BLOGGING THE VIEW: Let’s welcome the Irish side by learning a bit about their culture

Yes, yes, after the Springboks defeated Ireland in last week’s test match, their country’s Justice Minister just happened to revoke our visa-free travel to the country.

A coincidence? Perhaps. Unfriendly? Maybe. But we’re not a nation of petty people – anyone who’s been on the wrong ‘kant’ of the Bokke knows this.

Which is why, as the Irish take on the Springboks in Durban this weekend, we need to show them a warmer welcome than we will perhaps be receiving at airport security Dublin side.

With that in mind, here’s a look at a few Irish cultural elements you might want to familiarise yourself with before we start sharing Guinnesses at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.

1. They’re epic storytellers

Nobody can spin a yarn quite like the Irish, with poetry dating back to the 6th century and Nobel Prize winners as long as your arm with literary icons like Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney leading the pack. We, South Africans, have been known to spin a yarn ourselves, and if the outcome of this weekend’s game isn’t in our favour, there could be a fair few tales told the next day.

2. They love some folklore
We’re all familiar with Irish leprechauns, those ginger-haired, green-attired fellows who make shoes, love playing tricks, and are always hunting that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Why not tell your new Irish friends about our own mischievous fellow, the tokoloshe?

3. They’re a musical bunch
Just saying ‘Irish jig’ lightens the heart as the sound of fiddles – made famous by that one dancing scene in Titanic, of course – fills the air. But the Irish didn’t stop at fiddles, with musicians like Van Morrison playing a multitude of instruments to global audiences and U2’s Bono singing to save Africa… even if Africa can’t visit him in his homeland.

4. They like a good dance
Just like us South Africans, the Irish love a good dance – but they don’t use their hands or bodies as much as we do. It’s more of a rhythmic footed, straight-backed kind of dance rather than our legs, hands and bums in the air scenario. You might know of traditional Irish dancing by Michael Flately – that energetic Lord of the Dance… born in Chicago, the United States.

5. They love a potato
Just don’t mention the famine. As Ireland is known for its cold climate, their food is warm and wholesome… stews with potatoes… wheat, oats, barley… that sort of thing. You might want to ‘break bread’ as it were by offering them some potjie, a bit of pap, or some other hearty offering to keep them warm on that cold Durban winter night.

6. You probably won’t understand them
English actually isn’t the first language of Ireland, but even when they speak it you’re unlikely to fathom what they’re saying – particularly after 17 Guinesses. The national language is Gaelige, which is only spoken in pockets of rural areas, however, there appears to be a burgeoning interest in learning Irish so hopefully this Celtic language will revive. You can try teaching them a few phrases in Zulu or Afrikaans – ‘hierdie kant‘ is probably a good place to start.

7. They mostly live abroad
It seems that it’s not only us who aren’t entering Ireland, even the Irish appear to be absconding. There are around 5 million people living in Ireland, with about 80 million people of Irish descent across the globe – mostly in Australia and the United States with their friend Michael Flatley.

So get your potatoes and pints ready to welcome our Irish friends this weekend because after the Springboks are done with their national side, they’re going to need a few friends.
SOURCES:

www.authenticvacations.comwww.impact.com

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