In New Jersey, I know what I am, and so does mostly everyone else. It’s easy, sure, I’m Irish. (Again, the name pretty much gives it away). In America you can be Irish, German, Italian, Polish, this or that or some exotic mix of them all. It’s only in rare cases do you find someone who identifies as simply “American”.
But as I’ve travelled between New Jersey and Ireland, as well as a few other European countries, the question ‘What are you?’ has come up here and there. Meaning, of course, what nationality am I?
Perhaps my earliest encounter with such a discussion was when I was still in elementary school and had to get measured for a uniform for the following year. Standing in line, my name was eventually called up by the tailor. When I got up to the front to have my measurements taken, the tailor asked, “Kerry O’Shea...Polish, right?”
I looked up at him with my childish naivete, confused and astounded all at once. Did he really think I was Polish with a name like Kerry O’Shea?
“No, I’m Irish! My dad’s from Ireland!”
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Evidently he didn’t expect me to be so baffled at his honest joke and laughed in response saying “Oh, you almost had me!” Nowadays, I would joke along and just say, ‘Yes, very Polish.’
Growing up in a small town in New Jersey, I was always known as one of the “Irish” kids. Having a parent from a different country can be sort of a novelty for other kids born to American parents. Young kids meeting my dad and hearing his Irish accent can be thrown off at times, but are always intrigued.
I spent a solid 15 years competitively Irish dancing, so every year for talent shows I was up on stage doing a reel or whatnot. St. Patrick’s Day was an obligatory day off from school, mainly because I was making runs around town to do different performances. I had, literally, the opportunity to put my heritage on display throughout my youth. (Which, of course, doesn’t mean to imply that all Irish dancers are Irish and only Irish, but that’s a whole other discussion.)
In high school, I found my closest friends to be of similar heritage; they were mostly children of one or more immigrants from Ireland. I suppose you could chalk it up to the fact that we had an inherent understanding of each other. We were “the Irish kids,” and all of our parents were friends or, at the very least, acquaintances from when they had first moved to the US when they were younger. Our parents encountered an almost instant sense of community that lingers on today amongst Irish immigrants.
The question of my nationality was first posed seriously to me when I was at my internship in Dublin, where I studied abroad during my junior year of college. “So, do you consider yourself Irish or American?” my supervisor, a man from Cork, asked.
It was an interesting question for me, and probably the first time that anyone seriously questioned me as to what nationality I was. It had always been abundantly clear that I was Irish, at least in New Jersey anyway.
I realized it was a matter of location. “Well, at home I’m Irish. But here in Ireland, I’m American I guess, even though all of my family’s from Ireland.” I went on to explain how my dad’s from Kerry, and that although my mother was born in New York, her parents are from Galway and Mayo. The Corkman replied with a chuckle, “Jesus you’re nearly more Irish than me!” before he again slid into his joking (but probably not-so-joking) tirade of how there’s nothing in the world he hates more than a Kerryman, a rivalry I’m well familiar with.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also come to understand that there are varying degrees of what is considered Irish in America, and how Irish-born perceive that. You have the families like mine, where we embrace our heritage, mostly because we know no other way. We can point out directly where our lineage comes from. Then there are those who thrust themselves into the identification of Irish because, while they may have only some familial connections to Ireland, they are attracted to the degree of trendiness that is sometimes associated with being Irish in America today.
And then there are those who I believe are attracted to the sense of community that being Irish offers. They may have little to no concrete connections to Ireland, but still want to identify with the culture. With Irish being one of the largest populations worldwide, you’re sure to find some Irish influence at any corner of the globe, a sense of comfort for some I presume.
I believe that’s one of the reasons why one’s heritage is often put to question, especially in Ireland. I have the feeling that Irish people, in Ireland, are acutely aware of those who come to Ireland claiming that they’re “Irish,” but could hardly tell the difference between Dublin and Galway.
