Boruma - Irish by heritage, family by name

Iterations of this gem have floated around through email for ages.  We’ve scraped together our favorites to create the top 30 signs you are Irish.  Missing one?  Add a comment below.

1) You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.
2) Yet you swear very well.
3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, bar owner, cop, funeral home owner or holds political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a nun, or uncle who’s a priest.
4) You have no idea how to make a long story short.  In fact, there was a time, jaysus, it was ages ago, when a tall tale told in your family would run for days.  My father once told me…
5) You think you sing very well.
6) You may not know the words, but that doesn’t stop you from singing.
7) There isn’t a big step between losing your temper or killing someone.
8 ) Many of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes are a mortal sin.
9) You will never play professional basketball.
10) And the related… You have never hit your head on a ceiling.
11) You’re strangely poetic after a few beers.
12) You are, therefore, a poet.
13) You have been punched for no good reason…a lot.
14) Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.
15) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine, or Margaret… there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Margaret.
16) Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.
17) You can’t wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.
18) You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are… but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.
19) There wasn’t a huge difference between your last Wake and the last happy hour.
20) You are, or know someone, named Murph.
21) If you don’t know Murph then you know Mac. If you don’t know Murph or Mac then you know Sully. You probably know Sully McMurphy.
22) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.
23) You have Irish Alzheimer’s… you forget everything but grudges
24) ‘Irish Stew’ is a euphemism for ‘boiled leftovers.’
25) All of your losses are alcohol-related (loss of driver’s license, loss of money, loss of job, loss of significant other, loss of teeth…).  Save the loss of your stamina for the Black.
26) Your skin’s ability to tan…
27) At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each other (not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other).
28) When someone offers you food or drink you are required to say ‘no’ profusely but not to mean it.
29) Childhood remedies for the common cold often included whiskey.
30) There’s no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes

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