Is Ireland the friendliest Country in the world?

[parttimeexile]

I was listening to Today FM this morning and they said there was a poll by Lonely Planet which said Ireland was the friendlist country in the world.What does everyone think?

[Goats Do Shave]

Certain parts of Ireland maybe!

I think we've got this reputation and it's hard to shift!

Try walking around Limerick, Belfast or Dublin late at night...

[mannix]

I find it friendly when I visit.Though a lot of the younger crowd seem to have a chip on the shoulder.I think the west is a lot friendlier than dublin, probably because people are happier and have less stress living their lives.Paris is fairly unfriendly which means its fine to be an ignoramus and get away with it.Went into a bakery with an american friend, she bought 3 croissants,all in one bag, no problem there. Then she bought a bagette sandwich whish was a foot long, the bag it came in was six inches as they use the bag only to hold the sandwich when eating it, she asked for another six inch bag to put on the other end as she was eating it later.NO was the reply.She offered a euro for the bag.NO again.She asked again and was told in french that the bags are not for sale.I thought this sums up the french, unfriendly at its best.But as I said I can be an awfully ignorant yoke when dealing with ignorant people, in fact I love it.
Found america was always friendly too.

[ludermor]

Jeez ive never had a problem in Limerick. There are loads of scumbags but from my experience they keep (killing) to themselves. Ive seen far worse in ennis, clonmel, athlone castlebar (where is sam?) etc
Dublin is grand except for the dubs.

[DUBSFORSAM1]

Mannix - Did she even try to speak French to them in the shop?? That would have solved all the problems...

[Orior]

They obviously didnt ask his Lordship, the Right Honourable, Ulster Sell-out Traitor, Conservative, Stud and Vanguard Mr David Trimble, who thought Ireland was a pathetic sectarian state 

PS. I lied about the stud bit.

[lynchbhoy]

Not in the last 10 years its not !
def not as friendly as it was - east or west
Working around the country a few years back and while I expected the lack of interpersonnal communication & friendlieness between people in Dublin/east coast
it shocked me to find people in Listowel, killarney, Cork, Ennis, Roscomman, Castlebar, Sligo, Donegal, Letterkenny, Monaghan, Kilkenny and Galway to be as unwilling to be friendly and communicatative as the east coast.
It was sad to experience.
The Cead mile failte was well and truely gone.
There will always be some people who are friendly and helpful, but we are imo trading on our rep.
I have heard plenty of tourists (and relations of mine based in the US) say that Ireland is no longer friendly and that others are saying it back in their home countries also.

[mannix]

Yes she was speaking fluent french.They are pretty ignorant, if i was the one looking for the bag and if i had not paid i would put the lot on the counter and tell her she was a wagon in my best english.
Limerick is like all other irish towns, tracksuits, earrings and tatooes galore.If you ask a sc**bag for directions you will get a scumbags answer but generally you look the other way.As for the late night walking in the towns you really need to be careful.Trouble is not far away and drink muscles are usuallly the problem.Was threatened in ballina one night by 4 lads,i was with my cousin, met the leader on his own in a pub the day after.Asked him if was feeling like kicking any heads in today, he said he was drunk and made a joke of it.I could have broke his nose but decided to let it go.The cops drove by that night and saved our hide.
Seen a big heavy american lad getting hammered by a few ballina knackers.He got up and nearly killed one of them when his friends were held back by a few other lads, a great finish to the night for the knackers I am sure.

[Evil Genius]

I've travelled a fair bit and would agree that Ireland is one of the friendlier places (even if it may have changed a little in recent years).

But unquestionably the most hospitable people I've ever come across, with one proviso*, are the Turks. As I moved around, it actually took me some time to appreciate that they genuinely were just being friendly to a guest in their country, without seeking anything in return.

Aside from that, most people are friendly enough if you make a bit of an effort and show some patience, except French Canadians, who seemed to me to be graceless bastards. Which surprised me, considering I speak serviceable French and their anglophone fellow citizens are lovely people (all the openness of Americans, but none of the bullshit!)

P.S. Yanks are great people too (imo), once you get past the "Have a Nice Day" mullarkey.


* - The one Proviso is NEVER insult a Turk's country, or impugn his patriotism.

[lynchbhoy]

ahhh the yanks
actually they are friendly enough - even in the much maligned NY.
Prob only place I have been in the states that has not been as friendly as the rest was LA.
Everywhere else was def better than Ireland (of recent years).

Friendliest places / people for me
3. Cuba
2. Thailand
1. Mauritius

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Fcuk sake Lynchbhoy, your being mighty hard on the Irish!!
I have done alot of travelling round the country recently - Cork, Castlebar, Dublin, Carlow, Sligo, Galway, Waterford, Derry, Ballybofey, Lurgan etc, etc... and I have found the people to be fantastic, friendly, helpful and generally well mannered. But maybe its how you treat people, I find show someone consideration and they will be considerate back.

Have also recently been to Rome - generally found the locals decent enough people, weren't overly fussed on speaking English (and my Italian's not great!), also Hamburg - again the people were very well mannered but very business like (except for the St Pauli lads - mad fcukers!  ), Glasgow - find the people very friendly over there (as long as you avoid soccer talk), Barca - surprisingly I found the Spanish not to be as friendly as I'd expected!, London - lets just say that I'm glad I wasn't on fire or had fallen onto the ground!!
Also my recent dealings with Ham Shanks have been quite poor, very loud, ignorant and rude, but I have also met some decent ones, just can't work out are they really that cheerful or just sly??

[Gnevin]

Certain parts of Ireland maybe!

I think we've got this reputation and it's hard to shift!

Try walking around Limerick, Belfast or Dublin late at night...

Never had any issue in Dublin late at night , A couple of lads i know where amazed when then seen garda just partrol the streets on Dublin at night they said where they where from this never happens .

[lynchbhoy]

I have done alot of travelling round the country recently

so its true what they call you then GD ! 

just joking, but my opinion on the Irish of now is based on the Ireland of 10-15 years ago and more , plus what I have witnessed abroad.
Maybe I expect too much.

Was afraid to say it, but here goes - whatever about the people around Ireland not being as wonderful as days of old
the folks of NI - while an improvement on the era during the 'war' , are still unwelcoming, paranoid, unfriendly and I avoid the place like the plague in recent years.

[lynchbhoy]

Asked a man in Dungiven what time was it.
"Quarter past twelve," he said "are youse looking tickets for the Fureys in JTs?"

Sound man.

thats not always the response an outsider would have received in Dungiven, though the place is more welcoming these days (with less of a seige mentality its relaxing a heck of a lot more)

[rosnarun]

I thinkd people generally find people more or less the same wherever they go. If your an asshole then youll have no bother finding rude people.
I find people every where Charming (except roscommon of course)