One of my closest friends from home is Irish, and she's super cool. Some of her family members are famous Irish musicians, and she herself was a talented Irish dancer and violin player. Every St. Patrick's Day I would wake up and turn on my television to see if I could see her dancing in the NYC parade. I never was able to see her, but I did develop a greater appreciation for the richness of Irish culture. Here are some things I learned to love about the Irish on St. Patty's Day -- and year round.
1. Gaelic.
A really cool Celtic language that a lot of Irish people do not speak, but it is still cool.
2. Bailey's Irish Cream.
Not sure if this is actually Irish, but it is tasty, and it says it is Irish.
3. Amazing names.
Irish names are awesome -- I won't throw out my friend's name for sake of anonymity, but some good ones are Saoirse, Aoife, Cillian, Patrick (duh), and Callum. The last names are great, too.
4. Guiness.
Another great liquor that is actually Irish. Supposed to taste good when mixed with Kurant, but also I've been told by an Irishman that this is a "rookie move."
5. Best at dancing without their arms.
Irish dancers don't use their arms when they dance. This is probably because they want you to focus on their intricate and fancy footwork.
6. The wigs are the best.
The dancers also wear huge wigs that are very ornate and expensive. Size probably matters here because the bigger wigs are cooler.
7. Music.
Irish music is unique and incredible and captures the spirit of the rich culture. It's great to listen to at an intimate pub.
8. They won the World Cup in Quidditch in Book four of "Harry Potter."
Sorry, Bulgaria.
9.Hot celebrities.
There are some great celebs to come out of Ireland such as Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Saoirse Ronan, Liam Neeson, and Colin Farrell.
10. First country to legalize gay marriage.
They are so ahead of the game. #yes.
11. Soda bread is underrated (not going to make a potato joke here).
My friend always brought soda bread to school on St. Patrick's Day and it was damn good.
12. "The Luck of the Irish" is debatably in the top 10 Disney Channel original movies.
Oh, boy-oh.
