Many Germans don't know where Ireland is

I am from Dublin, Ireland and have been in Germany the past month and the amount of people who think I am English or American because English is my language is unbelievable, as I have a very Dublin accent... worse still is when I say no I am from Ireland, some idiots say were is that... or oh so you are English, and I say no I am Irish, and say oh sorry I meant British and I say no from Ireland and it isn't in Britain and they say ok if you think so... as though I don't know... and afterall I am the one from Ireland.

I always thought that Americans might think things like this, and as they are not in Europe they have an excuse for not knowing, but I am finding it very annoying... by the way I have nothing against British people, but it is clearly a fact, I am not British!!! I can't imagine me saying to a German ...oh are you French?? Or are you Dutch??! I find it so strange considering the geography classes and histrory classes I attended back in my school day ...the education system here is so different, appearently Ireland is part of the British Isles... er yes...

This discussion can be said for most nationalities, there are even some Germans here that have such an Irish accent its difficult to believe they are not from Ireland.

Canadians are often mistaken for Americans, Austrians hate being called Germans, the list goes on ! you are not the first, and will certainly not be the last !

My irish ex boyfriend once got asked where he learned his english, as he was so fluent... These ppl didn't know that english was the spoken language in Ireland. He also got asked wether Ireland is the capital of England. He was furious. All these questions he got asked when he was working in the HardRockCafe Munich.

well I could be wrong here as I'm not well up on geography - but I think if you look at a world map you will see Ireland is part of the British Isles - which consist of two islands - Ireland and Britain. That's just the geagraphic name that has nothing to do with nationality or politics (well current politics anyhow).

To be British however has nothing to do with geography but means you are a subject of the Queen.

However it seems that many Europeans and Americans have trouble making this distinction and assume that Ireland is part of Britain in the political sense, because the two Islands are collectively referred to as the British Isles in the geographic sense.

And yes it is very fuckin annoying !

Has some one removed the Isle of Mann, Orkney, Shetland, etc without telling me?

Yes. The Americans bought them. They are an attraction at Disneyland now.

as everybody here has said, dont worry about it. it difficult for a german to hear the difference, as much as i have a difficulty hearing the difference between an austrailian and a kiwi accent, (i lived aith a kiwi, so i have allraedy recieved the advanced antipodean accents course, but huh?)

it gets really funny when you speak german and the people ask if your dutch

not that i've anything against the dutch (ORANGE DAY 15TH JUNE), but wow is that weird.

Google definition: British Isles

oh the joy of explaining the confused mainlander the subtlties of the 'british isles' (a geographical term) and the 'united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland' (a politcal term)...

...not sure how that ties in with meckle's definition of british though, i mean are citizens of NI british (subjects) yet not from (great) britain (but northern ireland)? that is a whole new can of worms...

we share a canteen with a rather large american company who regularly have people over here for 6 month stints... this one guy starts asking me auf deutsch (better than mine, admittedly) what our company does, i proceeded to explain to him in german until his eyes glazed over and then switched to english... at the end of the conversation he complimented me on my english, he said it sounded 'almost as it i had spoken it all my life'... freakin' colonial...

if anybody asks me now i just tell them i'm from cork biy, and let them figure it out for themselves like... langers...

There are some German Toytowners who speak perfect English, accents and all. On two occasions I've been talking to people for 30 minutes then asked them where in the states they're from, only to learn they're Germans.

It's kinda creepy

True, but we might be talking about the Americans from the Americas which includes the entire Western world or the American Americans. Just like the British Isles encompassing the whole shebang. Plus the subtle distinction between Disneyland, Disneyworld and EuroDisney always boggles my mind.

Don't forget DisneyJapan (or whatever it's called).

i hope you are not all trying to suggest that ireland is some kinda mickey mouse state!!!

EuroDisney?? hasn't been called that for years.

After they bought the Ã?sle of Man, Shetlands etc they renamed it Disneyland Paris, despite the fact that it isn't really in Paris.

