Paddyism

plural Paddyisms

1. colloquialderogatoryuncountableThe quality of being stereotypically Irish.

   He referred to the late Fine Gael TD and constitutional expert John Kelly. He said Mr Kelly, “described this constant tendency to look at what is happening in the UK, of emulating the UK and of measuring ourselves against the UK as malignant ‘Paddyism’ and I agree”.

   2014 November 17, Marie O'Halloran, “Malignant Paddyism to compare Ireland to UK, says Willie O’Dea”, in The Irish Times

   1 more example

   Faith and begorrah it’s that time of year again. Time, that is, for the kind of “virulent eruptions of Paddyism” that, in the words of Ireland’s greatest newspaper columnist, is another form of “the claptrap that has made fortunes for cute professional Irishmen in America.” Yes it’s St Patrick’s Day and Myles na Gopaleen’s withering verdict on the nonsense of professional Irishism remains about the best there is.

   2010 March 17, Alex Massie, “The Blarney Festival Arrives Again”, in The Spectator

2. colloquialcountableA Hibernianism.

   Leaving aside the Paddyisms we put upon ourselves in order to sell aran jumpers and claddagh rings to Yanks, how do we define ourselves in this country? What makes a person Irish? What qualifies as “Irishness”?

   2012 March 24, Alan Keane, “Irishness? What the feck is that?”, in Keane Observer (blog), archived from the original on 01 Feb 2024