Here’s everything I wish I knew before moving to a Liverpool Uni as an Irish student

Yes, everyone in Liverpool seems to love St Patrick’s Day. Yes, we might know that one distant cousin you know from a rogue rural town, but as a Belfast girlie in her second year of studying in Liverpool, there are a lot of things I wish I knew before moving here.

Although Ireland might be physically close to Liverpool, the culture shock I experienced was definitely something, to say the least. If only there was a comprehensive guide that tells you everything you need to know about the jump from Ireland to England, right?

There’s definitely a language barrier

The first and probably most obvious thing I wish I knew before moving to Liverpool as an Irish student is that, believe it or not, there would actually be a language barrier. I know this may sound dramatic because we still speak English, but I promise you, it’s true.

If I got a penny for every time an English person asked me to say “how now brown cow” I would be able to pay off my student debt already. My accent has been seen as a somewhat novelty to the more prestigious students in Liverpool, and I’ve even had people claim they can’t understand a word I’m saying. Definitely an unexpected shock to the system.

Protestant or Catholic?

I wish I’d have known (and prepared for) the fact the first question any non-Irish person will ask you when they meet you just has to be the classic – whether you are Protestant or Catholic. Whilst I understand that some people are just curious, and trying to learn as much as they can, it’s just not the best question to ask an Irish person in any situation. Especially if you’re English.

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I have resorted to making people guess each time I’m asked this godforsaken question so that I can watch in amusement as people look me up and down, hoping to find something that will link me to either religion.

There’s a lack of Irish representation

The third thing that shocked me when I moved to Liverpool from Ireland was that there is truly so little Irish representation in the media, meaning most people’s first and only impression of Ireland is of Derry Girls.

As someone from Belfast, it was so baffling to me in my first few months of living in Liverpool to be repeatedly told that I sound like “The Derry Girls” and be compared to Michelle more times than I can count. She is the best character though, in my humble opinion. It’s definitely a bit of an ego boost, but when it happens every other week, it doesn’t quite hit the same.

Another one I’ve started to get more frequently now is everyone in the city asking me if I know who the Irish band Kneecap are. This used to make me laugh because it was an assumption that everyone in the whole country knows each other, and I desperately wanted to argue against this – until I went home for Christmas and bumped into Moglai Bap in a pub. I don’t think I’ll be beating the Kneecap allegations anytime soon.

Apparently everyone is Irish

Something else I wish I was prepared for is that a lot of people will try to relate to your Irish identity, no matter how many bloodlines ago it was. It has almost become an icebreaker for English people to tell you that they are technically Irish too, even if it’s just an eighth or their parents’ neighbour’s son went to Dublin on holiday once.

All jokes aside, moving away from Ireland has made me truly understand how much I value that part of my identity, and also made me realise that most of the world actually love Irish people. Although, it would’ve been nice to know that I would be referred to as “the Irish one” or “Irish Lauren” in every single social setting, because being Irish is instantly everyone’s way of identifying you, apparently.

Liverpool is full of Irish people

Another surprising aspect of being an Irish person in Liverpool was that there are actually so many of us. I knew that it was a popular university city, but I didn’t expect to bump into half of my school any time I leave the house. I hate to feed into Irish stereotypes, but I genuinely am yet to meet an Irish person in Liverpool that I don’t already know or have mutual friends with.

So, if you have any enemies from back home, beware – you’re bound to bump into them when you’re scoffing a kebab after a night out in Concert Square.

Liverpool feels like home now

The last thing that I really wish I knew as an Irish student moving to Liverpool is that it is truly a home away from home.

I didn’t expect the city to feel so familiar and be as rich in culture as Belfast, but with an Irish pub on every street corner, Liverpool truly feels like home. Let’s just say, everyone here knows how to celebrate St Paddy’s Day Irish style and I love them for it. It can be scary to move to a different country as a teenager, don’t get me wrong, but moving to Liverpool has been one of the best decisions ever, and I can truly say I love this city.

I’m more than happy to become a victim of the Derry Girls and Kneecap allegations while I’m here, because I truly have grown to love the city. With St Paddy’s Day right around a corner, hold your Irish friends tight because they are guaranteed to party harder than you’ve ever seen them before.