Amid all the talk of bailouts, it’s easy to forget there are parts of Irish life that economics can’t reach. We asked Twitter users to name the things they love about Ireland. Here are 50 of them, in all their unpunctuated glory
1 @emmaginationour turns of phrase – "get up the yard" "get out of that garden" "down there for dancin'"
2 @dcbedwardsknowing all your cousins 4 times removed and being shamed by your mother for not knowing all their kids too
3 @SeanMcPWest Cork, the sunset through the namhog bus stop at Dingle Harbour, Lough Allan flat beneath a pure blue sky
4 @mrmontyMunster Finals
5 @ChristinaMcSThe ritual "no thanks I'm grand I'm only after a cup" followed by "well if you're having one yourself"
6 @homeopathEveryone's got a party piece
7 @lightnessalwaysThe book of Kells, Cliff of Moher, Phoenix Pk, Glendalough, National Stud, Japanese Gardens, Shannon, Ceide fields
8 @SimonPRepublicWhere you can still watch a Western during prime time Friday night telly
9 @ killianormoSix degrees of separation for the world, two for the Irish!
10 @greenscribblerCommunity – People will always know and remember you no matter how long you have been away
11 @trixifiWakes and funerals turning into a party
1 2 @gillianroseduffThe Sam Maguire cup being taken around every school in the winning county
13 @AnnieAtkinsIrish goodbyes: sneaking out of the pub before anyone coerces you into drinking another pint.
14 @scarieThe postman dropping a package for you in your aunt's work, cos he knows you and your aunt and where ye both work
15 @ChrisFlackyour mothers conversations that start with "Do you know who's dead?"
16 @SlabSquatthrustKeem beach on Achill Island, and the rest of Achill too
17 @idiotkidThey can take away our sovereignty but they can never take our red lemonade or sugar sandwiches
18 @inforthenightCurracloe beach, the Aran Islands, Lough Boora parklands, the pier at Dun Laoghaire
19 @thebriepartyThe fact that we don't have to pay for royal weddings
20 @rdelevanThe Irish saved civilisation. (Sadly they then invested it in Anglo Irish Bank.)
21 @furloLooking like quasimodo but still being able to charm the pants off a beautiful foreigner due to the accent
22 @charlemontHaving a defence forces instead of an army
23 @bundaFairytale of new York @ Xmas
24 @eyeblinksThe Tart with the Cart, Floozie in the Jacuzzi, Stiletto in the Ghetto, Time in the Slime The Hags with the Bags
25 @foges70All the ailments that can be treated by putting the kettle on
26 @rubotFirst country in the world to ban smoking in pubs
27 @poloconghaileCoumshingaun, crisp sandwiches, autumn forest walks and our penchant for tying football socks to holy trees!
28 @quiatimetIrish mammys
39 @SOIrelandPeople going to amazing lengths to help each other. Never ceases to amaze me
30 @irishmarinelifeBest surf in the world, and nobody believing you
31 @clairenolan
Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny with the Christmas lights out, Irish soda bread, irish chat and Kerry men!!
32 @levdavidovicFellas with no teeth on Winning Streak
33 @culabulaThe inability to pronounce "th" and then magically inserting it where it doesn't exist cf. "heighth"
34 @lecraicUnpronouncable names (for English TV presenters). Take a bow Charles Hockey and Liam GallaGRR
35 @crosbhealaiÁr dteanga féin – An Ghaeilge!
36 @collumboApres Match, better analysis than BBC or ITV
37 @david_o_connellWorld class procrastination and still having the ability to change the world
38 @David_FerrieHaving a unique measurement of length – the long mile – and naming a road after it.
39 @mikeeng1andWeddings that finish when the bride and groom head to bed at 6am, sandwiches in the residents bar at 5am
40 @TellyDubbyThe warmth of a Leitrim welcome; peat smoke in your nose in the twilight
41 @Sliotherthe unassuming genius of Aidan O'Brien
42 @paulclancyNLWaving hello to complete strangers on country roads
43 @darachoStorytelling, the art-form and craft – not the solemn, dutiful recounting of mere facts
44 @anniewestdotcomBeautiful words fashioned in the misty dawn of the countryside, from celtic gossamer. Like . . . gobshite
45 @obrienbarryAt GAA matches the fans of both teams mix and have a laugh together
46 @deatonmNo killer spiders, box jellyfish, great white sharks, snakes or other dangerous animals.
47 @gillianroseduffThe night when you go for a quiet drink and end up at someone's party having met their second cousin in the pub
48 @xfirefishxThe fact that people 10 miles down the road laugh at your "funny" accent vice versa
49 @louiseholohannever letting the truth get in the way of a good story
50 @colettecaddleLaughing at our misfortunes even when it looks like the boat might be .......... glug
