The Pakistani Embassy in Dublin has advised its citizens visiting Ireland not to bring up the subject of leprechauns or take offence to banter or swearing.
In a list of 24 ‘dos and don’ts’, the Pakistani embassy at Aylesbury Road in Dublin 4 has included the following in its guide for Pakistani tourists.
| Do not say Ireland is the part of British Isles. |
| Do not take offence to the banter or swearing. |
| Do not call Dublin small in front of locals. |
| Do not mention leprechauns. |
| Do not worry about safety in Ireland. |
| Don’t call Irish people English. |
| Do not miss Gaelic sports. |
| Make sure to stay away from sham immigration agent. |
Imperial Geography
The embassy advice may relate to incidents when Irish people expressed anger after British publications claimed that boxing star Katie Taylor and actor Paul Mescal were from the UK. This of course is nothing new as British publications seem to have difficulty with geography stemming from an imperial throwback mindset where they still think they own a large part of the world. Pakistanis would well understand that from their own history as they only escaped from the imperial yoke in 1947.
Don’t mention the Leprechauns
Another sensitive topic that Pakistani tourists are urged to avoid is Leprechauns. Tip number 20 states ‘Do not mention leprechauns’. In 2021a survey in the United States revealed that the ‘Fighting Irish’ leprechaun costume used by Notre Dame University was one of the most offensive mascots in American sports. That of course was because of the racist misrepresentation of our much cherished Leprechauns.
Pakistani Fairies
However mentioning the little people or fairies would be okay as well as being familiar to Pakistanis. In the far north of Pakistan lies a beautifully lake surrounded by meadows of breathtaking wild flowers called Lake Saiful Muluk which is just six miles from Naran, a popular tourist resort. The lake is known as the Fairy Lake and is said to be the abode of fairies.
Don’t Take Offence
Other don’ts on the embassy’s website include such good advice as: ‘Don’t call Dublin small in front of locals’, ‘Do not worry about safety in Ireland’, and ‘Don’t take offence to banter or swearing’.
Pakistani tourists may have also tuned into Limerick’s All-Ireland clash with Kilkenny on Sunday as they were advised ‘not to miss Gaelic sports’, good advice indeed.