Irish people are a skilled bunch. Here are 10 unbelievable Guinness World Records held by the Irish that show how talented we are.
The Irish are known for many things, from their history to their accents to their craic, but we bet you don’t know we’ve made quite a name for ourselves regarding Guinness World Records.
For the uninitiated, Guinness World Records are a record-keeping company, founded in 1955, and originally produced and promoted by our very own Guinness brewery in Dublin (the history behind the name).
For the past 64 years, Guinness World Records have been tracking records old and new and adjudicating record attempts in everything from the world’s longest fingernails to the longest car, and even the smallest nose. Believe us, there’s a record for everything.
Here are 10 of the most unbelievable Guinness World Records held by the Irish.
Ireland Before You Die’s top facts about the Guinness World Records
- The Guinness World Records were made by Sir Hugh Beaver in 1951. It was initially known as ‘The Guinness Book of Records’.
- Given away for free to promote the Guinness Beer Brand, the first ever edition of the Guinness Book of Records was published on 27 Augusut 1955, and has grew in popularity ever since.
- The global reach of the popular Guinness World Records can be seen by the fact that it has officies in some of the world’s top cities; London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo and Dubai.
- Some of the craziest records include the widest mouth on earth, held by Franciso Domingo Joaquim from Angola, with a mouth opening of 17cm (6.69 inches), and the tallest person in history; Robert Wadlow, who was 8ft 11inches tall!
- The Guinness World Records has also recognised itself as the world’s most published copyrighted book series in history.
10. World’s largest tea towel
When us Irish get an idea into our heads, we can’t seem to let it go. The same can be said for the team at Poplar Linens, a charity which produced the world’ largest tea-towel. The tea towel was to promote the Mayo Roscommon Hospice and we can’t think of a better way of doing so.
The tea towel measures 49ft x 34ft, and we’re sure it could mop up entire lakes, never mind spills on the counter-top.
9. World’s largest tap dance lesson
Once us Irish hear a beat, we can’t help but boogie. But this record, held by a group of 445 people, take their love of dancing a step further. The massive number of attendees took part in a tap-dancing lesson in Belfast during their annual Culture Night festival.
It saw people of all ages standing in lines and rows, copying one instructor as she guided them in crazy synchronised steps and routines.
8. Highest combined age (13 living siblings)
It must be all that tea we’re drinking or something about the crisp Irish air because we have quite the life-span. The Donnellys, an Irish family who hail from County Armagh, hold the world record for the highest combined age of 13 siblings. The oldest sibling, John, is 95 years old while his sisters Mary and Eileen (the second and third oldest siblings), are 94 and 92 respectively.
The combined age of all the Donnelly siblings comes to over a whopping 1075 years. It’s an unbelievable world record which makes us think we’ll have what they’re having.
7. Most successful Eurovision country
In recent memory, we’ve had a bunch of bum entries in the Eurovision Song Contest (how can we ever forget Dustin the Turkey’s dreadful song back in 2008), but for all our losses, Ireland is still the most successful country to ever participate in the contest.
We currently hold seven wins and are the only country ever to have won the competition three years in a row. While we’ve struggled in the last 13 years to win, we still have hope that the next Eurovision will set us back on track to strengthen our record.
READ MORE: See our article on Why Ireland stopped winning Eurovision
6. Most cups of tea made in one hour (by a team of 12)
It’s no secret us Irish love our tea, so leave it to us to be the world record holders for the most amount of tea made in one hour. Mrs Doyle would be so proud of us!
Lidl’s team of twelve tea-makers managed to make 1848 cups within 43 minutes at the County Laois Ploughing Championships, beating the original record with 17 minutes to spare. Now, where are those 1848 choccy biscuits to go with all those cups?
5. Most cookies baked in an hour
And there’re the biscuits. Hassett’s Bakery, situated in County Cork, was the one to claim the record for most cookies baked in an hour. They made a total of 4695 cookies, all in aid of raising money for the Irish Cancer Society. We bet there was a war for whoever got to lick that bowl.
4. Largest breakfast cereal consumption per capita
We’d have never thought Cheerios and Weetabix as anything special to us but turns out we can’t get enough of our breakfast cereal because we hold the world record for the largest consumption of breakfast cereal per capita. I guess we’ve all been listening to our mammies and treating breakfast as the most important meal of the day.
In 2011, Ireland consumed an average of 8.1kgs of cereal per capita (per each person). That might not sound like much, but the world average only came to 0.6kgs. Say what you will about our greedy cereal obsession but at least we start our days off right.
3. Largest group of skinny dippers
We wouldn’t want to take a dip in Irish waters at most times of the year, especially naked, but 2,505 fearless Irish women braved the freezing coastal waters of County Wicklow to set the record for most people skinny-dipping at the one time. Brrrrrr, gives us shivers just thinking about it.
The stunt was in aid of Aoibheann’s Pink Tie, a children’s cancer charity, and all proceeds went towards aiding their valuable work and research.
2. Largest same name gathering (surname)
We bet you thought your family was big. The Gallagher Clan, natives to Ireland, all collected together in Letterkenny to break the world record for the largest same name gathering. There were a total of 1488 Gallaghers who attended and made history. That’s one huge family tree.
1. The largest gathering of people dressed as leprechauns
Leave it to us to be the ones to hold this record. For all our eye-rolls and annoyance over the world’s use of our fabled leprechauns, us Irish aren’t doing ourselves any favours. But we can’t resist diving into our folklore.
That’s why the 1,263 people who donned the iconic green suits, green hats, and ginger beards were committed to setting the world record. There’s nothing more Irish than a leprechaun, so this one’s for all of us. Here, here to the Irish! And may we keep making and breaking world records.
Your questions answered about Guinness World Records held by the Irish
Should you have any more questions, then we have you covered! Here, we have outlined the most frequently asked questions about the Guinness World Records held by the Irish.
Does Ireland have any World Records?
Yes. Aside from the selection above, another World Record held by Ireland would be comic book superfan Gareth Peter Pahliney, from Co. Offaly, who holds the record for having the largest collection of Deadpool memorabilia.
There are 17 Irish achievements in the 2024 Guinness World Records.
Which famous Irish brand created the World Records book?
Guinness! Guinness, as you will know, is Ireland’s most popular drink and is enjoyed around the world.
Which person has the most Guinness Book of World Records?
This would be an American man named Ashrita Furman, who holds over 700 Guinness World Records.
Which country holds the maximum Guinness World Records?
The USA has the most Guinness World Records. It is also believed that each of the 50 States has at least one record.
MORE IB4UD ARTICLES ON GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS HELD BY THE IRISH
Derry calls ‘wannabe astronauts’ to help break Guinness World Record
Belfast man breaks Guinness World Record after extreme challenge
Bangor paddleboarder is now a Guinness World Record holder
WATCH: The Largest Human Shamrock EVER which Broke the Guinness World Record
