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Humorous Aspects of Irish Language & Culture

Explore the entertaining and mischievous world of Irish rogues and their role in Irish language and culture. From iconic comedic figures to literary characters, discover the subversive humor that diffuses violence and the unique charm of these charismatic individuals.

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Humorous Aspects of Irish Language & Culture

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  1. Humorous Aspects of Irish Language & Culture Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen

  2. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+edgar+bergen+and+charlie+mccarthy&view=detail&mid=3ED5EA59A14CE5AEF93A3ED5EA59A14CE5AEF93A&FORM=VIRE

  3. Des Bishop Des Bishop: “Irish Women are Always Freezing”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+des+bishop&view=detail&mid=C9AB1A108F63F9C9F4E3C9AB1A108F63F9C9F4E3&FORM=VIRE

  4. Jason Byrne Jason Byrne at the Apollo: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+jason+byrne&view=detail&mid=B02F6B480C6195B9FD50B02F6B480C6195B9FD50&FORM=VIRE

  5. Louis CK Louis CK “Saturday Night Live”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+louis+ck+saturday+night+live&view=detail&mid=EFA024774ECA79082F7AEFA024774ECA79082F7A&FORM=VIRE

  6. Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+stephen+colbert&view=detail&mid=7FC0A6EC1DDD9311F9837FC0A6EC1DDD9311F983&FORM=VIRE

  7. Eoin Colfer and the Artemis Fowl Books

  8. Artemis Fowl is an Irish Rogue The Irish Rogue is not a criminal, but he is very bright and charismatic. And he is subversive. Artemis Fowl is a typical Irish Rogue, in the tradition of Christy Mahon in John Synge’s Playboy of the Western World, Mr. Boyle in Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock, of Finn MacCool in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, and of Sebastian Dangerfield in J. P. Donleavy’s The Ginger Man. Jonathan Swift was even being a bit roguish when he wrote “A Modest Proposal.”

  9. Rogues are revered in Ireland, because it was the Rogues who fought back when the English were taking over Ireland. Rogues break rules and laws, but it is always for the greater good, as when Artemis steals some fairy gold to help rescue his father from the Russian mafia. Rogues are entertaining and high spirited, and they diffuse violence with their use of humor. Although they are flirtatious, they seldom form any lasting alliances with women.

  10. Many rogues are linked to an aristocratic figure, usually an Irish rebel chief, for whom he risks his life. The ‘rogue’ is articulate, good natured, fun loving, and [exhibits an] irrepressible élan vital, Rogues tend to be imaginative and resilient comic figures.

  11. Neil Delamere Neil Delamere at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+neil+delamere&view=detail&mid=55A166942E4052BBE12255A166942E4052BBE122&FORM=VIRE

  12. Mary Dowling Daley and Pat Fairon

  13. Chris Farley Chris Farley “Ten Best Moments”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+chris+farley&view=detail&mid=CB8F777D897956A6F317CB8F777D897956A6F317&FORM=VIRE

  14. Will Farrell Will Farrell Accepting His “Mark Twain” Award: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+will+farrell&view=detail&mid=8A6755CA8D79B522AE5F8A6755CA8D79B522AE5F&FORM=VIRE

  15. Gallagher Gallagher “The English Language”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Gallagher+Full+Show+YouTube&&view=detail&mid=95AD1258CD279054A7C195AD1258CD279054A7C1&rvsmid=D758AC6F05FFB30E5570D758AC6F05FFB30E5570&fsscr=0&FORM=VDFSRV

  16. Kathy Griffin Kathy Griffin on the “Craig Ferguson Show”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+kathy+griffin&view=detail&mid=D336BE9CEF231BBC0EFDD336BE9CEF231BBC0EFD&FORM=VIRE

  17. Rich Hall Rich Hall “Live at the Apollo”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+rich+hall&view=detail&mid=301FE11057F46FDDFF20301FE11057F46FDDFF20&FORM=VIRE

  18. Bob Hope Bob Hope “The Secret Life of Bob Hope” on “Biography”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+bob+hope&view=detail&mid=0476C80DB427F537664C0476C80DB427F537664C&FORM=VIRE

  19. James Joyce The character Shem in Finnegans Wake takes the English language and “smashes it up into smithereens, and hands it back and says: This is our revenge.” Shem boasts that he will “wipe alley english spooker, or multiphoniaksically spuking off the face of the erse.” James Joyce remarked that if Dublin were ever destroyed, it could be recreated from the pages of his fiction.

