These are some ridiculously funny stories that actually happened in Dublin.
Dublin, the capital city of Ireland, has a lot going for it. Students populate the city thanks to its education hubs, top businesses run their headquarters from the city, and most tourists make sure to drop by.
The nightlife is notorious countrywide (and worldwide). With such a diverse mix of people, there are bound to be countless funny stories that actually happened in Dublin throughout its history.
We’re sure many with a humorous story to tell have been sworn to secrecy, considering all the shenanigans we hear about from the capital’s streets.
It’s a tough job narrowing down a shortlist of stories, as well as finding evidence these aren’t tall tales. We’ve managed to find these five verifiable funny stories that actually happened in Dublin.
5. A Copper Face Jacks romance − whose the daddy?
Those who have visited the city have surely heard of the infamous mecca of Dublin nightlife – Copper Face Jacks. The venue is notorious for the craic, with many stories shared about drunken nights out.
A musical has been conceived based on the reputation of the Dublin nightclub. It’s not the only time Copper’s was involved in something being conceived, with many funny stories that actually happened in Dublin originating in the club.
This story is of an anonymous woman who reached out to Ryan Tubirdy’s radio show in search of her son’s father, who she met at Copper Face Jacks.
Both patrons hit it off and spent the night together following their meeting – which led to the birth of their son.
Since neither person pursued the other following their one night together, the mother had no way to contact him to inform him of their child. National radio was used in hopes of finding the father.
4. Dubbing Dublin street names − lost in translation
One of the largest minority populations in Ireland is Chinese people. Ireland has had its own complicated past when it comes to language, with signposts now featuring place names in both English and Irish.
For people with an alternative language background, learning Irish place names can be complicated.
Apparently, the Chinese community translates Dublin street names into their own language as a way of mapping out the city.
They also often use homophones to imitate the way Irish people pronounce the locations. Shamim Malekmian of Dublin Inquirer spoke with Shi Wang Yun about their experience.
These translations can lead to funny phrases, such as renaming Meath Street ‘Meat Street’ due to their acknowledgement of the many butchers available there.
Yun also shared that Dawson Street is referred to as “Dāi wá sūn” due to the phrase sounding similar. They translate that phrase into English as “something stupid”, which is a funny story in itself.
3. Rush hour swan delays − wild goose chase
Travelling around Dublin can be a little stressful when you’re trying to hop on the train to get home after work. Like other major cities, rush hour in Dublin is hectic, and delays are not very welcome for tired commuters.
Although, the one thing that can make rush hour delays a little less stressful, and even funny, is finding out that it’s been caused by a couple of grounded swans.
In 2016 two feathered friends waddled in the way of a commuter train in Dublin. The birds were rounded up, and the passengers continued on their way with a 30-minute delay to their journeys.
Irish Rail joked about the experience on Twitter, sharing a parody movie trailer following the incident, naming it “Fly Hard”.
2. Bomb scare − or should we say sex-bomb scare?
Dublin’s public transport is appearing for a second time on this list of funny stories that actually happened in Dublin. This time it’s the Luas, which was caught up in a case of mistaken identity.
The Garda were called to the scene of an apparent explosive item left on the tracks of the Luas. Upon closer inspection, the item was, in fact, an adult sex toy.
1. Dublin Zoo Breakout − penguin-napping
It seems as though someone decided to bypass the gift shop at Dublin Zoo and took a penguin as a keepsake of their visit.
In 2010, The Irish Times reported that Kelli, a Humboldt penguin, was taken from her home and found in the north of Dublin City hours later. The bird was returned to the zoo safely.
