Just like Irish parents, Irish grandparents have their own set of traits, here are the top five traits typical Irish grandparents have.
We all know the stereotype of the Irish mammy and the typical Irish daddy, but let’s not forget the grandparents.
For all of us who grew up around our Irish grandparents, whether they lived close by or down the country, we can all relate to these traits. However, there are many more where these came from.
Growing up, Irish kids always love to go to their grandparents’ house; it was typically a place where you were spoiled, got to stay up late, eat treats, and watch tv. It was a place to be worshipped.
Looking back, we can all probably smile at certain experiences we had as Irish children visiting our granny or grandad on the weekend, and there are a few things that may stand out to many of us.
Here are the top five traits all typical Irish grandparents have.
5. The Jesus picture – hanging proudly in Irish homes
While not so much a trait, we couldn’t leave this one out. Sure, we all know what this is, right?
The majority of typical Irish grandparents have the renowned picture of Jesus hanging on the wall.
Perhaps it was in the kitchen or even hung above the fireplace in the ‘good’ room, but wherever it was, we have all seen it during our childhood visits.
Ireland was traditionally a religious country, so the Jesus picture is pretty much standard in many traditional homes.
However, these days, he’s pretty much disappeared for the next generations. Although the image will always be there from the times we visited the grandparents.
4. Devout news-watchers – six one news
God forbid you’re visiting the grandparents, and you decide to tell a story during the Six One News.
Irish grandparents love to be in the know, and they love a bit of gossip, too, but the news is a must-watch every evening for them.
At six pm when the dinner is either cooking or already on the table, the news is put on in the background and everyone must shut up until it’s over. Nothing is more important than today’s top stories at this moment in time.
3. Spoiling us – well, who doesn’t love to be spoiled?
Okay, so this is probably true for most nationalities around the world, but we think Irish grandparents go that extra mile when it comes to spoiling us.
They were somehow caught in a time warp, and no matter how we much we aged, they still treated us like 9-year-olds. We wouldn’t say no to the pocket money though, would we?
Visiting the grandparents was a time you looked forward to because all the best cakes were taken out of the press for your arrival and you knew you’d get a couple of pounds to go to the shop.
If you stayed over, sure enough, there was a lovely comfy bed set up for you, and you were mollycoddled until the visit was over. Same again next time?
2. Telling old stories – never-ending stories of times past
Irish grandparents absolutely love telling their grandkids about the good old days, or even the bad days, especially the times of hardship in Ireland.
They’ll have us know how lucky we are not to be involved in the war and such things, and tell us stories of their school days, gossip about the neighbours, and, of course, stories about our parents as kids.
All children love listening to stories, but an Irish grandparents’ storytelling is second to none.
1. Lighting a candle – the ultimate gift
Typical Irish grandparents are usually churchgoers, and what do people do at church apart from pray? Light candles, of course!
If they know you are heading off on your travels or have a job interview, they’ll make sure you that they’ve lit a candle or two for you. And that’s the best kind of luck you can get in Ireland.
So there we have it, five traits all typical Irish grandparents have.
Surely we can all relate to a couple of these, but we could also add many more to the list, too, considering how special Irish grandparents are.
They are kind, caring worriers who would do anything to make us happy – and many of them can crack a good joke or even sing an old Irish ballad to cheer us up.
If we have been lucky enough to spend time at our Irish grandparents’ houses as kids, or even as adults, we should count our blessings; they are truly one of a kind.
