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The Irish are famous for flattery, but also for the bitter word when it suits. This is what happens when they combine the two. “His brother was worse.
” When the priest at a Kerry funeral asked someone to say anything nice about the unpopular deceased and this was the only response. “He’d jump over ten naked women to get to the bar.” Describing an acquaintance and his love for the hard stuff.
Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! “Ah sure, you’re not the worst of them.” Usually uttered by Irish fathers to sons as their way to pass on a compliment. “I love your hair color, especially the roots.
" A bitchy Irish woman to another. “You’re a very modest man. Sure, you have a lot to be modest about.
” Comment aimed at a successful neighbor usually. “We’re a fair race. We never speak well of each other.
” Writer George Bernard Shaw on his own people. “The problem with the Irish is when they are not drunk, they are sober.” Attributed to various writers including W.
B. Yeats. “So what first attracted you to the millionaire?” Comment made when a young woman bags a rich old guy.
“He’s just a little slow, it only takes him an hour and a half to watch ’60 Minutes’" Usually uttered about a neighbor’s child. “Your idea of romance is popping the beer can away from my face." A woman overheard on a date with the local Irish barfly.
Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. * Originally published in 2016, updated in Oct 2024..
