1.
There was only one cure for an upset stomach. Or a headache. Or a cold.
2.
And if 7UP didn't sort it out, this certainly would.
3.
You knew that acting the maggot would result in this.
4.
And that if you took a notion, you'd get told to cop on to yourself.
5.
Towels and sheets were kept in the hot press.
6.
And you lived in mortal fear of leaving the immersion on.
7.
You learned that gas wasn't a fuel, it was an adjective.
8.
You knew that a good funeral's better than a bad wedding.
9.
And there was a patron saint for any problem.
10.
Someone, at some point, has lit a candle for you.
11.
You once tried giving up 'giving up' for Lent.
12.
The second anyone crossed the threshold of the house, they were offered a bite to eat.
14.
You know that it's Paddy's, not Patty's.
15.
If your mum was on the phone, you knew that goodbyes took at least five minutes.
16.
You were baffled to find that some people didn't have any cousins.
17.
Leave the house without a jacket? You'll get a chill in your kidneys.
18.
And you'd catch your death of cold if you went to bed with wet hair.
19.
Your love life depended on finding a ring in this.
20.
And you almost broke your tooth trying to find the money in the Colcannon.
21.
It didn't matter how tenuous the connection was, as long as visitors were in town, they stayed with you.
22.
If you wanted a nibble before dinner, you were told that 'hunger is a good sauce'.
23.
And it wasn't a proper dinner unless it had potatoes in it.
24.
But above all your parents were generous.
26.
And they had the best sense of humour.
27.
And they put their family at the heart of all they did.
28.
And still do, every time you see them.
