‘So where are you from yourself?’
Ireland is just one big wonderful village. We may not know everybody in the village, but when two Irish strangers bump into each other for a chat, it is only a matter of a little prospective probing before they discover a mutual acquaintance. The two people can come from opposite ends of the country – anywhere in the ‘village’ will do.
That is leaving aside the sometimes unbelievable coincidences that cause us to bump into someone we know on far foreign fields. I met a young man I knew from Delvin who was on his honeymoon in South Africa and we chatted at the top of Table Mountain! In New York one time, we exchanged pleasantries with friends from Mullingar we met at the bottom of the Empire State Building.
When Irish ‘randoms’ meet while abroad, we don’t ignore each other; on the contrary, we gravitate towards them and about the second ceist goes something like this, ‘so where are you from yourself?’. The answer to that question will trigger the hunt for mutual connections.
This is uniquely an Irish thingy. People from other countries may well engage in a spot of small talk if they find themselves corralled together – but it will not have the same depth as with the inhabitants of the Emerald Isle. Working abroad, I from time to time introduced an English friend to another of his countrymen, a ‘Jock’ to a ‘Jock’, or a ‘Taffy’ to a fellow ‘Taffy’. The fact here is that, apart from sharing good manners, most often no party gave two hoots about the other!
Often nowadays the ‘where are you from yourself’ had been rendered redundant by the fashion of wearing county GAA jerseys abroad. That is just so brilliant and the perfect launch for the conversation. ‘Ye were in hard luck this year’ will be often answered with summaries like, ‘you had a great year in Westmeath’.
Soccer jerseys are equally fashionably everywhere, but there is no comparison in their impact or significance. The ‘we’ applied to the Man U or Liverpool shirt just means you have an interest in sport – and you don’t even need to have ever stood in either city. Soccer jerseys are colourful and trendy and have been embraced by the Gorls… but won’t inform where the wearer comes from.
The World Cup has helped to promote soccer shirts as a genuine fashion piece. I’m told that Mexican and Canadian tops are the biggest sellers on account of their distinctive and colourful patterns.
Coming back to seeking to identify ‘where are you from’, like we said, the soccer top will not give you a clue. How different this is with our GAA county and club jerseys. Another difference with regards to the soccer and GAA jerseys is that Premiership strips change every year and no self-respecting young football fan would be seen dead in last year’s top.
It is just so totally different in the GAA. An old jersey with a sponsor’s name from 30 years ago is a source of pride and shows you are not just jumping on the bandwagon. My Westmeath jersey is 20 years old (and I’m sure I can root out a couple of older ones if you really want to know!). Supermac’s have been the Galway sponsors for 20-odd years, but you will still see the odd western maroons with my old friend, Tommy Varden, emblazoned on the front of a supporter’s jersey. It is similar in every county.
The GAA jersey just helps you to know before you open conversations. ‘The Dubs’ were probably the leaders in making the football jersey fashionable on the street. Some jerseys are more recognisable than others from a distance. The Carlow top is the most colourful, maybe the bright red of Cork the most revered and the black and amber of Kilkenny the most feared. We could cover every county… space permitting.
Success on the field naturally adds to the popularity of the strip. No wonder then that you see so many Kerry and Limerick colours on both sexes. But Clare, Monaghan, Roscommon and Louth supporters all know how to dress up as well.
My adopted football county of Mayo (after my own county) probably has the most loyal following in the country – and one of the greatest jersey sales across the globe.
A tip for the Lads, next time you meet a girl wearing the Mayo top, here is how you can impress her. Ask if she knows how Mayo got its green and red colours. Chances are she won’t know and your chat-up line then is to explain to her that the green stands for the lush Mayo fields and the red signifies the Mayo blood spilled in the 1798 rebellion. Her admiration for you will now likely come to the fore as she enquires softly, ‘so where are you from yourself?…’
Don’t Forget
You never have to make a reservation to go home.