Irish mothers are a special breed. And Irish people are extremely close to their mothers.
North Americans living in Ireland often have a moment of culture shock when they realize it is perfectly normal for Irish professionals to phone their mothers from work daily. They aren’t ringing to check on any alarming medical issues. They just know that their mothers are home thinking of them, and sure it only takes a moment to ring and ask her how she is, what she had for lunch, did see Mrs. O’Whoever. Irish people tend to view their mothers with a blend of awe and humour. The awe is equal parts love and terror. Not sure exactly how Irish your own mother is? This checklist will help you determine if your mother is a wee bit Irish or the full Irish.
Your mother has said the words “Wait ‘til I tell you who died” in a fairly cheery voice. She reads the obituaries before she reads the news in the paper.- She taught you how to make a proper cup of tea before she taught you to tie your shoes.
- You have an abnormal fear of some random household object because it was what she grabbed and wielded as she chased you around the house after you were bold. (Not bad, not naughty, but bold.)
- Your mother felt the appropriate age for your first pint and your first real job was a few years younger than the appropriate age for you to do your own laundry.
- You do not associate the instructions ‘go away out of that’ or ‘on your bike’ with any sort of physical activity.
- Your mother feels dinner with only one potato dish is incomplete.
- You are never too old to be reminded to wear a coat or warned about the weather. You might have moved 2,000 miles away, but she is tracking the weather in your area and updates you about it daily.
- She has addressed you with one of the following terms of endearment: chicken, pet, petal or love.
- She has looked with horror at a female friend of yours and announced one of the following: 1) She’d want a good stew. 2) That’s a belt, not a skirt. 3) I hope she gets the weather for that outfit. Or 4) Good Jaaaaaysus.
- You have been accused of making a holy show of her, and she wasn’t talking about the nativity play.
Your mother has said the words “Wait ‘til I tell you who died” in a fairly cheery voice. She reads the obituaries before she reads the news in the paper.
If you are looking for one definitive marker of an Irish mother, recent research has an answer for you: excessive fussing. Almost a quarter of Irish people agreed this was the number one trait of an Irish mother. It’s behind her almost obsessive concern with the weather and how prepared you are to withstand the elements. She’s probably also preoccupied with road conditions wherever you are driving. Could you leave the house without being fussed over? If so, your mother’s Irish credentials are questionable. Did she dust you down, smooth your hair and straighten your clothes whenever you left the house? Don’t take it personally. She’s just an Irish mother. And at the root of this fussing is a fierce love and devotion.
