It is the beginning of my seventh week in Dublin, and I can’t believe that this journey will be coming to an end so soon. As I wrap up my internship and my chapter in Ireland winds down, I am reflecting more and more on the experiences I’ve had here as well as the lessons I’ve learned. I have already touched on these ideas somewhat throughout my previous posts, I would like to take a deeper dive into the differences in Irish and American communication and cultural contexts, as well as the struggles that I faced due to these changes.
The idea of cultural context is an anthropologic theory introduced by Edward T. Hall in the late fifties, and it is still often used today to describe differences in the communication styles of various groups of people. Although it is not an exact science, it often provides a valuable method to contextualize large social differences between cultures, and what causes these differences. Typically, low context communities are marked by information being expressed more explicitly, more direct communication, more direct exchanges, are easier for outsiders to enter, and all necessary information is included inside of an exchange. On the other side of things, a high cultural context describes a community in which implicit information is prevalent, rank, status, and hierarchy are important, there is a shared history and background, communication is more nuanced, emotions are expressed more subtly, and they are more difficult to enter. Although Ireland is not traditionally ranked as a particularly high context country, I think it is much higher context than the United States, and it is only becoming higher context as it regains its Gaelic identity. It is important to remember that a community’s cultural context can shift and evolve over time.
There are a number of observations I have made during my time abroad that exhibit the culturally contextual differences between the United States and Ireland. One example of this is in the humorous nature of the Irish conversation. From the workplace to the street encounter, Irish conversations are often filled with layers of humor and sarcasm, which can be unfamiliar to navigate at times compared to the United States, where conversations are usually straightforward until you get to know the person better. I remember towards the beginning of my internship, a couple of coworkers were joking around with me about making instant coffee instead of using the more authentic method, but I soon realized that they were getting to know me and trying to include me. “Slagging,” is key to Irish banter, and it just shows that you are part of the team.
The “shared history” aspect of Ireland is also important to many Irish people, and this can be confusing at times for people who are not versed in the country’s past and geography. There have been a number of times where I met very proud Irishmen out and about who have jokingly asked my friends and I our opinions about the North, the IRA, hurling teams, and other Irish issues, clearly poking at our lack of opinion on the topics that are very hot here. These unfamiliar topics, when mixed with the occasional thick accent, get even more complicated. I remember one experience at work a few weeks ago, when I was helping spread the word about new events we have coming up at D-Light Studios. I sent emails to different community centers around the Dublin 1 area, and if they said yes, I went to meet the people running the centers, fill them in on the events, and put posters up. At one community center, the man running it was very nice and accommodating, but he had a very thick accent and spoke very quickly. While I understood some of what he was saying, at least twenty-five percent of it was unintelligible to me. Speaking to the awareness of body language and facial expression that comes along with high-context cultures, he could tell that I was a little confused, apologized, and slowed down for me.
Finally, one small yet prevalent issue I have faced in communication here is the slight difference in pronunciation between words, whether it is due to accent or Gaelic background. While accents may cause issues, Gaelic spelling will inevitably be confusing to outsiders. One of my coworkers is named Caoimhe, which is pronounced “Kweeva,” and there is a town near my campus called Dun Laoghaire, pronounced Dun Leeree. This can cause some confusion between those who have grown up around such names and Irish newcomers. Overall, it can be hard to adapt to certain aspects of Ireland’s culture, but with an open mind and willingness to learn it becomes much easier.