Irish It Up – Seven Things That Make Us Tick Part II

For such a small island with an even smaller population, we Irish have a LOT of unique quirks and in our second look at what makes us tick, we've realised that we're frivolous with our money yet love a bargain!

From the weather to national pride, we 'Irish it Up' and take a look at some of our most famous national ticks, in association with 7UP Free.

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1.     Meeting other Irish people on holiday
 
When you go abroad, you want to completely immerse yourself in a different culture, experience new adventures and feel like you’re a million miles away from home, right? Eh, wrong! Irish people love nothing more than bumping into and befriending a fellow countryman or woman abroad. From sporting our county colours to even hanging a tricolour from a hotel balcony, it’s like we need to give each other a reassuring heads up.
 
2.     Getting a bargain

Irish people LOVE getting a bargain. We are obsessed with Penneys, Lidl and any other brands who promises that they’re doing us a deal. Charity shops are treasure chests just waiting to be discovered and flea markets are goldmines. And all prices are negotiable…

 
3.     Getting good wear out of something

As well as loving bargains, we love to get a good wear out of something. From your mammy buying gigantic clothes for you to ‘grow into’ as a child to sporting the same coat for several winters in a row, Irish people take the concept of forever buys to a whole new level!
 
4.     Avoiding complements

From claiming every stitch of clothing you’re wearing is old, wreaked or borrowed to telling people who complement you to ‘stop’ or ‘get away out of that’, Irish people are allergic to any form of flattery.  

 
 
5.     Fighting over the bill 

From screaming 'I'll get it', 'NO, I'll get it' on repeat with your friends to rowing over who is paying, we will always try to be the first one to foot the bill and pay the whole thing before anyone can stop us. From not letting your bestie 'put her hand in her pocket' to someone pretending to run to the loo so they can get the next round in, put us in a pub and we become the most generous people on earth!  

6.     Being scared of silence

They say silence is golden, but not to Irish people. From chatting to a stranger at the bus stop to waffling away to someone you’ve never met before in the queue at the supermarket, Irish people love to chat about nothing in particular and will fill any sort of awkward silence with a bit of banter.

7.     The grand stretch in the evenings

A bit like our obsession with the weather, we are also obsessed with the days becoming longer as we go into the summer months. We know we have electricity and street lighting but you just can’t beat the grand stretch in the evenings as you walk home from work.