I studied in The Emerald Isle for what turned out to be a much too short semester at University College Cork  (UCC) and spent some of the most memorable months of my life in the beautiful country of Ireland.

Yes the land was green, the cliffs were awe-inspiring, and the pubs were beyond the best...but it was the people who made the experience, both the men and the women.

Let me start out by clarifying that this article is about real Irish women, not Americans with Irish descent.  Also, the inspiration to write these words came after reading an article from Molly Muldoon (the Deputy Editor and a reporter for the Irish Voice) titled, “Dating Irish girls – A guide for American lads”. The article is an amusing and interesting guide on how not to look foolish when trying to date an Irish female. I do feel, however, that her article didn’t quite give the Irish ladies enough…love (as this was not the article’s purpose). Therefore, I felt I should give it a go.

Irish women have...humor. In America, guys aren’t used to women being humorous. Here, the guys make the jokes and the girls…well…the girls just laugh at them.

Irish girls have a certain amount of “wit”. Yes, banter, sarcasm, and jest...all part of the awesome Irish personality. It may even seem at times that their humor is a little harsh…but if you can have a sense of humor about yourself then you’ll definitely enjoy laughing with your girl rather than just making her laugh.

I’m not sure where Irish females rank in the world population chart of intelligence…but it seems much higher than I’m used to being around. At least, they seem much less ditsy. If they can be ditsy, they are much less annoying than the standard American ditsy that I’m used to (i.e. “OMG!”).

It all goes back to their attitude. I know Molly was somewhat in jest when she mentioned Irish women to be “a force to be reckoned with”, but I would like to say I’ve never seen them that way. They must only be that way when they need to be, because every Irish girl I’ve met has been easy going, laid back, talkative, and fun.

Even if Irish women tried to sound vicious, I don’t think they’d be able to master the wonderful art of American snide. And, they can get away with murder, at least with me, because as soon as they start to talk…I melt. I was listening to an Irish girl talk on the radio and I would have married her through the phone if she’d let me.

When the words “Irish” and “Drinking” are used together it’s a definite cliché…but I had to go there. It’s true that Irish girls can drink, I’ve found myself trying to keep up with them on more than one occasion. But what I enjoy most about their drinking habits is they aren’t afraid to order a good old fashion beer or stiff drink (or cider). I suppose it depends on the guy…but I for one am not attracted to the “$7.50 pink fruity drink” type girls. Irish girls know how to drink like a man…and…well…you get the idea about the rest.

If the American women share this article with each other I’m sure to be shunned or OMG’d to death. And if I seem a little harsh and unfair to my female American companions…I suppose I am. But, if you could tell me where to find one of those pretty Irish girls near Chicago, I wouldn’t mind ditching all those female American companions anyhow.

*Kevin Zarlengo is a sales account executive for a technology company in Illinois. He studied in Ireland in 2009.