[zatara]

(03-06-2018 10:06 AM)AngloHispanic Wrote:  

Fantastic, very useful info. Thanks!

Since I assume you live in Dublin or are familiar with the scene, I'd like to ask - how is the place in terms of "americanization"? Is it very politically correct or are people allowed to be normal/have common sense/live like actual Irish people?

I lived in London for many years, some years ago, and ended up leaving largely because I felt the place was like a madhouse in terms of people having to lie constantly and consistently about almost everything in order to avoid getting ambushed (by their own).

I'm wondering if Dublin is similar in that respect, or are people (much) less neurotic?

Appreciate this is a very subjective question, but curious nonetheless. I don't hear much about Ireland, either here or in real life, other than "beautiful countryside/lots of redheads/st.patricks" and similar tropes.

I'm not actually living in Dublin any more, but I did for high school and uni and have worked there. And I still have lots of family and friends there so go back regularly. Its got some downsides but its a very fun city.

Dublin is extremely Americanized in a lot of cultural ways, but not in the overly-PC social ethos you're describing. For the Americanized side of things - middle class people who were raised on a diet of Friends have a distinct American twang to their accents these days. And obviously are native English speakers. Clothing and music tastes are a lot more American than you'd find in the UK. And American TV/movies dominate, but thats true in most places I guess. Most middle class people who live in the suburbs also have cars and drive from a young age. College kids nearly all spend a summer or two living in America on 'J1' holidays, and a lot of people in general holiday in the US regularly. A lot of Americans who tour around Europe say Dublin is like a halfway American, halfway European city in all of these regards.

Far more importantly than all of that however is the new overly PC American nature is not common at all. You can still make racist or sexist jokes with friends and not be shamed. Men don't describe themselves as feminists. Its still acceptable to make fun of your mates if they act effeminate by calling them "gay" etc. I've seen Americans (and not even super liberal New Englanders) who've moved to Ireland be shocked by what gets said in social situations here. People in Ireland just have a lot more common sense I think. They for the most part aren't actually particularly homophobic/racist/etc, but they have enough cop on to still appreciate a harmless joke. People aren't on edge, looking to be offended by everything.

Though as Steve McQueen says if you work for a large MNC you'd need to be a little more careful on work nights. The Americans in middle/upper management tend to be very aware of being sued for any little detail, and try to stamp the PC organizational culture imported from the US on everything beneath them. A bit of social intelligence and you'll be fine even here though - just don't get hammered and talk shite to workmates unless you know them very well and they've crossed the line from workmate to actual mate.

I've also lived in London, which I found far more Americanized in the political correctness obsession, than Dublin. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how relaxed Dublin is - its more along the lines of what I imagine the US would have been in the 1980s say.

[AngloHispanic]

(03-06-2018 10:57 AM)Steve McQueen Wrote:  

If you work for a large multinational you will need to be careful what you say. You will meet a lot of people that will use anything you say against you to further their careers over yours, be careful what you drink/say on work nights out.

If you are looking for like minded people join the social club at work, after a few nights out you will get to know who the dickheads are and who you can be more open with. Try and get to know those ones very well and they will introduce you to more of the same types of people.

In Ireland you can sit down in any pub and say what you like for the most part, conversation wise anything goes if there are no women around, women here tend to be fairly touchy so be careful around them.

You can open a conversation with anybody here and you will be well received, its not considered weird or strange like it would be in other locations so dont be afraid to go to your local pub by yourself to catch a football game, its normal for guys to do that especially if they have families and want a chance to get away and unwind.

Irish guys tend to be pretty sound for the most part, guess thats why we travel so well, our women on the other hand are a different story so again be careful what you say around them.

Many thanks, SMQ.

Looking back, that matches my experience with meeting Irish people abroad. The men seemed mostly down to earth and sound as you say, the women chatty and open but touchy as well.

Thanks both for the info, that's about as good as it can get without going into much more detail.

Cheers!

