Many Germans don't know where Ireland is

I can´t understand Irish

When I watch some irish movies or any british dialects (I have to turn the subtitles on). Funny

Oh dear, oh deary me.

Are you referring to:


or more along the lines of:

And the game is on !

WTF keydeck CONFUSION

Assuming you are not taking the piss as this would lead me to "bather the feckin Jaysin' head off of ya", I was enquiring as to whether you meant that you did not understand the Irish language, of which the second quote above is an example of (part of the national anthem), or Irish dialect when speaking English, of which the first quote is an example from the film The Commitments. Furthermore I was curious as to whether you were including Irish as a British dialect in which case I would feel duty-bound to point out that whilst Ireland is indeed part of the geographical group of islands known as the British Isles it is most certainly not part of the political grouping of countries known as Britain (or the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland if one is feeling loquacious).

No no, misunderstanding...

I don´t understand spoken irish or spoken british dialects. you know, you watch some irish or british movie with people who speak some dialects and I have no clue what they are talking about. Subtitel on!!!

I know about Great Britain, Ireland, etc...

Don´t worry, been there

Love the country

I knew what you meant. Was just "having a go" as they say.

When the film The Commitments (which I mentioned) was released in the US (dunno about Canada) punters were issued with a glossary to bring into the cinema with them to explain some of the more colourful langauge, boxes, gooters, that kind of thing.

Neither do I.

before they released wallace and gromit in the states, they seriously thought about redubbing it so that americans would understand a northern accent. not on topic, sorry but funny never the less.

bollocks!!!
there's over 6,000 islands in the British Isles.

and yes like it or not Ireland is part of the British Isles.

..and has anyone tried explaining to a foreigner why England, Scotland, N Ireland and that other one are countries and Great Britain is a country also

Oh! Where have I heard this before? Last summer me and 'She-who-must-be-obeyed' were at the Saturday market in Haderner Stern buying some of those loverly dried-up sausages from the Sud-Tiroler dealer, when the dealer asks which part of America I was from.

Madame Sin turned immediately and put her hand on my chest, saying: "Calm down! Calm down! Breathe deeply! Let it go!".

Sin - nice to hear I'm not alone, Sin! Why are we mistaken for Americans, do you think? Maybe we should change our accent?

Why don't Germans know where Ireland is?

's easy. 'tis a small island between Britain and America.

hours of entertainment . . .

Me: so Wales has it's own parlaiment?
Him: No
Me: but it has it's own supreme court?
Him: No
Me: so it's a province then?
Him: No

ad nauseum

<sermon>
I'm from Ireland too and I have been here for a few years. You need to put some perspective on this. All Germans hear is an English accent (just like all you hear from Austrians and Germans is a German accent or German you might have trouble understanding). It takes years to be good enough in a foreign language to be able to guess where someone speaking in that language is from based on accents and statistically you are far more likely to come from the US or UK.

People are usually being nice when they ask if you are American or English. Half the time they just want to try out their English on you. This is a good thing. French people, for example, are generally more aloof.

A healty way of looking at it is to turn the issue around. Can you spot a Canadian (hint: "aboot" or "eh")? What can you say about East vs. West Germany? What is the deal with China and Taiwan? Half the fun of living abroad is getting a feeling for what it is like to be a fish out of water!!
</sermon>

Well I'm scottish and people always nomatter wherever I go in the world always ask if I'm Irish, they must be able to make some kind of Celtic distinction but it all goes a bit wrong after that.

I keep getting Germans asking me if I'm Dutch must be my "German with a Yorkshire accent".

No, that'd be Aire. Ireland is part of Aire along with Northern Ireland (I really hope I'm right before I get lynched hehe).
Edit: it's possible I've missed some sarcasm since I see you're Irish, but I'll leave the explanation up for those who are still confoosled

No lynching envisaged, but shouldn't that be "Eire"?

okay, i know i'm prob in the wrong since i didn't read the entire thread, but...

Americans DO know where Ireland is and that it's not part of Britian (and that the Irish speak English) (at least the majority of Americans do- i don't know of one that doesn't at least!).

What are you all talking about? I know one Ame who asked me if India is in Dubai!

Beat that?

You're always going to find people who's geography isn't too hot. I lived with a girl who had lived all her life in Munich but had never heard of towns such as Wasserburg, Landsberg or Rothenburg.

So before this thread turns into more American-bashing, I should point out that the subject is whether *Germans* know where Ireland is or not.

True STB, But atleast the germans I met, they all knew about Ireland.

Why don't no one don't notice since almost 2 years that the topic title don't fit? Me fixum.

You've been at the gin this afternoon, haven't you Sara?

Edit: Ahh, geddit now.

NP honey, I had to read the title 3 times before I realized why it struck me as incorrect.

I think it's because the Germans can't say Reyjavik properly ?

Reykjavik? Maybe that's why ...

sounds very much my lingo..

