Irish jokes

Irish jokes are a class of jokes, generally based on a stereotype of the Irish people as drunkards, dullards, incompetent, sexually naive or overly fecund or a combination of all or some of these characteristics. Such jokes are, perhaps surprisingly, popular in Ireland. Here, they are often adapted or originated about a 'Kerryman', a person who is from County Kerry. The Kerryman may be presented as from an allegedly backward area, or alternatively presented quite differently as a (especially in the context of Gaelic football, in which the Kerry GAA team has been more successful than any other in the history of the game).

Irish jokes have recently been reclaimed by the Irish themselves and reversed to ridicule the (usually English) joke teller, e.g.

:Q: Why are Irish jokes so simplistic?:A: So Englishmen can understand them.

or

:A Kerryman emigrated from Ireland to England, thereby increasing the average IQ of both countries. (A reference to Will Rogers phenomenon, which refers to Kerryman is dumb comparing to average Irish but the real joke is that it infers an Englishman is dumber".)

ee also

*racial humor
*Blonde jokes
*Race and intelligence (media portrayal)