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Ah, Ireland. A land of gorgeous mountains, rivers, forests and coasts. Without this lovely country, we wouldn’t have Guinness, submarines, Ryanair, flavored potato chips (or crisps as the Irish call them), the world’s best whiskey, or Colin Farrell. It may be a small country with only 5 million residents, but it has certainly made its mark on the rest of the planet.

To celebrate how unique and special Ireland is, we’ve taken a trip down the feed of the Meanwhile in Ireland Instagram account and gathered some of our favorite posts. So pour yourself a glass of Jameson, pop on your favorite Cranberries record, and enjoy this list dedicated to the world’s kindest potato-loving people.

Keep reading to also find an interview with Katie Morris, one of the creators of Meanwhile in Ireland, and be sure to upvote the posts you find most hilarious, or relatable if you hail from Ireland. Let us know in the comments what you love most about the Emerald Isle, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article that perfectly sums up what it’s like to live in Ireland, you can find that right here!

More info: MeanwhileInIreland.com | Instagram | Facebook

To gain some more insight on the background of Meanwhile in Ireland, we reached out to one of the page's creators, Katie Morris. "We started off as a Facebook page showing the funniest real life images and memes from Ireland," she shared with Bored Panda. "The content went viral and within 5 years, we had over 500,000 followers which was incredible! It was hard to believe!" And their audience has only continued to grow, as their Facebook page currently has over 760k followers.

While we all know about certain Irish traditions, celebrities and scenic spots we admire from the outside, we wanted to hear from Katie what she thinks makes Ireland so special. "Ireland is a fascinating place. The people and culture make it unique," she shared. "Irish people have a way of not taking life too seriously and seeing the funny side of things which makes us generally well-liked around the world."

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We were also curious what Katie loves the most, and the least, about Ireland. "The people, music, culture and Guinness are some of our favorite things about Ireland," she shared. Even as a foreigner, I can agree with all of those responses!

"Our least favorite thing is probably the cost of living in 2022!" Katie shared. While inflation has affected the entire planet, Ireland has been hit particularly hard. As of October this year, Irish inflation reached 9.2% in annual terms, while electricity prices have gone up a staggering 71.2% and gas prices have shot up by 93.3%. Ireland is now tied with Denmark for having the highest cost of living of any EU nation, due to having the most expensive health care in the EU and prices that are, on average, 40 cents higher than other European nations.

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Tams21
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This makes it sound like there is no legal minimum age for drinking alcohol in Ireland. That is not true - it's 18. I'm guessing the implication is that kids start drinking much earlier than that in Ireland but I know for a fact that's true of the other countries too.

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We were curious if there were any misconceptions about Ireland that Katie would like to dispel while she had the floor. She shared, "Contrary to popular belief, we do not say 'top of the morning'. We actually find it insulting if you say that to us!" So remember that when you make your trip to the gorgeous country; the last thing you want to do is offend any locals!

"Make sure you visit Ireland at least once in your life, and follow Meanwhile in Ireland for the best Irish humor!" Katie added.

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David Brown
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was born on the wrong continent. I drink enough tea everyday to float a boat. So much cheaper than pop and much better tasting than water.

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Unfortunately, I’ve yet to visit Ireland myself, but I recently had a couple of friends visit from there, and after hearing about how lovely it is, Ireland has certainly jumped to the top of my “must visit” list. But one thing they also made very clear to me is that in Ireland, I would have a hard time understanding anyone, and I would likely make a fool of myself often by using the wrong words and phrases. (Such as asking for a ride home when I really should say lift. Apparently 'ride' means something entirely different in Ireland...) This didn’t come as a complete surprise to me, as I have to watch Derry Girls with subtitles on or I become lost extremely fast, but I had no idea how many unique phrases and slang words Irish people use.

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To help you pandas learn a few words and phrases that you might come across in Ireland, I’ve consulted this list from Keith O’Hara at The Irish Road Trip. One that Keith notes that is common in his everyday speech is “minus craic”. He explains that it means “a situation or person that’s no fun”. “For example, ‘I called over yesterday and he was going on about his new tractor for an hour. It was minus craic’,” he writes. That’s certainly one I would have never known, unless I could decipher the meaning through context.   

