I like the idea that we’re a nation that’s become very used to blaming other people for our troubles. Things have always been ‘messed up’ by other people: first it was the Vikings, then the Normans, then the English, then the Church, now the Americans. Surely I’ve missed out on something along the way there.

Personally I blame the weather. If we had good weather it’d all be different.

Being Canadian will just expose a different set of prejudices, as many Irish see Canada as part of Britain. Ironically many Canadians think the same of Ireland. But my point is the Quebec vs. the rest of Canada dispute is seen as a proxy battle against (long irrelevant) Brit dominance. Visiting Canadians will be stunned that many Irish can quote the winning margin in the Quebec separation referendum. The Irish think it’s topical and will attempt to discuss this with you. You (the visiting Canadian) will barely remember there was some sort of referendum on the matter, and that good sense prevailed. But it was followed here as if the Irish themselves were sticking it up the Brits. Fenians and all.

And don’t get me started on the Queen of Canada vs. that of the UK. Not the same role, even if held by the same person. Ok I’m started. Having a monarch may not be the most modern idea, but so what? Useless pomp and ceremony ? Maybe, but societies seem to need this to some extent (the role is played by clergy in Ireland). And distasteful deference and devotion to the monarchs is not seen in Canada – that’s confusing Canadians with the Brits (or NI’ers) again.

The point about Americans being the new English in Ireland is a good one, and it’s not just hypocrisy, it’s also stunningly lazy thinking. The Irish flavour of anti-Americanism is very similar to the anti-catholic church thinking that preceded it – conveniently providing a ready-rolled bogeyman responsible for all woes. It’s part of the general lack of accountability which has become a staple of Irish society – it’s always somebody else’s fault (hello Mary Harney & the HSE). Now that I think about it, if you picked up a few weeks’ worth of recent Irish newspapers without any context, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was the Mahon Tribunal’s fault that the Irish prime minister had vast amounts of unexplained cash sloshing around various safes, mattresses and bank accounts in the mid-90s.

Irish people seem to me to be more adept at doublethink than most. For example, it allowed them to be strongly opposed to America’s military adventures in the Middle East whilst simultaneously accepting the benefits accruing due to the movements of troops through Shannon.

It did give me a giggle when Bertie speculated that all the US multinationals would move out if the Irish government so much as said ‘boo’ to the US government over Shannon. Surely he can make this basic leap of logic – he’s in the pocket of big business, why would the US government be any different? Can you picture this meeting – GW summons Larry and Sergey, Michael Dell and Paul Otellini to the oval office, tells them to pull out of Ireland because ‘they’re really pissing me off’? Didn’t think so … Bertie, the multinationals will move out when your builder friends have ensured that Ireland has priced its workers out of the market, simple as that.

Another classic example is the rabid English-hating republicans (Irish style republicans, that is) who spend their weekends cheering on English football teams. Mad.

Finally, about a month ago, they did back-to-back pieces on George Hook’s radio show on immigration / emigration. The first spot dealt with the immigrant parents of children born in Ireland. The children had been given Irish citizenship before the delightful Michael McDowell closed that ‘loophole’, but the parents had not. There were less than a thousand parents involved in this case. They invited people to text in their opinions and about 75-80% were in favour of deporting the parents.

Immediately afterwards, they did a spot on the ‘undocumented Irish’ in the US. The texters were 75-80% in favour of the (illegal) Irish in the States being cut a special deal and being granted citizenship.

I totally agree that there are significant cultural differences which may be more difficult to identify due to a shared language, and that these run deeper than is usually acknowledged. That’s always going to be the way, and that is what makes life interesting. Otherwise we’d all live in replicas of Las Vegas, with replicas of the replica Venetian canals and Statues of Liberty, and that would be far too bloody confusing.

