Our accents, Guinness and stew - what the British love about the Irish

The Irish accent topped the list in research conducted by bookies William Hill as to Britain’s favorite things about Ireland.

Our relationship with our closest neighbors has been anything but an easy ride, but when it comes down to it we’re unlikely to find another nationality with whom we have as much in common.

The results of a survey, which asked 2,000 people in Britain what are their favorite things about Ireland, provided a list of 50 items ranging from our sports and movie stars to our food and drink. Although we may not always give too much thought to how much we like the British, they have a long list of things they like about us.

The overall winner was the Irish accent. In a separate recent survey, the Northern Irish accent was voted the sexiest in all of the UK, so it seems that all accents on the island of Ireland are eminently covetable.

Rather stereotypically, it was two of our national drinks that came in as runners-up with Guinness at number two and and Bailey’s in third place.

Speaking to Independent.ie, spokesman for William Hill Jon Ivan-Duke said, “There is much to celebrate when it comes to Irish culture and the things it offers.

“Whether it’s world-class music acts, the iconic pint of Guinness or real sporting passion, it’s a small country with a lot to shout about and much of it is embraced in Britain. It comes as no great surprise that Guinness came out so high on the list.”

Also coming out strong on the list was the Irish penchant for cheesy pop boy bands and their managers. Boyzone’s Ronan Keating ranked high at 21 and is joined by Westlife, Boyzone as a group, X Factor judge Louis Walsh and Former Westlife singer Kian Egan, who just makes the list at number 50.

Other musical and dance entries include The Pogues, Enya, Bono, U2, Snow Patrol, Sinéad O’Connor and of course, Riverdance.

Our sense of humor brings four entries with "Father Ted" the big winner at number 6 and mentions for Father Ted actors Dermot Morgan and Pauline McLynn as well as "Moone Boy" and "Bridesmaid" actor Chris O’Dowd. (Could we throw Louis Walsh in as showing our sense of humor, too?)

A full list of all the reasons the British love us can be seen below.

Are the Irish lovable and if so, why? Can we trust a list that doesn't include One Direction's Niall Horan? Leave us your opinions in the comments section below.

The Top 50 Greatest Irish Things