(!!)
As in, my Dad came to the States when he was 26-Irish.
(Don't adjust your computer monitor. Our skin is supposed to be that pale.)
We Americans think we take our partying seriously. We are strictly JV, people. The travel team is over there on the Emerald Isle.
One Sunday when my Dad and his friends were stuck in traffic, they asked the cop who was in charge of directing the traffic where a certain pub was.
After a few frustrating minutes of trying to explain, the cop said, "Ah hell- move over- I'll just go with ya." and left the traffic snarl to fend for itself.
Seriously. That is some prioritizing right there.
(Pubs were closed on Sundays, BTW...everyone knows you just go around and ring the side door bell.)
But my favorite is the "bona fide pubs".
Back in the day, when the pubs closed for the night, you could still get a drink at a "bona fide" pub. But there was a catch.
The bona fides were supposed to be only for 'The Weary Traveler". The rules were, only those who were "in the course of a journey"were allowed. And you had to have traveled 5 miles from where you slept.
So, my Dad and his buddies would close down one pub, hop in a car, drive 5 miles to a bona fide pub where the bouncer would come out:
Bouncer: "Bona fide?"
Dad & crew: "Bona fide."
Bouncer: "Come on in."
It's the thought that counts.
31 comments:
Cute story!
Cute pic of you and your dad. My best friend in high school went to Belfast as a foreign exchange student our junior year. She had some stories- AND SHE WAS 16!
I fell in love with Ireland after watching P.S. I love you.
That was a great story! And I love the picture :D
I am the English person among my Irish spouse and kids who has brought the Irish culture to our family. I'm an Irish Step Dancer (and a big fan of Celtic Rock).
And do tell me that's Irish Stout in your wine glass.
I'm Irish, too..... and my hubby is Irish....... another reason I love you so! And the stories Steve's Grandfather used to tell... oh, my! And I loved it when he (granddad) got drunk, he's start speaking Gaelic, which I believe I heard him speak more than English!
I went out with an Irish guy (from Ireland) back in the day - I can state with absolute certainty that he was truly Bone-a-fide, even though I couldn't understand a word he or his mates said!
love this story! hooray for the irish! :)
Your Irish family can take hang with my fallen Mormon family anytime. You know what they say about the preacher's daughter...just make sure you drop a shot in my latte before you say it.
How do you think we get to be Betamoms in the first place?
BTW, Betamom is back, Happy Hour Sue. Thanks for dropping by while we were on slacker-sabbatical. Come on over and visit us anytime. Your site is pee in your pants funny, which is not saying that much after vaginal delivery. But still.
Keep livin' the dream,
Betamom
That's AWESOME! Does that work at the mall?
All my knowledge of the Irish comes from Mauve Binchy novels sp I'd heard of bona fide in one of them but I didn't know what that meant. Thanks for the trivia.
My dad is from Ireland too (Dublin)!
Cute story. The cop leaving the traffic cracked me up!
And to that story, I drink an Irish Car Bomb.
Cute pop you have! Irish are awesome! I love the accents too!
Johnnie Walker...Black!
The 17th is around the corner..Get your Irish on!
What a fun story. Your family must be a hoot!
It's all coming clear now. Irish explains a lot.
I have alwasy felt stong similarties in our cultures (latin) big families, big drinkers, etc...thanks for you comment on my post!
Fantastic photo! Love the story! My daughter is an Irish stepdancer (one of her teachers is Michael Patrick Gallagher..yep, the Riverdancer!) We LOVE the Irish!!!
The pale force is strong in you!
My grandma was an Irish transplant, and I LOVED her stories! This totally reminded me of them!
I still bring myself to drink in fron of my parents! How lame and un-Irish am I? ... Don't answer that.
Nice Picture.
He looks like an Architect! A Happy one at that!
How did your parents meet? Ah, another Blog?
I too am Irish! Ah yes...all 4 grandparents were alcoholics! Your Dad sounds like a great guy and a lot of fun...
Kim
Did you ever see the Family Guy where Peter finds out his birth father is from Ireland? Hilarious!
I have been to ireland! True story to follow. I was invited when i was in college for a modeling job. For one weekend.
So yes, I flew to ireland for freaking TWO DAYS. And the best part was my stupid ass DH, who was just a boyfriend at the time, was all "i dont know if i can miss class to go" and it was completely paid for by the company. The day I was flying he decided he was going and his passport showed up in the mail at noon so he was able to go.
We are not planners.
trisha
momdot.com
itrisha.com
Being married to a "Sullivan", I guess I am Irish "by injection". Redheads run rampant on both sides of our family, and I've heard that the ancestors hail from County Cork. A bunch of "corkers", they are, indeed! Looking forward to some corned beef and cabbage on the 17th! Great post! Cute dad!
Love it!! I still have distant family over there. When hubs and I went we loved all the great pubs.
BTW - I take pride in the fact that I glow in the dark with my pasty a$$ skin. ha ha ha
Wow, that is so interesting. I love family stories!
Sounds like me and my gang in our wilder days- we'd close one bar down, go to another, and end up at the all night one. This happened in two countries on two separate continents. And it was fun!
I'm glad I've finally found the true meaning of "bona fide"...before now it's only conjured up thoughts of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"
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