"I'm Irish American"

[MacMahon]

I've noticed that to many Americans their Irish, Scots, Italian etc. roots are a big part of their current identity. As a nation of immigrants in a New World I can see why this link to earlier generations is interesting and important.

But it's also something I find confusing.

I live in Yorkshire. I'm English. I have Irish ancestors on both side (great grandparents and great x2 grandparents). If I was in America this would quite possibly be a big deal. I'd be an Irish American and identify with the struggles and persecution that my people suffered at the hands of the English. But I wasn't born in America, I was born in Leeds, and my Irish ancestry play zero role in my identity.

I'm on an ancestry group and Americans are getting that DNA test done and finding out that, contrary to family lore that they are Cherokee or Mexican or Italian Americans, they're actually pretty much 'just' 100% British.

It makes me wonder how authentic this celebrating or identifying with their Irish/First Nations/Italian roots is, and how much is just (mistaken) tribalism and division.

My DD (mentioned above is at Uni in Ireland). She has applied for an Irish passport to give her additional flexibility in career going forward. Great grant parent and being in Ireland for 3 years were accepted.

Like most English people I have zero/limited interest in Ireland, but DD does. I'm happy that she has done that for career flexibility.

@OffMyCloud

My DD (mentioned above is at Uni in Ireland). She has applied for an Irish passport to give her additional flexibility in career going forward. Great grant parent and being in Ireland for 3 years were accepted.

Like most English people I have zero/limited interest in Ireland, but DD does. I'm happy that she has done that for career flexibility.

I recognise that your daughter has more interest in Ireland than you do, or so I would assume, but surely you can see how irritating it is to have English people who think the Troubles consisted solely of the IRA bombs in England, or don’t understand the difference between Ireland and NI (I had to keep explaining at a job centre when i first lived in England that, no, I couldn’t ‘just use my own NI number because it’s all the same system’) suddenly find excellent practical reasons for them or their family members acquiring the passport of a country they know and care nothing about.

It's jingoistic to the British ear, but it makes complete sense in a nation of immigrants

Worth remembering, too, that it's a comparatively young nation of immigrants. It's one thing if you live in a nation that's been around for countless years and quite another when it's only a couple of hundred, so maybe part of it's a wish for some significant history

Good opportunity for those in the "home countries" they visit though - especially old guys in pubs who'll spiel stories about some long lost family member they "happen to know" as long as the drinks keep flowing

It’s trendy, that’s all. Because no one says they’re ‘English American’, do they? Because it’s just not trendy. Rubbish. For the last sixty years we have had Americans getting in touch with us as they have traced their roots back to a characterless commuter town in the arse end of the Home Counties that I certainly don’t regard as a proud bit of my identity. In my experience Americans are, and always have been, keen to get in touch with their background, whatever it is.

You struggling with your English identity then?

I am Canadian. My ancestors were Irish and Russian. The reason this is so relevant in North America is because there are so many cultures and ways that households operate and it often goes back to roots.

My friend's family is "German" and their traditions are totally different than mine which are "Irish". Both Canadian, but totally different ways of life at home.

I was born in the USA.
All four of my grandparents were born and raised in Mexico.
My father was born and raised in Mexico but my mother was born in the USA.
I am both a first and second generation American and due to the fact my hometown is right on the Mexico/USA border, you bet I call myself Mexican~American. I am deeply proud of it too.

Personally, I do find it odd that people who are over third generation, still refer to themselves as anything other than American. But, if that's how they identify, who am I to judge, really.

My children were born in England to an English father. They call themselves Anglo-Americans but on the census forms, they also refer to themselves as having "Hispanic heritage".

I don't think there is anything wrong with it? They will be rightly proud of their ancestors and the hardships and sacrifices they made. I'm Scottish but my Dad and his whole family are Irish. I'm very proud of my ancestors and when I'm in Ireland I feel at peace.

It proper boils my piss. That Biden dude who America have voted for president, comes out with the 'I'm IRISH!' bull. Errr NO you are AMERICAN.

Some people are born in the UK, and have grandparents/great grandparents etc, (who moved here from a different country in the last 60-70 years,) and they have all the rights and privileges of living here. Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK?

This thread is really revealing & it's mostly not pretty [

@LittleDandelionClock

Some people are born in the UK, and have grandparents/great grandparents etc, (who moved here from a different country in the last 60-70 years,) and they have all the rights and privileges of living here. Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK?

Maybe they have family here jobs friends etc ? They can still have a love for their ancestral home and culture !

It's jingoistic to the British ear, but it makes complete sense in a nation of immigrants

I’d agree with that more if all identities were viewed a bit more equally. Looking at politicians, Biden clearly feels he gets some political capital from the Irish identity, due to having a couple of Irish great grandparents. It’s seen as desirable to keep that link and celebrate that heritage, which is fair enough.
Yet in that “nation of immigrants” I doubt congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (born in the US to Palestinian parents) or Ilhan Omar (born in Somalia) get the same political capital from their identities. How desirable is it for them to be seen to be keeping that link and celebrating their heritage? How many politicians with a couple of Palestinian great grandparents would mention it frequently, or would refer to themselves as Palestinian, as Biden calls himself Irish.
So it’s clearly not just that as a nation of immigrants, they love to celebrate everyone’s different identities and heritage.