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General Ratto
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the ninth day, god thought that the Irish weren’t crazy enough, so he created Florida

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Apparently, in Ireland, “act the maggot” means to mess around or do something that you’re not supposed to be doing. “That young lad was in here last night acting the maggot,” is the example Keith used to explain it. Another I definitely would need to have explained to me is “donkey’s years”. “‘Donkey’s years’ is used to describe a long passing of time,” Keith writes. “You’ll generally hear people use this when describing how long it’s been since they’ve seen someone, or how long it’s been since they’ve done something. For example, ‘I haven’t seen Tony in donkey’s years.’”

One of the expressions that my friends recently explained to me, as someone who’s never been to Ireland, was “yer man”. “You’ll often hear this used when someone’s describing someone that they don’t like, however it can also be used when you don’t know someone’s name,” Keith explained. I was also told that one way to translate this to American English would be by saying “that guy” instead, if you’re referring to someone you don’t actually know.

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Another Irish term I was recently taught is “culchie”. This phrase is used to describe someone who lives in a remote part of the island, but for people from Dublin, it might be used for anyone from outside of Dublin. “For example, ‘The pub last night was wedged with culchies’,” Keith writes. If you’re looking to insult someone in Ireland, there are also a few Irish-specific words that you might want to know how to use. Some of the tame insults Keith notes are goon, gobshite, eejit (similar to idiot), pox (someone who is annoying), and dope (someone who is stupid). My friends from Ireland also educated me on the phrase “scarlet fer yer ma” or “scarlet fer yer ma fer havin’ ye”. Essentially, this translates to “how embarrassing for you”, or you did something so shameful your mother should be embarrassed (or blushing) just for having you. That one would hurt.   

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Jaguarundi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They had this at the Florida State Fair one year. Then again, they had a "Walk Through The Dead Giant" inflatable the next year. Yes, it had organs inside the corpse to look at.

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FabulousMari
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like chowder doesn’t really fit but they were trying to sneak it in and didn’t think anyone would notice ….

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Are these Meanwhile in Ireland posts making you feel at home, or are you thinking you’d be completely out of place in the Emerald Isle? Either way, you can appreciate the Irish humor and all of the wonderful things (and people) Ireland has given the world. Keep upvoting your favorite posts, and then let us know in the comments what you love most about this potato-filled nation. Then if you’d like to check out yet another Bored Panda article that perfectly encapsulates the Irish experience, you can find that right here!

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Saggi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She has three Ian’s and an ant? And there is me over here who has two people who i have not talked to in the last 5 months.

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AspieGirl88
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So true, LOL. The little ones love it, but the older grandkids always say “No, Nanny! It’s too much, FFS, take it back!” … which only makes their dear old Nanny even more cross for not accepting! 🤣

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Fantastic Mr Fox
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Children need a broad education. The children upstairs play violin and take karate lessons. It’s a good combination. Makes you think twice before complaining about the music.

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Couldnt_find_a_decent_name
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But what happens if the eggs come out broken? Do you get your money back or do you just have to deal with it?

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Heather
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothin wrong with liking potatoes. I'm from the U.S. I'd be thrilled if that was the first stereotype that came to mind.

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AspieGirl88
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I squint a bit, it legit does look like my mum as she was in the 90’s! 😂

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Jake B
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where’s the banana? How do we know that isn’t just a short man?

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Sasy
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL OMG the Sudocrem love is so real, the day my Mum found out it was made in Ireland she made it a holiday. I not only have tubs of it all over my apartment, but I saw some at Coles when buying something else the other day for her, a purse sized tube, so got her that so she can take it with her everywhere.

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David
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't need to check it now, it's fresh. They'll check it when you try to reuse it.

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Benita Valdez
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in New York and on the rare occasion I take a train to the city it's like $20 or more one way (over $40 round trip) and I can't tell you how angry I get on the occasion they don't check my ticket because it's always on the return trip and I it's like this thing is going to expire well before I take the train again so I wasted money

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