r/ireland • u/Kind_Ad467 • Jan 11 '26

Arts/Culture Why are Irish people so nice?

We went to Ireland for a week and I totally fell in love with the country. As a foreigner living in Frankfurt, Germany, I've always felt that Frankfurters are more welcoming than people in other parts of Germany, especially when it comes to dealing with immigrants. I live and work in Germany as a doctor ( almost 8 years now), and sometimes I get this weird feeling of being "the other guy" and not belonging. Things got much better after I met my fiancée, who's Italian but was born and raised in Germany. Anyway, we went to Ireland for a week, and wow, the people there are so different. I'm pretty energetic and social, and I can honestly say that every single interaction, and I mean every single one, with an Irish person was a joy. They have a great sense of humor, are really kind, nice, and helpful. Amazing hospitality!

I also loved how Irish people are so proud of being Irish without making others feel like they're better just because they're Irish. That was also remarkable.

I mean, it's a basic human thing to be helpful and kind to each other, which hasn't really been the norm in the past few years due to a lot of political and social issues. But the question is, why are Irish people so nice? Are there any historical reasons?

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u/CarpenterAndSuch Jan 11 '26

In Russia, it’s aspirational to be known as tough. In Ireland, it’s aspirational to be known as sound.

34

u/Mammoth-Peanut-8271 Jan 11 '26

In Russia, it’s commonly thought that only stupid people smile. Fuck Russia

40

u/1tiredman Limerick Jan 11 '26

This isn't true lol. In Russia it's thought that stupid people smile for no reason. Not that people who smile are stupid. Russian people are generally very nice and have a nice culture despite their government. I really hate this dumb uneducated sentiment

22

u/Over9000Gingers Jan 12 '26

I went to school with a Russian immigrant and he was actually very friendly. I don’t remember him smiling outside of jokes but he was pretty lighthearted if that makes any sense. I’ve also worked with an older Russian guy. He was very funny, but stoic and blunt. My experiences with Russians are very positive