Yes I am Irish, and my DCs are American. There most definitely is a difference in approach. My experience of the Irish approach was only my mother's, and she was very much a person for whom surface level effects were important, part of a mindset affected by bulimia, I believe. As I said, she never criticised our appearance, but let it be known via her compliments and her remarks about the appearance of others, and also her comments about her own appearance and getting in a total heap before parties or weddings, etc that there was a preferred look and that it was acceptable to be in a constant battle against your own body.
I had some cousins whose mother was always recounting their academic achievements genuinely really bright kids who worked hard and did very well and when this aunt had left after her visits mum used to always tell us not to mind Auntie X, and give out about the fact that those kids ate breakfast cereal for dinner in the kitchen with the help and put themselves to bed, and all that mattered to her SIL about them was the fodder they provided for bragging. So she was capable of getting to the heart of things in many ways all the same. My sisters and I did well in school but she thought it was gauche to speak of matters like that to others.
It hit me when mum came over after DD1 was born how much of a focus on appearance she really had. I met her at the airport and she was thrilled to see I had lost a ton of weight already at three weeks post partum. It was the first thought that passed her lips. It brought back many incongruous compliments on my appearance I had received while growing up won the 200 yards at sports day and got a compliment for how my hair was looking, for instance and it made me think about the matter. Eventually I decided I didn't want my DCs exposed to that sort of focus.
I was also aware of the more effusive American way and rejected that too. There was far too much mindless praise imo and not enough discriminating feedback. In the early 90s when the 'WOW, great job!' response to almost every fart trend was in full swing, I came across a few critical articles on resilience and perseverance and developing a child's inner sense of motivation, and how they affect performance in school and progress through work, and I thought developing skills and a good attitude instead of focusing on attainment made sense. Time management, ability and willingness to push themselves to use the longer word, write the better sentence, edit work when done, check over maths, get enthusiastic and organised about creative projects, in general just taking pleasure in activities and being permitted their own assessment of it all seemed to me to be elements that would stand to them over time no matter what direction their lives would take.
I do agree that American children tend to be encouraged to speak up, voice opinions, and come across as more confident than Irish children of my generation and maybe later generations too. One thing I noticed about America was the lack of standing on ceremony, and far more playful banter across the generations, children and adults of all ages chatting away, adults keeping up with trends and the latest catchphrases. I find American language use and language change very interesting, along with general acceptance of pop culture change among all generations. I think the casual American interactional style contrasts with the more formal approach I grew up with. There are far fewer fuddy duddys in the US than in Ireland (perhaps the UK too). Middle class American life is a lot more egalitarian and less hierarchical across generations than life in Ireland was, ime. I have Russian friends who take it even further.
At the same time, there is a good deal of instruction as to proper behaviour for children in the US. American children tend on the whole to behave well in restaurants and cinemas and churches. When we visited Ireland once, DD1 said 'I love Ireland because kids are wild and nobody cares'. 
Russian friends of mine, as far as I could see really only started trying to influence children's behaviour about age 6-7 (which is when formal school starts in Russia) and they were far more forgiving of wayward behaviour and more interested in uniqueness and individuality than American friends were. Like Americans though, they always included children in trips and outings and family gatherings at home, with an expectation that they would hold their own, conversation-wise, and friends and family would all include children in the conversation. Children were very much expected to conduct themselves in a sociable manner one they got past 6 or 7, and to have proper conversations, to ask adults questions, to express opinions.
In schools, children are expected to manage self-care just as much as reading and writing, with parents staying outside at the door while children do all the taking off of coats, boots, mittens, etc and organising of those things. I recall parents clogging the corridor and cloakroom helping children in school in Ireland to take off and hang up their outerwear even at age 8. Elementary schools also feature no 'setting' which imo is a really negative element of British schools because children in the early school years are still forming their own idea of themselves, and being placed in a low set can have bad results in terms of self image.