Ah, Ireland. A beautiful country known for its stunning coastlines, rich culture, love for the potato and for giving the world St. Patrick’s Day. With a population of just over 5 million, Ireland has still managed to make quite the mark on the world.
Another thing the Irish should be known for is their great sense of humor. We took a trip to the Ireland subreddit to dive into their culture and had a great time. With over 500k members, r/Ireland shares a wide variety of posts from memes mocking the English to jokes about their country’s impressive alcohol consumption. We’ve gathered our favorite posts, so pour yourself a Guinness, turn on your favorite Cranberries album and settle in for your Irish lesson of the day. And when you’ve finished this list, check out another Bored Panda piece highlighting Irish humor right here.
#1 Makes Me Proud To Be Irish
"Irish poet Horace de Vere Cole was an accentric prankster. He once ruined a 'pretentious and terrible play' by giving tickets for strategically selected seats to bald men. When the lights went up their shiny heads spelt out a swearword"
Image credits: AmazingStarDust
In celebration of Irish culture, let’s take a moment to acknowledge some of the most beautiful parts of their country. Ireland has no shortage of scenic views and stunning landscapes, so we’ll mention a few that you can keep in your back pocket until you one day make that bucket list trip. According to the CN Traveller, one of the most famous notable spots in Ireland is the Cliffs of Moher. Towering 702 feet above the Atlantic Ocean for about 9 miles along the coastline, these cliffs provide breathtaking views. The best time to visit is at sunset when you may be surrounded by tourists, but you’ll definitely be provided with a fantastic view.
#2 Seems About Right
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#3 Yep
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Next, the CN Traveller advises visitors add Connemara to their list of exciting sights. The Connemara region stretches across County Galway and is home to a wide variety of nature including lakes, bogland, mountains filled with sheep, a rugged coastline, hidden bays and charming small towns. You can also see Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord and the Alcock and Brown monument. The 40,000 acre Connemara National Park even features beautiful hiking trails for adventurous travelers.
#4 One Of My Favourite Things Ever Is The 300 Year Gap In Irish Inventions After Whiskey Was Invented
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#5 Gerard Hennessy And His Letter To The Irish Times Is Undoubtedly The Best Thing I’ve Read This Year
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#6 How Beautiful
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Another exciting stop in Ireland is one of many former regional railways that have been converted into off-road walking and cycling routes for active visitors to explore. The Waterford Greenway is a 28-mile trail stretching from Waterford to Dungarvan, featuring exciting views of the countryside and old railway tunnels along the way. Lastly, the CN Traveller notes that visiting the city of Dublin is a must. With both the Dublin Bay and the River Liffey, Dublin is a gorgeous city with many views of water and Georgian architecture.
#7 Love This
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#8 Always Look Forward To A New Sign From Them
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#9 Erie Go Brag
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Next, let’s celebrate some of the greatest contributions Ireland has made to the world. And I would be remiss if I did not mention Guinness beer. Founded in 1759, Guinness has become one of the most beloved beers of all time, due to its signature smooth and creamy finish. In 1988, Guinness made history by introducing an innovative “rocket widget” into their cans to keep the drink nitrogenized. Three years later, Guinness was even awarded “the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement, beating the Internet to be voted by Britons as the best invention of the previous 40 years”.
#10 I Once Wore A Silver Jacket
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#11 You Tell 'Em Jerry
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#12 Construction Sites In Ireland Display Only The Most Relevant Info
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Another great contribution Ireland has made to the world is creating some wonderful artists. I don’t know what I would do at karaoke nights without being able to sing “Linger” or “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Enya, Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy, Snow Patrol, Sinéad O’Connor, and U2 (Bono and company) are also all Irish. While it can be easy to forget their heritage when their accents are sometimes undetectable in songs, all of these artists are bonded by their culture.
#13 The President’s Dog, Síoda, Has Passed Away. Rip Síoda
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#14 This Photo Of Starlings From The Irish Times Is Incredible
Image credits: James Crombie
#15 The Struggle Is Real: The Indignity Of Trying To Follow An American Recipe When You’re Irish
Image credits: Joy-Moderator
Along the same lines of talented artists, the Irish have made a significant mark in the world of acting as well. Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Farrell are some of the most notable Irish film actors. But let’s not forget Michael Fassbender, Daniel Day-Lewis and Kenneth Branagh. In recent years, Saoirse Ronan has also made a huge splash in Hollywood by receiving 4 Oscar nominations (for her work in Atonement, Brooklyn, Lady Bird and Little Women) by the age of 26.
#16 Let's Have A Cup Of Tea And Let This All Blow Over
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#17 When The Nightclubs Open Back Up The Glow Will Be Seen From Space
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#18 Going Through My Screenshots & Found This Gem
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One of the most famous Irish people at the moment is Conor McGregor, the UFC fighter. Known as “The Notorious”, McGregor is the former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion and currently the world’s highest paid athlete. His whiskey brand, Proper No. 12, recently sold for $150 million. Though he’s also famous (or notorious) for his controversial behavior, including a bar fight in Dublin in 2019, and for having a loud mouth, McGregor continues to have millions of supporters worldwide.
#19 I Painted A Mural Of Síoda Over The Last Few Days
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#20 My Great Great Grandfather Friend Is Part Irish
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#21 I Have Been Drawing Different Countries Using One Line. I Recently Finished Ireland
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While many of these memes poke fun at England and their complicated history with Ireland, it’s important to understand why the Irish feel that way. Great Britain has a long history of choosing themselves over Ireland, including the Act of Union in 1801. This act fully integrated Ireland into the UK and promised protection for the Irish economy, but within several years, completely abandoned any support and destroyed the Irish economy.
