"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.

I guess that makes me Irish-English except I’m not. I’m English and my relatives are Irish.
Agree with others, it’s just odd.

@Lonelymum21

I do laugh at Joe Biden when he manages to shoe horn "I'm Irish" into almost every public introduction.

And Donald Trump who made a big thing out of his Scottish heritage.

Do they ever say I'm "American-English'? I've never heard that, but presumably alot of them will have English heritage?

It is interesting that there seems to be little interest in those with English ancestry which must be just as prevalent as Irish or Scottish. England is also a country with amazing scenery and history so I'm not sure why people aren't
proud of being connected to that

@BurnedToast

Do they ever say I'm "American-English'? I've never heard that, but presumably alot of them will have English heritage?

No, they're not interested. It’s the Irish/Scottish folklore they are obsessed with.

@FluffyBooBoo I did tell someone that scotch was a drink, not a nationality but ironically I don't think they understood my scotch accent or sense of humour.

DH is French Canadian and refers to himself as that. Signifies his background.

@chocolatecerealcampingbrekkie

They are not doing any harm so I don't see the problem.

The fundraising by "Irish"-Americans for the IRA did quite a lot of harm, in its time. It was weirdly respectable to do so, via organisations like Noraid.

My Dad is Irish,he was born in cork and lived there untill he was eleven ,when they emigration to England,it doesn't make me Irish though ,although it is part of my heritage

I have heard many Americans speak of British heritage. On a hike in Seattle one time a British descended American even told me that she couldn’t talk to me because she was on the other side in the Northern Ireland dispute. She was only half joking

Look, to point out something blindingly obvious which no one has brought up — one of the reasons people of Irish descent living in the UK don’t often flag themselves as ‘Irish’ the way Americans of Irish descent do is that there remains significant levels of anti-Irish prejudice towards Irish people.

But unlike Biden with his 'Irish roots', Trump could genuinely claim to be half Scottish as his mother was born and raised on the Scottish Islands. Not that us Scots took to him in any way due to that!

@Leavisite

Look, to point out something blindingly obvious which no one has brought up — one of the reasons people of Irish descent living in the UK don’t often flag themselves as ‘Irish’ the way Americans of Irish descent do is that there remains significant levels of anti-Irish prejudice towards Irish people.

This is very true. My Grandparents and my friend’s parents remember very clearly ‘No dog, no children, no ‘blacks’, no Irish’ posters in shops and pubs. I myself remember very clearly the IRA attacks.

@Lottapianos

'I do laugh at Joe Biden when he manages to shoe horn "I'm Irish" into almost every public introduction'

Just like a lot of American people with even the vaguest family connection to Ireland. The response of actual Irish people who were born and brought up in Ireland is pretty much to this

Really? That’s definitely not my experience.

Here, we’re very happy to meet our Irish American cousins, especially down in the South West where the famine hit hardest and many families did whatever they could to send their children abroad.

Americans visiting Skibbereen to research their family connections are always given the warmest of welcomes.

céad míle fáilte!

It doesn't bother me if people want to identify as Irish even if their ancestor left Ireland in the 19th century. Irish-Americans contribute hugely to the Irish tourism industry.

Different generations I must add.
Agree prejudice still exists.

I’ve noticed that among my many friends and acquaintances who emigrated the only ones who seem ashamed of their accents, and scathing of Ireland are the ones who emigrated to the UK.

I suspect OP that the reason your ancestry plays no part in your identity is probably in large part to the discrimination your great grandparents faced and the need to integrate in order to survive.

So many millions of Irish left Ireland in the potato famine that there was then a huge Irish influx in America in the 1840-50s.

We forget about the scale of it now. But the population decreased from 8-6milliom over just a few years - mainly the potato famine boy also a cholera outbreak which followed.

Many Irish refugees agitated for independence for Ireland for decades after they arrived and there was a whole political movement for that.

This led to fundraiser events which prob led, in turn, to the leprechaunisation of the whole country because being Irish in America is big business

Re the other point about patriotism- America is a “melting pot” of nationalities and you need to have some social forms of bonding hence the pledge, adherence to constitution and promotion of all things American.

America = the home of marketing

I agree but Americans identifying as Irish etc do no harm to the actual Irish so it’s probably more of a compliment/fun if celebrating St Patrick’s Day etc.

@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.

It’s just an American thing, they all seem to do it. They’re all French or English or Italian or Irish etc, it’s so strange when they’re such a patriotic country, but maybe it comes from having less history?

'Americans visiting Skibbereen to research their family connections are always given the warmest of welcomes.'

Oh sure, but are they accepted as truly 'Irish' or just indulged for the sake of politeness?

Did anyone see the Jeremy Irons episode of Who Do You Think You Are? He was desperate to be Irish and convinced that was his background. Turned out he wasn't at all. I'm from the NW. So many people have Irish connections, but don't call themselves Irish.

It's just a different culture, that's all. Being Irish American is different than being Italian American for many people. It will affect their family, their traditions and their culture.

Will it though?

Very few Americans these days are 'pure' Italian or Irish or whatever. Mostly their ancestors will have emigrated to America in the 19th century or the early years of the last century. By now, they'll usually be mixed in with other ethnicities. Somebody like Joe Biden, for example, also has French and English ancestry, but chooses to identify as 'Irish', probably for personal and political reasons.

@Lonelymum21

I do laugh at Joe Biden when he manages to shoe horn "I'm Irish" into almost every public introduction.

Yes I heard him telling the pope. How far back/ what % of his ancestors are Irish I don’t know.

@SunShinesBrightly @Leavisite - one of the reasons people of Irish descent living in the UK don’t often flag themselves as ‘Irish’ the way Americans of Irish descent do is that there remains significant levels of anti-Irish prejudice towards Irish people.

My Grandparents and my friend’s parents remember very clearly ‘No dog, no children, no ‘blacks’, no Irish’ posters in shops and pubs.

100% agree with this. My parents endured the "no blacks, no dogs, no Irish' signs and the anti-Irish discrimination in the 60's.

I lived in England for a while in the 80's and there were many times I was afraid to open my mouth in case people heard my accent. That said, most people were fine. It was just a subset of anti-Irish bigots, although there was also a larger number who engaged in casual xenophobia under the guise of "sagging".