Nomadic Lives Local, Experiential India Travel Blog
Myth Buster #2, 3 & 4
i) The Irish are not stupid
ii) The Irish aren’t all redheads and
iii) They DO NOT BELIEVE in leprechauns any more than Indians believe in snake charmers and self-proclaimed babas!
The good-natured banter of the Irish, their affinity to crack jokes directed at themselves and their culture is probably responsible for a lot of these stupid myths doing the rounds all over the world. The Irish are generally smart though boisterous – most of them have a charm for talking, which is often almost poetic.
Only 9% of the Irish are natural redheads (trust me, I saw far more blondes than I saw redheads) and the only people that are weary of the mention of a leprechaun are the Irish themselves. If anything, I’d suggest doing away from mentioning the leprechaun or any of the other over-hyped mythological creatures associated with Ireland – don’t ask a local if they believe in leprechauns. Believe me when I say this – they don’t! Such questions are considered an instance of Paddywhackery, and is a sure-shot way of turning off an interested local. Ask them about their preferred choice of beer instead, and make friends for life 😉
Have you been to Ireland? Were your experiences different than mine? Are you tempted to visit after reading this? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Also Read:
Ireland – 50 Shades of Green, Blue & Beer
I used to live in Ireland and I’m heading back there to cycle the Wild Atlantic Way on Sunday, couldn’t be more excited hence I was happy to come across your post!! Totally agree about the pub culture but what, are you saying that leprechauns don’t exist!? 😉 Only point I didn’t get was the myth about Irish being stupid, is that a stereotype in some part of the world..?
oh, well my fascination with everything Irish began a few years ago when I discovered the charming work of one particular William Butler Yeats. I’ve been actively reading up on everything Irish since and I noticed a lot of affinity towards perceptions in certain cultures tending towards labeling the Irish as some sort of a redneck sub-sect. Might have something to do with the fabled ‘red hair’, which too is an unqualified generalization. In general though, everybody that has ever been to Ireland can think of its people as nothing but warm, friendly and charming 🙂
Are you going to be on a bicycle – it will truly be wonderful if you get some sunny days! Hope you have a good time!
Splendid photos, really made me smile. I wish to visit the land leprechauns someday.
One day soon we’ll be there. Ireland has it’s own magic, I loved my first, very short, visits.
Ireland has always been on my bucket list of places to visit – for a permanent kind of vacation 😉 Thank you for sharing so many beautiful photos!
Hello Sanket,
I am planning to go alone to Ireland this month end and can you please suggest how many days i should spend in Dublin and what all i must cover and what all over rated places i should avoid? I won’t be having much time in hand else i was planning to go to Galway – Cliffs of Moher, Cork and some more places close by.. also could you please suggest some good, budget and safe hotels/hostels?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Isha,
Dublin is beautiful, but it is like most cosmopolitan cities in the world. 2-3 days should be more than enough. Go out into the country if you want to experience local Ireland. Cliffs of Moher and Galway are very popular. I’d say Cliffs of Moher is a must do – nobody goes to Ireland and misses out on that. It really depends upon how many days you have on hand. There’s also the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula – circular roads, very beautiful to drive around. My favorite part of Ireland though was down south-west, deep into County Cork – some really beautiful villages and hamlets down there, and not quite as infested by tourist coaches as the ones mentioned above. Why don’t you drop me a note on my email with more details and I can help you out more. Happy to share some hostel recommendations too.