Ya know, the "americans are idiots" tirade is rather tiresome. Yep-lots of people don't know their geography or history very well, mud slinging doesn't help.

I could just as well call the Irish a bunch of in-bred drunkards - you HAVE lived on an island for many generations, inbreeding HAD to occur at some time.

And honestly, to us "stupid Americans" Ireland may as well be England from our perspective. Both countries are no bigger than some of our states!

Ignorant Europeans need to shut up just as much as ignorant Americans do when they talk about someplace they've never been. Most Europeans can't comprehend the scale of a SINGLE UNIFIED country the U.S. is. Where you must drive THREE THOUSAND MILES to cross the country coast-to-coast, and NEVER HAVE TO SHOW A PASSPORT. Plus the environmental variation is stunning, from the dreary, wet, but lush New England States, to the rolling plains of the midwest, the Mississippi river delta, the deserts of the SouthWest, the stunning Rocky Mountains, the dark-forested Cascades of the Northwest, and the absolutely perfect weather of Southern California, where you can water ski and snow ski in the SAME DAY.

Americans have a REASON for being ignorant of the world: For 300 years they've been physically isolated from the rest of the world by two vast oceans. The land provided all the resources they needed for the first 200 years, and the thought of risking one's life to cross an ocean to risk one's life visiting unstable countries just didn't make sense, especially since it was also quite expensive.

What excuse do Euopeans have for their ignorance? They've been physically close to all the strife of the last 200 years. What excuse do Europeans have for blaming individual Americans for the faults of the government? I can speak to this-every trip I've made to Europe I've been accosted/challenged AGGRESSIVELY about how "you Americans" screw things up. Last I checked, I had no influence on the foibles of our corrupt government, no more than Euopeans can control their corrupt, SOCIALIST governments.

But *I* don't blame the people I meet-I recognize they are everyday Joes who just want to live their lives, like the rest of us.

So get off your soapbox-us "stupid Americans" are tired of your whining. Once you can keep the bully in your own sandbox and stop having them come after us, then we'll stop messing in "your" affairs.

WW 1, WW 2, both dragged the US into it, because you smart Europeans couldn't manage to get along.

Personally I can't wait to visit Ireland and also Scotland-I'm a golfer and will love seeing it's home. I've heard it's all stunningly beautiful, but I hope the next Scot I meet is a bit more rational-the last one was an argumentative drunk. If I were to stereotype like others here- I would beleive he represented the typical Scot-a drunk arrogant bastard.

See-that's what happens when you write divisive, stereotypical things-the blade can cut both ways.

1. Where Irish people live.
2. Where Leprechaunsare NOT from.
3. Where not everyone is a drunken bogger.
4. Where irish is spoken in some areas (Dia duit = hello).
5. Where it always rains
6. Where there's a big stick-like-statue in the middle of Dubin.
7. Where everyone rocks!

A country with a rich culture and heritage, plus lots of drinking. Stereotyped by the world as being farmers and leprechauns (That accent that Richard Gere uses in the Jackal actually does not exist)

Oppressed for centuries and today divided, we are now ruled by corrupt politicians who are more interested in the contents of their next brown envelope than the welfare of the country.

The best place on the planet. Everyone rocks there and it's so green and lovely. We have our own language which is one of the longest surviving in the world but the vast majority of us speak English because those bastards invaded our island and took all our land and opressed us with huge taxes that just went straight into the King of England's pocket, but then in the early 20th century we fought back and won most of the country back (we didn't get 6 counties in the north). Now we have a really bad government but who cares IREALND ROCKS!
P.s. Noone in Ireland sounds the way you americans think we do. And not everyone in Ireland is called SEAMUS!

Land of awful weather. You can freeze there in summer time.
Land of drinkers and black sheep.

BUT

It's the greenest land i've ever seen. The most beautiful, the most 'mystic'.
The land of shamrocks, POTATOES(!!!!!) poets & writers.
Ireland rocks and will rock forever.
The sky moves with you.

A small location on the western edge of Europe, it has a long and colourful history.

After 600 years of oppression, and several previous attempts (which coined the phrase "The fighting Irish - As they never lay down and accepted occupiers) the Irish revolted in 1916 to go on a defeat the British empire and force them to withdraw from the nation.

Humiliated, the British made an agreement to leave the Island, except for 6 northern counties to save face from absolute defeat. Ireland has been the thorn in Britains side for centuries.

The withdrawl was due to several reasons.
1/ International condemnation and pressure for their treatment of the Irish.
2/ The brittish were unable to control the Irish as every man in the street was willing to lay down his life for his country and his freedom.
3/ The losing battle they were fighting on the streets of Dublin and towns around the country was humiliating for an "Empire".

Irelands population was once peaked at 12 million in the 1800's.... a century on, the Irish population is 3.5 million.

This is due to brittish rule forcing famine around the country in which millions of innocent people starved to death or died of the plague and hundreds of thousands of others were forced to emigrate, mostly to the USA, Australia and Argentina.

After the Brittish left, the Irish fell into civil war over the agreement to let them leave and keep the 6 counties. Some were for this, as the Brittish were fucking off, some were against...

Land of poets, scholars, and gentlemen, quick-witted women with tongues like whips and quick-fisted men with spirits like fire.

Birthplace of the greatest "British" writer to have ever lived: Oscar Wilde.

Welly says that Ireland is located to the west of the most influential nation on Earth? What has Wales done that is so dang important, aside from likewise being utterly beautiful and amazing? Or are we talking about the Isle of Man?

The home to the best people in the world. They love everyone and love to party. They know how to have a good time.