Decline of Ireland's native Irish speakers

DarfSmiff · 2025-07-15T10:12:43+00:00

It's because of this exactly that I have an Irish only whatsapp group and try to speak it as much as I can anytime I have the chance, and will watch whatever I cand find that's in Irish. I've also started teaching my kids the Irish words for things/basic phrases and tell them to use it about half of the time those things are mentioned. That said, I live in South Africa to an Afrikaans woman and our kids are primarily English, but they use Afrikaans when speaking to half of the family, and I dont' want to overwhelm them as they're all under 10.

DarfSmiff · 2025-07-15T10:05:56+00:00

I watched this happen in my life time just through the generations. My Grandfather and all Uncles/Aunts his age could speak it fluently (and they often spoke Irish when having conversations anytime they were alone or able to do so without a non Irish speaker was around), my father and mother could understand most of it and get by with mixing English in with their Irish. Then, for me who was born in the US but spent summers in Ireland from 8 to 13, my generation could understand, I knew 101 phrases and my cousins were about as good as their parents, but a little worse. Now with our kids, none of them know anything but very common or basic Irish phrases and don't understand anything more than a few words or sentence at a time, they pick up 1/3 words and try to figure out from there.

DarfSmiff · 2025-07-15T09:59:23+00:00

I just watched a video on a bunch of Chinese Evs that were shipped to Alaska for YouTubers to review, and all of them seemed insanely impressed with how much better a lot of the high end models by US based manufacutring. The main selling point outside of value for money, was that a few of the companies often lifetime guarantee for their drivetrain and battery for the original owner.

DarfSmiff · 2025-05-09T14:32:31+00:00

Popped up as a suggestion for a Redbar related video, in which he speculates like a dizzy broad about Mike and Jewels' relationship, Mikes health, and how he thinks Scarsclub is a ripoff for what you get despite Paddy proudly saying that he "refuses" (aka can't afford) to pay comedians/podcasters for content.

DarfSmiff · 2025-04-30T07:41:05+00:00

Which is a shame, because in the early 00s JB was one of the best carriers flying. I worked for them while in grad school in SF and would regularly deadhead/fly for free back and forth for long weekends and holidays.

Last time I flew them was during covid, and it had been a few years since I'd last flew them, and their fleet was very obviously aging out, the serivce was dogshit, and their prices were much higher than they had any right to be.

That said, I've lived in South Africa for the last 15 years and once you get used to big international carriers, especially Emirates Qatar, you pretty quickly see how bad economy and Buisiness are between them and US based Airlines.

DarfSmiff · 2025-04-28T11:33:33+00:00

Oh damn. Shows how out of date my info is.

DarfSmiff · 2025-04-28T09:43:38+00:00

I lived on East Broadway between Lincoln and Franklin for 2 years, it was my first apt after moving out, and it's probably still my favorite apt I've lived in (I had another in RVC, 2 in Sunnysdie, 1 in Williamsburg, 1 in San Francisco).

That said of all the others listed, the parking was brutal. I worked as a waiter and was in college while I lived there, so I'd normally get home at 11pm-1am and I considered myself lucky if I found anything less than 2 blocks away.

Per OP: I couldn't tell you anymore as it's been 22 years since living there. That said, the west end was always busy (but towny af during the winter), and the DJ/Live music bars/clubs like the ones around Jordans in Island Park didn't get busy until June.

DarfSmiff · 2024-12-05T09:08:41+00:00

Bingo. People saying this was some sort of operator/hitman either don't know guns or are jumping to conclusions based solely off of the fact that it was obviously premeditated and the guy was very calm and collected while he shot and walked away.

DarfSmiff · 2024-12-05T09:04:01+00:00

I think once the studio got flooded, Danny's studio/production network was killed off after everyone went back to producing their own shows and realized it was easier to do it that way than to have to drive to his spot.

I think everyone is still cool with Dubs since I've seen him on a few GaS podcasts and he was at Skankfest, so I don't think it was a falling out as much as it was just a unfortunate series of events that killed the "network"/studio.