But that’s not to say that one degree of Irish is better than another, either. It’s one thing to say you’re Irish, and it’s another to be Irish. I myself claim to be Irish, but that claim was challenged by some Irish-born while I was living in Dublin. Ultimately, it really is your location that defines it.
So, what are you?
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READ MORE:
Mommy Diaries: Busy mom forgets she’s pregnant as toddler is a 24-7 job
Top ten things to dislike about Irish women
One thousand famine victims found in Irish burial site
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Hannigan1987 | Apr 19, 2012, 07:01 PM EDT
My names Rob my opinion is you got a some Irish blood in you. For me I am full blooded Irish, I am an American. My Mothers side and Fathers side are both Irish. The thing about Ireland, is that it's an island has been for as geology can remember. People one way or another came by it by boat. I think it's been settled sense 9,000 bc an even then it was surrounded by water. So no one is a natural native of Ireland. Everyone of the six million who live their now and all those six feet under came from some place else. Just wanted to say that and I can't wait to be there in just a sort 14 days. InishBofin here I come.
coolock5 | Oct 26, 2011, 02:58 PM EDT
There are two separate things - nationality and genealogy. Your nationality is the country you are a citizen of, your genealogy is your ancestry. One's nationality can change, their genealogy cannot. If an Irish couple moves from Ireland to Canada, become Canadian citizens then have a child in Canada, the child is Canadian in nationality, yet all Irish in genealogy. When someone from the U.S. goes to Ireland and says they're "Irish", they mean genealogy, not that they are Irish citizens. Dual citizenship just means one is a citizen of both countries, not that they have one parent from one country while the other is from another country.
Murph46 | Oct 24, 2011, 01:11 PM EDT
I'm Michael Thomas Patrick Murphy so there's no denying or would there be.I proudly wear a T-shirt that proclaims me a Proud Bog Savage in reference to the derisive term Churchill used to describe the Irish.Being Irish for me isn't only on March 17th,it is truly every day of my life.Up the Irish!
oTuachair | Oct 23, 2011, 07:39 PM EDT
I’m honored to be an American descended from Irish ancestors. I have studied Irish history and politics, but I understand that I am way too far removed from my Irish ancestry to deserve citizenship, never mind a vote. It is important to remember that the United States is a nation made up primarily of immigrants, which is why so many of us have an interest in genealogy, and knowing from where we came. When we discover a connection to Ireland, we are naturally drawn to it, because it gives us a sense of heritage beyond our American heritage. I'm always very careful to say that my ancestors were Irish, but I am an American....Irishness to me is more about an affection for the ancestral home of my family, a tremendous respect for the Irish people, Irish history, culture and current affairs, and the common bond of shared heritage. Some deserve the slanderous title of "plastic paddy" but I try very hard not to be one of them.
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 10:35 AM EDT
Sorry, lads, about the multiple posts. My attempts to post seemed not to be going through. The message said "It may take several minutes for your comment to appear" but it was actually more like several hours before they appeared. I wish I could delete the multiple posts. Don't worry - this will only be posted once (now that I know what the craic is regarding posting and how long it can take).
joycean | Oct 23, 2011, 10:25 AM EDT
Gaelphonican: Most IC readers are Americans of Irish ancestry and would have no problem agreeing that you are Irish, Irish-American, and/or American. Woodkern sounds like (s)he lives in Ireland. I think the attitude (s)he is expressing is very Euopean and shallow. In Germany, I met a young man who wanted to practice his English because he wanted to consider himself English, although he had never been there, had no family there,and didn't speak English, but thought England had the best football (soccer) teams. I think the nationality = geography theory is a reflection of the European theory that WWI, WWII, NI-ROI were the result of Ultra-nationalism, so today's young people have been brought up to see nationalism as evil: you are where you live.