  20. Joan Larson Kelly

  21. Denis Leary Denis Leary on the “Craig Ferguson Show”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Denis+Leary+YouTube+2014&&view=detail&mid=39F0A1BB9FDEDA93687C39F0A1BB9FDEDA93687C&FORM=VRDGAR

  22. Aubrey Malone

  23. John McCarthy

  24. Melissa McCarthy Melissa McCarthy on “The Ellen Degeneres Show”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+melissa+mccarthy&view=detail&mid=99804D05D5A2B09BDCCE99804D05D5A2B09BDCCE&FORM=VIRE

  25. Seth MacFarlane Seth MacFarlane and his Family-Guy Voices: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+seth+macfarlane&view=detail&mid=9598C47245D4235D35FE9598C47245D4235D35FE&FORM=VIRE

  26. Joel McHale Joel McHale on the “Conan O’Brien Show”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+joel+mchale&view=detail&mid=FE0AE1A97CB6BFF4EA32FE0AE1A97CB6BFF4EA32&FORM=VIRE

  27. Dylan Moran Dylan Moran: “Australia”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+dylan+moran&view=detail&mid=846F8C33C0E06787694A846F8C33C0E06787694A&FORM=VIRE

  28. John Mulrooney John Mulrooney “Throwing a baby downstairs”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+john+mulrooney&view=detail&mid=1488617A9969326A85611488617A9969326A8561&FORM=VIRE

  29. Don Nilsen’s Take on Humor in Irish Literature

  30. Dara O’Briain Dara O’Briain: “Science Doesn’t Know Everything”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+dara+o%27briain&view=detail&mid=7E5FA355D43CF97EF8857E5FA355D43CF97EF885&FORM=VIRE

  31. Conan O’Brien Conan O’Brien: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+conan+o+brien&view=detail&mid=0C6749F634334D71DF1B0C6749F634334D71DF1B&FORM=VIRE

  32. David O’Doherty David O’Doherty on the “Conan O’Brien Show”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+david+o%27doherty&view=detail&mid=8A3D500912E98367C81F8A3D500912E98367C81F&FORM=VIRE

  33. Rosie O’Donnell Rosie O’Donnell on “The View”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+rosie+o%27donnell+the+view&view=detail&mid=B0523B4393E3164D0675B0523B4393E3164D0675&FORM=VIRE

  34. Ardal O’Hanlon Ardal O’Hanlon “Comedy Roadshow”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+ardal+o%27hanlon&view=detail&mid=919BD3EF26D0F4C8E6B2919BD3EF26D0F4C8E6B2&FORM=VIRE

  35. Colin Quinn Colin Quinn “The New York Story”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+colin+quinn&view=detail&mid=BA1DCAB4D43E937EE1C2BA1DCAB4D43E937EE1C2&FORM=VIRE

  36. Katherine Ryan Katherine Ryan: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+katheine+ryan&view=detail&mid=7FA66CB8EB1A7431836A7FA66CB8EB1A7431836A&FORM=VIRE

  37. Micky Shaughnessy Micky Shaughnessy “Baseball Sketch”: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+micky+shaughnessy&view=detail&mid=AA6A71A94539E5D7DDD1AA6A71A94539E5D7DDD1&FORM=VIRE

  38. Tommy Tiernan Tommy Tiernan: “Who do we owe money to?” http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+tommy+tiernan&view=detail&mid=CA5446BF86E0BD3EB911CA5446BF86E0BD3EB911&FORM=VIRE

