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Hello,
I just returned from three weeks in Ireland. I was somewhat apprehensive before going there, and thought about cutting my hair a bit (it is mid-back length). I'm so glad I didn't because I fit in quite well. Galway and Dublin have quite a population of longhaired men. In the Dublin area, especially downtown and near Trinity College it would appear that longhair on men is quite the norm. It was not unusual to see men of all ages with longhair (and earings). Men with waist length hair were plentiful.
It was so nice to be there, Ireland is a beautiful country with wonderful, sweet people. You might consider it for a trip to Europe.
Joe
Hey Joe,
Great post. Sometime this year i am going to spain to see my relatives. Perhaps i'll drop by ireland. By the way , My relatives live in Madrid , Espana(spain). This is going to be the second time i go. Last time i went, I was only 6 years old!!!
well , all the best
chris
¡Ola Cristobal!
Spain is a VERY interesting place - during the 30 years since the end of the Franco dictatorship it has turned into one of the most open and liberal societies of Europe, and, guess what, the average income in Spain is soon going to be higher than that in Germany!
By the way, you could re-trace the trip of the old Western Celtic tribes who voyaged from Galicia/Spain to Ireland - probably about 700 BC!
All the best!
Hans-Uwe
Hola Hans-Uwe!
Yea , I've heard great things about spain. I cant really remember much from the last time i went. I was too young.spain has great history. They also have an infamous reputation in South and central america. They hate spaniards. I suppose it is because the spaniards commited atrocities against the indians in the americas. I think Adolf Hitler was greatly influenced by Hernan Cortez. Im not sure but i think i read it somewhere. Well anyhow , I am dying to go to spain and experience something new. New culture , New people etc...
Well hans , Ha sido un placer!
Hi Christopher,
So, would Latin Americans dislike me if I pronounced "centro" the "peninsular" way, like "théntro" rather than "sséntro" in Latin America?
By the way, there's at least one country in Latin America where a successful synthesis between the Spanish and the Native heritage took place - that is Mexico. Apparently, some religious grass roots movement around Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was invaluable for that purpose. Later, Mexicans started to celebrate their synthesis at the "Dia de la Raza Mexicana".
All the best!
Hans-Uwe
Yes i think they will highly dislike you if you pronounce it that way. Most of them hate the spanish race but not all of them do. The Latin Americans here in miami seem to dislike white people. Mediterranean whites , Alpines , and Nordics. For some reason, They really dislike the cuban people. Well , Most people dislike cubans. If my mother sees this she will strangle me. She is cuban. Her parents were born in cuba and her grandparents were from barcelona. I dont know why but when i go dine at latin restaurants "sometimes" they treat me like a tourist. They try to speak to me in english and make remarks about me in spanish. I just play it off and enjoy the show. I remember one time this lady commented with her friend "mira ese Gringo Cochino". Look at that Filthy American...lol
LOL!!I do that too,sometimes(I'm evil,I know :P).When I'm in Greece I pretend to be an American tourist not knowing any Greek,just to see if they'll say anything about me in Greek.If that happened to me,I would've put them on the spot!!I would've said somethin like "aww,thanks so much,you're filthy too!!", or somethin like that :P
There seem to be several cultures where they confuse hair with dirt. A friend who went to Japan (and who understands Japanese perfectly although he's very Anglo-looking) told me he overheard "dirty" comments made by others about himself frequently. He said that hair on one's arms would even be considered as dirty there.
Some Asian employers here in San Francisco have been known to discriminate against men with facial hair for the same reason.
The men of some races are not as hairy as we Caucasians are. A lot of the Latinos around SF here have quite a bit of American Indian blood in them, and as a result they grow great manes, but their facial, arm, and leg hair is zilch. U.S. Customs officers, who usually get stereotypes "right", consistently peg a friend of mine with Nicaraguan parents differently depending on whether he has a beard at the moment or not. If he has a beard they practically wave him right through the border. If he does not, his documentation is heavily scrutinized.
Canadians don't see me as "dirty" but they see me as a hunter. I must meet some stereotype they saw on TV as kids or something. Some have been incredulous that I don't have guns and want to kill animals. At the border this has been a recurrent problem; elsewhere it has been humorous.
Yeah, the Canadians make that mistake over and over, while the American guards just fifty yards down the road never do.
Meanwhile, Germans, who live far from where I do, get it right when it comes to me. I don't know any German, but I've heard the word "hippie" said a number of times by Germans, so their word for it must be the same as ours. While walking in Hamburg once I even had a German yell "Hippie" and wave at me from across the street!
Bill
Hi Bill,
when will you travel to Germany the next time? Hamburg is within reach from where I live.
All the best!
Hans-Uwe
Yup, the Irish are quite fond of the wild long-haired look. I'm from Northern Ireland and its the same here - I see lots of guys with long-hair every day, and people are generally quite open to it, in my experience.
I was visiting the UK in May of last year, and was quite surprised when I flew up to Scotland to visit an old friend of mine for a few days, --- an amazing # of the men in Edimburgh had long or at least medium-length hair. It was a very windy day i visited that beautiful city, so it was hard not to miss... and yes, men of all ages sporting flowing manes, all blowing around in the breeze!! (It made San Francisco, the hippy capital of the US, look almost as if it was Buzz-cut City!)
- Ken in San Francisco
Oh yes Edinburgh is a lovely city and I have had many a good weekend up there. Princess Street always has alot of people with longhair walking around and of course it's a university town.
John.B
There's loads of us long haired Scots!!! We rock!! LOL
Hi Joe,
thanks for the info, it makes me want to visit Ireland - and lots of cheap flights go there from where I live in Germany (No, this is NOT subliminal advertizing for ....air & Co ;-)
Openness seems to be the major factor in the tremendous success of the Irish economy and society...
All the best!
Hans-Uwe
Im Irish...hehe
Hi Joe,
I'm glad you had a good time in the emerald isle and it's a lovely part of the world to visit and certainly would recommend anyone to visit there. I'm going to visit Galway this coming new year and enjoy a great time as the irish know how to show in a new year.
John.B