Eire2009 | Oct 23, 2011, 04:07 AM EDT
You are whatever you think you are until someone points out otherwise. It's a state of mind, really. And just because you have an Irish passport and Irish heritage doesn't necessarily mean you *are* "Irish" in some respects -- of course it depends how you look at it. For exampl, my wife is American, born and raised. She's never been to Ireland and has no familiarity with Gaeilge at all, yet she has the passport with the Harp on it. Although her passport lists her nationality as "Éireannach/Irish" truth be told she's essentially American. She also has Polish ancestry but is one generation too distant from qualifying for a Polish passport. Ethnically she is mainly a mixture of Irish, Polish, German, and Hungarian -- a Euro mutt just like me. There's no doubt that she is very proud to have grandparents from Ireland and Irish lineage, but she views herself as an American who has a second citizenship. That's just her take on it from her upbringing.
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 02:02 AM EDT
I'm curious as to how people on IC would label me but I've a good idea already. Born and bred in America, I've dual nationality and 2 passports (Irish and American). I'm an Irish citizen (both of my parents had surnames of Gaelic origin), I've a PPS number, have voted in Irish elections and referenda, paid taxes in Ireland (on both sides of the border), I'm fluent in the 2 official languages of the Republic of Ireland agus is í an Ghaeilge an teanga a labhraím go laethúil (sa bhaile) le mo bhean agus lena muintir. I have lived most of the last 20 years (apart from a couple years spent on the continent doing Irish language research) in Ireland and yet I know that there are many people (far too many of them) in Ireland who think as Woodkern does and will never, ever, ever, acknowledge my Irishness. I could live in Ireland for 50 years and be the best Irish speaker in Ireland and people like Woodkern would still dismiss me as an alien. Fair play to Ballyphehane, his (her?) presence on the forum reassures me that at least some of the Irish-born-and-bred on IC are capable of seeing the bigger picture and have the cop-on to understand that identity can be a complex thing and is not as black and white as the likes of Woodkern think (i.e. purely based on geography).
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 01:06 AM EDT
I'm curious as to how people on IC would label me but I've a good idea already. Born and bred in America, I've dual nationality and 2 passports (Irish and American). I'm an Irish citizen (both of my parents had surnames of Gaelic origin), I've a PPS number, have voted in Irish elections and referenda, paid taxes in Ireland (on both sides of the border), I'm fluent in the 2 official languages of the Republic of Ireland agus is í an Ghaeilge an teanga a labhraím go laethúil (sa bhaile) le mo bhean agus lena muintir. I have lived most of the last 20 years (apart from a couple years spent on the continent doing Irish language research) in Ireland and yet I know that there are many people (far too many of them) in Ireland who think as Woodkern does and will never, ever, ever, acknowledge my Irishness. I could live in Ireland for 50 years and be the best Irish speaker in Ireland and people like Woodkern would still dismiss me as an alien. Fair play to Ballyphehane, his (her?) presence on the forum reassures me that at least some of the Irish-born-and-bred on IC are capable of seeing the bigger picture and have the cop-on to understand that identity can be a complex thing and is not as black and white as the likes of Woodkern think (i.e. purely based on geography).
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 12:48 AM EDT
I'm curious as to how people on IC would label me but I've a fair idea already. Born and bred in America, I've dual nationality and 2 passports (Irish and American). I'm an Irish citizen (both of my parents had surnames of Gaelic origin), I've a PPS number, have voted in Irish elections and referenda, paid taxes in Ireland (on both sides of the border), am fluent in the 2 official languages of the Republic of Ireland agus is í an Ghaeilge an teanga a labhraím go laethúil (sa bhaile) le mo bhean agus lena muintir. I have lived most of the last 20 years (apart from a couple years spent on the continent doing Irish language research) in Ireland and yet I know that there are many people (far too many of them) in Ireland who think as Woodkern does and will never, ever, ever, acknowledge my Irishness. I could live in Ireland for 50 years and be the best Irish speaker in Ireland and people like Woodkern would still dismiss me as an alien. Fair play to Ballyphehane, his (her?) presence on the forum reassures me that at least some of the Irish-born-and-bred on IC are capable of seeing the bigger picture and have the cop-on to understand that identity can be a complex thing and is not as black and white as the likes of Woodkern think (i.e. purely based on geography).
