Reporter: Hello, Joe! It’s great to have you with us again. Ireland is home to many popular artists like Westlife, Sinéad O’Connor, The Corrs, and Enya. Some of them have even released songs in both English and Irish. So I’d like to ask: what is the official language of your country?

Joe Connolly: Officially, we have two languages in Ireland: Irish and English. But in reality, English is the most widely spoken. Irish is often seen as a second language, and while most people understand it to some extent, it isn’t commonly used in everyday life outside of certain communities.

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Reporter: Since Irish is a second language in Ireland, is it compulsory in schools as a way to preserve national identity?

Joe Connolly: Irish is a compulsory subject in school, so we study it all the way through both primary and secondary education. In Ireland, secondary school combines what would be considered both lower and upper secondary—or middle and high school—in countries like Vietnam. At least when I was in school, learning Irish was mandatory, though it may have changed since then. Most people leave school with at least some knowledge of Irish, but only in specific communities—called Gaeltachts, which are scattered across different provinces—is Irish spoken as the primary language. As for me, I only know a few words of Irish. Honestly, I probably speak more Vietnamese than Irish!

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Reporter: According to the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), one of the most widely used self-report scales in humor research, Ireland ranks among the countries with the best sense of humor. How is that explained?

Joe Connolly: Irish people just tend to be a little bit humorous. We tend to slag each other a lot, like say nasty things as a joke, and we are a little bit dry, so you're never sure if what someone's saying is a joke or not. I mean, a little bit like we’re saying, kind of jokingly, nasty things. It's just between friends, not with strangers. With strangers, Irish people are incredibly friendly. Like, if you go to Dublin and you're lost, people will help you if you need anything. People genuinely are very friendly.

(Photo: ireland.com)

Reporter: The other day, I came across a clip on my social media feed and was astonished by how interested the Irish are in the weather. Well, it seems like weather is one of the favorite topics of Irish people, right?

Joe Connolly: Yeah! We often talk about the weather. If you're in a small town in Ireland, people, when they're passing you on the street, might say, “Hey! It's a nice day! How are you?” Even if you're complete strangers. If you’re in a bigger city like Dublin, people don't do that, understandably. But if you go to a pub or something, it's quite easy to get talking to people.

I think Irish people like if someone is open with us and reveals something about themself. And we like to get to know people really well. If someone is a bit more closed off, Irish people find that difficult. We also like small talk. So, as I said, people will talk to you on the street about the weather, whereas in other countries, it's almost like you can't do that, you know. It's not a part of the culture.

Reporter: Thank you Joe for your insights.We now have a deeper appreciation of the charm and uniqueness of Irish life. And that’s not all as Joe will be joining us again soon to share even more about Ireland, from its sports and cuisine to some of its most beloved festivals. See you then!