We all know being good fun is the most important thing for fitting in when you live in Ireland. And the Brazilians have craic in abundance! They will make fun of each other and don’t mind about making a fool of themselves on a night out either. This usually goes hand in hand with a few drinks!
A lot of Brazilian make the hard decision to leave great jobs back home to come to Ireland to learn English and travel around Europe. In Ireland they’ve become the blood of the Irish services industry and do so with a big smile on their face. They’re also not scared to party hard (mainly in Dicey's) until late into the night, sleep a little and then put in a full shift working the next day. Experts!
The influx of tasty Brazilian restaurants to Ireland, and particularly Dublin, has improved the food scene no end. Restaurants like Taste of Brazil, Sabor Brazil and The Brazilian BBQ offer Irish people the chance to sample authentic Brazilian cuisine such as coxinha, feijao and churrasco. It's also a great alternative to a greasy chipper. Delish!
Lets face it, Irish people aren't the greatest dancers in the world. But with the addition of Brazilians and other Latin Americans to the country, who have that natural rhythm, we’ve been forced to step up and dance, instead of relying on our classic chicken shuffle in the corner of the club.
Given the amount of Irish/Brazilian relationships currently in Ireland, we’re guaranteed to have an unbelievable football team in about 25 years and might even win something. I’m also convinced that the FAI is secretly sponsoring the Brazilian visa programme. Genius!
With rent prices at a crazy level in our capital, many Brazilians live in less desirable parts of town, which sometimes goes hand in hand with a small minority of people who are up to no good. But they don’t give a shite! They even have their own code word of “Nanas” so they can give eachother the heads up. Ingenious!
Brazil is a melting pot of cultures with influences from Europe, Africa and of course native. Events such as Carnival, taste of Brazil and Brazil Day have made Dublin, and Gort in particular, more cosmopolitan places to live.
I waited until point 8 to state the obvious, but let's face it Brazilians are on a different level. This increased beauty all over the country has made Irishmen and women up their game and put that extra effort in. A win all round!
The influx of Brazilians has helped make Ireland a more liberal nation. Their influence has been particularly felt on the LGBT scene and of course coincided with the same sex marriage celebrations of 2015.
Much like Irish people, family is so important for Brazilians. They move halfway across the world, but never forget what matters most. And that's something every Irish person can relate to given our own history of emigration in search of work.
Ireland’s not perfect...no where is. Irishmen and women love it, even with all it’s shortcomings, ranging from politics to crime to even the quality of a chicken fillet roll in your local Spar. And it’s the exact same for Brazilians. Be it if they stay here 1 year, 2 years or even more, and given all the challenges they face here, each Brazilian leaves with a little bit of Ireland in their hearts.