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 12:42 AM EDT
I've nothing against the so-called 'New Irish'(I've a few good friends who are 'New Irish') and acknowledge the Irishness of those who were born and bred in Ireland on geographical/upbringing grounds but I will not accept that they are more Irish than I am (or that they are Irish and I am not) merely because of an accident of birth. I know children (the children of friends of mine) who were born and brought up in Ireland but don't think of themselves as Irish and never will. Their parents are from Africa and Asia, they speak or at least hear (and understand) African and Asian languages at home, eat food at home that would be totally foreign to their ethnic Irish-born-and-bred neighbours, and are brought up with customs in a family culture that most of their neighbours would find alien. The Irish language and the history of Ireland mean nothing (apart from being school subjects) to the young Irish-born-and bred children I know whose parents immigrated from Nigeria or India – it's not THEIR history or language. However, the destruction of the Gaelic order after the Battle of Kinsale, the penal laws, 1798, and An Gorta Mór, are as much part of MY family's history as they are of yours, Woodkern, (regardless of where I was born or spent my childhood) and they're important to me in a way that they will never be to Irish-born-and bred child of African or Asian (or even Eastern European) parents. Ar aon nós, tá neart 'Iar-Bhriotanach' in Éirinn agus más iadsan na 'Fíor-Éireannaigh', a Cheithearn Choille, níl mise ag iarraidh a bheith i m'Éireannach ná baol air. Ná bac le hÉireannach nó Meiriceanach; is í an fhéiniúlacht is tabháchtaí dom fein m'fhéiniúlacht mar Ghael. Is sloinne Gaelach atá orm, is í fuil na nGael a ritheann trí mo chuislí, agus is í teanga na nGael a bhíonn go seasta i mo phluc; ag deireadh na dála, roimh lipéad féiniúlachta ar bith eile, is Gael mé.
Gaelphoncán | Oct 23, 2011, 12:37 AM EDT
I'm curious as to how people on IC would label me but I've a fair idea already. Born and bred in America, I've dual nationality and 2 passports (Irish and American). I'm an Irish citizen (both of my parents had surnames of Gaelic origin), I've a PPS number, have voted in Irish elections and referenda, paid taxes in Ireland (on both sides of the border), I'm fluent in the 2 official languages of the Republic of Ireland agus is í an Ghaeilge an teanga a labhraím go laethúil (sa bhaile) le mo bhean agus lena muintir. I have lived most of the last 20 years (apart from a couple years spent on the continent doing Irish language research) in Ireland and yet I know that there are many people (far too many of them) in Ireland who think as Woodkern does and will never, ever, ever, acknowledge my Irishness. I could live in Ireland for 50 years and be the best Irish speaker in Ireland and people like Woodkern would still dismiss me as an alien. Fair play to Ballyphehane, his (her?) presence on the forum reassures me that at least some of the Irish-born-and-bred on IC are capable of seeing the bigger picture and have the cop-on to understand that identity can be a complex thing and is not as black and white as the likes of Woodkern think (i.e. purely based on geography).
Gaelphoncán | Oct 22, 2011, 09:48 PM EDT
I'm curious as to how people on IC would define me but I've a good idea already. Born and bred in America, I've dual nationality and 2 passports (Irish and American). I'm an Irish citizen (both of my parents had surnames of Gaelic origin), I've a PPS number, have voted in Irish elections and referenda, paid taxes in Ireland (on both sides of the border), I'm fluent in the 2 official languages of the Republic of Ireland agus is í an Ghaeilge an teanga a labhraím go laethúil (sa bhaile) le mo bhean agus lena muintir. I have lived most of the last 20 years (apart from a couple years spent on the continent doing Irish language research) in Ireland and yet I know that there are many people (far too many of them) in Ireland who think as Woodkern does and will never, ever, ever, acknowledge my Irishness. I could live in Ireland for 50 years and be the best Irish speaker in Ireland and people like Woodkern would still dismiss me as an alien. Fair play to Ballyphehane, his (her?) presence on the forum reassures me that at least some of the Irish-born-and-bred on IC are capable of seeing the bigger picture and have the cop-on to understand that identity can be a complex thing and is not as black and white as the likes of Woodkern think (i.e. purely based on geography).
