We’re not quite sure what’s going on here, to be honest.
This weekend’s edition of Saturday Night Live, with Saoirse Ronan as host and U2 performing live, was possibly the most Irish edition of the show in its fabled history to date.
The Irishness didn’t just stop with the host and the musical act, however, with Ronan also starring in a sketch about Aer Lingus that was a little bit baffling to say the least.
Dated stereotypes of Ireland and Paddywhackery in popular culture in the US isn’t exactly a new phenomenon and it was in plentiful supply in the sketch, where there were lots of bad Irish accents, a runway worker wearing an Aran jumper and a menu made up exclusively of potato dishes.
There was also an obligatory mention of a shillelagh and a dog with “the soul of Oscar Wilde,” one of many dogs referenced in a fairly bizarre theme running through the sketch that seemed to suggest that Aer Lingus flights are inundated with canines and passengers carrying them.
And the less said about the references to male and female genitalia, the better.
While
Saoirse’s opening monologue about the pronunciation of her name was well-received, this sketch didn’t go down quite as well; have a look for yourself below and make up your mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJIz-XNLEn8
Clip via Saturday Night Live
https://twitter.com/damien_omeara/status/937287939217870853
https://twitter.com/DonaldClarke63/status/937283409646444545
https://twitter.com/newschambers/status/937287020631773184
https://twitter.com/nnibhraonain/status/937248005840953344
https://twitter.com/Partial_inc/status/937225205050740736
