Roddy Doyle Quotes

My soul is still Irish.

Every St. Patrick's Day every Irishman goes out to find another Irishman to make a speech to.

When I was growing up, for example, everybody on our street was Irish. And all the girls did Irish step dancing. It was pre-Lord of the Dance - it was before anybody knew what gillys were - but we did, and there was such pride among the members of my family and people I grew up with.

I'm just a loud Irish guy.

There's something about the Irish that is remarkable.

Dublin's a great place. It really is. It's a great place. And Ireland, especially, is a great place. I've realized that growing up more. I'm loving my country more as I'm getting older.

I'm proud of my Irish heritage and culture.

I don't know what kind of swag I'd get if I were extra Irish. It would just be, like, extra potatoes. Or like a free pint of Guinness.

I'm Irish, yeah, but I don't need to get up on a soapbox about it.

I'm just a true Irish boy at heart.

We would not give up our own country - Ireland - if we were to get the whole world as an estate, and the Country of the Young along with it.

I have lived in Ireland, visited all my life, and when I fight, I represent Ireland.

I am immensely proud of my Irish roots.

I think most Irish people are creative. Whether it's music, or dance, or... certainly storytelling is in the blood.

It is often said that in Ireland there is an excess of genius unsustained by talent; but there is talent in the tongues.

Irish as a Paddy's pig.

[On the Irish:] Strange race ... Don't know what they want, but want it like the devil.

My kids are Irish; I want them to grow up playing Gaelic football and learning Irish.

I feel more and more the time wasted that is not spent in Ireland.

Being Irish is very much a part of who I am. I take it everywhere with me.

I'm proud of my Irish heritage and culture and this show will feature a lot of Irish dancing.

My father was totally Irish, and so I went to Ireland once. I found it to be very much like New York, for it was a beautiful country, and both the women and men were good-looking.

I'm Irish as hell: Kelly on one side, Shanley on the other. My father had been born on a farm in the Irish Midlands. He and his brothers had been shepherds there, cattle and sheep, back in the early 1920s. I grew up surrounded by brogues and Irish music, but stayed away from the old country till I was over 40. I just couldn't own being Irish.

I'd never had any problem finding inspiration; Ireland was always just there, you know? All this richness of culture was there to tap into.

It is a most disgraceful shame the way in which Irishmen are brought up. They are ashamed of their language, institutions, and of everything Irish.