MichaelMaedoc | Oct 22, 2011, 01:28 PM EDT
I love this question and agree that it is an identification with community that is defining. Even more so its a heritage that maintains that identity. I'm 3rd generation Irish American. My nationality is American, as my parents were not from Ireland. My mom's family had connection o family in Ireland but not so with my generation. However, we grew up in a thoroughly Irish American world in New Jersey, my parents from an Irish neighborhood, being of Irish heritage was a major part of our identity. More importantly, I trace my Catholic faith to my roots in Ireland and have always found the Irish saints as important models of the Christian life. I am Catholic first before consideration of nationality and thus identify with being Irish and American. The Irish are part of the cultural heritage and landscape of America.
Rebelforce | Oct 21, 2011, 10:26 PM EDT
My theory is that our Irish ancestors were so determined to stay Irish throughout many centuries of oppression and persecution in Ireland that regardless of where you may be born, the will to identify as Irish is still strongly in your DNA. This sense of being Irish is something in your blood, heart and soul, whether you've ever been to Ireland or not.
joan1954 | Oct 21, 2011, 09:13 PM EDT
I consider myself American-Irish, that is one wo is thrid generation. My mom was German-Irish as on the Texas frontier in the 19th century if you were Catholic you were either Irish or South German and my Irish immigrant great-grandmothers married American of German descent. Ther German side came in the 18th century and the Irish in the mid-19th after the famine period. My dad is a mixture of Scots, Scots-Irish and Welsh but whose forebears came in the 18th century. I consider my heritage Irish because it is the newest to America.
fossildigger | Oct 21, 2011, 08:35 PM EDT
I think of myself as Irish-american.Both sets of my grandparents are Irish Kennedy,Sullivan, Reilly, Tully.
AengusOg | Oct 21, 2011, 06:28 PM EDT
Our heritage and history is both Irish and American. Of the clever devils who postulate that one is merely American when born in America, we most fortunate ones, may I ask if all the children born of immigrants to Ireland are considered merely Irish. The citizens of Ireland have hyphenation problems of their own.
AlunPalmer | Oct 21, 2011, 06:13 PM EDT
The silly thing about these sort of debates is that there is one definite official answer. You are Irish if one of your grandparents were born in Ireland, and it can continue beyond that if your parent's birth was registered with the Irish Embassy before your birth, provided the chain of Irish citizenship is unbroken. Short version - you are Irish if you are entitled to a passport. So I'm not, but my grandfather was, even though he never lived in Ireland. This is the only correct answer to the question, and those Irish born persons who don't like the answer because they believe only those born there are Irish, are officially wrong, and can only complain to the Dail, and not to me.
snakehips | Oct 21, 2011, 05:08 PM EDT
We are Americans of Irish ancestry.We are proud of the struggles that our forefathers went through to come to America and the accomplishments that they personally attained as well as the accomplishments of the generations that followed them. One can not appreciate the future without first contemplating one's rich history. Our history helped develop our morals, our personalities and the yearning to learn where we came from. As a true American, one has to appreciate the result of a country that has evolved from the myriad of ethnic groups that have contributed to to the American fiber. I am an American of Irish ancestry and I appreciate the head start from my relatives that came to America to start something creative and special for my generation and the generations to come.
joycean | Oct 21, 2011, 04:04 PM EDT
Ballyphehane1: There is a difference in how far back.
bootsjoyce4 | Oct 21, 2011, 03:47 PM EDT
I grew up going to the Irish church and School (Catholic) My Lithuanian friends went to Lituanian School and Church.(catholic) Thank God the schools merged and we made lifelong friendships. This made sense as well.
