How to Say Goodbye
The Irish are known for many things, some of which are good, while others are not so good. But the ‘Irish Goodbye’ is second to none. It is not unique to Ireland, but they have cleverly mastered it.
Some say the ‘Irish Goodbye’ may date back to the Potato Famine, when throngs of people left their families and country with the possibility that they may not meet again. According to Rice University’s database of neologisms, the term “Irish goodbye” may have originated in Boston, Massachusetts, a city with a very large Irish American population. Still others claim it has more to do with Irish Americans' propensity for the drink and a need to make a quick exit to avoid confrontation or embarrassment about how drunk they’ve gotten.
What is an Irish Goodbye?
The Irish have always been known for their hospitality, especially their welcomes, which can last for hours and involve a person or family going out of their way to make you feel comfortable on arrival.
When it comes to goodbyes, however, you may be surprised to learn that the Irish way of saying goodbye is quite the opposite, non-existent in fact. You see, in Ireland, because the welcoming process is such a long-winded affair, we can almost imagine that saying goodbye would lead to this same series of events.
This may involve hours of making your way around each individual and saying farewell, something which is just inevitable. You see, if we choose to do this at the end of a social gathering and consider how much the Irish like to speak, we may never actually leave the event at all.
What are the rules?
· Do not wave; do not make excuses; do not say goodbye; simply disappear.
· If you pull off an Irish exit successfully, no one will ever have any idea how long you stayed or what time you left.
Why is it called an Irish Exit or Goodbye?
According to Wil Fulton of the Thrillist podcasts, “Goodbyes are a bummer. To paraphrase the great Ella Fitzgerald, ‘Every time we say goodbye, everyone at the bar dies a little,’ and no one wants to infect a casual, supposedly fun get-together with a microdose of death.”
In Irish, the finality of "goodbye" is not preferred, so "see you later" or similar phrases are more common. My 85-year-old friend Jimmy never says goodbye, always “Until next time.” The Irish phrase for "see you later" is "Slán go fóill." While "Slán" itself means "goodbye" or "safely," "go fóill" means "for now."
Slán go fóill, Pastor Gene and Deacon Deb!
-Eileen Brogan