I found this web site that claims to have "alternative Irish jokes" that "reflect the humor and nature of the Irish people." Reading through the site, that is a lot of shit. OK, so there aren't any jokes involving the phrase "to screw in a lightbulb:" that doesn't make these jokes at all authentic. A case in point:

Young O'Donnell rushed into a church, placed his rifle under a pew and entered the confessional. "Father," he said breathlessly, "I've just shot down two British lieutenants!" Hearing no response he went on: "I also knocked off a British captain!" When there was still no response from the priest, O'Donnell said, "Father, have ye fainted?" "Of course I haven't fainted," replied the confessor. "I'm waitin' for you to stop talkin' politics and commence confessin' your sins!"

Now whether you think this joke is funny (and I personally kind of do), it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the church in the Irish revolutionary movement. The Church has very little sympathy for the IRA. At least during the 'thirties and 'fourties, members of the IRA (not even people who had done any criminal acts as part of this organisation) were automatically excommunicated. In Borstal Boy, Behan gives a two page long speech about the wrongs the Church has done to Ireland. I don't have the book with me, but I think he says something like "The Church has always been for England and against Ireland." Though an individual priest may have a different view on this, the official policy makes it very clear what the priest has to do. The IRA as a fake-Marxist (faux-Marxist?) doesn't have a lot of use for the Church.

Several other jokes show the author's misunderstanding of the role of the Church in Irish society. There are jokes about priests having sex (even with children). This isn't something Irish people joke about. Priests can drink, and swear, and hate the English, but the breach of the vow of celibacy is something that happens, but the Irish don't like to talk about it and definitely don't find it funny.

The political jokes are a lot better, though I'd heard almost all of them before. There's one joke about the mistress of a big 'English' house and her Irish maid. I'm assuming English here refers to Anglo-Irish, the Normans who came over to Ireland in the 12th century and haven't been 'English' for 700 years. The Kennedys are part Anglo-Irish. The only jokes on this page that are particularly authentic though are #2 and #14. The rest are American jokes.

That was sort of my problem with this whole page. These aren't 'authentic Irish jokes.' These are American-Irish at best. I mean, Saddam Hussein jokes? Just because a charcter in a joke is Irish doesn't make the joke Irish. Period.