Ballyphehane1 | Oct 21, 2011, 03:19 PM EDT
Who can really trace their heritage back to being purely irish.... There was a comment below about America being made up mainly of people that came from somewhere else. If you really think about it - Ireland's not that different. From what I can remember learning in school growing up in Cork - the Normans came and stayed. As did the Vikings, the English and countless other nationalities through the ages. Even St. Patrick came from Wales. I'm sure if half of the Irish that give out about people calling themselves Irish-American or whatever traced back their family history, chances are, they came from somewhere else, and not from Ireland. I mean, realistically, we can't all be descendants of the Fir Bolg, or whoever was there before them, now can we!
abbym7180 | Oct 21, 2011, 02:40 PM EDT
Well, i'm a third generation american, but most of my ancesteral ties are irish.Personally, i don't see a problem with people calling themselves irish-american.If your jewish no one frowns on you for being american as well(your not less jewish for being born here)! I don't think anyone in ireland should upset about us americans claiming to be irish american.It's in our dna, and hey we love our roots ,the irish culture, and irish people!As well as ireland. :)
BillyFitz | Oct 21, 2011, 02:17 PM EDT
Irish is a state of mind, way of life. I'm sure when we discover life on other plants/universes, they will have a bit of Irish in them as well.
clevelander | Oct 21, 2011, 01:53 PM EDT
Call your self what you think is right for you. It is no one Else's business, and if others do not like it, oh well.
Ajreaper | Oct 21, 2011, 01:49 PM EDT
America, unlike Ireland has a population that overwhelmingly came from somewhere else and while they are proud to be Americans many also feel a connection to the land of their ancestors. I think it's a good thing we have Irish, Greek, Italion and every other sort of festival- right now many places in the U.S. are celebrating Oktoberfest and I think these type of things promote cultural awareness, interest and understanding and that's certainly a good thing. So in the U.S. there are Irish Americans and Greek Americans and everything in between. There are all sorts of clubs and organizations for folks of every imaginable ethnic background (the GAA has a fair number of clubs all over the U.S.) that is one of the cornerstones of America. And if the Irish are still pissed about George Bush and the policies of the U.S. government and feel that means they have a right to dislike, be rude to or think poorly of any indivdual American well that says a great deal about them and none of it is good!
Woodkern | Oct 21, 2011, 01:11 PM EDT
Irish are from Ireland. Americans are from America. There is no such being as an "Irish"-American. What is so mysterious about this?
STEPcoach | Oct 21, 2011, 12:50 PM EDT
My family, on both my mother's and father's sides, came from Ireland. We did not leave by choice, but by necessity. I am proud to be an American, but I have been brought up to respect and honor my Irish heritage. We were raised with Irish stories, music, and pride in Irish history. When I returned to Ireland for the first time, on honeymoon, I felt like I was "home" for the first time in my 35 years. No matter what continent I was born on, my spirit, my blood, my DNA is and always will be Irish.
EileenOfarrell | Oct 21, 2011, 12:42 PM EDT
My father was born in Ireland but I was born in New York City, making me an American. When folks hear my last name, they immediately say "Oh, you're Irish" to which I politely respond "Actually, I'm American, but my father was born in Ireland." I get the strangest looks after that reply but I believe that if those of us who are American consider ourselves American (not Irish American, African American, Italian American etc.), perhaps we would all get along better. Perhaps a naive belief on my part. I am proud of my Irish heritage but I am also proud to call myself American.
ancavker | Oct 21, 2011, 12:35 PM EDT
As we got older many more of us explored in more depth the history and culture, and became intensely proud of all that the Irish Had accomplished in Ireland and around the world. We embraced it, and did not reject it as so many so called Irish in Ireland have done. We celebrate it, many of them find it embarrassing; how sad. Ans as we got older and got married, we still embraced the positive, and rejected the potential negative things when raising our own kids. We are comfortable in who we are and the Irish in Ireland need to understand that. Yes we are not Irish in the sense that we were born there, and if you cannot understand it, thats OK. It is an Irish-American thing. We can be as comfortable at a Chieftains concert as we are at a Rolling Stones concert. We can and do embrace both, and I think we are better for it.
