Irish quirks are weird, wonderful and fantastically bizarre – and it’s only when you meet people who’ve grown up elsewhere that you realise how truly mental some of the things we consider normal are.
We’ve put together a list of some of the best, and would love to hear your opinions on them.
Have you any weirder ones to add?
1. The poets on English Paper 2 making national news every year
2. A conversation about the at-home water heater coming up daily
D’immersion, like.
3. A fascination with death
”Did you hear who died?”
4. Having an aunt who isn’t really your aunt, just your ma’s best friend
You know, her.
5. Referring to someone as ‘me aul flower’
Basically, a wilting weed.
6. Tuning in to watch a grown man play with toys on live TV for four hours each Christmas
7. Thanking your bus driver
Well, you didn’t die did you?
I will never stop loving it when people thank the bus driver when they get off at their stop. Esp when they yell it from the back door.
— ✨Alisa ECCC512✨ (@alzuna) January 8, 2017
8. Repeatedly saying ‘bye’ until the other person hangs up the phone
You’re not Irish unless you say bye bye bye bye bye bye bybyb-b-be-by bye bye every single time you’re coming off the phone to someone
— Kelly Whybrow (@kellywhybrow_) December 18, 2016
9. Also repeatedly apologising for everything you do upon leaving the house
‘Sorry, sorry, oh so sorry, pardon me, excuse me, sorry sorry sorry’
The fact that Dublin Buses say “Sorry” before saying “Out of Service” just epitomises Irish-ness #DublinBus pic.twitter.com/TrXicOPule
— Daniel Kyne (@Daniel_Kyne) September 7, 2016
10. Putting two syllables in the word ‘film’
Currently watching a fillum called vertical limit on fillum 4. It’s quite possibly the single worst moment in cinematic history.
— Suave (@SuaveRepublique) January 17, 2017
11. Accepting a turkey puppet as a real human
So much so that we sent it to Eurovision.
12. Stopping what you’re doing and looking pensively into the sky when a bell tolls
13. Referring to a cupboard as a press for no real reason
Maybe because you…press…it?
14. Basing a whole empire around a fictional Spud man
15. Drinking 30 cups of tea at work, only to come home for a nice solid cuppa cha
16. Naturally presuming someone drinking water in the pub is on antibiotics
And almost always being right.
When the local doctor warns u2 avoid alcohol on the antibiotics he prescribed & then you keep seeing him on your pub crawl???????????? #onlyinireland
— Natalie Britton (@nataliebritton4) December 29, 2016
17. Putting ketchup on absolutely everything
Spaghetti? Ketchup.
Shepard’s pie? Ketchup.
Ice cream? Ketchup.
18. Praying that when a certain cake gets cut into that you’ll bag yourself a new ring
19. And finally, never leaving any food waste on your plate due to your inherent Famine Instinct
Don’t be fooled, children. It’s a thing.
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