  39. Steven Wright Steven Wright: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=irish+comedians&view=detail&mid=B5E2067473650DCD1EA0B5E2067473650DCD1EA0&FORM=VIRE

  40. Irish Humor at 2014 Correspondents’ Dinner: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+ethnic+humor&&view=detail&mid=DCFEBC474E634ED02506DCFEBC474E634ED02506&rvsmid=794806B23EE17ACF7308794806B23EE17ACF7308&fsscr=-3300&FORM=VDFSRV

  41. Irish Humor • Since Irish humor developed out of the oral tradition (the telling of jokes and stories in Irish pubs), it is very epiphenal in nature. • Like Jewish humor, Irish humor developed out of pain and tragedy that came from the Irish diaspora. • Irish humor, like Jewish humor, contains much wordplay, and like Jewish humor, much of Irish wordplay is bilingual and/or bicultural, relating to both the Gaelic/Celtic and to the English language and culture. • There are many Irish people around the world who are trying to reestablish their roots, and it is the humor in Irish written and oral literature that is helping them do so.

  42. Irish Logic • The Ballyhough railway station had two clocks that disagreed with each other by six minutes. • An irate traveler asked a porter what was the use of having two clocks if they didn’t tell the same time. • The porter replied, “And what would we be wanting with two clocks if they told the same time?” • Based on this story, Martin Joos wrote a monograph entitled, The Five Clocks describing the Frozen, Formal, Consultative, Informal, and Intimate registers of language.

  43. The Gaeltacht:The Green Areas Below:

  44. Irish Folklore • County Mayo in the Gaeltacht is remote from tourism. • There are the remains of prehistoric forests and fairy mounds in the peat-bogs. • People talk of ancestors as if they were neighbors, and of three-hundred-year-old events as if they happened yesterday.

  45. Kissing the Blarney Stone • To kiss the Blarney stone you must climb to the top of Blarney Castle. • In order to kiss the Blarney stone, the visitor has to lie on his back and be lowered head downwards over the edge of the wall. • Someone has to hold onto the ankles of the visitor so that they won’t slip off the edge of the castle. • It’s hard to know whether kissing the stone gives someone the gift of elegance, • Of if the entire process is “a bit of the blarney.”

  46. Irish Blarney • Irishmen have the “gift of gab.” • This comes from kissing the Blarney stone at Blarney Castle in County Cork. • It is said that Queen Elizabeth tried to get Cormac MacCarthymore (occupier of Blarney Castle at the time) to surrender his castle to the English. • He said he would do so, but he kept giving her reasons that he couldn’t do it yet. • The queen is said to have exclaimed, “It’s all Blarney—he says he will do it, but he never means to do what he says.”

  47. An “Irish Talker” • Terry Wogan on BBC is an “Irish Talker.” • His language is mocking and self-deprecating. He plays with words, attacks his superiors, and “gets his boot in.” • “You could accuse him of really saying very little, which again is very Irish.”

  48. Irish words in English • Banshee (fairy woman) comes from “bean” (woman) and “sí” (fairy) • Keening (wailing) comes from “caoine” (wail) • Galore (much) • Brogue (wooden shoe). The Irish were said to speak with a shoe in their mouth, hence, their “Irish Brogue.” • Sheila & youse are both Irish words. • “Shenanigan” comes from “sionnachuighim” (I play tricks) • “Smithereens” comes from “smideirin” (a small fragment) • “Shanty” comes from “sean-tigh” (old house)

  49. More Irish Influence • The Irish use “shall” for “will” • They say “seen” for “saw” • and “She is in the school.” • and “belave, jine, and applesass” instead of “believe,” “join,” and “applesauce.” • And “tree” “airly” and “dat” for “three” “early” and “that” • And the Irish “youse” is typical in the speech of Irish cops in New York and Boston.

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