I (Seth) was downtown in Youghal early this morning. By early, I mean 9:30am, when many of the shops are still closed and others are just opening. There weren’t many people around, but out of the few I saw, not one said “top o’ the mornin'”. In fact, I can’t recall ever hearing anyone say that here. So how did that phrase become so stereotypically “Irish” in America when no one in Ireland actually uses it? Can’t say I know the answer. When I pass someone on the street, instead of saying a short little “hi”, I’ll probably use the longer version most people here seem to use that sounds more like “hiya”. You’ll never ever catch me saying “top o’ the mornin'” in Youghal.