No. 350 - Vatican Twins

I received an e-mail from my aunt this morning which read: I was watching a documentary tonight and heard the term Irish twins and thought of you. First time I ever heard this. Was wondering if you are aware of Vatican twins and Irish twins????

I have heard the term Irish twins because I am one. I understood the term to mean two siblings born in the same calendar year. In my case, I was born in January and my brother was born in December of the same year.

However, every definition I found expanded that definition to include children born within twelve months of each other. About.com says this about Irish twins:

The term is used to describe two children born to the same mother in the same calendar year or within twelve months of each other. The phrase originated as a derogatory term associated with Irish immigration to the United States and England in the 1800s. The implication was that large groups of close-in-age siblings were the result of uneducated, poor Irish Catholic families' lack of birth control as well as self-control. In modern use, the term is not intended as an insult, but rather a description of siblings born close together.

I learned that the term Vatican twins is synonymous with Irish twins.

I also learned that Irish triplets are when three children are born to the same mother within three years, which makes me one of those as well.