I have heard a few krouts with great great American accents, but have yet to meet one that can put together a sentence with a decent cockney one.

(Don riina toddles off down the frog to get his nan a bottle of gin.)

still can't get over whistle and flute or dog and bone

Trouble and strife !

Well I'll eat me titfer

Ah, lovely! Proper english.

My bird's ears have been under a barrage of cockney for donkeys years, and although she understands it well (she could even understand me grandad) NOT ONE WORD of cockney has slipped into her daily vocabulary.

Anyhoo, back on topicish, I have been asked by loads of Germans if I am Dutch, but I put that down to my jacket smelling funny or something.

but mr riina according to legend, cockney was developed to confuse the germans...
you'll be hung for treason, if back in blighty they find out what you've done

I was quite impressed with Mrs. Keynote - she speaks like she just landed at Liverpool docks from the Emerald Isle...to be sure to be sure.

In my opinion it's the German media.

Often Ireland is not clearly differentiated form Great Britain.
Observing myself how I respond to the tone and implicit messages in German texts
it is as if Ireland somehow "belongs" to Great Britain.

Also I noticed when radio correspondents file a report about Ireland they often sign off from London.

Of course there is loads of Germans who are absolute Ireland fans and they are
extremely well informed.

Cheerio
Margret

I have been asked am I from Holland as I seem to speak German with a dutch accent??:-) When I tell people I come from Dublin they say "oh how beautiful" I then ask them have they ever been there, the reply I get is "No"! How can these people (Germans) say how beautiful it is when they've never been there? Have they seen Dublin west with it's thousands and thousands of rat-bag estates, burnt-out cars, junkies, crime and traffic congestion? (My Rant) Many a reason I got out of Dublin. I've also had one guy start telling me about his "Wild West Club" here in Munich where they dress up as cowboys and ride horses, some kind of fetish thing I suppose ;-) although I know some spots in Dublin where he would fit in nicely for about 10 mins until they beat the shit out of him!! Somehow the jerries have Ireland and Scotland very closely related. Geography in the schools here doesn't seem to include our wet little cabbage patch as Mr. Hitler called it. I think the Irish have an overinflated image of themselves outside Ireland. I had to anglicize my christian name from Padraic to Patrick so the stupid f**kers could pronounce it. I don't think you would find to many jerries doing that in Ireland! Forget the surname, I have to give examples of a certain fast food outlet and TV character before they can get their heads round it. McGrath. Although when I use Graf to reserve a table at a restaurant the manager is usually quite attentive!!

Hell, it isn't just the stupid German f**ckers who can't pronounce your names, I can't either. Who could know that:

Naimh is pronounced Neeve.
Ã?ine is pronounced Onya.
Diarmuid is pronounced Dermit.
and I still don't know how to write the Gaelic version of "Chivon"

Siobhain (with a fada over the 'a').

Try "Sadhbh" for pronounciation!

Yeah, that looks familiar. Whenever I see it, I think "Seebohane".

Sadhbh? Hmmm. Satvee?

Sadhbh is pronounced Sive (with the 'i' having a long 'eye' sound)

One more thing...When you ask a stranger in the street for a cigarette they look at you like you've just insulted their mother. What is it? What the f**k is wrong with these people? I'm not out there every day scrounging smokes but come on man, give us a break jerry!

Hey, give me credit for at least guessing correctly there was a V sound in there.

Hey Tall Guy, I don't smoke, but to me, asking a stranger for a cigarette always seemed weird. It's like if we were in a restaurant or beergarten and I leaned over and asked you if I could have some of your fries.

tadgh is another difficult one to pronounce... any guesses??

Smokers are a group unto themselves, a smoker would understand, I can't expect you to, not being a smoker! At home, if you asked someone for a smoke they would offer you two and probably give you their lighter too to light it with. I think they are generally just cold here. Not like us warm friendly Irish who would buy you a plate of fries if you asked for some and expect nothing in return...

