Comedian John Cleese asked the Pendulum Summit in Dublin: ‘Why don’t you Irish spell your names properly?”
An Englishman thinks it’s a shame
How an Irishman spells his own name
And can’t see our spelling
Is merely rebelling
Against England. They’re really to blame.
John Moynes
Pic: Getty
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Irish is older than English so maybe they’re the ones who have got the phonetics all wrong?
well they sure made a t1ts of our place names. ‘stradbally – there you go, paddy – fixed that for you’
Should we all be spouting off in a Germanic language now?
Ah now, time to fetchez la vache I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey0wvGiAH9g
Funnily enough, the Cleese family name used to be Cheese.
His father, I think, changed it.
Stop, he was poking fun! ;0p’
I liked the closing line of that linked piece… “As he talks about political correctness, Cleese spits in derision. Some of the audience clap. ”
*applauds*
I doubt he really cares, he’s just having a friendly poke but it’s naturally irksome because he’s English. But leave Cleese alone. he’s a lovely old grump.
He’s not english, he’s John Cleese.
What kind of idiot pays a fortune to attend something like this in the first place? Boris Johnson??? As someone said here, and as I’ve stolen many times since, BJ is a stupid person’s idea of what a clever one sounds like. This summit sounds like a thicko’s idea of what something interesting might look like.
& for some reason, RTE is all over this summit it like a rash.
“There’s something playful about the Irish?” . Perhaps I’m missing something because I live in Ireland. “Playful”, well – that appears to me as a comment that could be made by anyone who watched John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in the movie. I expected more from JC – I know!
He apparently said it after a witty reply from a taxi driver, and in reference to Ireland punching above its weight with creative writers… in fairness.
I’ve got all the respect for John Cleese – leave Ireland out of it. I met Michael Palin a few times on The Goldhawk Road, London – we both like Vietnamese croissants. I just said, “Hey” – I disappointed myself.
:0) Sure, wasn’t that enough
*Google’s Vietnamese croissants*
They did okay with baguettes?
Why can’t they pronounce them?
Nobody tell him his name in Irish is Seaghadhaoadhan Cliodhiaghaoise.
You forgot the seven fadas…
Take a (funny) walk Cheesy.
I love John Cleese. I think he might have been joking everybody
From the nation that gave us the surname Cholmondeley (chumley for the confused). It’s awful how non English languages are difficult for the English to understand, particularly when they spent such a long time in the pursuit of the complete eradication of those primitive tongues. It must be difficult for an aging brilliantine stick insect like him to understand the clicks and clacks of the equatorial Irish language, i hope he had his shots before he arrived.
I’m a fan of Featherstonehaugh, personally.
Without wanting to specifically have a pop at any of the Pythons, it’s an awful shame that Michael P is the only one that you’d probably want to go for a pint with.
I’ve met him before through work and I wholeheartedly agree. He’s a lovely, lovely man. Very interesting and a true gentleman.
He also came to Dublin for his honeymoon, apparently. Little known fact.
I think I’d agree…. but for giggles, i’d like to meet Gilliam
What! No Eric Idle or Terry Jones either? Poor Terry Jones has deteriorated lately, but I always found these two brilliantly funny and lovely gents. They’d be great to have a pint with. The Eric Idle interview on the Colbert Late show recently had the best last line of an interview I’ve heard in a long time. So funny.
Special place in my heart reserved for Eric Idle. He was my favorite Python for such a long time.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but if you go to Michael Palin’s website and order a book from it, he’ll dedicate it to you personally, which is awfully nice.
There’s a great Eric Idle story where he’s at some swanky showbiz party in the early 70s (I think) and he’s talking away, moaning that he feels a trifle sidelined in Python, that Cleese and Palin are writing so much stuff and he’s kinda left to his own devices, that they occasionally throw him a bone but he feels rather unappreciated…and so George Harrison (for it is he) gives him a rueful smile….
Harrison formed Handmade Films to produce the Life of Brian. They later went on to produce Withnail and I.
He did.
He appears *very* briefly in Life of Brian.
No body would ever say that about Nigerian names…
Are ye all really that lacking in humour?
But rich coming from you, ro…
Eh?
Yeah, you’re a gas man…
Tá céad míle fáilte romhat go dtí na hÉireann a Sheáin Mac Laoidhig