Irish-American skier Hannah Kearney wins gold

I agree with Tom Swinford--where is the Irish connection? Granted her surname is Kearney, but, in an interview I watched Sunday evening Hannah clearly stated her mother is Canadian and she has many relatives living in the Montreal area. So, she is half American and half Canadian. There is no mention of how many generations the Kearneys are removed from Ireland.

Mylesie raises a fair question. Personally, I think IrishCentral is going to ludicrous extremes in gathering all and sundry to the collective Irish bosom. The term "Irish Americam" may be reasonably applied to those that are up to two or three generations removed from Ireland. Reaching back 6 or 8 or 10 generations is silly and meaningless. Such people have little or no connection to Ireland, genetically or spiritually - and indeed couldn't care less about the ould sod. IC happily pursues them anyway. I remember being in Ireland in 1976 when Chairman Mao died. I could not believe my ears - there was a serious discussion on RTE about Mao's connection to Ireland, something about Celtic tribes reaching China in antiquity. It was pathetic. Are we so desperate for validation that we try to identify with a meglamaniac responsible for the deaths of 30 to 50 million people. In fairness to IC it only seeks out folks of outstanding accomplishment in the arts, sports, politics, etc., however tenuous their connection or attachment to Ireland might be. Susan Boyle, on the other hand, has a very clear connection to Ireland. Her story is heart-warming but IC's endless devotional coverage has turned her into a cult figure. Enough!

Where is the Irish connection? might be nice to clarify!