#22 Sure Lookur
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#23 Gardaì Delivering Coal, Sticks, Esb Top Up And Prescriptions To A Man Who Had No Transport This Morning.....well Done Sir
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#24 What A Real President Looks Like
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The Irish potato famine also leads back to the English. While many assume it was purely an unfortunate ecological accident, the Mises Institute reports that “the most glaring cause of the famine was not a plant disease, but England's long-running political hegemony over Ireland”. The English had conquered Ireland more than once and had taken large chunks of land. While the Irish farmers still worked the land, the owners primarily lived in England, remotely managing operations that they were not qualified to run.
In response to the famine, the English did not seem very concerned about saving the Irish. “One account had the people of Massachusetts sending a ship of grain to Ireland that English authorities placed in storage claiming that it would disturb trade. Another report has the British government appealing to the Sultan of Turkey to reduce his donation from £10,000 to £1,000 in order not to embarrass Queen Victoria who had only pledged £1,000 to relief.”
#25 Dunno Where I Stand On Kashmir But...
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#26 Hurricane Ophelia
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#27 My 90yr Old Granda Still Insists On Cooking Me A Birthday Fry!
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The Irish are a tough bunch who have endured a complicated and difficult history while still managing to make significant contributions to the rest of the world. If bonding over sharing memes and tweets about their culture helps unite them, I'm all for it. Here’s to hoping their country is in for centuries of easier times, let’s see that famous luck of the Irish come through for them.
Be sure to upvote your favorite posts, and whether you're Irish or not, let us know in the comments what your favorite thing about the beautiful country of Ireland is!
#28 Poor Aul Hozier!
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#29 All Atms In Brussels Been Updated To This. Lads, Ye F*cking Love To See It
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#30 I Think A Burn That Bad Might Require A Trip Ton A+e
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#31 Sharon Congrats
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#32 Even Mother Nature Knows A United Ireland Is Inevitable!
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#33 29a Dublin Bus Driver Put Me In A Good Mood For The Day!
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#34 The Insanity Of Dublin House Prices!
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#35 Outstanding
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#36 Burger King In Tralee Gives No F*cks At All
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#37 Landlords When They Have To Give Back A Deposit
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#38 Ah Its Himself
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#39 The Demographics *won't* Look After Themselves
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#40 When The Yanks Warn Ya About The Approaching Storm, But You Remember You Live In A Concrete, Double-Glazed House And Not A F*cking Barn..
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#41 Breaking: Hare With Fag In Its Mouth Spotted Waiting For Bus At Dublin Airport
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#42 Absolutely Anyone Could Grasp That The Fag Machine In The Bróg In Cork Last Night Was Broken
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#43 None Of Your Yank Crap Thanks
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#44 I Don't Have A Horse
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#45 Venice Or Crumlin!
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#46 Dublin Is Healing, Things Are Returning To Normal
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#47 It Can Be Quite Irritating
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#48 An Open Letter To Boris
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#49 You Know It's Been A Good Night When...
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#50 Applying For Mortgage In A Time Of Gouging Rents...
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#51 Trampoline
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#52 Because The Yanks On R/Mildlyinteresting Don't Understand The Significance, I Got Two Curly Wurlys In One Packet
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#53 #brexit Special
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#54 Ireland's Reaction To The Six Nations
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#55 Here We Go
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#56 ''yeah, Yeah, So You Claim You Just Fell Asleep On An Iceberg And Just Drifted Across The Ocean, Hardly Essential Travel Is It?''
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#57 When You Try On A Coat But The Coat Hanger Is Still In It. And You're A C*nt
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#58 I’m An Artist Who Paints Landscapes On Coins, Just Finished This And Thought I’d Share
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#59 We Did It In 1990
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#60 Eric Andre Is For A United Ireland
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#61 Preparing His Whole Life For That Moment
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#62 Americans:
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#63 Sounds About Right
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#64 In 2014 An Irish Teacher Was Rejected For A Job In South Korea Because Of Our Stereotype
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#65 Frankie Boyle On Brexit
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#66 My Most Proud Victory Yet
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#67 It's 20 Years Since The Holy Cross Dispute. Where Loyalists Hurled Abuse, Stones, Bottles, Fireworks, Blast Bombs And Even Containers Of Urine At Girls As Young As 4 And Their Parents Trying To Get To School
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#68 Very True
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#69 I Know The North Is A Mess But... At Least It's A More Affordable Mess!
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#70 F*cking Yanks..
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#71 The Real Pride Of Ireland
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#72 True, True
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#73 Just How It Is Tbh
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#74 Bernie Some Lad
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#75 Happy International Women’s Day. NYC Woman Getting Ticketed For Protesting English Oppression
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#76 Prefabs...
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#77 Our American Counter Parts Who Have Hijacked Irishness For Their Racist Exploits; This Is Who We Are
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#78 Opening Paragraphs Of An Irish Times Review Of The “Big” Interview
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#79 Comedy!
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#80 Pretty Much Sums Up The Past Few Centuries
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#81 My Irish Teacher Just Throwing Straight Shade
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#82 Think We All Agree
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#83 It's Odd How The Only People Talking About Irexit Are Not From Ireland
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#84 Who Wants To Celebrate Irish Culture?!
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#85 Savannah, Georgia
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#86 Literally Lol
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#87 At It Again
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#88 The Islands Of Ireland. Latest Space Station Flyover
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#89 You'd Almost Feel Sorry For Them
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#90 Some Day Soon
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#91 Ireland With No Clouds, Taken From The International Space Station (400km Above Us) Last Friday, April 2nd
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#92 New Banner Outside The French Embassy
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