This is one I haven’t heard. But my neighbor did give me a strange this morning when I asked her, “What’s the craic?” I seem to have picked up some strange habits from my husband.
My grandmother occasionally phones me and askes, “How’s Mr. Knitwit’s English coming along.” I have to remind her that he already speaks English, just because she can’t understand him doesn’t mean he speaks a foreign language.
Consequently, grandma was born in Italy and has probaby never had an entire drink her life. She’s a complete teetotally who frowns on anyone who has even one now and then.
I’d agree with you about YOUNG English/Welsh/Scots who seem to want to fight someone/anyone after half a pint of weak shandy but as far as the Irish are concerned saw some pretty violent fist/boot fights between the locals in,for one example, Crossmaglen and thinking about it Dundalk.
SeanArenas- the point was that it wasn’t a novelty, those guys had come for 4 years of medical school, and we were drinking every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and often a few other nights a week too. I’m not sure if it was the fact that it was mid-week, or that it was a regular thing, or that we didn’t need any other reason than “we’re right opposite the pub”, but something did seem to push their buttons.
Speaking from personal experience, yes. I grew up on the far south side of Chicago which is predominately Irish, polish, & German. There is literallly 1 sports bar for every 1 mile. Cant add anything from a historical perspective, but its not a “stereotype” because its true. I am 50% Irish. Thankfully I never had the desire to booze it up.
One sports bar per mile? By Boston standards that’s nothing. Every square block has three or four. Even here in the middle of nowhere the small towns have at LEAST a bar on every block.
I’m an adopted American of Irish descent and I get the best of both worlds: A taste for the pint AND spaghetti dinners on Sundays with the parental units.
