Brought to you by Dairygold.
Dairygold’s new Make a Minute campaign is all about ensuring we have more time for the good stuff, and we know that while a whole lot of love is handed down to the Irish mammy, this means that sometimes the greatness, generosity and selflessness of the Irish dad can be overlooked.
But we think it’s important that the Irish dad doesn’t get forgotten, but not only that, they get celebrated for the absolute legends they are.
Over the years we’ve received some glorious submissions of Irish dads completing famous deeds, embarrassing themselves and showing astounding generosity.
We want to celebrate these great men, so here are 9 things that every Irish dad absolutely lives for…
Sport on the telly…
Whether it’s the All-Ireland Final or Ireland’s World Cup qualifier over in Albania, he will plan his day around the game and end up plonked in front of the television around 15 minutes before the throw-in.
He will pull all the curtains in the vicinity to ensure minimal glare across the TV screen and God help you if you talk over the commentary or analysis of the match.
He doesn’t ask for much, so respect his requests…
Handing down instructions and wisdom…
The Irish dad will always be on hand with a nugget of knowledge and a teaspoon of wisdom to help you on your way. He’s been there, done it all before, and similar to your mammy, he will always be right… or will claim to be right, no matter the outcome.
But if you’re ever struggling with a simple task, defer to his good judgment. Even if the instructions of “hold there” and “come on another bit” are rather conflicting…
New technology
Chances are your dad has recently invested in a smartphone of some kind and after a difficult bedding-in period, believes himself to be somewhat of an expert on his new fancy gizmo.
Hint: *whispers* he’s not.
The touchscreen can cause some early problems with the supposed ‘tap’ on the screen becoming more of a lingering pat and is quickly followed by confusion and yells of “[son/daughter’s name] how do you change this yoke?”
But his skills do (most of the time) improve immensely as time goes on and those initial troubles make for great stories at family events months and years later.
Make sure the camera is pointing the correct way my friend…
Video via Evan Griffin
Spur of the moment trips…
They love to pack up randomly on a Sunday morning and take a trip to the Cliffs of Moher or catch a GAA game in Semple Stadium. But they’ve been known to disappear even further in their pursuit of a random good time.
My dad was missing for a day we found him on the 9 o clock news in Bosnia #coybig pic.twitter.com/GizBMzgzvF
— william murphy (@willow34) November 12, 2015
To see their kids grow older and bolder…
There’s a moment a father realises that his kids are all grown up and they’re no longer the sweet, innocent, harmless little darlings he’s always preached them to be. That moment comes when they play the a trick on their unsuspecting father.
The Irish dad, although initially quite peeved, will absolutely cut your head off see the hilarity of the situation and acknowledge the milestone in his fatherhood. They’re all grown up…
Being generous to a fault…
He will give you the shirt off his back if needs be, that is the extent of the soundness of the Irish dad. He recognises (in his own head) his expertise and will do his best to help out in any situation possible.
Just like these fellas in Galway, who utilised their strength and grasp of physics to shift a car out of the path of a bus…
His county’s success on the biggest stage…
Similar to watching sport on the television, he will take the greatest joy of all in seeing his county team claim a big scalp in the championship. To paraphrase John Mullane, he loves his county, and will feel immeasurable pride when they do the business.
Loving all his children equally…
He will love all his children unconditionally and equally. He will not give to one what he can not provide to the other and he will strive to give them everything possible.
His generosity knows no bounds, ask for any help and he’ll provide you with far more than you could possibly need…
I asked my dad if I could go to a @50cent concert, he gave me a euro and told me to bring my sister.
— P.J. K (@pjaykay2) March 17, 2015
He lives for his dad jokes…
He will make dad jokes, they will be awful, you will cringe, he will laugh delightedly.
Deal with it…
So maybe make sure to make a minute for your dad sometime soon and appreciate all the unreal, hilarious, embarrassing and unique things that make him your dad.
To coincide with the launch of their new campaign, Dairygold want to give you the minute of a lifetime. By sharing your minute of the good stuff with us here you could win one of five incredible one minute experiences. Prizes include a trip to New York, a shopping spree in Brown Thomas, a lap in an F1 supercar in Nuremberg, a trip to one of Italy’s finest spas and a bungee freefall in Switzerland – each to the value of €5,000.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