A few years back I was walking down the road from Club Knackerydoo at the Leopardstown Racecourse. Three blokes were coming up the road and one of them asked me for a cigarette. I said that I didn't have any left (I'd gotten the one in my hand from a mate) and next thing I'm fully aware of I'm in the local hospital with traumatised kidneys and lots of other stuff after being on the receiving end of a serious kicking. Gotta love the friendly Irish.

One of the reasons I left Dublin, I've been mugged twice and I'm 6' 9". Been slashed across the waist with a butterfly knife and been held on the ground and threatened to have my throat slit. All on separate occasions. Charming Dubliners!

Dublin has its nice sides as well, although they are not really in Dublin but in County Dublin! And you have the DART, well, just if you can be bothered enough.

My niece is called Medb.

The dubs are all brits anyway. The rest of us are not like that. We only slit your throat if it is completely deserved. For example being in possesion of a dubalin accent.

well this thread's actually making me feel a whole lot better - it was between here and Dublin they were going to send me for the three years. phew.

King Arthur was born and raised in Dublin,
driving out all the eeeevil people out of Britain...

in course of which he aquired a wooden countenance.

margret

King Arthur had a roman father, and an English mother, and from what I understand spent a lot of his youth in Rome, although actually nobody really knows. It is clear his father was Roman though.

Hi,

Sorry, but stupid persons are everywhere.
I don't know, why this person don't know nothing about Ireland.
I have been there for a couple day's and I found (in Dublin) a lot of friendly people.

I also know something about the diffrent about NorthernIreland and the Republic of Ireland. And be sure, I know where is is and a lot of my friends know this too.

So, don't think all Germans are so stupid as you have met.

mfg Wolf

a stupid German

Wolf, you're gonna see a lot of bitching about Germans on this site, and you can be sure that it's all in jest. It's a nice release to bitch about the culture you're in that's foreign to you. Don't take it too personally.

The Canadians will have a field day with this: I got told that my geography sucked the other day for not knowing where Vancouver was (apart from 'somewhere in Canada' that is). Shit. Do you really have to be able to point to every city in the world on a blank map to be considered fit?
So I've looked it up now. I know exactly where Vancouver is and various other facts about it. What I'd like to know now is why they seem to be grilling a hatchet and a paddle on their city flag (and what kind of sauce they use on them)?

Well, Vancouver is usually considered to be a "world city", meaning it's big enough for everyone to have heard of and to at least have a more than vague idea where it is in such a big country. As for the coat of arm depicted on the flag, here's more information than you could ever want to know about it: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/symbolsofthecity/

Not at all. Big breasts usually do the trick.

@ don riina - well gawd blimey, anuva cockney! Made me smile last year in Lübeck when I was at the station en-route to Hamburg. I went to buy some snacks for myself and ´im indoors, I chose what I wanted and the lady started to bag it for me, then himself asked me what was inside a particular thing he was interested in. As I told him what it was, the assistant looked at me in surprise and then asked me "Sind sie amerikanisch oder deutsch?" the first was an insult, the second a compliment. I just replied "englisch, leider"!

Oh, and isn't Ireland that mythical place that got stuck in time and lost in an impenetrable fog? No, wait, that was some movie I saw.

I was going to make a joke in bad taste about why the Germans do not know where Ireland is, but I won't

Ah go on.

Not once met a German who didn't know where Ireland is.
But maybe I'm just surrounded by enlightened people or - they were too frightened to admit it ...
A fact is though, that Germans think, Gaeilge is just another English slang, Derry is Londonderry and U2 are the best Irish band ever.

Germans either don't know where Ireland is at all or have spent their entire holidays there for the last 15 years and know more about the place than I do.

The second category is very handy to meet especially in the guise of driving licence tester, police officer, KVR Beamte etc.

Try going to Dingle during the summer. The place is crawling with Germans. Most Germans I know not only know where Ireland is but have visited it.