Not to be outdobe by a limey (;)mattk) , but I feel there is a lot people dont know about the Irish.
Ask away
Why do the Irish talk to GaWd?
Sorry, bad Braveheart joke 
On a more serious note, why are the Irish so zany/crazy/fun to be around?
-Sam
Gawd, perhaps that when we work hard, we know how to enjoy ourselves afterwards. Some people find solace in being alone, whereas there is a great community spirit prevailent in Ireland. The best place to meet as a community was in the pub or the church… although their is a lot more separation of the church from Irish life in the last 20 years.
short answer, We know how to party.
What, no “Cead mile failte” to welcome us to your thread?
What does the “-gan” ending in many Irish surnames (like yours and mine) mean?
After spending some time with a few of your choice brethern, I can definitely say the above is true 
-Sam
Gilligan,
Cead milé failté, a chairde. Chonas ata tu?
why so many gans? It has to so with the Anglisised versions of Irish names. for instance, my name Sean O’Learragain, comes from Lannigan or"0’Leannagain" or “child of the Smith” as for what the Gill- part means, I’m not sure…
[Moderator Hat: ON]
Moving this one to MPSIMS.
David B, SDMB Great Debates Moderator
[Moderator Hat: Handed Off to Euty & Unc]
Ok John.
How 'bout telling me the stuff that I really must see while in Dublin? (Other than the pubs, that’s already on the itinerary).
this can be divided into 2 Categories (off the top of my head)
- Touristy
the Book of Kells and Trinity College (where they filmed Educating Rita, with Michael Caine)
the Georgian houses (Merrion sq.) not very good
Christchurch Cathedral - Non Touristy
the liffeyboat tour your taken on an amphibious vehicle on a tour of dublin, by road and by river.
The Ghost bus tour, an alternative tour or “The most haunted City in the world”. good gfor a laugh
the Church of St. Michim’s, where in the Vaults are preserved Human Corpses from the 18th Century.
there are countless more… but thats all I can think of.
Moosie took my question
I’ll be there for a week in August. Can you recommend any good day-trips outside of Dublin?
Moosie and D Marie took both my questions.
Hey John, when I come over, how can I avoid looking like a big American tourist lummox?
OK, I love Ireland, and had a great time when I visited the place. I do have some questions, though, about how religion and politics mix there:
To what extent does the Catholic church involve itself in politics in Ireland? Is there separation of Church and state as we have in the US, or does the government sponsor religious activities? Are there any protestant churches (outside of Northern Ireland)? Does anyone ever talk about “the Troubles,” or what to do about Northern Ireland? When I was there, the whole topic seemed taboo. There was a lot of awkward stammering and silence when I brought it up.
And have you kissed the Blarney stone? 
Also, how do the Irish manage to stay so friendly and pleasant with tourists? Seems like you would get sick of all the Americans tramping about all over the place. I’ve never met anyone who was rude or even less than friendly in Ireland.
Now, I’ve heard that a Scotsman can drink any Irishman under the table. Is that true?
My familial name translates into “Black Hero.” But while I have been dubbed a “White person with soul” by my Cuban friend, I am most decidedly white. What does my name mean? The guesses in my family usually have to go with Coal mining.
Swiddles: Black hair, perhaps? Darker pigmentation that average for the Irish, but still Caucasian? [url=“http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_077.html”]Cecil on the “Black Irish”
cough
St Michan’s … and at least one of the corpses dates back to the Crusades.
You obviously haven’t met Mr Larrigan yet
I hear the Irish have a hard time qualifying for major football events, such as, oh, EURO 2000. Is this true? My source tells me that the Irish squad is particularly unsuccesful when opposed to the Dutch team. Mr. Larrigan, what´s the Straight Irish Dope?
Coldie, you smug bastard.
Go get him, John.
No fair Coldy! The Dutch team didn’t “qualify” for Euro2000 either