I need to write a couple of cultural blog posts, and I thought it might be useful to write one on terms and phrases that are used in Ireland that American travelers might not be familiar with. Things such as "immersion," "hot press," "off-license," etc. It might be interesting to include words/phrases that might get unwary travelers into trouble (or at least laughed at!), such as referring to those little waist bags as "fanny packs."

To keep this from being entirely off-topic, if any of these things have Irish equivalents, we could include those as well. And, of course, there are Irish terms that just about everyone uses, such as "Garda."

Does anyone out there have any to suggest?

GRMA!

Redwolf

Edited to add:

I think I need to revise (or maybe "amend") the focus of this thread a bit:

What basic advice would you give to people from the U.S. who are planning to travel, or even move, to Ireland? Some possibilities for inclusion:

1) Differences in terminology
2) Differences in technology
3) Cultural differences

The premise being that one of the fun aspects of travel is the opportunity to experience life in a different way, through the lens of another culture.

Redwolf

What you call 'cookies', we call biscuits.
What you call 'potato chips', we call 'crisps'.
What you call 'pantyhose', we call 'tights'.
What you call a 'faucet', we call a 'tap'.
Your 'cell phone' is a 'mobile phone' over here. Including 'phone' is optional.

We don't use the term 'kleenex' (brand name), we just say 'tissue'.
Ironically, instead of saying vacuum cleaner, we often say 'Hoover'(brand name)

And then there is having the craic....... That's perfectly legal over here!

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And after all the publicity that this story received recently, perhaps speaking Irish might be a good idea in an encounter with An Garda Síochána as they may not want any more negative publicity like this......

http://www.gaelport.com/default.aspx?tr ... temID=9465

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Do you also call "tights" "tights"? (what we call "tights" are similar to panty hose, but much more heavy-duty...the kind of thing you'd wear for dance, or for working out. "Panty hose" are the lightweight ones, which people of my generation are also likely to call "nylons").

Another I can think of: Your "jumper" is our "sweater" (not sure what you'd call the thing we call a "jumper"...it's a sort of dress with a bib that's meant to be worn over a blouse).

Redwolf

And a fanny is not an ass

I was told that they don't put gas in their cars in Ireland – it's called petrol over there.

I've also seen the word revise used in books where it would have said review if it were written in the U.S.

Both are true. The "revise" one really got me the first time an Irish teacher here used it (for you Irish folks, we use "revise" here in the States to mean "change/edit.)

Another thing I'm looking for (which would probably constitute a second post) are more cultural differences and, for want of a better word, logistical differences. Things that would be useful for a traveler to know. Having only been to Ireland once, and having only really spent time in a couple of areas (Ballyvaughan, Gleann Cholm Cille and Dublin, with a brief foray into Derry), I can't be sure how universal my own experiences are. I might drop a few people whose email I have a line about some of these, but if anyone can think of some and post them (perhaps things that took you by surprise when you visited Ireland...or for the Irish people, either things you've heard about or experienced in the States that are different, and that one might want to be prepared for).

For example, I made the mistake of thinking that an over-the-counter medication that I use regularly, and which is almost ubiquitous here (diphenhydramine, aka "sleepy formula" Benedryl) was easily accessible everywhere, but was unable to find it in Ireland (I finally had Tony mail me a bottle when I was in Donegal, as I'd only traveled with a small, purse-sized bottle). I'm guessing it's something that has to be obtained from a pharmacist (Oops...there's another word difference, yes? Should be "chemist"?). Something along the line of how that kind of thing can differ between the countries could be really useful (in the meantime, if I get to go back, I'm planning a trip to Costco first to stock up on a couple of extra-large bottles!).

Redwolf

Often called 'chemist', but 'pharmacist' is fine too.

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Last summer I got a real bad sore throat and I've learned if it is viral you can just slightly gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide and
it usually is gone the next day. (My son says this is very dangerous and is highly carcinogenic but I do it anyway cuz it works so well). He's often a little weird and extreme about this sort of stuff so I ignore him. Anyway, it was almost IMPOSSIBLE to find this in Ireland. I ended up driving about 30 miles in one night to an all night pharmacy (chemist) up in Donegal. This is something that is available EVERYWHERE in the USA. I mean at petrol stations, quickie marts, grocery stores, and a million other places. It is about one dollar for a big jug. We use it for cuts, scrapes, mouth sores, all sorts of things. In Ireland it was like it was a controlled substance or something and it seems like it cost me over 5 euros for a tiny bottle. Sort of like Redwolf's benedryl experience.

The weird thing was, I saw Benedryl (brand) all over the place, but it was all the "non-sleepy" variety. As it happened, I had a really bad allergic reaction to something in Clare (which, fortunately, was NOT growing in Donegal), and used up pretty much all my little bottle of diphenhydramine. I guess it just goes to show that if there's a medication you really depend on, even if it seems pretty ubiquitous in your home country, be sure you can also get it where you're going!

On the flip side, when we were in Colombia, we could buy all kinds of things in regular pharmacies that are very regulated here, including mood elevators (old-school antidepressants) and pretty heavy-duty sedatives!

Another difference I encountered in Ireland was sandwiches. In the U.S., sandwiches (other than Subway-style places) typically come with certain ingredients by default (a restaurant will usually say on a sign or on the menu what comes standard on any sandwich, but usually it will be something like mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, plus whatever additional filling you may order, such as meat or additional cheese). If you don't want any of those ingredients, you need to let your server know. I don't know if this is the case everywhere in Ireland, but it seemed that in most of the places where I ate, the opposite was true, which I found interesting.

I enjoy these differences between places, by the way, lest anyone think I'm complaining! They're part of what makes travel fun (so long as you don't forget to pack enough medication!)

Redwolf

BTW, I enjoy these differences between places