When the trailer for Dear Erin appeared online and in cinemas this month, Irish viewers were appalled – if not entirely surprised. The trailer for the 'film' managed to pack an impressive number of clichés into its 80-second runtime, including Irish fiddles, flat caps, Guinness, whiskey and, of course, the name Paddy. "What did we Irish people ever do to you to deserve this?" one of the top YouTube comments laments. But it turns out all was not as it seemed.
All of those stereotypes were, on this occasion, entirely deliberate. Epic, the Irish emigration museum in Dublin, has revealed itself to be behind the trailer, releasing an extended cut in which actor Peter Coonan breaks character and decries the stereotypes on display.
"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," Epic explains in a statement.
From Wild Mountain Thyme to Irish Wish, there've been no shortage of stereotype-laden 'Irish' films released in recent years, often complete with dodgy accents and characters who mostly just drink and fight.
Perhaps the most impressive – and damning – thing about it the Dear Erin trailer is how believable it is. Indeed, most of the comments on the original trailer are from viewers complaining about those stereotypes. As one commenter puts it, "Christ could they not find a leprechaun to complete cliche bingo."
"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. At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we tell the real stories of the Irish—gritty, inspiring, surprising, and true. If you want to understand who we really are, come see for yourself."
