Being Irish

When I was a ittle kid, I had long dark curly hair, blue eyes, and freckles. People, invariably men, would tell my mother, and later me, that I had the map of Ireland on my face. I used to think it meant I was unattractive----a face like a map? Who would want to look like one of those dull and boring pages in our schoolbooks? In retrospect, I suppose it was meant to be complimentary, but it's too late to appreciate that now. A face like a map---those damn idioms.