Mrs Brown’s Boys is an accurate portrayal of Ireland – Britain reveals what it really thinks of the Irish

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Almost half of the English, Scottish & Welsh public think Mrs Brown’s Boys is true to Irish life. Picture: BBC

ALMOST half of English, Scottish and Welsh people think Mrs Brown’s Boys is an accurate portrayal of life in Ireland, a new study into national stereotypes has found.

The research of 1,635 English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish people looked at preconceived notions they have about one another.

Over half of English people believe Scots are tight with their cash – while over a third of people from Ireland, Scotland and Wales think the English have the ‘biggest tendency to be sore losers’.

41 per cent of those from England think everyone in Wales speaks Welsh – while over half of the English public believe their Welsh friends are obsessed with rugby.

The research was commissioned by whisky makers Whyte & Mackay to coincide with the British and Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand.

Whilst fierce rivalries remain when Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales are pitched against one another, it seems that more than half of us secretly root for our closest competitors when they play internationally.

Surprisingly, 53 per cent of survey respondents revealed that they cheer on another of the nations’ sports teams when their team is not in play.

“The Lions tour arrives at a perfect time. The tournament is uniquely placed to build unity across the four nations, putting aside everyday differences, to find common ground in our shared passion for top flight rugby,” said Kieran Healey-Ryder from Whyte & Mackay.

“We wanted to take a closer look at our home nations to find out if the stereotypical caricatures of the people on these islands really held weight.

“It’s clear to see that despite some differences, we actually share a lot of common ground – just like the Lions squad.”

England emerged as the most miserable and downbeat country out of Britain and Ireland – but was also labelled the poshest.

England is also regarded as the politest nation – and the most intelligent – while Scotland is the most gracious and humble nation following a defeat.

As for the Emerald Isle, three in five respondents agree the Irish have the ‘gift of the gab’ while a third believe Irish people have the best sense of humour.

Irish people were also stereotyped as being the friendliest of the four nations, while the Irish brogue pipped the Scottish accent to being Britain and Ireland’s most popular.

But 61 per cent of English, Scottish and Welsh people aren’t convinced the ‘luck of the Irish’ stereotype is accurate – while almost half believe the mammy stereotype as seen in Mrs Brown’s Boys is true to life.