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Irish Americans have no real clue about Ireland - top ten reasons they get a bad name

Loud and too proud many Irish Americans make a very bad impression

JAMES FARRELL,

IrishCentral Contributing Writer

Published Friday, April 26, 2013, 4:49 PM

Updated Friday, April 26, 2013, 4:49 PM

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My American friends always tell me how they love Ireland. But when I stayed in Chicago in the 1990s they described an Ireland I never knew existed. On a recent visit back, it seems that little has changed.

Maybe a little self-awareness and education about how the Irish really live might help.

1. We don’t live in thatched cottages anymore -- get real. We’re an urbanized society and have the same living standards as the rest of the world.

2. We don’t say faith and begorrah or chase Leprechauns -- Hollywood has infected the brains of too many Irish Americans. We don’t believe in fairies, banshees, or leprechauns, unless it is for gullible Americans.

3. We don’t drink all day and fight all night. Too many showings of ‘The Quiet Man’ have pickled some Irish American brains. We like a drink but we rarely fight.

4. We don’t hate the British any more. Sure we did once, but we’re best friends for years now since the peace process, the Queen’s visit was totally popular.

5. We generally don’t like American Republicans. We are much more comfortable with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and their nuanced international world view than cowboys like George Bush and Ronald Reagan -- sorry all you Tea Party Irish.

6. We don’t really think you are Irish, the same way as us. If you are not born here then by our definition you are not Irish.

7. We don’t really like "Danny Boy" and all the sentimental songs. Sure, they are fine for a late night sing song for Americans but we are fed up of them.

8. We often tell jokes about you, usually about the phony Irish accents and Aran sweaters

9. We don’t know the Murphys from Cork or the Sullivans from Kerry, there are thousands of them.

10. We don’t want to hear any more Irish drinking jokes -- they are pathetic and demeaning to us for the most part.

*James Farrell is an Irish writer now living in Dublin

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deirdre emm | Jun 12, 2013, 09:41 AM EDT

Look at the picture and ask yourself how many "Irish Americans" look like that. There's your answer - none. So the article is coming from a very ignorant place. Obama and Clinton? Wow. Irish American tea partiers? Now who is being prejudice or "racist". Racist racist racist. Such an annoying term used by anyone who is losing an argument or wants a modern version of "heretic!" Doesn't affect me at all. I will say that if you think Obama and Clinton have been any different from Bush - wake up. Nothing changes whoever is in office. It's a charade for the men behind the curtain -the bankers. Are you still a believer in party politics? Dumbass. Even those fat people in the picture are probably way ahead of you.

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Seanyp | May 24, 2013, 12:45 PM EDT

I'm American and my grandparents are from Armagh. When people ask me my ethnic background I respond I'm Irish. I don't think Irish people in Ireland understand why people in America don't say "American". Everyone in America realizes everyone else is American but they also realize everyone in America is of a certain ethnic background as well. But if an Irish person from Ireland were to ask me, Id say I was American for sure. I think Irish people in modern times have a serious superiority complex going on. Look at #6. So by definition JFK wasn't Irish at all. I wonder if the writer is specifically talking about Americans who really have no clue about their ancestry and assume they are from Kerry or Cork or Americans like myself who literally grew up thinking they were Irish waiting to go back home. And one last thing about Irish and Irish Americans. Nothing pisses Irish Americans off more than Irish in Ireland commenting on American politics and politicians, you have no clue what you are talking about so please don't assume you are right because you live in Europe and think you are smart.

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Jerry Kelly | May 14, 2013, 02:20 PM EDT

Is so-thuigthe é seo. Ní linne an tír sin Éire. Is Meiriceánaigh sinn. Ach b'fhéidir nach bhfuil a fhios ag mórán Éireannach cé hiad féin na laethanta seo. Gan Gaeilge, gan punt (agus Euro ina áit), gan a dteoranta féin, faoi dhlí Eorpach, ar thoil Ghearmánach, 'Eorpaigh' nó 'West Brits' gan bród iontu féin mar Éireannaigh. B'fhéidir nach bhfuil aithne ag Meiriceánaigh ar "An Éire Nua". Ach, b'fhéidir nár mhaith linn aithne a chur ar "An Éire Nua".

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sully1167 | May 09, 2013, 05:02 AM EDT

No Barry, I was speaking of some Non-English speaking immigrants to the US. Please reread what I have written.

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Barry | May 08, 2013, 02:31 PM EDT

@IrelandNorth: Speaking English is only a big achievement if it happens NOT to be your native tongue. The point I was making earlier was that Irish immigrants to English-speaking countries had a big advantage over other groups in being native speakers of English. And unlike many other immigrant groups, Irish people have never emigrated in large numbers to non-English speaking countries and so have no idea how hard it can be for someone to get by in a foreign language. But they'll be the first to criticise foreigners/immigrants for not being able to speak English. @sully1167: Are you implying that non-English speaking immigrants to Ireland and other European countries don't make an effort to learn the language. I don't agree with that - most foreigners I meet in Ireland speak English quite well. Most people from English-speaking countries on the other hand have no knowledge of any foreign languages. @Symrnian: Riots, looting and demands for Sharia law are quite rare and you shouldn't paint masses of people with the same brush. @Seanmor: Ireland was similar to a Third World country up until a few decades ago. When you say you never felt like "an Oriental, an African or any other Third World resident", it sounds like you think those people are inferior, which sort of backs up what I said earlier about the racist tendencies of Irish-Americans.

