Beyond the stereotypes lies the real story of Irishness.
For the last couple of years, we’ve focused our efforts on saying This Is Not Us here at EPIC.
Whether it’s “emblems” of Irishness like the potato, the Google generated image of an Irish man Paddy McFlaherty, or the overuse of stereotypes and diddley-eye tropes in Hollywood, each EPIC campaign has challenged common misconceptions of Irishness.
That said, Irishness has never been its stereotypes. It has always been its stories. At EPIC, we’ve been committed to telling these stories since we first opened 10 years ago.
Now it’s time to emphasise what Irish truly is, because it is anything but straightforward. Irishness is not confined to Ireland. Irish is emigration. Irish is travel. Irish is adapting. Irish is wherever Irish emigrants have travelled.
At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we tell the real stories of the Irish, the gritty, inspiring, surprising, and most importantly, the true stories. If you want to understand who we really are, come see for yourself.
Limited Special Offer for July and August
For a limited time only save 20% on general admission tickets with code IRISHIS20 at checkout.
Irish Is A Blessing… And A Curse
Whether it’s a jab at our proclivity to curse, or a reminder that it wasn’t always “trendy” or “cool” to be Irish, this oxymoron rings absolutely true for the Irish emigrant experience. Irish is in the journeys of those who left, and in those who made new lives across the sea, often against extraordinary odds. A story that can be explored aboard the Jeanie Johnston, a replica famine ship docked just outside our front door.
Oftentimes, the challenges were just getting started once they arrived in their new homes. The Irish often faced discrimination, with both figurative and literal signs saying “No Irish Need Apply”, and derogatory cartoons and stereotypes that painted the Irish out to be something they weren’t.
Irish Is Everywhere
It is shaped by the journeys, resilience and influence of those who left these shores and built lives elsewhere.
For more than 1,500 years, we’ve been setting sail and taking flight from Ireland to new places. Some left by choice. Many did not. But across generations, Irish people have shaped communities, cultures and countries far beyond our island.
Still to this day, Irish is in America, Africa, Australia, and continues to be one of the largest diaspora populations across the globe.
In a phrase, Irish is all over the place.
Irish Is The Films That Take Your Breath Away
In fact, it’s in every single Oscar ever presented. The statue was designed by Cedric Gibbons, born in New York to Irish parents.
For decades, the Irish have punched well above their weight, with globally recognised actors like Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Jessie Buckley, to renowned playwrights like George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, to widely-read authors like Bram Stoker and Emma O’Donoghue. Irish is where you would never expect to find it.
Irish is in the music that dances on the airwaves of radios globally, in the work of CMAT, of Fontaines DC, of Bruce Springsteen, of pop artists Rihanna, and even Taylor Swift, a Derry girl of all things.
Irish Is Still Being Written
The Irish story is global, dynamic, and profound. It continues to live in the people, stories and achievements spread across the world.
Irish is in the GAA and in the communities built around it all over the world.
Irish is in the Irish pubs that became places of belonging, and in designers and makers around the world who continue to draw on their Irish roots in their work today.
Irish is in finding a sense of home, no matter where you find yourself.
Irish is at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, in its multisensory interactive galleries that present to you what the Irish are really about. Book tickets today and discover it for yourself – we’ll show you what we’re all about.
For a limited time only save 20% with code IRISHIS20 at checkout.
What Our Visitors Say
Every visitor has their own story – and they’ve made ours one of the highest-rated experiences in Europe.
The Stories That Show What Irish Is
Kay McNulty, The Irish ‘Mother of Computer’ Programming
The Irishman who wrote New Zealand’s national anthem
Maureen O’Hara: The Irish star who conquered Hollywood
Maeve Binchy, One of Ireland’s Literary Greats
Spitfire Paddy, a hero of World War II
