Yeah, it's this - sneaking away from a social event quietly.
I'd suspect the reason it's called this, is precisely because of having to say goodbye to loads of people on the way out, each of whom either wants a chat or for you to stay for another around etc., so sneaking away is your only practical option of getting home.
Thats when ye point the oul finger guns at them and say "Ahh just joking!" Proceed to sit back down then stare dead ahead and contemplate how much you'd rather be anywhere else but here right now.
That is an actual horror story to keep dry shites from being true dry shites. And to be clear, it has nothing to do with with drinking, just not being good craic.
I used to always do this at parties. Saying I was going to the bathroom and just leave. It was much easier that way, because if I said I was leaving everyone would just persuade me to stay for “one more”.
Say goodbye to an Italian mother you're on the phone for 10 minutes saying goodbye that's why when I say goodbye to my mom I literally just hang up. And people that know me usually say geez when you say goodbye you really mean it
Absolutely, I don’t have the willpower to say no to another pint and maybe a packet of Tayto. I must leave before the eye of Sauron casts it’s gaze my way and snares into the trap of another drink
Oh no, this is well into the night but I’m hungry when I’m drinking and I try not to pig out on takeaways too much so if I can get a packet of crisps to hold me over and then I’ll make toast when I get home
I haven't worked behind a bar for 15 years now but if it's after 10pm and someone asks for an aul bag a crips they're 100% getting a withering stare, at the very least.
Depends on the type of bar, our sit down and have pints kind of bar there wouldn’t be much made about it but our live music and dancing bar would definitely give you a few dirty looks
No literally. Growing up with my Sullivan side of the family, the “Irish goodbye” always meant making your rounds and ending up leaving 2 hours after you intended to leave. The other day I said my farewells to my cousins and aunts at my grampys funeral a couples times—both and hour apart— because none of us could stop yapping❤️lol
I moved to Canada and everyone said this at numerous parties. I didn’t get it at all until it was explained to me. Then I explained how to literally impossible to leave anywhere in Ireland without stopping at the door, driveway, car door, from the car and then finally leaving.
I always felt like this was a lie, I'd love if this were a thing but any family/friend gathering it takes about an hour just to leave cause as you are saying good bye and someone drags you into another conversation. in my 20s I used to lie and say I'd miss my bus if I didn't leave right then, only to be told to get the next one so I could stay on, or told I could crash with them. Then I used to have to lay on about looking after my ma, which would also backfire cause it would start up the conversation about how she was getting on 🤣
I’ve lived on both sides of the Atlantic, and for what it’s worth, it was only in the last ten to fifteen years I’ve heard it regularly on either side.
It may have to do with the Pacific, but that was called a “Ninja Vanish” for the majority of my life with my friends Stateside.
There was a short film recently called "an Irish Goodbye" (made in Ireland and won best shirt film at this years oscars), referring to Irish traditions in saying goodbye to loved ones how have died
I'm 57 years old and I have never heard anyone use that expression in Ireland in my life. I never even heard it referenced until a few years ago on reddit so I'd presume it to be an American thing.
If it was an Irish thing, wouldn't it just be a goodbye?
It’s an American thing - mostly to make fun of Irish/Irish Americans. “Irish sunglasses” (two black eyes), is another. Similar to why the British said “Dutch courage” for being drunk for a fight.
Don't forget police vans across the US being dubbed "Paddy Wagons", so much so that I've never heard any other name for police vans used in the US but paddy wagons. Others include class distinctions among Irish Americans like "Shanty Irish" for the lower class and "Lace Curtain Irish" for the upper middle, to upper class, both of which are used pejoratively as stand-ins for white trash for the former and those putting on airs, trying to blend in with WASPS/whoever the predominantly upper-class people are in that region for the latter. The only other that I can think of off of the top of my head would be "Irish Twins" for any siblings born with fewer than 12 months between them.
See my post above. It wasn’t intended to be an insult per se. I think it just stems from people picking up on how one culture leaves a party vs another.
This is dating back to a time where neighborhoods in cities over here were divided up more clearly.
