people going "are you irish, by the way?", classic or dud

classic, since I'm half irish, so it's a conversation starter

you are 100% american

as am I

come on. My mom's maiden name is Daley.

This happens to me a lot too. I don't think I sound remotely Irish, but it happens so often that I figure I must. Or else lots of people are really *really* bad at placing accents.

(you said "mom" = you are not Irish)

of course, the coonass part of me is more interesting to people, but the irish thing segues nicely into it. I like to talk about myself!

An Irishman asked me this on Thursday, they always think I'm from Ulster

(you said "mom" = you are not Irish)

I figured it was like being jewish. :(

Why do people think you're Irish, Tom? And do they mean actually Irish, or ethnically Irish?

... it's maybe the thick incomprehensible accent, air of pointless belligerence and propensity to drink to excess that does it

I never get this. I used to get "are you Swedish?" or more often "are you Dutch?" (sometimes, not even this, but random people coming up to me and spouting at me in Dutch.)

Now I just get "where are you from?" meaning "where is that accent from?"

americans think i am australian

so it's only the celtic fans who get asked if they're irish?

... it's maybe the thick incomprehensible accent, air of pointless belligerence and propensity to drink to excess that does it

thangyewverymuchI'mhereallweek.

australians think i'm australian. i don't think my nz accent is any different to other nzers but apparently it is so.

xposts to Tom, haha, that's probably why I get it too :-)

Oh the Irish, they saunter off with my train of thought on a regular basis.

It does seem that (some) people from Southern Ireland aren't very good at distinguishing an Ulster accent from a West of Scotland one. My family is Irish from way back but I'm certainly not!

Maybe it's 'cos my Irish eyes are smiling! Unlikely tho!!!!!

i'll admit i've been unable to tell the difference between a particular irish accent and a scottish one - but fuck, they're both ultra-sexy!

Maybe it's just indecipherable people who are sexy. "I have no idea what you're saying! Excellent! Let's fuck!"

... I am so glad that Irish removal man who helped me move my stuff on Thursday didn't think this way

xpost possibly... but like the sound of irish/scottish women too, and it's not because it doesn't make me want to sleep with them ;)

*i like the sound

i get this all the time, because of my name (which is scots, apparently, not irish) and coloring, but there is not a shred of irish in me. dud.

i have a habit of thinking Irish people are American, i must have some synapse permanently melted into that position

It does seem that (some) people from Southern Ireland aren't very good at distinguishing an Ulster accent from a West of Scotland one.

Well, they are practically the same in some cases, aren't they?

No. A Western Isles accent is similar to an Southern Irish accent.

... but not really that similar.

I think that's where I cause confusion, being from the Highlands with a kind of West of Scotland twang having lived down here for 15 years. That somehow seems to translate into some odd hybrid accent, which is probably halfway between a Southern Irish and an Ulster accent. To deaf people.

None of my family are Irish, and I've only been there once. I do drink Guinness though.

It's the scamp- or rogueishness for me -- you know, that little air of arrogance. And crinkly eyes, I dig those.

i thought lots of west scottish went to ulster at some point? so in fact it is THEIR accent that sounds like yours, not the other way round...

I suppose what an Ulster accent has that a Southern Irish accent doesn't have is a kind of attack, which is quite similar to West of Scotland. Also some of the rhythms, maybe, and certainly the words.

i thought lots of west scottish went to ulster at some point? so in fact it is THEIR accent that sounds like yours, not the other way round...

They did but then a hell of a lot of people came in the opposite direction and overwhelmingly from Donegal (ie Ulster) too

i have a habit of thinking Irish people are American, i must have some synapse permanently melted into that position

A lot of American people think they're Irish too, ennit?

Ha ha, they certainly do!

