In the decade that I’ve been an Irish woman abroad, the same questions have popped up at least once in every conversation I’ve ever had with a stranger.
As soon as someone hears your Irish accent, you automatically become an unofficial spokesperson for Ireland and repository of random information on all things Irish; from Derry Girls to Paul Mescal and everything in between.
My job as cabin crew means I interact with hundreds of people daily and I can categorically state that at least one of these five questions will be asked of anyone who presents with an Irish accent abroad.
1) Do you know (insert Irish person’s name)?
Do you know Michael from Dublin?
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People seem to think Ireland is so small that I’ll be able to pinpoint a person just by their first name. In my experience, it’s easier to play along: “Yes, of course I know Michael! We go back years, how’s he doing these days?”
To be fair, Ireland is such a small place that I have been able to place a person just by a single name and the town they are from. It’s like the Irish version of Guess Who?, where you’ve always got about a 50-50 chance of knowing the person they’re referring to.
2) Some mention of a potato will be made
For better or worse, Irish people and the humble spud seem to be intrinsically linked in most people’s minds. The impression is that Irish people just love potatoes.
For a while, I would avoid even using the word “potato” as it instigated a slagging fest. It doesn’t happen so much in these politically correct times, but when I first moved to London there was a spate of people who would hear my accent and then sing the word “potato” back to me in a fake Irish lilt.
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3) What part of Ireland are you from?
Everyone thinks they know the geography of Ireland really well. They don’t. Most people have heard of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin, and that’s it. I don’t even bother saying Kildare any more, as they look mildly disappointed when they have no idea what I’m talking about. I just say I’m from Cork, which is technically true in my case. They’re happy they know a place in Ireland, and I’m happy I don’t have to explain where Kildare is for the 65th time that day.
4) You must come from a huge family?
People assume that if you’re Irish, you must have more siblings than Rizzo the Rat. It’s almost shocking for people to discover that I only have two siblings, when every other Irish person they know comes from a family of at least 10.
It could be down to TV shows that emphasise big Irish families such as Mrs Brown’s Boys, so Irish people are synonymous with huge families. I spoke to one British guy who came from a family of 10 and remarked to me: “Yeah it’s crazy that I come from such a big family, because we’re not even Irish!”
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5) Oh my God! I love your accent
As an Irish person abroad, it’s hard not to get an inflated ego. The number of times you’ll open your mouth and find someone gushing over how much they love your accent.
The Irish accent is so uniquely charming and disarming that I’m even impressed by it a bit myself when I encounter it unexpectedly on my travels.
Potato jokes aside, being Irish abroad has more upsides than down, and the stereotypes tend to work in our favour, which might explain why so many of us never want to return home after the experience of being treated like mini rock stars abroad.
- Paula Gahan, from Kildare, lives in London and works as cabin crew for an international airline
- If you live overseas and would like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, email abroad@irishtimes.com with a little information about you and what you do
