‘Were you in Ireland during the Great Famine?’: Questions Irish people are asked abroad

Recently, Paula Gahan wrote about the five questions she is always asked when people realise she’s from Ireland. It ranged from “some mention of a potato” to assuming she’s from a “huge family”.

We asked readers, particularly those living abroad, what questions are asked and what topics are raised when people hear the Irish accent.

Thank you to all who responded. Below are a selection of the submissions.

Reader’s comments

Since arriving in Canada in June, 2012, the main thing I’ve noticed is that the accent is loved by most Canadians. “Oh my god, I love your accent,” but it can be misinterpreted sometimes as being Scottish, depending on who you are talking to. When conversation gets going, I get asked: “So, are you from the North or South part?” What was it like growing up during the Troubles, etc. Once those questions are answered, then it’s on to less serious topics. “You guys really like potatoes, hey?” “Do you like U2?” “You probably know a guy named Jim – He came out here 20 years ago?” – Paul Geraghty, Alberta, Canada

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I’m asked by most people, “Are you North or South?” “What’s the weather like?” “Do you know U2?” “What do you eat/drink?” “Where did you meet your husband?” – María Clery, Spain

I was asked: “Were you in Ireland during the Great Famine?” I first thought that was a strange question but then I thought, “This person knows history, most others don’t know any history of Ireland.” – Aine Barrett, Colorado, United States

I have lived in Australia for 35 years. The most common question I am asked is: “Are you part of the UK or not?” Give me strength. My response is usually: “What rock have you been living under for the last 50 years?” Another funny question is: “You all eat Marmite over there, don’t you?” That is usually in response to your face cringing when they speak about Vegemite. They have real confusion splitting our identity from the British. – Sharon Arrow, New South Wales, Australia

London, 1972. “I am from Dublin.” Question: “Is that in the North or the South?” Answer: “The east.” – Ken Connor, London, England

When I first arrived in Sweden, I was surprised so many people did not think there was a difference between Britain and Ireland. I had to explain a lot of the British and Irish relations over many hundreds of years. People here are curious about the history. Some people have mistaken me for American but when I explain I am from Ireland, they immediately think that is much more appealing and then love my accent. Most topics involve asking about the nature and landscapes of Ireland and where is the best place to go. The one negative I hear about Ireland from Swedish people has to do with how we treat animals. – Hilary Cahill, Skane County, Sweden

[ ‘Coffee is something people don’t seem to want to give up, despite the Spanish heat’ ]

“What’s it like living on an island?” I never really felt I lived on an island until Covid so I always found this question amusing. – Ciaran Kelly, Dublin

I’ve lived abroad in three different countries – Italy, Belgium and now France – for the last 30 years. In the early days, I was asked if I was afraid of the shooting and bombings, whether I was a Protestant or a Catholic. Then, it morphed into questions about the weather, such as how do we cope with non-stop rain and cold – they mix us up with Iceland, and – a firm favourite – whether I hated the English or not (often asked with a grin). English questioners would joke about potatoes and put on false Oirish accents but Europeans often have difficulty telling us apart. Irish people abroad do try to find a common connection and I’m often surprised how often we succeed, much to the amusement of my foreign friends. I also regularly get asked if I speak Irish. Knowledge about the country does seem to be improving, however. – Donal Carey, Alpes-Maritimes, France

I’ve commonly been asked: “Do you speak Gaelic?” I usually explain we are all taught it in school but it’s only a small number of folks who would speak it fluently and a smaller number again who would actually use it as a first language. – Cian Ruane, Zurich, Switzerland

I’m part of a Buddhist Zoom group. People from all over the world participate and they are forever saying to me that they love my accent. – Michael Dunne, Dublin

I spent last summer working in Austria and was asked the following two questions on my first day: “Does it really rain as much as they say?” “Do you know Conor McGregor?” The latter made me laugh and, honestly, was tempted to say I have him in my contacts as “main man”. Thanks a million for this forum. – Rachel Turner, Austria

I moved here in 2021 after meeting my husband online in 2018. The minute I landed, I felt like a celebrity. People would walk up to me and ask things like was I really from Ireland, could I say something to them in Irish, had I ever seen a real leprechaun, do we live on potatoes in Ireland. The funniest is when they ask me do I know their great-great relative who was also from Dublin. There is very few Irish people in this area so it was novelty for them to hear my accent. I love the culture and climate here, although it is very hot right now so I wouldn’t mind some Irish rain. Some days I throw in Irish phrases for everyone here and it makes them laugh so hard. Some people are even repeating them so I feel like I’m definitely making an impression on people here. – Heather Langran, Louisiana, US

Funny, no one ever mentions my accent or asks me where I am from in the world. – Paula Clancy, Nebraska, US

I arrived in Australia in July, 1994. Aussies have an insatiable curiosity about Ireland and “Irishness”. Australians of Irish descent are scattered in almost all of the country and everywhere I go, I get a welcome and an expectant “tell us a joke” opening line. Even when I am not being funny, Australians see it as funny. “I love your accent” is a constant retort to my opening lines. Women swoon and often say, “Can you say that again? I love to listen to your accent.” Many Australians have visited Ireland (In fact, more Australians know more about Ireland than any person from Bolton, Woking or Loughborough). Another question is: “Are you from the North or the South?” “I’m from the West,” I quickly reply. “Is that in the North or the South?”