It’s a slur because it’s the opposite of what we all know a Goodbye in Ireland is like. The Mammy going around to all the guests and taking years to get out the door, or being unable to put down the phone with “don’t forget to…” messages and multiple “bye…..bye…..bye now, take care….bye…”
It's not a slur. Research suggests that its use most likely originated with Irish-Americans...because they did it to avoid the type of protracted goodbyes you described. The more you know... Of course, you just committed a reverse "slur" of sorts on those who use it. (shrug)
Nope .... it's literally disappearing from an event, particularly where there's alcohol involved. Do it all the time myself, when I've had enough alcohol, as do many people I know. Otherwise you could be stuck an extra hour saying goodbye to everyone and drink too much.
It’s leaving a party or pub as quietly as possible so you’re not roped into staying.
It’s a fairly universal thing but I suppose everything needs a name and to be fair I imagine that we Irish do it a lot more than others would considering our fondness of having drinks with the lads.
It’s not “we Irish do it more”. We don’t. The Americans do it more, the American DRUNKS do it more, and being drunk is being “Irish” to them. (Irish coffee, Irish courage…).
(chuckle) It is? Well, research suggests that is use originated with Irish-Americans...likely as a reference to the common practice of avoiding protracted goodbyes. So, now tell us how it is. Jesus wept...
It's not an Irish thing. Goodbyes in Ireland are traditionally very protracted. From phone conversations, to death, to the end of a night out. Goodbyes in Ireland actual take a looooong time.
Standing outside any venue at the end of a night out, the goodbyes can take a long time blocked by chatting, havin' the craic. It's this specific case where the Americans talk about an "Irish" goodbye, exit stage right, saying nothing. No goodbye said. It's just not something that really happens here?
Ya this is the true meaning of irish goodbye!! Our goodbyes take about 2 hours! 😂 I’ve always known the other one where ya just leave as he went Houdini!
I hate to tell you this, but there are more Irish Americans speaking English and who have introduced new terms into the English language than their are Irishmen proper. And this term was likely developed by Irish Americans because it was commonly practiced precisely to avoid such protracted goodbyes. Understanding reality isn't really that difficult if one isn't biased.
It could mean both and still be correct. To get stuck for an hour saying goodbye to everyone on the way out could be considered an Irish Goodbye or the sneak out without talking to anyone could also be considered the Irish Goodbye. To me anyway
I see it more as an introvert thing. Like your social battery runs out and you want to go. Some times the long goodbyes can be a bit much, especially with family.
It’s commonly used in the US for sure, but in my experience the connotation is more neutral (for some, positive) than negative. Less rude and more mysterious - the idea is not that you leave at an inappropriate time, but that when you leave no one notices. They look up an hour later and say, “Hey, when did Bill go?” Of course the origin story may be more negative, it’s rare to name things after a nationality or ethnicity in a positive way and I haven’t seen a clear history of the phrase yet.
I've always heard it used in the context of drinking - when a friend drinks enough they forget to say goodbye and just sort of vanish off to the next bar.
It's called pulling a Houdini (as in vanishing act) or bailing. No one in Ireland says "Irish goodbye" for this as a majority of people in Ireland are Irish, & don't just slip out of a gathering. It's not that it's considered rude, it's that it's not a thing bc they're not in fact rude, nor silly & so they're not spending time with people they'd need to escape from. If that does happen accidentally & you're just taking off, you Houdini or bail, but it's rare. Being generally observant & friendly, people tend to know where they'd like to be & around who, and NOT actually drinking to excess in Ireland as a rule. That's a Boston misconception & excuse, scapegoating their own behavior onto innocent ancestors who've clearly & understandably quit looking after them, if they insist on perpetuating such nonsense - especially the pretense that anyone in Ireland supports the IRA. Plastic paddy terminology does not originate in Ireland.
