When someone thinks "Ireland", what's the first thing that springs to mind? Could it be that all Irish are friendly, ginger alcoholics with a fondness for cursing, fighting, Guinness and potatoes? Perhaps, but is there some substance to these assertions? Unfortunately, yes, yes there is!
Here are the 8 Irish stereotypes that are actually true!
8. We have big families.
Irish people like to romp a lot, but we also have big families because our parents and grandparents didn't use jimmies back in the day because of their devout Catholic beliefs. That doesn't happen anymore. Well, I think we probably get down a lot more these days, but the difference now is that we cover our stump before we hump!
7. We're very welcoming and friendly people.
Possibly the best stereotype that the Irish have is that we are generally a happy, upbeat bunch who are always up for a laugh. It's true, we do love to show everyone a good time and be the life and soul of the party. When have you ever seen a depressed, no fun, sober Irishman portrayed in an American TV show? Never! This stereotype is pretty much true.
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6. The Irish swear a lot!
We do, but we do it in a sweet, messing kind of way, you know? Like oh, you cheeky bastard (Translation: Oh you clever lad!) Growing up in Ireland, swearing is like a second language to us. Sure even your grandmother likes to blast out the odd f-bomb. Half of the time we swear and curse without even realising it. More of us have progressed to using the "f-word" as a space filler in place of "eh" or "em". Example: "I was with ... em (f*ckin') ... Eoin in the ... eh (f*ckin') ... pub last night. Eh?!
5. We can't get enough of those delicious potatoes.
Sadly, it's true. We all have a deep love affair with the potato on a sub-conscious level. Peel it, mash it, boil it, roast it, fry it, EAT it! Potato is the number one vegetable or side dish at every Irish family's dinner table, even now. God forbid if there was another famine, we'd all lose our minds (Ahem!) ...
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4. We put off stuff all the time.
We tend to have a habit of putting stuff on the back-burner. As goes the famous saying: "Ah, sure it'll be grand." I think that sums it up perfectly. We are the world's finest procrastinators! There's nothing like burying your head in the sand and pretending that something's not happening until the last minute!
3. We all Love the drink.
It's what we have become known for all over the world! We start drinking at a very young age, and by the time we're 18 the novelty is gone. The anti-climax I had when I turned 18 and was able to buy a 6-pack of Dutch Gold on my own. It was so depressing! We like to go out and have a good time, sure there's nothing wrong with that. It's in our genes and in our history. We still give tiny babies whiskey when they're teething for Christ's sake, that's probably how it all starts. I believe Father Jack summed it up perfectly when he simply said: "DRINK!"
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2. Irish people have the gift of the gab.
We do LOVE "the chats." If an Irish person can say something in 10 words they'll usually use 100. If you ask us a story, make sure you have the time to hear it!
1. The majority of Irish people think Bono is a tit.
The Irish are proud of many of their own artists and celebrities, like Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan and Glen Hansard, to name but a few. But Bono, the lead singer from U2 is an absolute dose.
