After all these years in America, I still feel like an immigrant. Though I proudly hold American citizenship, it is other immigrants that I most readily identify with. “Where are you from?” I ask waiters and cab drivers, even a woman on the subway (we were so caught up in our chat about how “there is no place in the world like New York City” that I missed my stop).
The immigrant contribution to America is especially on my mind as the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War is being commemorated at every turn.
Other immigrants enlisted, but no other ethnic group is so closely linked to the Civil War as the Irish. As many as 200,000 soldiers in the Union Army, including seven generals, were born in Ireland. (When you consider the small size of our island, practically every family must have had a son in the Union army.)
And surely the Irish who survived the Famine only to end up fighting in the Civil War must have thought they were in hell – 600,00 soldiers dead and as many maimed for life.
The first casualty was an Irishman, Private Daniel Hough from my home county of Tipperary. Born in 1825, Hough immigrated to America and enlisted in the Union Army in October 1849. He was killed in the attack on Fort Sumter (a cannon he was loading exploded) on April 12, 1861, the day that marked the start of the four-year war.
“When anything absurd, forlorn, or desperate was to be attempted, the Irish Brigade was called upon,” Civil War correspondent George Alfred Townsend noted.
It’s a moot point to say that the Irish were not highly regarded as an immigrant group before the Civil War, but as Matthew Brennan, writing on the Irish Brigade in this issue, concludes, “With their bold courage they made a name that was carved so deeply into the American heart that there would never again be a question as to whether the Irish had the right to call themselves ‘Americans.’”
The Irish continued to serve with distinction in America’s military, and have the proud record of holding more medal of honor citations than any other ethnic group.
Which brings me to the thorny subject of immigration today. As the debate rages on about the undocumented, I find that my immigrant past plays a continuous influence on who I am. My loyalty is to America, but part of my history is colored by my experience as an immigrant, and my sympathy lies with the undocumented. Given a chance, I believe many of those undocumented Mexicans, Irish, and others would prove their loyalty if they were allowed to enlist in the U.S. Army as a path to eventual citizenship.
America’s closed-door policy on immigration is also particularly troubling now as more and more young Irish people are forced to leave Ireland. We had hoped that immigration would skip a generation in my family, but not so. On Easter Monday, my niece Aoife left from the very same farm that I left years ago, except her journey will not end in New York, much as she would love to come here, but very far away in New Zealand.
I have a dream that some hero will step up to the plate – someone of the ilk of Brian Donnelly or Bruce Morrison who were able to procure visas for the Irish in the past – to make a case for preference visas for Irish-born with family already here. Let’s say 200,000 visas (in honor of those 200,000 Irish-born who fought so gallantly and died for the United States of America) extended over a four-year Civil War commemorative period.
Yes, I know that would be showing favoritism, but given the disproportionate contribution that the Irish have made to America, I think it would be appropriate. (In 2009, of over a million green cards issued only 1,637, went to the Irish). Australia and Canada are already seeing the benefits of the influx of Ireland’s young, highly educated workers. And as in the past, America would benefit if it were to open the door just a crack, and let some more of our people in.
CLICK HERE for more about young people leaving Ireland today: Portraits of the Irish Leaving Home
12 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.GingerDee | Jun 11, 2011, 06:28 AM EDT
Seek not preference, but rather reciprocity. Create the same number of American-to-Irish paths to citizenship as Irish-to-American ones. Net immigration=null. No preferential treatment, just a lowering of political hurdles in a bilateral agreement. This type of arrangement would be feasible, since the immigration numbers would not be impacted on balance. From the comments here and what I've read elsewhere, there would be many places opened when Americans applied for places in Ireland. Guess this proves that "the grass is always greener on the other side" of the "Pond".
roibaird | May 30, 2011, 01:07 AM EDT
Patrica Shure now yer niece Aofie could'nt have chosen a better place to make her home than here in Aotearoa( the land of the long white cloud)I have no doubt in my mind you'll be hearin from her in the near future tellin you bout the warm heartedness of the Kiwis I bid her a Maori ...Haeri Mai!!!!!!!!!!
SusanneK | May 29, 2011, 02:01 PM EDT
The Irish are smart to make citizenship so difficult. The US is too easy with immigrants and it's costing Americans job security and $$$$$ and has been for years.
Niamhaine | May 29, 2011, 05:06 AM EDT
My husband and I are finishing up the five year process of getting dual citizenship- Irish/American. Each year we have to prove that we live here over 6 months of the year, are/would not be a burden on the Irish state, and will not apply for any Social Services or employment. We then pay 400 Euro for our residency cards for the year, The citizenship process will be around 1,000 Euro, My son can not apply for residency if he came over because he would need to seek a steady income. Are the immigrants to the US willing to do what my husband and I have to do to maintain residency in Ireland? I think not. And Patricia, my only words for you are "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." You still feel like an immigrant, while you soak up the benefits, really?
joan1954 | May 28, 2011, 04:46 PM EDT
Congrats Colkelly, my sentiments exactly. The Irish in the south and especially my state of Texas were treated with respect. Here is Texas the Irish helped settle and develop the state and they were from all parts of Ireland both Catholic and Protestant. The greatest of the Irish units from Texas was Hoods Texas Brigade. John Bell Hood gave his name to Ft. Hood outside of Killeen, Texas
Pittsburghkid | May 28, 2011, 12:31 PM EDT
You completely forgot about the Affirmative Action excutative order from 1970, which prevent third generation Irish American Males from applying for jobs. So do not complain to me about discrimination, because I have been discriminated against in my own country since 1970. If Amnesty is in acted then Mexican will get job preference over native born Americans. Where's the justice?
Ms.Gail | May 28, 2011, 11:40 AM EDT
It has often been noted that a significant part of both armys in the War of Northern Aggression/the Civil War were Irish born or Irish bred. I too would like to obtain Irish Citizenship, but even though all 4 of my grandparents were native born Irish, I've only run into walls trying to gather the necessary documentation.
colkelley | May 28, 2011, 11:09 AM EDT
In the South the Irish were integrated into society and treated with a respect not experienced by the Irish unfortunate enough to have been recruited as cannon fodder for the Union Army which equipped them with smoothbore rifles to force them to close within 25 yards of Confederate forces...and those Confederate forces included many native Irish and Irish-Americans including renowned Irish Confederate General Patrick R. Cleburne. There were no "No Dogs or Irish Allowed" signs in the South as there were in the North.
beaumax99 | May 28, 2011, 10:58 AM EDT
I totally agree with both cillowen and felicia. America was mostly built by the Irish. The Irish had to work ten times harder then any other ethnic group in order to be accepted and consider a group worthy of American citizenship. I was born and raised here in the U.S. and went to visit Ireland. Although I am Half Irish, 25% German, and 25% French, I felt more relaxed and comfortable in Ireland then I did when I visited Germany and France. I felt as though I truly belonged in Ireland. I for one would love to have citizenship to Ireland but after reviewing all of the necessary requirements, I feel that I would be better off just visiting for extended lengths of time. Very sad.
butlerreport | May 28, 2011, 10:54 AM EDT
Consider how Ireland screwed immigrants to her shore during the end of the boom era, we have some nerve expecting other counties to treat us any differently.
cillowen | May 28, 2011, 10:33 AM EDT
the irish - without them the thing we call america would not exist - full stop. The UK crowd mightily wailed of their loss on how they should have treated their subjects better.
feliciamaisey | May 28, 2011, 12:13 AM EDT
Interesting perspective, especially when there is so much red tape that very few Americans could ever truthfully fulfill their dream of moving to Ireland on a permanent basis.