I watched a program tonight wherein one of the characters that was raised in an Irish family claimed that although her parents always told her they loved her, she was never hugged. Another character stated he was Irish also and that hugging is not the Irish way, even with one's children. Any truth to that?
Very interesting, olivant. I grew up in an Irish home. I always felt great affection from my parents, but I don't recall being hugged a lot by them. I always hug my mom today, but my father, whom I love dearly, only gets a handshake and a pat on the back. My cousins, most of whom are Irish, tend to be more demonstrative with affection.
I remember reading about sociological tests where northern and southern Europeans were placed together in rooms in a social setting. The Southern Europeans, it was thought, were more physical and touchy than their northern counterparts. Anyhow, the test showed that the northerners liked to maintain greater space between each other, and as they conversed the southerners, who were used to getting very close to people when they spoke, would move closer to the northerners, who would gradually back up, and this was done all over the rooms.