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Seanmor | May 07, 2013, 08:34 PM EDT

Barry claims that up tom a few decades ago Ireland (the Southern Irish state?) was a Third World country.I was raised in that Ireland and a long as I can remember my mother was always collecting money for the African missions. At the age of 9 I collected subscriptions for the Far East magazine, which was produced by the Irish Columban Fathers. Never once did I feel like an Oriental, an African, or any other Third World resident. I was proud of my nationality then agus is mar sin atá mé fós.

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Smyrnian | May 07, 2013, 07:41 PM EDT

Barry - I suppose by ' cosmopolitan' you mean the riots, lootings and demands for Sharia law in France, Holland and England? Great result for those people who have effectively lost their countries and culture to the Islamist plan.

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sully1167 | May 07, 2013, 04:44 PM EDT

Barry: I do appreciate it, the Irish certainly had that advantage over other immigrant groups. Don't forget they also helped a lot of minority groups with their own achievements, in the US. The non-English speaking immigrants to America made the effort, and learned. They weren't pandered too like in today's politically correct environment.

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IrelandNorth | May 07, 2013, 02:57 PM EDT

Barry! If speaking English is no great achievement, have you considered it's usefulness for others in reading your posts. If you were an employer in a primarily anglophone (English speaking) country, would you hire someone who is only fluent in Swahili, Urdu, Pali or Uzbek? Can't imagine you being in business for too long. Would speaking Vulcan be preferable? You##d be hired for Star Trek for sure.

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ginadolan | May 07, 2013, 01:29 PM EDT

447 comments! Could you lot get a sense of humour about this article?

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Barry | May 07, 2013, 01:20 PM EDT

@sully1167: Being white isn't an achievement! Neither is being black, or any colour in between. That's just a statement of fact. Being English-speaking isn't an achievement either if it happens to be your native tongue. I mentioned those two characteristics of the Irish in my earlier post as I believe they gave Irish immigrants in the UK, US, Canada and Australia a huge advantage over other groups in years gone by - an advantage that many Irish-Americans don't seem to appreciate.

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sully1167 | May 07, 2013, 09:31 AM EDT

Barry: You are bigoted towards Irish-Americans. You are also a self hating white, For your comment about not being much of an achievement. Don't tell me you are not prejudice. "Cosmopolitan" more leftist language.

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STEVENSTAR | May 07, 2013, 08:15 AM EDT

444 COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE .. WELL SOMEONE HAS A BEE IN THEIR BONNET HAHA !!! AS AN IRISHMAN I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS ARTICLE AND THE '' ARROGANCE'' OF THE AMERICAN COMMENTERS BELOW IS SAD.. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF I MADE COMMENTS LIKE THAT ABOUT AMERICANS AND PRETENDING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT AMERICA THEN THE NATIVES.. I DONT THINK IT WOULD GO DOWNN TOO WELL WITH AMERICAN CITIZENS JUST LIKE THE COMMENTS ON HERE DONT GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH IRISH CITIZENS

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Barry | May 07, 2013, 06:07 AM EDT

@sully1167: You say "You take care of you own first". European countries have always done this anyway. Immigration to Europe only started when there were labour shortages here. I don't feel any guilt for "Third World nations" (what a disparaging way to refer the counties of origin of non-white people by the way!) Neither do I begrudge them of a chance at a better life. Anyway, up until a couple of decades ago, Ireland was more or less a Third World country but the UK, US, Australia and others still had no problem admitting us in droves. probably because we were white and could speak English - neither of which is an achievement I hasten to add. As for me being a bigot, I must say I'm a bit confused. Who am I bigoted towards? @WoundedKnee: Maybe I am a bit out of touch with many in Ireland on the immigration issue but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. In 1930s Germany, I bet those who weren't anti-Semitic were considered "out of touch". Same could be said perhaps of those opposed to slavery in 19th century America. @Smyrnian: I'm a quite well travelled all over Europe, including France. I love how cosmopolitan those places are, if that's what you;re referring to.

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IrelandNorth | May 07, 2013, 03:51 AM EDT

dingle999! I regret your relapse to distinctly un-Great British tabloidism. You're bigger than that, my man. Revert to your previous intellectual content, for God (and Ulster's?) sake. If Nigel Farragh's United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) rebranded as the Great Britain Independence Party (GBIP), more Irish in Great Britain (GB) would support them. After all, 5 (of 6) m people on the Island of Ireland (IoI) support Great Britian's (GBs) independence from Northern[ised] Ireland (NI). Thats 5/6 ths or 83.3%!

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