system
A chat on subreddit /r/me_irl
human
It's really interesting to see how hard a concept this is to grasp for people not from Ireland.

I'm from the north, in Belfast. Still everyone I end up talking to knows someone I'm either friends with or one of their friends. Every single person I've actively talked to in the past 5 years has been at most 2 degrees of separation away. Of course not everyone knows everyone. But when things are as tight knit as they are, you just kind of happen to speak to people who know each other. Still blows my mind sometimes. My last job had me working with the dad of someone I went to school with, entirely by coincidence just because we live in the same general area.
gpt
Currently living in Ireland/Galway and work in Dublin. 

- People here say, “it’s a small country.” Tribalism is still a thing in Ireland. Identifying  y county or town is still important. 

- family names are noted, and carry history/grudges/good memories with them pretty commonly. So people identify with that here more readily. Not a huge history of immigration into Ireland like there would be to America.

- People know people- especially when you have traditionally massive social events like weddings, birthdays, Christenings etc.

- It’s also different from America where bars/pubs are social watering holes- you’re there because it’s a family thing/part of an accepted social hub. Unlike many in America, you’re not just here to pick up a date/throw darts/watch a game.

- Family go WAY back, went to a small memorial service in Galway last year for a man of nearly 90 and the President of Ireland, Michael D. Showed up to pay his respects. 

- People in Ireland have spent years navigating around  Red tape and bureaucracy. Chances are if you need something done- permit/immigration/plumbing/car there’s someone in your circle who “knows a guy who knows a guy” who went to a christening with the person you need to talk to to get stuff done.

- People in Ireland know their local sports team players because they come from the community- there are no professional hurlers (Irelands national sport) by tradition. This means that the local players live in the community, are doctors/students/shop keepers etc. if the team does good or bad/ they get acknowledged. You can bet people know which player comes from which family. I’ve heard several people say, “yeah he’s a hurler from Galway” or whatever.