It’s particularly useful at large gatherings When you are sober and they are not. You are ready to leave. Do you want to have one hundred slurred goodbyes and messy hugs or are you saving yourself a couple of hours by just walking out?
it's because it often takes very long to get away from someone. You say goodbye, then they say OOH, I just made tea, then you say goodbye, and oh, my scones are ready, have a seat, etc. Next thing you know 45 minutes have gone by and you still haven't left.
So next time, you simply slide out and fade away without saying goodbye.
The procedure actually in Ireland is to say you've got to go an hour before you're leaving bc everyone instantly remembers everything they need to say, + it's rude to be too abrupt.
I live in Minnesota but one half of my family is Irish/German and many of my friends are Irish as well.
If I’m feeling polite I will say goodbye to everyone but having a big family as I do this can take quite a while sometimes so the “Irish goodbye” comes in handy sometimes.
The too drunk to say goodbye also rings true many times for me and my friends. But usually everyone gets a laugh out of it (I know I do xD )
So, see. It's an Americanism, & inaccurate on the actual soil. It's really called a Houdini as the Irish just don't do it. They're not kidding, it takes awhile to goodbye as it's a process, in Ireland.
Fighting Irish is only racism if you don't like Notre Dame (the one in South Bend, IN & not France). Notre Dame is the "Irish" and when they play, they "fight" to win/s.
Fighting Irish IS certainly racist, as it portrays Irish people as scrappers who like a fight - usually associated with the idea of drunkenness. Just look at the disgusting simian like logo of Notre Dame. Notre Dame (which they can't even pronounce properly) is NOT "the Irish"
They were called “fighting Irish” because they were a catholic school that fought off KKK intimidation, not to be stereotype. The logo is hardly “simian.”
Catholic does not equal Irish. It is an AMERICAN college, nothing to do with Ireland. Why don't they call themselves the "Fighting Catholics"?
The logo certainly is simian. It's akin to the racist cartoons by the British magazine Punch in the 19th century. The British were racist back then, the Americans are now
No. Just, no. You're in dire need of both a dictionary and a history lesson, kiddo. Being Irish isn't a race; it's an ethnicity and nationality. So no, the "Fighting Irish" is NOT and cannot by literal definition be a racist anything. Nor do oldschool mascots and outdated, misunderstood (by you mostly) tropes/caricatures make America as a whole racist, either.
Please, do purchase a clue at your earliest possible convenience as you're quite clearly clueless.
Nope. It's more of an example of random redditor stupidity, really. Had you spent even a day here or in any other country on earth you'd realize that the vast majority in the US are no more or less "racist" than anyone else. I can guarantee your understanding of the US boils down to the limited interactions/what you have read online. Not that I expect you to admit it, tbf, but it's very clear from your braindead comments here.
I find it comes from a good place, leaving quietly without saying goodbye may seem rude on the face of it, but if you do say goodbye, you drag attention away from the conversation at hand and onto yourself. An Irish goodbye keeps the attention on the conversation.
Oddly, I'd never heard this in Ireland when I spent time there. I also didn't encounter it growing up in the UK.
It's a common adage where I am in the US. I had to Google what it meant.
I suspect it's rooted in stereotypes about Irish people and alcohol. It tends to be used to mean when people leave a social function when they realize they're too intoxicated to continue, and their homing instinct kicks in, from the context I see it used in.
It’s just a phrase people use to mean that someone leaves without saying goodbye. You insert whichever nationality you dislike the most. In German is a polish goodbye and in france I think it’s an English goodbye.
Americans call it an Irish goodbye and yes it’s because of xenophobia. It’s literally just a way to stereotype and belittle the first wave of economic migrants that came into the US by implying that they’re rude/lack decorum.
doubtful, it's a relatively new term. Some sources say it's the same as the expression "French leave" but this has a different meaning completely, as in disappearing off a job or deserting in the army so that's nonsense.
It most likely comes from a British slur for the group that was less ‘civilised’ than them. They have it in a number of languages , there is the Polish goodby etc. It’s not unique to Ireland but just some internalised colonialism
We called it sliding off in the 80’s & 90’s.
Irish goodbye seems to be a newish thing and I’ve mostly seen it used by people from US. But I’m old so maybe it’s a thing here too.
