Irish acting legend Peter O’Toole announces retirement at the age of 79 - VIDEO

First of all manhattan, I apologise for the Plastic Paddy remark! Secondly, the people I met in Chicago justified their anti-British sentiments on the suffering of their ancestors, which I fully understand. What I don't understand is their antipathy to the post-colonial UK. We grew up on English music, TV programmes etc. I don't have a problem with the English, most of whom are decent, nice people.

I don't like to trade insults either but why do you and others in Ireland feel free to insult us? You really need an education on the Irish American experience. When our families came here after the famine and through the years of the troubles, many of us have relatives who experienced what it was like to live under British rule. We were raised on that history but, I wonder why you didn't question the person in Chicago on why he was anti British. What was he told by his family. I'm very happy to see that relations between Briton and Ireland are improving but you can't erase from the minds of people what happened to the Irish. You should be happy that we children of immigrant's from Australia (how about there ancestors shipped out to Australia for stealing bread to feed there children? So, if you across what you call a "Plastic Paddy" by the way no one hates the stage Irishman more then us but read up on the American experience and you might be thank fulll we never forgot you and helped Ireland even when my Irish grandmother worked here as a maid but always sent money and clothes back even though she and her children were living in a cold water flat in New York City,

manhattan: I'm not going to trade insults because I'm generally not a nasty person. I've visited Chicago twice and the Irish-Americans I met there bore no resemblance to the Irish I grew up with, and I found them to be very anti-British. I just want to ask you what your opinion on Britain is.

YoungPike, Andy explained my feelings exactly on what it means to grow up in Irish communities. I wish I were that articulate but smart mouths like you with your nasty comments to any of us who claim to be irish American etc. makes me want to wring your neck. You couldn't call Andy a plastic Paddy because he beat you at your game.

Andy: Thankyou for enlightening me. You are a true gentleman. I can't say the same about "manhattan" though, but Plastic Paddy comes to mind!

Peter O'Toole is one of the finest actors ever. How he wasn't awarded an Oscar for at least one of his great performances I will never know. He will be missed. I'm real sick of the likes of YoungPike calling anyone racist that considers themselves Irish descent. The definition of descent means,"linage,family origin". Care to comment on that you twerp. Proud american of Irish descent. Also, have the right to call myself Irish American.

Very interesting, I did not know that he even claimed to be Irish even though he has lived in Ireland for many years now. Friends of mine from here in the States were on their honeymoon about eight yrs ago and were drinking in some small hotel bar in Wicklow (I think) and himself was there and apparently very friendly and entertaining.

Youngpike, Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole was born in 1932. Some sources give his birthplace as Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, and others as Leeds, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, where he grew up. O'Toole himself is not certain of his birthplace or date, noting in his autobiography that, while he accepts 2 August as his birthdate, he has a birth certificate from each country, with the Irish one giving a June 1932 birthdate. In any case O'Toole considered himself Irish and rightly so having an Irish father. Being Irish isn't just about being born there. It's music and culture has stood the test of time in countries like the UK, US and Australia thanks to the millions who emigrated there and their decendents. Growing up in Irish communities outside Ireland instills a strong sense of identity for many second and third generation Irish people. Therefore it is perfectly natural for the likes of O'Toole to assert his Irishness or indeed a dual identity such as Anglo Irish, Irish American etc like millions of others around the world.

Peter O'Toole's mother was Scottish and his father Irish. The actor was born and raised in Leeds, England. Therefore, Peter O'Toole is English. There's something faintly racist about ascribing Irishness to people solely on the basis of one aspect of their ancestry.