Are Irish Men Really the Most Attractive In The World?

Do you fancy men? Do you live in Ireland? Well, congratulations, folks, because it turns out that contrary to what you might have always believed, Irish men are the most attractive in the world! Or at least, the most appealing group of men to have an illicit affair with.

Yes, according to a poll of 2000 British women conducted by a dating website aimed at married people wanting affairs (how classy), when women were asked "what’s the best race to have an Illicit Encounter with?" and given 30 options," 23% of those women chose the Irish. Let's not even go near the fact that they used the word "race" rather than "nationality". Anyway, apparently those tempted by our menfolk's Hibernian charms thought Irish men were the most appealing candidates for an affair because " 1) ‘Irish men make me laugh’ 2) ‘Irish men are very discrete’ 3) ‘Irish men are charming.’"

Are they? Are they really? I have nothing against Irish men. Some of my best friends are Irish men. My husband, with whom I have been loved up for 14 years and married for nearly seven, is an Irish man. But in general, I wouldn't have said that Irish guys were unusually charming. I mean, let's compare Jackie Healy Ray to, say, George Clooney. Who is more charming? Who is funnier? I think we know it's not the Irish bloke. And I don't know about discretion, as I've never had an illicit affair with anyone, Irish or otherwise, so it's not been a bit priority for me, but I can't imagine Irish men are unusually discrete.

So what does this madness mean? If you have a male Irish partner, should you watch out for hordes of married English, Welsh and Scottish women looking for a bit on the side? I suspect not. Anyway, even if they did, of the 460 women who were most attracted to Irish men, only 50 said they'd leave their husbands for them. That charming wit and discretion will only go so far. And just because these hypothetical Irish men are attractive, it doesn't mean they're into you. A spokeswoman for the dating website declared in a press release, "Charms gets you everywhere! Most people are very good at making themselves look good at dinner parties but Oscar Wilde was good at making others feel good." Apart from the fact that Oscar Wilde was also known for his gloriously scathing wit, I don't think he'd be the ideal candidate for a woman looking for a bit of action...

So do you think all these British women have it right? Are Irish men unusually attractive? Or do they only seem so when you're not surrounded by them all day...