Irish heritage certificates announced by government

What a great idea!

There are many of us who can still remember the beautiful lilt in our grandparent's speech and how it subconsciously affected our parents way of saying words. Yes, of course, we are Americans but for those of us descended from potato famine Irish and more recently the Republic of Ireland, Ireland was always part of our lives. I grew up with Ireland at war with itself and so my grandparents and other relatives were often concerned for those who stayed behind. We often sent clothing and small amounts of money to clothe and feed them. We weren't being "ripped off" - it wasn't a scam. They were dirt poor. Not that my immigrant grandparents had much to their name here in the states. They always worked for someone else, never owned property, and were decidedly lower to lower middle class. But the traditions, songs, poetry, Irish dancing etc. were the riches they gave me. A lot of us would love to walk the streets of our ancestors and someone lucky like me who knows the streets, towns, and counties where they lived because of the many letters I inherited from them, would love to just see the land from which they came.

to rhunter67: Okay. I do see your point, and I suppose many other groups want to be identified with their country of origin. It's just that a lot of folks claiming Irishness are very far removed from the old county, and have a what I call a "Tura-Lura-Lura" i.e., a very romanticized idea of what Ireland and the Irish area about. BTW, being Irish is not all it's cracked to be. (That was a joke, folks. I don't know how to do the smiley face thing here)!

Great grandparents came from County Mayo and County Longford, but I haven't been able to trace them other than through grandfather born in New York. This would be great for me and my family.

I thnk it is a superb idea and draws the Diaspora closer --well done irish government

To Yerfac, we do identify ourselves as American but there are many of us who have been raised with a great deal of traditional Irish influence, in some cases more than the young Irish of today who would rather be English or French. At the same time, it provides more of an identity to people than just being white, especially when you come from an immigration port of entry like NY or NJ where people take pride in their ethnic heritage.

This from a government who even denies the vote to those of its citizens who happen to be out of the country on Election Day. I agree with the other comments--it's a scam, peddled by a bankrupt gombeen country.

What a load of garbage. And will they SELL (there'll be a cost for all this) these pseudo-certs to the Irish folks in Argentina who were turned away by the Irish government a few years ago when their country was disintegrating? Oh no, beause at that time it was Argentina that was in trouble, and Ireland was booming! Now it's the other way around. Irish == Snivelling Hypocrites.

RedCelt: "It's a ploy to get some green out of us yanks". ----- You're right on the money there. I know Ireland very well, as I have dual citizenship., I know that the majority of the younger Irish sneer at Irish-Americans, and the older Irish just look to us to make a few quick euros. They don't call it Rip-Off Ireland for nothing!

I certainly hope the same discounts and benefits will be made available to those of us who are, in fact, dual citizens.

"I'm Irish too!" "Oh, from what county?" "Well, my great-grandmother's grandmother on my father's side..." Right. I'm tired of peple claiming they are "Irish". There is a club in Connecticut claiming to be for the Irish or those with Irish ancestory. It has a waiting list a mile long--and get this--even those of us who are Irish, were born and raised in Ireland, have to get on the list and be recommended for membership by a club member. I wonder how they determine who is eligible if being Irish in not an automatic "in"; what are the club's criteria? I've been there as a guest and the only truly Irish people I've ever met were the wait staff. (No, I don't belong, nor do I want to. I don't have join a club to be Irish. I am Irish.) How about you wannabees just accepting your American-ness? American is not such a bad thing to be.

It would be so much easier if NY State, where so many immigrants arrived would allow children of deceased residents to obtain a long form birth certificate for their parent. I have all the necessary paperwork ready to go EXCEPT for a copy of my mother's long form birth certiificate. Her mother, my grandmother, was born in Ireland. New York state absolutely refuses to release the necessary long form birth certificate of my mother. Ireland may be welcoming us, but New York where so many Irish immigrants shed their blood, sweat, and tears, refuses to be cooperative. Had my grandmother stepped over the border into Connecticut to have my mother, I would have no problem at all in getting a long form copy.

Citizen69 & jmcauliff are right on target - It's a ploy to get some green out of us yanks - without any real legal or other benefit (as described), in fact it sounds more like a Irish-diaspora coupon for travel and accommodations - Open immigration further to include great grandparents who emigrated and then we can talk benefits!

Mairin67, I think you miss the point. The certificate will not be one to prove our Irish "authenticity," but will recognize us as members of the Irish diaspora. We're well aware that we're not "Irish," as we've been reminded over and over again, but that doesn't change the fact that we are immigrants from Ireland, or descendants of Irish immigrants, and that our experience has been very different than many other emigrants from European countries. Obviously many other Europeans emigrated by choice, whereas our families often left under intense physical, social, and economic pressure, and many generations later that sense of loss is still with some Irish diaspora families. I think it's wonderful that Ireland is attempting to recognize that link between the Irish and her people abroad. The other half of my family is from England and clearly England would never think to do anything as generous as this.

Really? People need a certificate now to prove their heritage? Sounds like a business deal to me. If you are not born and raised on Irish soil you are not considered Irish by the natives regardless of what the government says or what discounts they are going to offer. Can't we just let the Irish be Irish and stop diluting it with all this nonsense. Serioulsy, if you tell someone you are Irish, are they going to question the authenticity of that? If they do, good thing you can whip out your certificate of authenticity.