When thinking about the reasons why Ireland is such a special country, it is impossible to deny that the inhabitants of the island are of a great meaning. Thanks to the Irish people the immigrants’ stay in Ireland is so unforgettable. As long as they are here, nothing can change it – even lack of Guinness in the evening, lack of the Cliffs of Moher and more rain instead. In spite of violent events in history (just like everywhere), Irish people have created a very positive image of themselves: mysterious and talented like Enya, sociable like members of U2, handsome like boys from Westlife.
Not only famous Irish stars contribute to a good image of their country. Irish people are one of the nations with the biggest number of citizens abroad, especially in the UK and in the USA. Wherever they go they are always recognized and known for their hospitality and good humour. Not without reason. Many immigrants here in Ireland are positively surprised by the attitude towards life of the Irish. In Eastern European countries people in their forties (especially parents) usually don’t go to pubs on Sunday or even Friday evening as they are tired with their daily activities. Being an adult is more often associated with duties not privileges. Irish people on the contrary seem to enjoy every minute of their life, regardless of age. Kieran (43) always finds time to go out with his friends, Tom (58) is always wearing a big cowboy hat and loves telling funny stories, John (45) found time after work to learn Irish at private school.
For Irish people private life doesn’t end when they finish school and start working. They still feel young and behave like young people, not tired with everything they do. First of all they get married later than people in Eastern European Countries and also think about having children later. Result – they have more time for themselves and their favourite activities. Many of them never take their work home and try to do something they like after work, spend time with their hobby. What’s more, they follow a very wise rule: I work to live, not live to work. They try to avoid stresses; don’t care too much if something goes not well enough. They say I am not under pressure – pressure is for tyres. These words are not only funny but also very smart. Thanks to that they laugh more, don’t seem to be tired, complain less than other nations and many of these happy people look much younger than they really are.
On the other hand some of them exaggerate with their easiness, as it is often taken as laziness (especially at work when a deadline is close). Some of them often call themselves overworked and underpaid, which is not always true. Martin (38) lost his job because he failed to appear at work, hasn’t contacted his company for over 3 weeks and switched off his mobile.
Not taking too much care brings problems not only at work but also causes trouble with the law, for example when driving after a few pints. Despite the fact that the government is struggling to reduce the number of drunk drivers (e.g. by supporting meaningful anti-drink campaigns) not many seem to pay attention to them. Irish passion for spending the weekend in a traditional way is of big importance. In fact, celebrating the end of the week with close friends in noisy pubs is a part of Irish culture. It is pleasant, good for tightening interpersonal relations, opportunity to talk and relax, but the line is close. Who knows probably it may happen that this way of entertainment will be associated with the Irish more than anything else, not mentioning other side effects. That would be a great loss because the Irish music, nature, sights are very unique and worth seeing and paying attention to.
When outsiders are considering the Irish attitude towards life an important question arises: Have they found a panacea, something that will help them lead a happy life and protect from problems? Who knows! It’s hard to say. There is a need for working out a golden means whatever people do. Finding it requires putting some effort, which is difficult for any one on the planet, not only for those who like to take everything easy…