For economic and geographic reasons, Irish people have had to emigrate and experience different cultures whilst for exactly the same reasons many Americans haven’t. The fact that [insert large percentage here] of Americans don’t have passports is trotted out regularly to illustrate how incurious Americans are about the world around them. The thing is, lots of people just aren’t that interested in Renaissance architecture, art galleries, Viennese waltzes, Bauhaus museums, French haute cuisine and whatever other ‘high’ culture Europe (for example) has to offer. When most people go on holidays they’re interested in sun, snow or similar. The States can offer all of that and more without anyone ever having to leave the lower 50. As one of those Americans without a passport said to me, if I ever feel like going skiing in Switzerland rather than Colorado, then I’ll get a passport.

I’ve met plenty of Irish people who have returned from package holidays unsure where they actually spent the last week. “Where’s Malaga?”, “I think it’s an island in the Mediterranean” – real conversation from a few years back. With a guy who ran his own fairly successful business, employing a few manual operatives who were, apparently, “really stupid”. Riiiight …

Coming from a country that would fit into most states with some change left over, it’s easy for the Irish to generalise about the Americans. At the same time, they’d get very upset if you tried to suggest that they might have something in common with a farmer in the south of France. Or even a farmer in Leitrim.

Conclusion – there are thickos everywhere, its just unfortunate for you guys that, in playground terminology, you’re ‘it’ at the moment.

@Deborah, don’t just say ‘Blanchardstown, say ‘Blanchardstown, it’s just outside Prague’ and watch their mental gears whirr.

@Jessi, nail on the head. It’s disheartening that the US has moved so far so quickly from its founding principles, which for me are still the most aspirational and idealistic of any country I’m aware of. In addition, since the US is a ‘mutt’ country, these principles were what supposedly formed shared American values, rather than religion, race or class.

Now when people ask me where I’m from a very curt “Blanchardstown” is my answer and it confuses the hell out of them and I like to leave them at it!

My American friends have been threatening for about 6 years to get “I didn’t vote for him, so don’t blame me” t-shirts printed the next time they visit. That hasn’t proved necessary, yet.

The point I was trying to make is that a large proportion of the Irish population seem to believe the ‘Ireland is different’ mantra when it is anything but …

Just tell everyone you’re Canadian. Solves any number of problems.

While I’m on the subject, why do people think that I’m personally responsible for the mess Bush has made? Or that I single handedly caused every political/enviromental problem in America? At least that’s what I’m lead to believe. BECAUSE PEOPLE TAKE IT OUT ON ME! Or at least make it known that where I’m from is a melting cesspool of corrupt politicians (duh) and ignorance (duh X 2). I know America has it’s problem but please stop spewing negative shit on every one of us you meet. It’s ANNOYING!!! Dammit, I need some whiskey.

We have your multinational companies, many of them employing people in *very important* call centre work.

We have their taxes – that €3.3 million that Google allegedly paid will sort out the health service fo’ sho’.

‘Knowledge economy’? Bertie created it, and it’s treasonous to suggest otherwise (thank you Mary O’Rourke, I didn’t think you could possibly be as entertaining as you were back in the day when you privatised eircom). It’s all about de, eh computers and, eh, de Internet.

You may have invented massive personal debt, but who’s better at accumulating it, huh? We used to live in the shadow of the national debt, but thanks to the clear-sightedness of our leaders, public debt has been quietly and efficiently converted into private debt. Huzzah!

You like your cars, but who’s more dependent on them? Us, that’s who, and by god do we pay more for it. Zing!

You think some parts of the States are experiencing a bursting property bubble? Let one of the least densely-populated countries in Europe show you how to do it, suckers! Just because we don’t call 10 times income, 100% interest-only 40 year mortgages ‘sub-prime’ doesn’t mean we can’t mix it with you lot. Our bankers are just as irresponsible and dumb as yours, okay?

So your political system may be a tad corrupt. Why do you think that is? Because we got over there and got stuck into the graft with real gusto. Unfortunately the Irish can’t claim sole responsibility for that. The Italians, the only European nation with a corruption culture to rival Ireland’s, had a bit of a hand in it as well.

Just remember, Ireland is DIFFERENT. Normal rules do not apply.

As an example, the radio just reported a decrease in inflation from 5% to 4.7% as ‘falling prices’. Mind-boggling.