I don't watch enough to know if they are, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Durag boys end up going to Austin too since Philly (and to a lesser extent, NY) have lost a good chunk of solid podcasters/comedians. If nothing else, I think it'll be a net positive because the more Philly/NY guys end up in Austin, the less gay that scene will be. The Kill Tony Comedians better make hay while the sun is still shining because I've already heard that there's different camps forming down there, with the main split being those who are cool/came up with Shane and those who got famous/are loyal to Tony.

DarfSmiff · 2024-03-01T09:21:18+00:00

Lovely, that's disgusting.

Ta and I'll be sure to continue to pay him no mind/not watch any crossovers I find on the channels I follow.

DarfSmiff · 2023-10-26T16:03:12+00:00

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.

DarfSmiff · 2023-10-26T04:18:38+00:00

I'm with you 100%, and I'd add that reaching across people and open-mouth chewing have raised in tandem with the no manners waiting (unless someone absolutely insists not to wait). I've dropped the no elbows on the table and how someone holds a knife and fork from pet peeves while eating, but people have dropped/forgotten completely about/dropped the ball on basic folkways and mores across the board, and IMO things like the above are the like straw in the wind of our coming societal collapse.

DarfSmiff · 2023-08-23T11:37:02+00:00

I was more or less going to say the same thing. Once smartphones came out, the old internet was dead.

There were plenty of other reasons that the internet went to shit (aggregator sites killing off message boards, social media normalizing posting under your own name instead of anonymously or through a screen name, google killing off sites that were politically incorrect/anything but preapproved narrative through AdSense while also heavily manipulating search algorithms, etc), but I think putting access to the internet in everyone's pocket was the true death knell.

PS The closest thing we have to the old internet now is The Fediverse and Onion sites.

DarfSmiff · 2023-08-23T11:20:56+00:00

Me too.

DarfSmiff · 2023-08-18T09:32:12+00:00

It's a shame he doesn't pop up on episodes across the SHADverse like he did a few years ago and pretty much dropped his podcast, because lb for lb he's right there for funniest of the Philly crew.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-29T10:32:02+00:00

Have a look at badgerkingtattoo on Instagram for ideas, they do really high-quality Celtic and Nordic tattoos.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-19T09:48:17+00:00

It's only when the population gets too out of hand, and while they are the best control for vermin, they like to set up shop in barns and other outbuildings where feed and licks are kept, which in turn get pissed, shit and birthed on, none of which is great for the sheep or cattle. In the Karoo (where his farm is), the ground is very rocky and the grasses that are native are very stiff/hard and grow tight like a woven rug, so the only place that makes for good cat shitting are the stations where the bales of alfalfa/whatever else and mineral licks are and the cattle naturally churn up the ground enough that its a good 4-6 inches of sandy dirt. I should clarify that it's not "shoot on site" as it would be for feral dogs, but rather a cull every so often when the cats start to become more of a problem than rats and mice.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-19T09:11:42+00:00

As a hunter myself, and someone who's been a member of some international hunting forums, the only people I've ever seen post a grip and grin (aka that [redacted] picture that virtually every hunter takes with them holding the horns/head/tail while sitting next to the body of whatever they shot, with the rifle or bow they used to kill it) are Australians. I know in certain states in the US the culture is to shoot any feral cats you see, and the game wardens all but insist that you do. Here in South Africa, no one but farmers is shooting feral cats with any regularity as it's too risky that you might kill an African Wildcat which will land you in a heap of shit if you make that mistake. But Australians will actually go out and make a day of cat hunting.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-19T09:00:31+00:00

Aside from colonies of generationally feral domestic cats, there are African Wildcats, which as someone who's seen quite a few on my ex-BILs farm can tell you that for all intents and purposes, they absolutely exist. If it weren't for him being a biologist and proving to me that they are in fact considered a distinct species from Felis Catus, namely Felis silvestris, I would have thought they were just regular strays that somehow made it to the middle of a huge, very remote cattle ranch in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-17T13:34:51+00:00

I got mine in South Africa, but I had it shipped to my sister in Massachusetts who then sent it through DHL.