ancavker | Oct 21, 2011, 12:29 PM EDT
Some Irish get so upset with this, and I find it funny. As many here say it is a cultural thing. I am the son of Irish immigrants, so is my spouse, we have deep connections there, the fact that we may not have been physically born there means nothing. I still recall my parents when I was a kid saying they got a letter form home, even after living here for forty years. All the stories when we were growing up, the out look on life and ways of seeing and doing things, both good and bad. This has been deeply ingrained in us, and is a part of us. Sure some of us were forced into the music and dancing when we were young, not because they wanted to torture us, but because it keep us off the streets. Much as they loved America, they were concerned about all the potential negative influences that were available to us. Some of us rejected it when we got older, because we thought it was not cool, many of us cam back to it when we got older, and had a better appreciation for it.
joycean | Oct 21, 2011, 12:23 PM EDT
Ajreaper, You are right: no one in Ireland SHOULD get upset, but as people have mentioned on IC, they do. I once called myself an Irish-American to a relative of mine in Ireland and watched her eyebrows shoot up with disapproval.I asked her why the term bothered her, but she wouldn't answer.One thing that really troubled me was a blog which blamed "Irish-Americans" for supporting the IRA and therefore being responsible for the deaths of many IRA victims. Another reason that the term can cause problems is that the Irish really hated Bush and blamed Americans for the deaths of many people in Iraq and Afganistan. Personnally, when in Ireland, I call myself an "American" and decided NOT to register as an Irish citizen after I collected all the paperwork.
Ajreaper | Oct 21, 2011, 12:07 PM EDT
LOL, I mean really is saying "I am an Irish American" something anyone in Ireland should get upset about? Please thats a silly petty thing more connected to wanting to be pissed about something then something that truly should be upsetting to anyone. Am I less Irish then a naturalized American citizen is an American? Should I be upset that this person was born in Berlin and has the stones to call himself an American? Should that person no longer consider himself a German? Are we so shallow that we cannot understand the difference between nationality and ethnicity? DNA testing says I am a descendant of Niall of the nine hostages- does that make me officially "Irish"? Go into any Realty office in a large American East coast city and tell them you wish to view homes for sale in "Irish" neighborhoods- my guess is they don't ask "what"? but they pull out listing without blinking. Come on people let's exercise some common sense and not take ourselves so seriously and save our emotions for things that really matter.
joycean | Oct 21, 2011, 11:36 AM EDT
Three of my grandparents were born in Ireland. The fourth was born in Canada of Irish parents. Legally, someone who has one parent born in Ireland IS a dual citizen of Ireland and the US. Someone with ONE Irish grandparent can register as a foreign born citizen of Ireland, becoming a dual citizen. So Kerry, you are a dual citizen of both countries. Americans don't care whether you call yourself American, Irish, Irish-American. Since American cities tend to have ethnic neighborhoods, calling yourself Irish, or Irish-American is a helpful clarification. And I have often been Ireland's ambassador to people without ties to Ireland.I was born in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, which still has a strong Irish culture. When I was a child, my family moved to the next town, Milton, which for many years had the highest percentage of people of Irish ethnicity of any town in the US. My father's parents were both born in Kerry, and my Kerry second cousins have never disowned us or claimed we weren't Irish. My father always called himself an American of Irish descent. But once he told me there have been people with his first and last name in Ireland for close to 1000 years, since the Norman invasion. I found that an astonishing idea. I've never seen anything in this country that is that old. Did his parents lose that heritage when they crossed the ocean? That is what tempranillo is saying. I have no ancestors who sailed on the Mayflower, fought in the American Revolution, or Civil War. None who owned slaves in the ante-bellum South.
