Irish are the least romantic nation in Europe says new survey- Bah Humbug for Valentine’s Day, not all bad says our single girl

Did the Irish kill romance?!

Breaking news this week: the Irish are the least ‘romantic’ in Europe.

Can you tell us something we didn’t already know please?

According to a lastminute.com survey, the Irish are at the bottom of the pool when it comes to splurging on the Hallmark inspired holiday.

The findings show that the Irish are at the bottom of the romantic barrel, spending only $200 on Valentine’s getaways.

Did the folks over at lastminute.com not hear about the good ould recession currently battering Irish shores? Surely putting meat and potatoes on the table is more important than some ostentatious Valentine’s get away?

According to the survey, Irish couples have proved themselves to be thrifty but organized – they spend the least compared to other Europeans.

While Ireland may not be oozing with romance for Valentine’s Day, I think they strike a healthy balance. A card and maybe a gift if you are really trying. Of course, here in the States, the good old consumer pitch means the run up to the holiday has reached dizzying proportions. But we still don’t have a patch on the U.S. when it comes to February 14.

Personally, I find the whole Valentine’s thing a bit much here in the States. It starts as soon as the New Year’s ball is dropped in Times Square. Shops filled with love hearts and tacky sentiments. Every restaurant starts advertising ‘romantic Valentine’s dinner for two’.

I would rather drink a 40 in Central Park on my own on Valentine’s night, then try and get a table on one of the busiest, over hyped nights of the year.

One Valentine’s Day here in the States, a man I had met twice sent me a dozen red roses at work. When they arrived, I quickly turned the color of the flowers. I was mortified. I barely knew the guy. It was a sweet thoughtful gesture of course, but too much for Jacinta.

In comparison, while I was in college in Ireland, the guy I was seeing got me an expensive gift basket filled with love-shaped rose soaps that smelled like your old granny. I later found out he played no part in the purchase and sent his mother out to pick something up. Needless to say that romance did not last.

Maybe the Irish are not the most romantic race going, but we are honest, pragmatic and when we need to be, we can be loving. I think we just value sincerity more than romance and I don’t think that is such a bad thing.

One final thought, when do we singletons get our holiday? The ‘Let’s celebrate being single and happy’ (S&H) holiday. Couples get engagements, anniversaries, and all the other holidays together, after all.

So here’s to all the singletons out there this holiday! Join me in Central Park with the rest of the ‘unromantic’ Irish contingent for that 40 and a bit a craic.

Let’s sit this one out and leave the romance to the Americans.
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