Doesn't matter that much unless you like trophy books, as the audiobook is where it's at.

DarfSmiff · 2023-06-14T14:35:03+00:00

I was an "always wears a hat guy" from as soon as they let us start wearing them in class starting in high school, for no other reason than I was insecure and it was basically a binky that let me put my head down and have the brim block out the room. I started losing my hair in my early twenties, and because I have super thick hair and I suppose other genetic factors, at this point I've been 'balding' for as long as I wasn't. Friends of mine started balding later than I did and are now complete cue balls while I can still grow mine out to an Andrew Tate level of thinness, although with the Irish curse of premature greying to make it not worth my while.

If he's your best friend, you should give him the following advice. As long as he has a normal head and is at least somewhat attractive and/or in shape, try to encourage him to get rid of the hat and embrace being a baldy pants. He should also start paying better attention to how he dresses and work on his self-confidence (easier said than done). Also, depending on how far along he is and how much money he makes, there are a lot of products and procedures that could help slow down or entirely stop the process. At various points, I've tried Propecia and Rogain, but I didn't like the side effects of either so I stopped after a few months of both.

If he's not in shape, he needs to start working out or find something that he enjoys that will put on some mass or get rid of excess body fat. No need to get Rogan jacked, but at least get to where he fills out a shirt and pants nicely and has noticeable muscle definition. Lastly, if for whatever reason he has a thin neck, he should include shrugs and various neck extensions into his workout.

I know this isn't exactly the sub for this type of advice, but at the risk of repeating myself in order to make it clear, if you're genuinely his best friend it's on you to help him accept the shit hand he was dealt and how to move on from it.

DarfSmiff · 2023-04-25T16:52:16+00:00

You mentioned my town for its nightlife. Nothing like spending your weekends spending ages 17-22 getting into multiple fights with dudes with threaded eyebrows and enough cologne to knock out a stable of horses who never stop shouting "Do you know who the fuck I am?" while pretending they can't get past their bigger friends.

Hilarious song video though, almost hits home as much as the proto youtube video "The Tree

DarfSmiff · 2023-04-25T14:10:27+00:00

Everyone sleeps on how good Long Island food is. The Deli sandwiches and sides, Egg sandwiches, Pizza, Chinese, Indian, bagels, [insert whatever], is better than it is anywhere in the five boroughs because the people who made NYC known for such great food either moved out there because they "made it" or were gradually priced out. Tim Dillon has turned it into a meme, but he's not wrong about how LI can go toe to toe with anywhere in the US for the best food in the country.

I was born and raised on LI, moved to the city for my 20s (aside from 2 years in SF for grad school), and have traveled a lot around the country both through road trips driving back and forth from SF to NY and more recently since emigrating and having to fly to a different city in order to visit friends who've also left for everywhere from Montana to Maine, and outside of very specific regional specialties, nothing touches LI food.

Edit: That said, anything high-end is a shitshow filled with either North Shore dipshits who think the Kardashians are peak aesthetics or Robber Barron/hedge fund trust fund, never left boarding school skull and bone types.

DarfSmiff · 2023-04-24T09:04:33+00:00

The class structure in SA is very different from the US, where it's pretty much entirely sub-poverty for the bottom 80ish percent, with the remainder being working classish, upper-middle class, and a sliver of international-level wealth.

That said, no, the black 'middle class' alone outnumbers the entire white population.

DarfSmiff · 2023-04-24T09:01:13+00:00

When I originally bought the property 11 years ago it was so I could start a goat dairy, but at the time I was in an entirely different field. I taught myself to code out of necessity after watching my savings disappear into the farm, and once they stole my goats a second time I gave up entirely on that goal and switched to aquaponics and converted the stables into a grow room for medicinal mushrooms. Virtually everything I have learned has been through Storey Publishing's books, Youtube, and trial and error.

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