With a mother born in Dublin, a close relationship with my Irish relatives, and a visit to the Emerald Isle itself (where I met a ¼ of the hundreds of cousins I have) there are a number of things that I’ve done or picked up which are quintessentially Irish. Five of these things are most likely not what you would stereotypically consider Irish (no Leprechauns for instance) but things I’m hoping will resonate with the Irish out there.
Corn Beef
One thing my Nanna always made growing up was a lush corn beef. Luckily for me it was never served with cabbage like a lot of Irish boiled dinners are, but instead a healthy dose of peas and carrots, potato, fresh bread and HP sauce.
Tea
This may seem stereotypical, but genuinely it’s just because we drink a lot of tea. Growing up, if there was something to celebrate: Tea. If you were upset: Tea. If there was a disaster: Tea. If you’ve come home: Tea. There’s really nothing tea can’t aid, and if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard, ‘have a cup of tea, you’ll be grand,’ I’d be rich.
Lunch with a side of ‘crisps’ (chips)
For the Irish, no sandwich or panini is complete without a side of crisps – which is chips for us Aussies. Cafes in Ireland automatically plate them with your sanga, or as a kid I would just shove them in a vegemite sandwich – so, so good.
Gaelic names, despite not being able to speak Gaelic
Sadly, no one in my family knows Gaelic, despite all of us having Gaelic spelling. Growing up with a Siobhan, Aisling, Roisin, Eoghan, and more I’ve had to explain the pronunciation of names more than once. Not to mention, occasionally I’m phonetically called by my Gaelic name, said like ‘Cotchleen’ which translates to Kathleen. I’m just as confused as you are.
Guinness
This is a bit of a stereotypical one, but it’s a shout out to the Irish out there who love a good dry stout.
Written by Caitlin Haddad