I am Irish. The only non Irish ancestors I have are a great great granny from Liverpool.
My parents are keen genealogists and have had their DNA tested. My mum found an American cousin who had 99%irish DNA. His nearest ancestors who were actually born in Ireland were great grandparents. He's genetically more Irish than I am.

Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK?

🙄

@Naunet

The thing that’s always confused me most about Americans, is why they suddenly decided that Spainish people aren’t white.

My dad is Spanish, so over there I’m suddenly mixed race 🙄

That's not entirely true.

I mentioned earlier that I am Mexican-American.
Mexicans and other peoples from the Americas, especially, are people who were indigenous and mixed with Europeans i.e., Spanish, Portuguese, etc...

To me, and many people like me, the Spanish and Portuguese are white Europeans.

People who think that people like Antonio Banderas and yourself are now Latino are incorrect. Most likely, it's people who aren't Hispanic/Latino make that mistake. They don't know the distinction but we do.

@LittleDandelionClock

Some people are born in the UK, and have grandparents/great grandparents etc, (who moved here from a different country in the last 60-70 years,) and they have all the rights and privileges of living here. Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK?

Um, some people had no choice but to leave their country of heritage, for many reasons. Most people who left Ireland didn't want to leave, but if they wanted to be able to, ya know, get a job, then they had to look elsewhere for that.

Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK? confused

No words.

@Thefartingsofaofdenmarkstreet

Um, some people had no choice but to leave their country of heritage, for many reasons. Most people who left Ireland didn't want to leave, but if they wanted to be able to, ya know, get a job, then they had to look elsewhere for that.

I am talking about the people BORN here, if you could be bothered to read my post properly.

When someone is born here, and berates the UK, and says how much better the country of heritage is, it's fucking infuriating.

@Tillysfad

Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK? confused

No words.

I am on about the people BORN here. Not the people who CAME here. Do you have comprehension problems?

It proper boils my piss. That Biden dude who America have voted for president, comes out with the 'I'm IRISH!' bull. Errr NO you are AMERICAN

And what temperature does you piss rise to when faced with a man who proudly claims to be American (and a bit Turkish ) when playing being a liberal member of the metropolitan elite as mayor of a proudly diverse city, then goes a bit quiet on it when faced with a tax bill and cynically uses the populist nationalist ticket to become PM?

I'm Scottish and I personally don't mind when American people tell me that 'I'm Scottish too!' (although they could barely point to Scotland on a map).

It doesn't really affect my life or identity in any meaningful way, and it used to get me great tips when I worked as a tour guide as a student.

I've no issue with Americans claiming to be Irish-American. By all means, be proud of your ancestors and the struggles they had.

It's when they say they are Irish that it annoys me. There's a big difference between the actually Irish and the historically Irish ime. I find that they don't tend to understand Ireland as a modern day nation and expect to see donkeys, thatch cottages and girls dancing at the crossroads. I remember having a great row with a boatload of Irish-Americans over to campaign against the 2015 marriage referendum here...the fecking cheek of them, interfering in another country's democratic process "because that's what my great granny would have wanted".

@wallowmall

Yet some of them blather on and on and ON about how amazing their country of heritage is. It REALLY pisses me off. If it's THAT good then why are you still here in the UK?

🙄

Nice bit of cherry picking my post, so you can post a lovely rollie eyes smiley.

Have THIS one >

@Emilyontmoor

It proper boils my piss. That Biden dude who America have voted for president, comes out with the 'I'm IRISH!' bull. Errr NO you are AMERICAN

And what temperature does you piss rise to when faced with a man who proudly claims to be American (and a bit Turkish ) when playing being a liberal member of the metropolitan elite as mayor of a proudly diverse city, then goes a bit quiet on it when faced with a tax bill and cynically uses the populist nationalist ticket to become PM?

I know I’m not the poster you were replying to, and I do loathe Johnson. But he wasn’t claiming to be American, he was literally an American citizen. And I’d give up citizenship to a country where I happened to be born and hadn’t lived since I was a child if it was increasing my tax bill. But to use the PP’s charming phrase, yes it does boil my piss that he managed to get himself elected.

@MooseBreath

I am Canadian. My ancestors were Irish and Russian. The reason this is so relevant in North America is because there are so many cultures and ways that households operate and it often goes back to roots.

My friend's family is "German" and their traditions are totally different than mine which are "Irish". Both Canadian, but totally different ways of life at home.

I’m Australian and I recognise this too.

I think it’s probably quite hard for those who live in a country where most/many people’s heritage is at least partly or mostly within that country to understand how much the immigrant experience is part of the national story in countries where nearly everyone comes from somewhere else. And for so many that immigration experience in their ancestry was quite intrepid and spoke of sacrifice or hardship or adventurousness. And so those stories become part of your identity.

And there is a degree, too, of immigrant communities hanging onto their traditions more strongly as communities in the home country becoming more modern. The sense of identity and tradition become incredibly important to a lot of immigrants, and that gets passed down.