"Irish"

I recently read an article on Cracked about offensive Irish stereotypes. And by recently, I mean two months ago; it was a Paddy’s day piece. The author, Luke McKinney, expressed mild irritation at the ways St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated outside of our little Isle. Occasionally, I read or watch something that really sticks with me, and this was one of those cases. After reading McKinney’s piece, the topic of National identity seemed to pop up everywhere! Call me slow, but it’s only really clarified with me of late how widely held some of these stereotypes are. 

After taking a college module on the Irish film industry, I’ve begun to think of this issue as “The Quiet Man Dilemma”. For those of you not familiar with The Quiet Man, it was one of the first films that portrayed any sort of representation of Ireland, and being a Hollywood film, it enjoyed a lot of exposure so its depiction of us really stuck. The film presented Ireland as a whimsical, magical land whose natives were in awe of modernity, but had no real need for it. And sure, this was sixty years ago, but the sickener is; this patronizing representation is still bloody dominant today!

Much as I love Amy Adams (she’s adorable), Leap Year has to be one of the most offensive movies I’ve ever half-watched. Adams plays Anna, a modern American woman who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend, because (sigh) “Ancient Irish folklore” dictates that if you propose to a man on February 29^th, he must accept. Ireland is more or less portrayed as one long, winding country road, and of course, a dingy little pub. Oh, and everyone wears these hats:

Then there’s the less recent absurdity of Heroes Season 2. The first episode closes in Cork, where Milo Ventimiglia is terrorized by several burly American men, who I genuinely didn’t realise were supposed to be Irish until one of them uttered the word “boyo”. I’m pretty sure I actually facepalmed at this point.

Most recently, Glee introduced the Irish exchange student Rory Flanagan. In the first episode alone, he masquerades as a leprechaun, gushes over the Land of the Free, and sings “It’s Not Easy Being Green”. He also wears green in every single scene. In fact the first outfit we see him in is a green bowler hat, suspenders (no, not the sexy kind), and a green shirt. He’s pretty obviously dressed up to look like a leprechaun.

Just in case you didn’t get that he was Irish. Now, what really gets to me is that Ryan Murphy is of Irish heritage. And not the usual American claim to Irishness (it’s a word!). I don’t mean he has a great great great uncle called Paddy O’Reilly. Murphy actually grew up in your typical Catholic Irish family. He probably even has the fear of God put into him at the sight of a wooden spoon, so why would he write his first Irish character as an effing Leprechaun?

Now, this is really just a therapeutic rant. I can’t actually offer up any real explanation as to what being Irish really means. This probably isn’t the best moment to try to explore it anyway, because let’s face it; this is a terrible time to be Irish. I will, however, offer up some recommendations of a few movies that portray us Irish as real, normal people:

Kisses – A very sweet movie about two urban children who spend a rough night together in Dublin city.

Savage – As its title suggests, this is a violent look at gang culture and masculinity. Very in-yer-face, very gory, and very well done.

Cowboys and Angels – A coming of age film about a green twenty-something who moves to Limerick city and finds himself confronted with a culture of drugs and frivolity.

Adam and Paul – While I haven’t seen this yet, admitting so to my countrymen has always resulted in exasperated groans, so I’m fairly certain it deserves a place on this list. From what I’m told, this is a sweet but sad film with a uniquely Irish humour that explores the growing drug culture in Dublin.

Update: While proof-reading this post, I asked my boyfriend what characteristics he associated with being Irish. “Nothing.” He replied. “I don’t like to generalize.” Then, after a few moments: “I think Irish people are too into brand names.”

Would explain why we’re broke, I suppose. But on a lighter note, here’s 200 Reasons Not to Leave Dublin. Number 60 is a personal favourite, because on the night of my 19^th birthday, I was driven home by this man. 
Oh, Dublin.