Opinion some things are uniquely irish

You can blame this column on the spuds.

It began when my wife, an American, ordered lunch in a Dublin pub a few years ago. She was, of course, aware of the Irish love for potatoes but was still taken aback when the waitress brought an overflowing plate that included no fewer than four different kinds.

Looking down at this avalanche of spuds (mashed, chips, roast, and garlic, if you were wondering) she knew that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Or her native New York, for that matter.

Ever since that lunch, she has tried to keep a note of things that are distinctly Irish and probably wouldn’t be seen or heard elsewhere in the world.

A now-retired politician famously said that Ireland was “closer to Boston than Berlin,” and it’s true that American culture has a major influence here, particularly in the areas of music and entertainment.

Transatlantic terms of speech are often adopted on this side of the pond (describing something as a “game changer” or a “no brainer” are among the more recent examples of this). 

Nevertheless, there are still many Irish phrases, habits and practices that are ours and ours alone.

One was mentioned at a recent concert here by a US singer who told the audience of her surprise when someone came up to her in Belfast the night before and described her music as 'savage’. 

“That’s a good thing, right?” she asked, tentatively.

The following light-hearted list of Irish observations was compiled from suggestions by my wife, Amy, and her friend, Kristina, another American living on these shores.

I thought it was worth sharing, partly because newcomers can help us to see ourselves more clearly, but mostly because the examples made me smile. 

Sayings and other things that are uniquely Irish:

• “Yer man” -  which could refer to a husband, brother, or a complete stranger. See also: “yer one.”

• Phone calls with complicated endings. “Okay, talk to you later. Right, bye. Ok, bye. Byebyebyebyebye.”

• “Come here to me,” translating as: “listen to this”

• Waving to strangers on country roads.

• “How are ya, pet?”

• In America the 'press’ is the collective term for journalists or newspapers. Here it’s also the place in the kitchen where you store your cereal and tins of beans. (They call that a 'cabinet’)

• The ever-popular weather conversation and its related terminology, such as: 'The sun’s splitting the rocks’; 'That’s fierce weather’, etc. This one could probably fill a column all on its own...

• Staff in a shop or café asking: “Are you alright?” To the uninitiated, this can seem alarming (Do I look unwell? Do I seem to be in distress?)

• Lots of common Irish words would have a different equivalent in the US. Some examples: plasters are band aids, rubbers are erasers, biros are just pens, and corn flour is corn starch.

• Other words carry different meanings, too. The promotional tagline for the 1992 movie Wayne’s World was: 'You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hurl.” Lest there be any confusion, the 'hurling’ referred to here has nothing to do with the GAA’s highly-skilled sport!

• “Fair play to you”

• My wife was walking in Galway one weekday afternoon last year when a familiar figure approached. It turned out to be none other then the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins. He was on his own. No bodyguard. Just the President of the country, out for a walk. It’s hard to imagine this happening anywhere else. Long may it continue to happen here.