On St. Valentine's Day - Why American women are wild about Irish guys

The experts give us their verdict

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MOLLY MULDOON,

IrishCentral Deputy Editor

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What makes Irish men such a hot commodity in the U.S.?

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“You learn to be polite to women and how to treat them they way you want your sisters to be treated,” he said before admitting that “Mammy is number one!”

As he prepared for a date that night with his latest U.S. love interest, O’Reilly reflected that the dating scene in New York is completely different to back home.

“At the beginning it would be hard to get used to the fact that dating was not ‘going out’ with anybody, but I adjusted really fast,” he laughs.

After living in New York for over five years the Monaghan man says he approaches dates with American women in a different way.

“American women don’t drink as much as Irish women so I would take them to the park or a movie or to see sites,” he says.

After spending a semester studying in Ireland, Megan Lynch from Geneva in upstate New York has come to some conclusions concerning Irish men.

A junior in St. Mary’s College Notre Dame, Lynch says Irish guys are very good in social situations.

“Irish guys are much more forward, they are confident in a less arrogant way,” she told the Irish Voice.

“When they approach you it’s in a fun, friendly way and you feel comfortable right away, but here in the U.S. guys can be more arrogant about it,” she added.

Aesthetically she says American men win over, but it’s the Irish charm that really catches the attention.

“Good looking American men are easy to come by, but once you find a good looking Irish man their personality makes them even more attractive, once you are around them and see their true potential,” she maintains.

With leading Irish actors such as Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Colin Farrell now household names in the U.S., dating coach David Wygant, says that Hollywood has done a lot to enhance the appeal of modern Irish men.

Wygant says Gerard Butler’s portrayal of an Irish man in the film PS I Love You is just one depiction of a romantic Irish man which would make most American women swoon.

“Hollywood is making the Irish man the new flavor of the month,” Wygant, who is based in Los Angeles, told the Irish Voice.

“Irish guys are more charming because of their voice.

“You can take the same sentence spoken by an Irish man and an American man, but women will swoon over the accent,” he said.

Describing Dublin as “one of the most beautiful cities in the world,” the dating expert said he was pleasantly surprised by how Irish men reacted to women in bars.

“The men weren’t staring at women like they hadn’t seen meat in 14 years,’ he recalls. “American guys can be very lecherous.”

Dating an Irishman for the past year, Steph King from Virginia says in her experience the drinking stereotype concerning the Irish is accurate.

“Yes, the cliché is actually true. They also drink during the day, more than any American men I’ve dated or known,” says the digital marketer, who is not turned off by her boyfriend’s drinking habits.

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