Surely eveyone should know where Ireland is bcause of its greatest exports, guiness whisky people and comedy aka father Ted. it is a great place didnt Dublin win best city to live recently, my sis moved there she loves it

Let`s be brutally honest here, hardly any Germans wish to know where Ireland is, and sometimes I don`t blame them. By the way, a German brewer, who was sent to Ireland to improve their rotten beer invented Guiness. ( Puts on Flak-Jacket, tightens helmet and loads riot-gun with C.S.)

Well, he failed

Haven't heard about the German brewer before, but Guinness is owned by a British company and based on an English recipe...

Oh but it is true, don`t know his name I`m sure one of the Rocket-Scientists(Aero-Engineers) on TT would be happy to point you in the right direction.

Complete nonsense. Arthur Guinness came from the UK. He brought his recipe for porter with him. Bought a 1 acre site at St. James Gate and started brewing Guinness.

How does that make what I said nonsense?

Just included your reply for completeness. The nonsense is directed at the initial post. There you go, I've removed your quote now.

No worries.

Shame it's not true though, would be a good story!

I heard that english bitter was initially a by-product of the catholic Easter ceremony where the bishop washes the feet of his congregation.
First mentioned by St Magnus the Strange in the manuscript "Clerical Toe Hygiene and the rule of St. Chilblainus the elder" ?

@Sea-king

I'll borrow that flakjacket and helmet if that's okay. You won't be needing it now.

Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Nothing to do with the Egyptians after all.

More interesting and 100% accurate facts to be found Some useless trivia.

Arthur brought a Kraut with him to make his beer, cos he knew the Paddies would go wild for this stuff.
And we all know the Germans make the best beer I shall look this up in more detial later I have to leave the country for a few days .
P.S. I know I`m right. Can I have the Flak-Jacket back thanx

Would be interested to see any reference for this. AG started brewing his ales and porter in Leixlip and then got the lease on the Dublin site. He dropped the ales and focussing on brewing porter which he had learned about in the UK. Just like Charlie don't surf, Germans don't brew porter (or ale as far as I know).

I agree with Keydeck; I find it rather unlikely that someone from Britain or Ireland would turn to Germany to help out with a porter or stout, especially way back in 1756.

That said, I have a bottle of this sitting waiting to be tried, from Loebau up in norvern Germany somewhere:



They seem to suggest it's a traditional style:


Mind you, all beer was dark back then. Golden beers date from only 18 hundred something or other.

Lausitzer Porter

Arthur Guinness was Irish but his loyalties were certainly British

Found another porter the other day, Hoepfner. According to Michael Jackson (the beer critic, not the paedophilepop singer), these porters are indeed of British origin, imported from the London breweries based on the Thames. The German brewing industry is sooooo insular, it's amazing that part of the British brewing industry can be found here.


Beer Hunter: Hoepfner Porter

deffinately going to have to raid your beer steps again stb. However back on topic, I am impressed with how many germans know where newfoundland is or have even heard of it. Also impressive is the amount of irish that think I am from their kneck of the woods... However tonight I had a end all be all comment from a german who claimed to be an expert on accents. He was amazed at the fact that when I spoke german I had a american accent (won't complain there) however when I spoke english I had an australian accent. This has been the best diagnoses to date.

I was also asked by my german teacher the other day, "du bist englander oder?" upon a negative reply "ah ist aber egal!!". this attitude tends to be widespread. I am thinking of actually talking the same line with my german accaintences. Du bist Oestereicher oder? Ach es ist scheiss egal!

ps. @stb little story in the big town. Our commie dictator urm I mean the president of a said group had the luck of me running into him tonight. The drunken bastard (as he was acting) was in a said bavarian bar with said spanish name with only his commie love to pay for said cubra libre mass which he had ordered. After him receiving said finacial aid from non third world country (purely enough to cover said mass) started trying to convince the barmann to give him another beer. The same barmann of which he had had for the past hour been trying to convince he really didn't have any money to pay for his mass. top this all off with the fact that he would only do it in mother tounge. And they say ami's are ignorant.

not surprising considering Irish was the strongest influence on the Newfie accent. In fact a St.John's accent is supposed to be remarkably similar to a Waterford accent.

This one is a bit of a bone of contention as local historians in Celbridge and Leixlip both maintain that he began brewing in their respective towns. In Celbridge, it's said that Guinness porter first came about when the barley was accidentally burnt during the drying process either at what is now St. Brigids convent or James Carberry's brewery now Norris's Bar. The subsequent brew resembled porter and Guinness decided to sell it anyway. This version of the origin of Guinness is partially supported by tour guides during the Guinness Hopstore tour, except they give Leixlip as the location for overcooking the barley. But it was really Celbridge, cuz Celbridge is cooler than Leixlip.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~aghardsns/localhist.htm#P

Wow I knew Scotland was a real country but never knew Ireland was.

Do you expect regular Germans who read Das Bild (German equivalent of the National Enquirer) to know where Ireland is? Just like in any country the intellectual elite is a minority in Germany. There was a survey done where the German population were asked if they know their own states within Germany, and Germans failed miserably on that one. Where is Ireland? Err... I zink ids to de norf of de kountry Szcotland...? Ja, ja, de Szcottish shuuld fiyght de Bridish and uniyte wid de Irissch