Irish jokes
Encyclopedia
Irish jokes are a class of jokes, generally based on a stereotype
s of the Irish people
.
Although, in Ireland there used be a tradition of telling such jokes about a Kerryman, someone from County Kerry
. This tradition has largely fallen away. The Kerryman may be presented as from an allegedly backward area, or alternatively presented quite differently as a cute hoor (especially in the context of Gaelic football
, in which the Kerry GAA
team has been more successful than any other in the history of the game). The origin of the Kerry joke lies in the Celtic tradition that views warriors as coming from the North (e.g. Vikings), farmers from the East (e.g. Ukraine), intelligentsia from the West (Ireland - the island of saints and scholars) and fools from the South. In the Irish medieval/early modern context, this gives us the Ulster warrior tradition, farming land in Leinster, Connaught being the last big bastion of Celtic Irishness (knowledge, etc) and the Kerry (& Cork) jokes.
However, the Irish joke has more sinister origins. The Irish joke originates in the simian portrayal of Irish people in English comic magazines of the mid-late 19th century - depicting the Irish as stupid apes given to agrarian and alcohol-fuelled violence against their benevolent and tolerant English masters. Punch magazine was a particular notorious purveyor of this type of comedy. In the context of the 'Laissez Faire' effective genocide of the Great Famine and the following mass displacement of the following three decades, a great many Irish view the Irish joke as, at best, offensive and, at worst, as similar to "nigger" jokes against negroes or "gas oven" humour targetted at Jews. All these forms of humour have, at their core, the debasement of their subjects to the point of dehumanising them so that malevolent acts against them are less offensive - or even justifiable.
It can only be assumed that the Irish joke has survived the era of political correctness as a consequence of the fact that the Irish are white (i.e. not black) and that the successful English propoganda of the 1840s-1930s has created a global acceptance that the Famine was simply a tragedy or Act of God (and not the subject of deliberate genocide in the way that the Jews were in 1930s-40s Germany and its annexes. This, of course, totally glosses over the fact that Ireland of the 1840s had adequate food for its population but that its grain was being sold to England and the US, or being shipped to Australia to feed England's new colonies and convict settlements there - forcing the dispossessed native Irish to live off a single crop of potatoes grown on miniscule plots of land that were subdivided on every succession (Catholics were denied primogeniture succession rights under the anti-Catholic Penal Laws).
Some hold that Irish jokes have recently been reclaimed by the Irish themselves and reversed to ridicule the (usually English) joke teller, e.g.
or
This "attempt" to turn the tables may be a reaction to the fact the Black and Jew jokes are no longer acceptable - but Irish jokes are still deemed acceptable in England and its former colonies of USA, Canada and Australia/New Zealand.
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s of the Irish people
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
.
Although, in Ireland there used be a tradition of telling such jokes about a Kerryman, someone from County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
. This tradition has largely fallen away. The Kerryman may be presented as from an allegedly backward area, or alternatively presented quite differently as a cute hoor (especially in the context of Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
, in which the Kerry GAA
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
team has been more successful than any other in the history of the game). The origin of the Kerry joke lies in the Celtic tradition that views warriors as coming from the North (e.g. Vikings), farmers from the East (e.g. Ukraine), intelligentsia from the West (Ireland - the island of saints and scholars) and fools from the South. In the Irish medieval/early modern context, this gives us the Ulster warrior tradition, farming land in Leinster, Connaught being the last big bastion of Celtic Irishness (knowledge, etc) and the Kerry (& Cork) jokes.
However, the Irish joke has more sinister origins. The Irish joke originates in the simian portrayal of Irish people in English comic magazines of the mid-late 19th century - depicting the Irish as stupid apes given to agrarian and alcohol-fuelled violence against their benevolent and tolerant English masters. Punch magazine was a particular notorious purveyor of this type of comedy. In the context of the 'Laissez Faire' effective genocide of the Great Famine and the following mass displacement of the following three decades, a great many Irish view the Irish joke as, at best, offensive and, at worst, as similar to "nigger" jokes against negroes or "gas oven" humour targetted at Jews. All these forms of humour have, at their core, the debasement of their subjects to the point of dehumanising them so that malevolent acts against them are less offensive - or even justifiable.
It can only be assumed that the Irish joke has survived the era of political correctness as a consequence of the fact that the Irish are white (i.e. not black) and that the successful English propoganda of the 1840s-1930s has created a global acceptance that the Famine was simply a tragedy or Act of God (and not the subject of deliberate genocide in the way that the Jews were in 1930s-40s Germany and its annexes. This, of course, totally glosses over the fact that Ireland of the 1840s had adequate food for its population but that its grain was being sold to England and the US, or being shipped to Australia to feed England's new colonies and convict settlements there - forcing the dispossessed native Irish to live off a single crop of potatoes grown on miniscule plots of land that were subdivided on every succession (Catholics were denied primogeniture succession rights under the anti-Catholic Penal Laws).
Some hold that Irish jokes have recently been reclaimed by the Irish themselves and reversed to ridicule the (usually English) joke teller, e.g.
- Q: Why are Irish jokes so simplistic?
- A: So Englishmen can understand them.
or
- A Kerryman emigrated from Ireland to England, thereby increasing the average IQ of both countries. (A reference to Will Rogers phenomenonWill Rogers phenomenonThe Will Rogers phenomenon is obtained when moving an element from one set to another set raises the average values of both sets. It is based on the following quote, attributed to comedian Will Rogers:...
, which refers to a Kerryman as even less smart than an average Irishman but the real joke is that it implies an Englishman is even less brainy.)
This "attempt" to turn the tables may be a reaction to the fact the Black and Jew jokes are no longer acceptable - but Irish jokes are still deemed acceptable in England and its former colonies of USA, Canada and Australia/New Zealand.
See also
- Racial humor
- Blonde jokes
- Race and intelligence (media portrayal)