Irish Culture

Core Concepts

Greetings
  • The most common greeting is the handshake. The Irish usually shake hands when being introduced or when greeting a friend or work colleague.
  • In formal situations or with people of higher status, titles and last names are used.
  • Among close friends and family, the Irish may hug and kiss each other on the cheek.
  • Women will kiss both male and female friends, while men kiss only female friends.
  • When addressing friends, family and acquaintances, the Irish will generally use first names.
  • In more rural areas, people will greet each other when passing on the street.
  • People in urban areas reserve such greetings for neighbours and people they know.
  • Common phrases that accompany greetings are, ‘Hello,’ ‘How are you?’ and ‘What’s the craic?’ (‘craic’ refers to news, gossip and conversation).
  • The Irish usually hold eye contact when greeting someone.
  • When being introduced to family, it is customary to shake hands with older children as you would with adults.

Religion

Family

Naming

Dates of Significance

Etiquette

Do's and Don'ts

Communication

Other Considerations

Business Culture

Irish in Australia

References
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Ireland
  • Population
    4,757,976
    [2016 census]
  • Languages
    English [official]
    Gaelic [official] (39.8%)
    [2016 census]
  • Religions
    Catholic Christianity (78.3%)
    No Religion (9.8%)
    Church of Ireland (2.7%)
    Other Christianity (2.6%)
    Islam (1.3%)
    Other (1.7%)
    [2016 census]
  • Ethnicities
    White Irish (82.2%)
    Other White (9.5%)
    Asian (2.1%)
    Black (1.3%)
    Other (1.5%)
    Irish Travellers (0.7%)
    Not Stated (2.6 %)
    [2016 census]
  • Cultural Dimensions
    Power Distance
    28
    Individualism
    70
    Masculinity
    68
    Uncertainty Avoidance
    35
    Long Term Orientation
    24
    Indulgence
    65
    What's this?
  • Australians with Irish Ancestry
    2,388,058 [2016 census]
Irish in Australia
  • Population
    74,888
    [2016 census]
    This figure refers to the number of Australian residents that were born in Ireland.
  • Average Age
    43
  • Gender
    Male (53.8%)
    Female (46.2%)
  • Religion
    Catholic Christianity (75.4%)
    No Religion (11.4%)
    Anglican Christianity (3.8%)
    Other (6.6%)
  • Ancestry
    Irish (89.9%)
    English (4.2%)
    Australian (1.5%)
    Other (3.3%)
  • Language Spoken at Home
    English (95.1%)
    Irish (2.3%)
    Gaelic (0.5%)
    Other (1.2%)
    Of those who speak a language other than English at home, 83.6% speak English fluently.
  • Diaspora
    New South Wales (32.6%)
    Victoria (21.7%)
    Western Australia (21.2%)
    Queensland (16.2%)
  • Arrival to Australia
    Prior to 2001 (58.4%)
    2001-2006 (10.5%)
    2007-2011 (27%)
Country https://dtbhzdanf36fd.cloudfront.net/countries/45/ie.svg Flag Country Ireland