You won’t find stereotypes in the museum, but you will find them here.
Back in 2022, sick of the many clichés and unfair stereotypes about Irish people, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum embarked on a little research project – This Is Not Us. While the museum itself focuses on the lives and legacies of impressive Irish men and women from the diaspora, and the global impact they have had following hundreds of years of mass emigration, the campaign focused on what we are not – the fighters, the drinkers, the filthy, the uncouth, the spud-eaters. Because if Google is sending back these stereotypes when someone googles what an Irish person is, no wonder Hollywood and the like still think like this.
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This Is Not Us | 2022 Campaign | Paddy McFlaherty
So how did EPIC discover what the most common Irish stereotypes are? With a good old Google search, of course.
In walks Paddy McFlaherty, an Irish man, as thought by Google. Naturally, that means he holds a grudge, has a leprechaun-esque look to him, a flame of red hair, both on his head and his face, and naturally is gripping a pint in a bloodied, bandaged fist. At first glance, it’s almost funny – we have known these stereotypes have existed for many hundreds of years, but it becomes a problem when those unfamiliar with who the Irish really are actually believe them.
This Is Not Us, and if you want to actually learn who the Irish are, you can come into EPIC to find out.
This Is Not Us | 2023 Campaign | Paddy AI
A year later, inspired by the reaction to This Is Not Us, and the rise in AI, EPIC took a new approach. Had anything changed?
When you type ‘Irish Man’ into the world’s most used A.I. Image Generator, the results are, without exception, full of outdated and derogatory stereotypes. Every image generated shows a man that is ugly, aggressive, drunk, leprechaun-like, or a combination of the above – just more brothers to Paddy McFlattery.
Artificial Intelligence showing us these misinformed images is a prime example of how many negative perceptions of the Irish still prevail globally.
Since we first opened our doors, we at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum have worked tirelessly to challenge such stereotypes of the Irish. We continue to do so today, asking big tech why they still paint us in such a negative light.
In layman’s terms A.I. takes data from across the internet and creates what it ‘thinks’ is the most accurate representation of a user’s prompts. When viewed through this lens, it’s easy to see why A.I. creates such wildly inaccurate imagery. The sad reality is that even though we have come a long way in the last number of decades, popular culture still perpetuates negative stereotypes of the Irish, with several recent moments taking aim at Ireland.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a new phenomenon, as clear from our first This Is Not Us campaign. Negative Irish stereotypes within popular culture can be traced back to cartoons published in ‘Punch Magazine’, as far back as the 1800’s. But it doesn’t stop there. Modern cartoons are some of the worst culprits of the drunken Irish stereotype which is perhaps the most prominent cliché preserved in literature, song and film about the Irish today. It must be said that these modern references probably don’t mean to offend. The Irish are often celebrated on the world stage, but we believe these stereotypes still need to be challenged.
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This is what the EPIC staff had to say about the discovery.
“While being Irish cannot possibly be summed up in a single image, we were surprised to find that A.I. generated images of the Irish are full of outdated stereotypes. At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we know that being Irish is a celebration that extends across the globe. We hope that this campaign will inspire people to look beyond stereotypes wherever they encounter them, and create meaningful conversations about the pitfalls and potentials of A.I.” Aileesh Carew, CEO, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
“Whilst it’s disappointing to see the existence of these negative stereotypes within AI, at EPIC we know that the Irish are more than just stereotypes – we are inventors, poets, designers, leaders and changemakers. Our music, literature, culture, sport, food and dance attract millions of people to our country each year.” Nathan Mannion, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Alex Gibson of TU Dublin noted that a failing of AI is that it can only glean what already exists, and often presents its findings unchallenged and without nuance.
“One of the recognised downsides of AI is the potential to reinforce biases that exist in information already published. We all need to understand that AI processes essentially trawl data that already exists, and therefore is susceptible to significant misrepresentation. I am not at all surprised by the findings of the EPIC team and it is a very useful illustration of the challenges AI poses, and one I plan to share with my own students.” Alex Gibson, Head of Digital Marketing Discipline, TU Dublin
This Is Not Us | 2025 Campaign | Dear Erin
In 2025, we decided it was time to dig into one of the biggest culprits of reinforcing negative Irish stereotypes there is – Hollywood. If those who have never been to Ireland, have never met an Irish person, were to watch Wild Mountain Thyme or PS I Love You, naturally it’s safe to assume their perception of the Irish is skewed at best.
As long as Hollywood has been making movies, they’ve been telling the same story about the Irish. At our best we’re simple, hopeless romantics with a quiet, rural life. At our worst we’re drunken, violent, dirty, law-breakers. Either way, we’re almost always a joke or a punchline. You’d think by now, we’d be past this. But if you’ve seen some of Hollywood’s recent depictions of Ireland, you’d understand why someone had to say something.
We thought it was time to call it out. We created a trailer for a film that we hope never gets made, and filled it with all of the tired, clichéd portrayals of Irish people often seen in Hollywood movies.
Enter Dear Erin
Turns out, a movie trailer full of the worst Irish stereotypes imaginable was more believable than you might think.
When we released the trailer, the internet lit up.
Comments poured in across social media—shock, outrage, laughter, confusion. Some thought it was satire. Others were horrified it might be real. Everyone had something to say. And when people saw Love/Hate’s Peter Coonan in the lead role? That pushed things over the edge.
“Fran would never.”
“Fran’s sold out.”
But no one spotted the clue hiding in plain sight: Depiction Films. A not-so-subtle nod to EPIC. Because this wasn’t just a trailer. It was a conversation starter.
Finally, we put the people out of their misery, with our reveal trailer.
Cinema, Stereotypes & Storytelling
EPIC takes on Letterboxd: Our top four Irish movies that really understand Ireland
Comforting, or harmful? The impact of Hollywood stereotypes of Ireland
How To De-Stereotype A Film Like Dear Erin – And Other “Oirish” Films
So, if This Is Not Us, then what is?
We’ve spent a lot of time telling our audience that This Is Not Us. It’s time to get into the many intricacies of who the Irish are – you can make a pretty good start by visiting EPIC.
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