Getting To Know The Irish

I've said it before that the Irish are a unique race.  After living in Ireland my whole life I have come to understand a bit more about the Irish people.  I'm no expert but I have noticed a few characteristics typical of Irish people that set us apart from everyone else.

1) We love to sing!:

You need to understand how much Irish people love to sing.  If you're on a minibus heading for a night out on the town with your friends, are you going to sit down and have a civilised conversation with them?  No!  You are going to belt out every song you know throughout the whole journey!  Sure, you might lose your voice and annoy the bus driver but you don't really care at the time!  If you're at a concert you're not just going to let the musician sing all by themselves, are you?  No!  Sometimes you may even wonder why they even showed up.  The crowd knows their songs just as well as they do!  Whatever the occasion, Irish people will sing!

2) We are too modest!:

Irish people cannot accept a compliment no matter how hard we try.  We cringe away from any nice thing a person says to us.  We hate to make ourselves out to be better that someone else.  It's as if we have a fear of appearing confident.  Sometimes this can be a bad thing and lead to low self esteem.  We really need to learn how to say thank you when we receive a compliment.

3) We won't make a fuss!:

Another thing Irish people hate is making a fuss.  We will not tell you to open a window if the room gets too stuffy and we will not tell you that the steak is overcooked so as not to insult you.  We hate to put others out or to have them do things for us at their expense.  We will always say we are fine even when we are clearly not fine!  We do not wish to unload our burdens onto someone else.

4) We have no concept of time!:

This point doesn't really include me.  I hate being late for things.  If you tell me to be in a certain place at a certain time, I will be in that exact place ten minutes early!  Unfortunately, a lot of Irish people are not like that.  If you tell someone to be somewhere at a certain time they will most likely arrive late or in a different place altogether.  We leave everything to the last minute.  No matter how many times we experience that rushed panic of being late we still cannot change our ways!

5) We are always up for the craic!:

Irish people hate being too serious.  Life is too short for that.  We will always attempt to make light of a situation.  There is also this misconception that Irish people are all drunks.  It's true that we like the odd alcoholic beverage now and again but we are much more interested in having a good time.  Having fun is one thing we love to do!

6) We can never say one goodbye!:

You know you're Irish when all your phone calls end in: "right, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye!".  To me, one goodbye seems a bit rude and abrupt.  When you're having a conversation with someone you have to say at least three goodbyes just to be polite.  This goes for phone conversations and face to face conversations.  One goodbye just isn't enough!

There you have it!  If you can wrap your head around these 6 things then you're halfway there to understanding the Irish.  I also did a blog post on Irish phrases that no one else understands which you can check out here.  Let me know if I missed out on anything or if there is anything else you would like to know and until then...

I'll see ya when I see ya!