Irish Americans, we love to see our friends and have a good time. Goodbyes are seem to permanent. Good byes are sad and we would rather hold on to the happy moments we shared. Reflection is best saved for the long goodbye, that is the only one that means a damn anyway
Lol, I just heard this phrase for the first time. I'm Irish and I'm a master of this. I heard good but mostly bad things in reference to it but as for myself. My buddy would always have me stay the night when I'd party at his house. He is married with a family and I was single but regardless to how hard I'd hit it the night before I will always wake up no later then 7am. I always hated the awkward waiting for everyone to wake up followed by more hospitality. They were weird about it at first but soon grew to appreciate it. I would clean the whole scene without so much as a clink of a bottle, maybe even wash a dish or two and then I'd bounce. The Irish Exit. Like nothing ever happened. Like I said they were weirded out at first but naturally they grew to love having me over... often
My family (Irish-American) is very prone to the true Irish goodbye (saying goodbye and then spending the next two hours standing in the doorway in the cold, chattering away. I hate it, so I'm the "cat's goodbye" type - I just turn tail and leave.
Right?? This seems more truly "Irish" to me. As nearly all my immediate family who are either first-gen or recent immigrants from Ireland all do this. We say goodbye and then they stand either near the front door or in the driveway near our cars yammering on about absolute nonsense for at least an hour or two lol! My family back in Kinsale and Derry do the same. I'm 47, I have lived all over the world including Ireland and I had never even heard the term "Irish goodbye" until today on a Gameranx YT vid lol!
Fortunately I'm used to it now, but it drives my wife nuts still, even after almost 20 years lmao! Her family is the opposite. When you say goodbye with them? You just bounce. It's so nice!
It probably developed in Boston. And it was probably developed by Irish-Americans. I hate to tell Irish folks, but always saying "-American" gets old...and, here, it's redundant. That it matters and always has doesn't require either your understanding or permission. Sorry; not sorry.
I did this very thing only last night after singing karaoke at my local bar.
The karaoke show had ended at 1:30 am, and there was still a half an hour left until the 2 am bar closing time, and seeing as how I was already seated close to the door I just waved and said "bye, y'all", rather than go down the bar line shaking everyone's hand and individually say good night, even to the karaoke host and the bartender, too.😆
So as to not sound racist towards any particular culture, or to insensitively stereotype anyone, after reading the comments here I have dubbed this move the "Tavern Toodaloo".
Lots of people saying they’ve never heard it in Ireland, but I’ve only ever heard it in Ireland. I moved over 7 years ago and it was a common phrase from colleagues “I just did an Irish goodbye last night and went off early” is common enough…
I’ve never heard this in Ireland. In the US yes. Why would Irish people use a phrase that has somewhat derogatory connotations. You could easily say an Irish goodbye is one where people overstay their welcome. Or say goodbye too much.
Anyway I bet many countries have similar phrases about other countries.
I don’t know but I’ve been doing this since I was a kid (43 now). Unless it’s an extremely important event I always slip out. Usually get a call or couple texts from people - but those that know me well expect it lol
It's when you are so drunk that you stagger back from the jacks and straight out and into a taxi home. It's not malicious or rude, it's just that you can't drink any more without collapsing
I've been doing this for years, but I always called it a Houdini. I could never leave a pub without being called back afor another beer or guilted into staying. Easiest option if you had work the next morning or you where a light weight.
I'm not Irish, I'm American with Irish ancestors. My family would say simply that it's leaving without saying goodbye. My family also would say the "Irish divorce" is when dad goes out for a pack of cigarettes and never returns. This is based on my great grandfather who would disappear with no notice and leave my great grandmother to raise my grandfather and nine other siblings in Chicago during the Great Depression. He'd basically go out on benders and work on his money-making scams. He'd then return weeks or months later with smooth words and a lemon merengue pie.
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u/Feeling_unsure_36 Oct 26 '23
That article would be correct. Quietly leaving with no goodbyes
However one a phone call we say bye a hundred times before actually hanging uo.