If you ask me, all rom-coms teach us a valuable life lesson. And if you ask me again, in 2010, Universal Pictures blessed us with the rom-com that might be, in fact, the most important of all of time – Leap Day, starring Amy Adams.
One word as to why this movie is so important: Irishmen. In the film, we learn that according to old Irish tradition, if a man receives a marriage proposal on Leap Day he must accept it, and marry the person who proposed.
Meaning: if you propose to an Irishman this February 29th, you have the chance to live your very own PS I Love You fantasy (minus the part where Gerry dies) with your brand new Irish husband. Thank you, Amy Adams.
Although I can’t guarantee that any Irishmen will actually accept your proposal (or that you’ll even come into contact with any Irishmen this February) I can, at least, help you out by narrowing the list down. There are just over 2 million men in Ireland – I’ve come up with the top 10 to set your sights on this month, in NO particular order. Grab a Guinness and join me in the world’s most superficial tour of the Emerald Isle!
1. Niall Horan
You can’t even argue with me here because I won’t listen to you. Niall Horan is literally the most attractive human being to ever grace this Earth. I don’t want to hear anything other than agreements. He can sing and play guitar, he’s got a net-worth of over 20 million dollars, and he’s really funny. Also, he’s single. Niall Horan, guys.
2. Rory McIlroy
Not only is Rory McIlroy absolutely adorable, but he’s also one of the best golfers in the entire world right now. Not to mention, he’s even richer than Niall Horan. And look how cute his freckles are!
3. Devon Murray
If you like boys and didn’t have a crush on Seamus Finnegan when you watched the Harry Potter movies as a kid, you’re lying. His Twitter account is absolutely precious, and look at those ruddy cheeks!
4. Danny O’Donoghue
Danny is the lead singer of The Script, meaning he wrote all your favorite breakup songs like Breakeven and The Man Who Can’t Be Moved. Propose to him and then break it off to see what beautiful musical genius comes of it.
5. Niall Breslin
Just like Niall Horan, Niall Breslin, who goes by Bressie, hails from Mullingar in the middle of Ireland. He’s a singer, a judge on The Voice Ireland, and a superstar athlete. Plus he just started his own mental health support foundation. He’s also literally 6’5”.
6. Jamie Dornan
Jamie was in 50 Shades of Gray, which may make or break your opinion on him. Regardless, he’s got a really great beard and a smolder that rivals Flynn Rider’s.
7. Damian McGinty
He kind of looks like he’s 12 but actually he’s 23 so it’s all good. Damian is another ridiculously good singer – he joined Celtic Thunder at the age of 14, and had a brief stint on Glee as well, after winning The Glee Project.
8. Aidan Turner
He may have had that really long, kinda greasy hair in The Hobbit, but in real life Aidan Turner has the most adorable head of curly hair I’ve ever seen.
9. Chris O’Dowd
You might know Chris O’Dowd from Bridesmaids, although he’s not as big in the States as he is over in the UK and Ireland. He and his wife, Dawn O’Porter (who, coincidentally, wrote a great YA novel called Paper Airplanes) , had a baby just about a year ago, but you can still try.
10. Colin O’Donoghue
Another really tall Irishman with a great beard. He plays Hook on Once Upon a Time and I don’t really know what else you can ask for.
Shout-out to Una Foden and Evanna Lynch, two beautiful Irish women who would be on this list if the superstition was the other way around. Propose to them anyway.
*Craic (pronounced like crack) is an Irish term meaning something along the lines of “good times” or “fun.” When something is really enjoyable, Irish people will say “good craic!” or ask, “what’s the craic?” when asking what’s going on later tonight.