I wanted to share a post for St. Patrick’s Day that reflected that warmth and extent of the Irish community around the world. Millions have their family roots in small villages that lost most of their residents to either the famine or to emigration, and yet we are all proud of our heritage even when it might just be a quarter of our DNA or less. This is a lovely post from Audrey Nickel on The Geeky Gaeilgeoir which says all of that far better than I could.
So, a chairde, this is not the post I thought I would be sharing today.
For the past several weeks I’ve been working on a post on what it means to say “I’m Irish.” It’s something several friends on both sides of the question have asked me to address — why it is that Irish-Americans insist on referring to themselves as “Irish.”
It’s something that really bothers some people, and a culture clash that seemed ripe for the sharing near St. Patrick’s Day. I get it. I’ve been working on it with the goal of publishing today, and I have to say that, as of yesterday morning, I was no more than three paragraphs short of giving it a final proof and hitting “publish.”
But in the end I couldn’t do it. Because, while there are valid arguments on both sides (“My grandfather came from Ireland!” “You’re not Irish, you’re American! Deal with it!”), right now, I can’t make myself focus on things that divide us.
So much has changed
Please head over and enjoy this post, whether you are Irish or not, you will still get a warm welcome I am sure.
via St. Patrick’s Day and being Irish in the time of COVID-19
It’s the same question to ask African-Americans…Mexican-Americans….Cuban Americans…Chinese-Americans ( and all the hyphenated categories the government pushes on us on form after form after form…)
geesch, where you are born is what you are…heritage is fine, but it’s heritage and ancestry.
Perhaps far too much emphasis on diversity here – and sharing ancestral celebrations (hey, food and parities are meant to be shared as far as I’m concerned) …or just people’s wishful thinking to be part of something they admire..
But hey, in this time of the bad beer virus, we can at least all be human, right? Cheers ( and great post!)
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Well I am certainly proud of having Irish ancestry on my mother’s side and having done my DNA was delighted to find a touch of Viking in there too courtesy of my father… that probably explains a lot! You are right we are human first and foremost but belonging to a tribe is something that has given us strength for a very long time and if it makes you feel good it cannot be a bad thing. Stay safe and glad you enjoyed.
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Agree entirely! I was gong to write something similar.
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I mean that I agree entirely with philosophermouseofthehedge. America is a melting pot, not a lasagna. People are supposed to assimilate.
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We Irish folk (husby is 100%) have a contemplative way of accepting problems don’t we?
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We do Jacqui I see that when I go out and about.. courtesy is still very evident in our community here anyway. xx
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I am of Irish=Welsh ancestry, 100 percent American but so proud of my Ancestry.
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Good to hear… I love knowing where I have come from and my ancestral history… we can be proud of being who we are today just as much.
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Indeed we can!
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Loved every word of the post! Sorry, WP won’t permit me to ‘like’ 😦 ❤
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That’s WordPress’s punishment for people that go on vacations, Debby.🤣 Nice to have you back.
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Lolllllllllll Pete. Fixed now! For now! 🙂
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It was a terrific post…♥
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Happy belated Paddy’s day. Stay safe
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You too.. thanks for dropping by..hugsx
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Belated Happy St Patrick’s Day!
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Thank you…this year has certainly flown by..
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Hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day! Sorry, in these things i am always a little bit late. But i try to get a Guinness today, and will drink it for all of you. :-)) Michael
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Thanks Michael…we were all very good and stayed in but I am sure much Guinness was consumed .. hugsx
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The virus may also get to know Guinness. 😉
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It will have a fight on its hands…Guinness fights back…xx
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Fantastic post! Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day!
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Thank you Jan..hugs xx
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