Then: “What size farm did you live on?” The assumption is that because one is from Ireland, a farm has to be the obvious source of entry into the world. Bear in mind that Australian farms cover huge areas. I have a farmer friend who farms 3,500 acres and is considered “a small farmer”. It becomes difficult to explain the small holdings of 10 acres of reeds and rushes in Mayo or Galway that sustained large families in bygone days. “Rain, you’d know all about that, being from Ireland?” Sydney gets an average yearly rainfall of 1,175ml, more than, say, Wexford. Occasionally, Sydney gets more rain in one week than parts of Ireland get in a month. – Gerald Faulkner, New South Wales, Australia

I met my Canadian wife in Japan where we were both teaching English. Ireland is not well-known there. Canada was much more popular. After everyone was done gushing over Canada, I would get puzzled looks when I told them I was from Ireland. “Is it very cold there?” was the inevitable question. This was because they were mistaking it with Iceland. In Japanese, Ireland is pronounced “AI-RU-RANDO” which sounds similar enough to “AI-SU-RANDO”. – Ronan O’Driscoll, Nova Scotia, Canada

One that always comes up is the way we spell our names and Irish names in general. For a simple name like Eoin, I’ve heard many different ways people try and pronounce it. – Eoin O Donovan, Amsterdam, Netherlands

I’m always asked, “How long have you been here?” when I’m out anywhere in the US. When I answer “28 years and counting”, they react with amazement that “you haven’t lost your accent at all”. This is then followed by a prolonged conversation whereby I’m amusedly aware that they’re not really listening to anything I’m saying but rather being entertained by the fact that I sound like someone on “that PBS show” or “that movie we saw”. Depending on the movie mentioned, I’ll put on my best Liam Neeson (“I will hunt yew doyn”) or Gabriel Byrne impersonation. My wife, at this point, is usually pointing at her watch and shaking her head knowingly and I know I’ll be soon be hearing about the perverse benefits of the “reverse racism” she claims the Irish enjoy in United States. She’s not wrong. – Jack Kavanagh, Philadelphia, US

[ ‘The happiness I have discovered in Japan cannot usurp my grá for Ireland’ ]

Typically a statement rather than a question but a personal favourite is: “The butter ... so yellow.” This one makes my heart swell (likely due to saturated arteries) but, in my experience, Kerrygold receives universal love, especially from any person who enjoys toasted bread in the Tri-State area. “You’re Irish? I’m a quarter Irish. Let me show you my 23andMe [a genetic test].” This has happened more often than you would think and I’ve had the pleasure in a doctor’s waiting room, line for a nightclub, hairdresser, baseball game and supermarket so far.

“Oppenheimer is so great, do you know Sill-ee-an Murphy?” (Deep inhale) “Yes. Cillian is a great actor. It’s great to see him doing well.” “What is your handicap?” The PR departments of notable Irish golf clubs should take a victory lap for this one. I am consistently asked my opinion on what courses are worth a visit, how best to transport clubs, etc. “What do Irish people think of Conor McGregor?” I like to respond to this question with a gentle pause, glazed expression and, finally, a simple, “Who?” – Ciara McGowan, New York, US

Questions that I have been asked: “Has everybody in Ireland got red hair?” “Do you understand American English?” “Do you know ...? They are originally from ... – Caroline Tomlinson, Bavaria, Germany

For the past few months, I have lived in Finland as an intern at the University of Helsinki. My co-workers in the laboratory have not asked me much about Ireland, other than what part I’m from and what biotech research is like in Ireland. Of course, I have been asked if I like Guinness (since we work with yeast, beer and brewing is very topical for us) and, amusingly, they were quite surprised to hear an Irishman say they hate the taste. Sometimes, I get asked about Irish music and people here are surprised when I tell them that Thin Lizzy and their most well-known songs, The Boys are Back in Town and Jailbreak, are Irish. As for Irish actors, unfortunately, nobody here seems to know about Richard Harris, the greatest of them all. Thankfully, I don’t get questions about potatoes and leprechauns, nor do I get celebrity worship over the accent. – Joe Kelleher, Helsinki, Finland

“Are you at war with London?” Not bad considering Irish people would struggle to find Nepal on a map. – Michael Moore, Nepal

“How do you pronounce your name?” “Why is there an ‘mh’ in it if it’s pronounced like ‘v’?” I always have this same conversation. – Niamh Sheehan, Brussels, Belgium

I have had some people from various countries ask me, upon hearing I’m Irish: “How does it feel to have left the European Union?” They will tend to correct themselves upon seeing my face and realising their mistake but their natural instinct seems to be that both UK and the island of Ireland have left. – Leah Lenehan

I’ve lived in London for 20 years. A common response to telling people I’m Irish is something like: “Irish people are always so friendly.” I used to respond, “Not all of us, all the time.” But, now, I just take it as a compliment and move on. The lack of knowledge quite a lot of English people have about Ireland always shocks me. For example, I’ve been asked several times if Dublin is in the North or South and if Ireland uses sterling. When I first met my husband’s family in 2004, his grandad asked if I was from the Irish Free State. – Jennifer Delves, London, England