Friends is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, but what would happen if it took place in Ireland?
![10 things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/featured-image-1-3-1024x576.png)
Friends fans will have had no problem watching the show on repeat every day for the past 20 years since it was first released.
It simply never gets old, and that’s a fact. But have you ever wondered how certain scenarios would play out if the show took place on the Emerald Isle? Here are ten things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.
- Friends is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, but what would happen if it took place in Ireland?
- 10. Central Perk would be swapped out for a pub – a fact
- 9. Swap Gunther, the barista, for the local bartender – he’d probably have a quirky nickname
- 8. The one where the gang celebrates St. Patrick’s Day – the most popular episode
- 7. The Irish mammies would make many appearances – you know they would
- 6. Trips to the Irish countryside – endless Irish roads
- 5. They’d be based in Dublin – big city lights
- 4. They’d be making digs at American tourists – all in good humour
- 3. Ross would be a professor at Trinity – and he’d be very boastful about it
- 2. Joey would LOVE a chicken fillet roll from Centra – his go-to meal
- 1. Phoebe would play the fiddle – as part of a trad band
10. Central Perk would be swapped out for a pub – a fact
![The cast of Friends sitting in Central Perk with pints of Guinness.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-1-1024x576.png)
One of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland is that the gang’s meet-up spot would be in their local pub, not a coffee shop.
The group would sit around sharing stories from their lives over pints in the pub instead of over cups of coffee. Moreover, they’d stagger home drunk much more often.
9. Swap Gunther, the barista, for the local bartender – he’d probably have a quirky nickname
![A barman standing behind five beer pumps. Swapping Gunther for a barman is one of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/barman.jpg)
Since most of the show would take place in the pub rather than a café, Gunther would lose his place to a quick-witted local bartender who always knows the craic with the gang.
With the Irish being such a friendly and open bunch, he’d definitely get more air time and be more involved with the day-to-day workings of the friends.
8. The one where the gang celebrates St. Patrick’s Day – the most popular episode
![The cast of Friends partying and wearing leprechaun hats.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-2-1024x576.png)
If Friends took place in Ireland, there would definitely be an episode dedicated to Paddy’s Day celebrations.
This episode would see the group taking on a classic day in Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day, from waking up first thing in the morning for a classic Irish breakfast to stumbling around in the pub hours later with the merriment of the occasion.
7. The Irish mammies would make many appearances – you know they would
![A group of people dressed up as Irish mammies. Irish mammies making an appearance is one of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/irish-mammy.jpg)
If Friends took place in Ireland, you know each character’s overbearing mammy would make regular appearances in the show.
For example, we think Joey’s mammy would constantly be fussing over him, calling him to share the latest local gossip in the parish, or even turning up at his apartment unannounced for several cups of tea.
6. Trips to the Irish countryside – endless Irish roads
![Ross, Chandler, and Gary from Friends driving through the Irish countryside.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-3-1024x576.png)
Swap out vacations to Las Vegas or London, skiing in Vermont, or trips to Phoebe’s mum’s beach house with various trips to Ireland’s countryside.
From renting a cosy guesthouse in Donegal where they’d sit around the fire with a tipple playing cards to a road trip down to Kerry for a whale-watching excursion, we’d see the friends hitting up Ireland’s best holiday spots and hidden gems throughout the show.
5. They’d be based in Dublin – big city lights
![The cast of Friends on a Dublin street. The characters being based in Dublin is one of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-6-1024x576.png)
If the show happened in Ireland, Dublin would be the big-city base. We’d see the gang travelling around on the Luas, shopping on Grafton Street, and walking through St. Stephen’s Green or by Trinity College for their daily commutes.
4. They’d be making digs at American tourists – all in good humour
![Chandler and Joey from Friends outside Temple Bar. Joey wears a leprechaun hat.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-5-1024x576.png)
If the action happened in Dublin, you just know the gang would come across various different American tourists every day. And they’d definitely poke a bit of fun at them.
For example, if a Janice-type character were to come into their local exclaiming, “Oh, my, God!” loudly for all to hear, you’d definitely hear a “Jaysus wept” or two.
3. Ross would be a professor at Trinity – and he’d be very boastful about it
![Ross from Friends holding a replica dinosaur egg at Trinity College. Ross being a professor at Trinity is one of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-7-1024x576.png)
One of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland is that Ross would be a professor at Trinity College. He’d probably have tenure there, too.
Ross would have been loved by his students in the ’90s and early 2000s. By 2020, however, he’d be one of those professors who gets cancelled.
2. Joey would LOVE a chicken fillet roll from Centra – his go-to meal
![Joey from Friends enjoying a sandwich outside Centra.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meanwhile-collages-1024x576.png)
Joey, who’d go by Joe here in Ireland, loves his turkey subs and meaty sandwiches. Therefore, if the show took place in Ireland, we reckon he’d be head over heels in love with Centra’s chicken fillet roll.
A national delicacy in Ireland, he’d scream, “Joey doesn’t share food!” if anyone came in between him and his sandwich.
We imagine he’d be a white roll, mayonnaise, spicy chicken, cheese, taco sauce kind of guy.
1. Phoebe would play the fiddle – as part of a trad band
![A brown fiddle and bow. Phoebe playing the fiddle is one of the things that would happen if Friends was set in Ireland.](https://meanwhileinireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/50688523758-c1cc62fa9d-k-1024x683.jpg)
If Friends took place in Ireland, Phoebe would definitely be a busker who plays the fiddle and sings lilting Irish melodies along with her love for guitar.
She’d then form a trad band that plays every Friday in the pub the gang all get together in. Maybe she’d call them the Banana Hammocks?