[zatara]

I should add - everything I've posted above applies to when dealing with people in Dublin over the age of say 23ish. The millennial kids currently in uni (aged 18-21) are definitely getting a lot more PC and precious than previous generations. But I'm assuming if you've got kids and are applying for managerial roles you're only going to be dealing with adults (25+ probably) socially or professionally, so you'll be OK.

Also to add to Steve McQueen's advice about looking for like minded people, I'd really recommend joining a rugby club to do this. Its a fun game, it'll keep you fit, there are lots of social events, and you'll make male friends rapidly from the team. It'll also give you an excuse to go on a holiday away from the wife once a year on a rugby tour. There are loads of clubs dotted around Dublin, its a very popular sport in the city. Because most players on the teams are middle class males between the ages of 20-35, who're fit, its also probably your best option for making friends with game aware guys. Otherwise you might struggle to meet men of a similar mindset if you're working in IT, as demographics there skew very nerdy.

[AngloHispanic]

(03-06-2018 12:58 PM)zatara Wrote:  

(03-06-2018 10:06 AM)AngloHispanic Wrote:  

Fantastic, very useful info. Thanks!

Since I assume you live in Dublin or are familiar with the scene, I'd like to ask - how is the place in terms of "americanization"? Is it very politically correct or are people allowed to be normal/have common sense/live like actual Irish people?

I lived in London for many years, some years ago, and ended up leaving largely because I felt the place was like a madhouse in terms of people having to lie constantly and consistently about almost everything in order to avoid getting ambushed (by their own).

I'm wondering if Dublin is similar in that respect, or are people (much) less neurotic?

Appreciate this is a very subjective question, but curious nonetheless. I don't hear much about Ireland, either here or in real life, other than "beautiful countryside/lots of redheads/st.patricks" and similar tropes.

I'm not actually living in Dublin any more, but I did for high school and uni and have worked there. And I still have lots of family and friends there so go back regularly. Its got some downsides but its a very fun city.

Dublin is extremely Americanized in a lot of cultural ways, but not in the overly-PC social ethos you're describing. For the Americanized side of things - middle class people who were raised on a diet of Friends have a distinct American twang to their accents these days. And obviously are native English speakers. Clothing and music tastes are a lot more American than you'd find in the UK. And American TV/movies dominate, but thats true in most places I guess. Most middle class people who live in the suburbs also have cars and drive from a young age. College kids nearly all spend a summer or two living in America on 'J1' holidays, and a lot of people in general holiday in the US regularly. A lot of Americans who tour around Europe say Dublin is like a halfway American, halfway European city in all of these regards.

Far more importantly than all of that however is the new overly PC American nature is not common at all. You can still make racist or sexist jokes with friends and not be shamed. Men don't describe themselves as feminists. Its still acceptable to make fun of your mates if they act effeminate by calling them "gay" etc. I've seen Americans (and not even super liberal New Englanders) who've moved to Ireland be shocked by what gets said in social situations here. People in Ireland just have a lot more common sense I think. They for the most part aren't actually particularly homophobic/racist/etc, but they have enough cop on to still appreciate a harmless joke. People aren't on edge, looking to be offended by everything.

Though as Steve McQueen says if you work for a large MNC you'd need to be a little more careful on work nights. The Americans in middle/upper management tend to be very aware of being sued for any little detail, and try to stamp the PC organizational culture imported from the US on everything beneath them. A bit of social intelligence and you'll be fine even here though - just don't get hammered and talk shite to workmates unless you know them very well and they've crossed the line from workmate to actual mate.

I've also lived in London, which I found far more Americanized in the political correctness obsession, than Dublin. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how relaxed Dublin is - its more along the lines of what I imagine the US would have been in the 1980s say.

Great description - you understood perfectly what I meant by "americanized" (it ain't chiefly about the Maccy D's these days)!

Very glad to read from both your descriptions that culturally Dublin is not something like a scaled-down version of London or Boston, which was my main concern.

Thanks again!

[jbkunt2]

Dublin would be a great place to raise children.