cuculin | Oct 21, 2011, 11:13 AM EDT
Colkelley you are 100% wrong. If your born in Ireland your Irish plain and simple unless of course your David Feherty who now calls himself American , but that’s another story. I am from Kerry, Killarney to be precise and have been living in Canada for 10 years. I consider myself Irish not Irish Canadian. Growing up dealing with Irish American tourists my whole life and seeing the joy and pride in their faces when they come over and find what they are looking for was always a wonderful thing to see and I don’t care if it was their grandparents grandparents that came to America, if you are of Irish Heritage and you feel it and connect with it then your Irish American.
mcdolan | Oct 21, 2011, 10:39 AM EDT
When I am queried, my answer here in Ireland is that I am an American with four grandparents born in Ireland. It's difficult to get people who didn't grow up in neighbourhoods where nearly everyone was a descendent of an immigrant by a generation or two (such as native Irish) to understand that saying Italian- or Irish- or Polish-American is a cultural thing and not so much an allegiance thing.
colkelley | Oct 21, 2011, 10:27 AM EDT
To be Irish-American one must be born in Ireland and an American by naturalization and choice. Someone whose ancestors came from Ireland (like my mother MacQuillins and my father's Kelleys) is an American of Irish ancestry.
tempranillo | Oct 21, 2011, 10:22 AM EDT
If there was ever a need for terms to distinguish between resident citizens of Eire and those of us descended from Irish ancestors, this is it. Those of us who are diasporistas:) whose life experiences are American, Canadian, etc. are not Irish in any legal sense--as BD points out, its an abbreviation. We know that. We do not pay taxes to the Irish government; we do not 'pledge our lives to Ireland.' We are Americans, Canadians, etc. BUT, WHAT WILL ENGENDER SOME DEBATE IS THE ASSERTION THAT IRISH HISTORY IS MY HISTORY AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO IS A RESIDENT CITIZEN OF EIRE....at least up to the point of emigration>
AengusOg | Oct 21, 2011, 10:19 AM EDT
Desperate or adventuresome, our ancestors left Ireland and shunned the UK to find a better life in America. See Elia Kazan's too long film "America, America". this was not a renunciation of Ireland, they brought as much of their Dark Rosaleen with them as they could. She has been kept alive in all of us. The Irish sense of humor, the Irish warrior, the pubs, politicians, schools, churches, and forthright character. We have been sending money home "for the slates" for hundreds of years. How much of the Irish GNP over all that time has been due to our attachment to our Irish legacy. Perhaps your (wo)man from Cork could better understand if you explained that Irish who you were, and American is who you are, so you are Irish American. American first, Irish forever.
carrickcourt | Oct 21, 2011, 10:09 AM EDT
Proud to be an American of at least 25 % Irish ancestry. My family name is very English. My Anglo-Irish name is likely to have been in Ireland since about the time my maternal New England ancestors arrived in America the 17Th century.
CitizenWhy | Oct 21, 2011, 10:01 AM EDT
My parents were born and raised in Ireland and one fought and the other supported fighters in the Irish War of Independence. I am an American, and so were my parents.
BrendanDunphy | Oct 21, 2011, 09:58 AM EDT
The Irish (the real ones, the ones from Ireland) need to understand that when us Irish-Americans refer to ourselves as being "Irish", we're not meant to be taken so literally!! It is simply an abbreviation, short for "Irish-American". Like when someone from New Jersey says they're from "Jersey", they're not saying they're from that British island! The Irish get so upset when Irish-Americans say they're Irish. WE KNOW WE'RE NOT, so stop flattering yourself! It is an American cultural thing that the Irish don't quite get I guess...
RevRedDog | Oct 21, 2011, 09:55 AM EDT
As a fellow Jersey boy (The State not the Island) I agree almost whole heatedly with your piece. I am descended from Famine emigrants to Canada and America, thus I am the most Irish looking French Canadian you'll ever see LOL. My 3 year old son Sean looks like a poster boy for the Irish Tourism Board. But I always found myself in quite a different situation, I was never Irish enough for my friends of Irish Parents. While I too have traveled Ireland, I was married in a Kilt and am currently taking bagpipe lessons I always felt something was missing. I guess it was that "community" that you talked about.