Now I know I've had this conversation before, even though I can't remember who with, because I think I remember annoying somebody by pointing out that to me, southern Irish means Cork and Kerry and Waterford, not the bit of Ireland that's not Northern Ireland, and they said "yes, I know, that's what I meant" and I felt stupid.

this has only happened to me once i think - an Irish bum in Amsterdam asked me. obv it's not going to be dud if you actually do have Irish parentage.

never happend to me before

when I was in NY last year there was obviously a lot of those photo taking dudes somewhere near Times Square which was quite near where my friends apartment was who was asking if I wanted a photo taken, and when I said "no thanks" he said "HEY! WE GOT A SCOTSMAN HERE!"

sorry for that awfully disjointed sentence!

The only reason people ask me is because of my last name, which is like McCtotallyirish.

Ronan did they start all taking pictures of you and giving each other high fives?

... but is probably McTotallyScottish (xp)

http://meaghan.kevbo.us/albums/St-Pattys/St_Pattys_020.sized.jpg

^^^ kenan

It's McCr4ck3n, I don't know where that name crawled from.

THIS Onion article is just like my dad & every other "Irish" U.S.er I know...I don't get it.

Yes, that is Irish

having one half of my extended family (S.O.'s family) as Irish, I'm not so bothered anymore. It gets deep when we get into the Catholic/Protestant part. (Episcopalian via Church of Scotland and United Church of Christ- it is confusing).

But I get mistaken, ethnically, as Irish all the time. Which is probably causing some Scots to spin in their graves!
I also live in western Massachusetts, where one town was called "Ireland Parish" due to the amount of immigrants - and is home to the longest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world. Literally.

I will be attending the Irish Music festival, next weekend, at the Boyle - the John Boyle O'Reilly Club - which is more partisan and hyper Irish than anything else except south Boston.
My s.o.'s uncle is the manager. I call it the Murphia.

So, yeah, um, at this point I should be the Colleen for a parade.
But I am not Irish!

TS: People Overestimating Irishness vs. People Bothered By People Overestimating Irishness

I started a thread, long ago, about my annoyance with the U.S. public for being totally infatuated with potential Irishness or Italianness, to a really lame degree.

(For the purpose of balance, I find it rather sweet, in the upper midwest, when they do with with being Sweeeeeeedish or Gerrrrrrman, like in Minnesoooooda.)

Not like the pre-war Bund, or anything, I just mean corny Lutherans making fruit salad and whatnot.

i used to wear a green coat all the time and people would ask me if i was irish.

i would urge anyone with an accent to move to the US and work in a company in middle america because seriously, you will get away with so much shit because you have an accent. there are like about 20 combined aussies, british and irish people in my office and a few of them dick around a lot (i know of two off the top of my head who consistently go to the bar all afternoon at least once a week) but everyone is all AWWW BUT SO-AND-SO IS SOOOOOO GREAT and i am convinced it's because of the accent. im not bitter at all. ;) ;) ;) i just wish an american accent had that much power :(

I think I am a source of great disappointment to Irish Americans when they meet me. I'm not very Irish. Yes, I have red hair and an Irish accent, but I don't hate British people or care about horse racing.

What about whiskey?

Accent monkey on the money. Irish Americans (which I am) are way more into the "trappings", on the whole, than Irish Irishpersons. In the 70s and 80s, my Boston relatives were insufferable in their alleigance with the IRA. I never thought that shit was very cool.

And even though my mom's side of the family is French Canadian, I look (and drink) like I'm a tour guide at the Blarney Stone. I get a little tired of people saying how Irish I look. I can't stand the whole hyphenated-american thing.

i have had this, only with jewishness.

"I just don't get what Dennis thinks is so thrilling about being part Irish," Jessica said. "I mean, sure, it's nice, but it doesn't exactly make you exotic. My boyfriend, now, he's 1/8th Cherokee."

lol

What about whiskey?

Blecccch. It makes me ill. Also, the whiskey aficionadoes in our house all drink Scottish whisky.

Mmm, Irish whiskey is nice and smooth though.