LAST NIGHT JEREMY Paxman, noted politician-worrier and student-scoffer trended on Twitter, not because he was mean to someone, but because he grew a beard.

via BBC

UPDATE: Paxman has released a statement about his beard…

If one beard can cause so much consternation, imagine what a whole nation of beards could do.

Come on men of Ireland, get growing. Here’s why…

1. The bit of ginge

You can tell an Irishman by the level and quality of ginger present in his beard.

Michael Fassbender, going full ginge (Doug Peters/Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)

And lads, that bit of ginge is IRRESISTIBLE to ladies, other lads, dogs, cats, amoeba…

2. Chris O’Dowd

Before the full beard, he was just the dopey Irish one from The I.T. Crowd.

Now… behold!

Holy moly! Are we still wearing our tops? (Anthony Devlin/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

3. Tweets like these

4. Colin Farrell

He’s Irish. Look at his magnificent beard.

You can almost see the envy in the passenger’s eyes (via JustJared)

“Oh this old thing? I grew it myself” (FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press/Press Association Images)

5. Irish MMA fight Conor McGregor

Behind that beard is just another fist.

©INPHO/Donall Farmer

6. You can do better than Niall Horan from One Direction

Come on men of Ireland, don’t let a teenager’s bum fluff define our nation’s hirsute heritage.

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