l. Irish people are generally very polite and often use phrases such as “please”, “thank you”, “if you wouldn’t mind”, “sorry”, etc.

2. In general Irish people are polite and friendly and soften negativity like word “No” by saying things like “I am afraid not”, “Unfortunately”, “I am sorry” or just “Sorry”.

3. Irish people usually shake hands when greeting one another. When speaking with someone it is usual and polite to look him/her in the eye. Averting the eyes when talking may be interpreted as being uninterested.

4. When waiting for a service, e.g. in a bank, post office, shop etc, it is usual to go to the back of the queue of people who are already waiting. This queue is usually clearly visible. In some cases, such as waiting for a bus, there may not be an ordered queue. Yet even here people usually take note of who is there before them and let them board first.

5.  It is very good to send cards to friends and family to celebrate occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas Day, marriages, new babies etc. in Ireland.

6. There’s a huge variety of accents - depending on where the person comes from. The Cork accent can be hard to understand, until you get used to it, as people tend to speak very quickly. Ask them politely to speak more slowly, they won’t mind.

7. Some commonly used words and phrases in Ireland include:
-“Boy” often added at the end of sentences eg “good on you boy” as a general form of address. “C’mere” (or “c’mere to me”) Literally means “come here” but it is really just an opening expression used to get someone’s attention, like “listen” or even just “hey”.
-“Cop on” means “common sense” – can be used as a noun or a verb, “cop yourself on” – have some common sense.
-“Craic” Pronounced “crack” this means fun, enjoyment and laughter – often refers to a good night out.
-“Grand” Literally means “impressive” and is also used for “thousand”. In Cork it means, “fine, good, OK”. For instance if you ask how someone is, s/he is likely to reply, “grand”. -“I will, yeah!” Literally “ok, I will” but often said in a sarcastic way and actually means, “No, I will not!”
-“It is sorted” Literally means “It is done” but it can also mean, “it is in progress or it will be done”.
-“Lad(s)” Any male, though usually a friend. When pluralised, it can describe a group of males and females.
-“Like” Usually used to compare something, but in Cork it can be placed anywhere in the sentence –mostly at the end (e.g. do you know like?). In this context “like” does not really have a meaning.
-“Sorry” Literally an apology, but in most cases means “Excuse me” and also takes the place of “No” where it is too rude to say directly.
-“Your man” Literally “the man belonging to you” but in Cork this is used to refer to a specific person.