my reservations immeadiatly.

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philkennedy | Feb 24, 2010, 12:12 PM EST

Personally I have no wish to visit Disney world either in Paris or Florida.

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cmp3468 | Feb 24, 2010, 11:44 AM EST

and the North-American Irish Dancing Championships are being held this year and the Dolphin and Swan Resort ...

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cmp3468 | Feb 24, 2010, 11:26 AM EST

I'm very curious about what Disney has to say.

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sally3658 | Feb 24, 2010, 10:42 AM EST

Sounds like someone at Disney thinks Ireland is still part of the UNited Kingdom. Wrong!