Do you still celebrate your Irish roots, even if you're not Irish

[Stressedout65]

One of my paternal great grandfathers was Irish & I had an Irish surname until I got married. I even have a piece of clothing made from the Irish family tartan with the family name coat of arms emblazoned on it. I wanted to wear it to work today as we had the option of dressing for St Patricks Day (in England). I chickened out as it felt false & attention seeking. An Irish colleague said I should have worn it if I wanted to as it's part of my Irish roots & heritage. I feel my Irish roots are now so diluted it didn't feel right. How far back do you celebrate your roots & heritage if they're different to what you actually are now?
I do feel drawn to Ireland, it's culture & music. I don't know if this "connection" I feel is exaggerated because I lost my dad a year ago

Of course it's ok to celebrate your roots!

My Paternal Grandparents were Irish.
I feel drawn to Irish stuff. I always get told that I look very Irish. One Irish bloke at work always calls me Coleen
But I'm definitely English 😂

If someone had Jamaican Grandparents, I'd guess they may feel the same 🤷🏻‍♀️

My maternal family is Irish (mum is the eldest of four and she was the only one born in Ireland as my DGPs moved to England after she was born) and my paternal family is Scottish (dad is the youngest and the family didn't move to England until he was about 3/4) and I was born in England.

Our household growing up was mostly influenced by the Irish side of the family, mostly because dad works offshore so 50% of the time mum didnt have my dad around as he'd be gone for 6-8 weeks at a time so we'd spend a lot of time with my maternal grandparents/aunt's and uncles.

We were brought up with Irish folk songs, Irish fairy tales and smatterings of Irish - my grandparents both speak fluent Irish, my mum can speak a little bit as she had Irish lessons when she was little but my siblings, cousins and I all only know the odd few words and phrases - as well as the annual trip to see the family still in Ireland. I love my Irish roots but I definitely see myself as English - except for in sports when we support Ireland over England every day (my mum is the one who loves sport and we were brought up watching Ireland in international sports so when Ireland beat England last weekend in the Six Nations I was backing my Irish lads all the way and hated every point dropped to England)

I’m from Ireland, living in Ireland. I love seeing other people celebrate our country and it’s traditions, and it’s 100% not cultural appropriation.

I think most people have affinity towards Ireland because of how we have suffered historically (present day too).

Never heard of family tartan though - and as a family we do embrace our culture daily with language, music & sport

But why would you crave boiled bacon and cabbage or Guinness just because you were Irish? I am of Irish descent and I don't. I don't expect Irish people to

Who's craving it? The only craving mentioned on the thread was a pregnancy one.

We all like to wander down memory lane but it is weird to assume that people living in Ireland in 2022 want to eat what your Irish mammy cooked you in England in 1952 or live in that world

Some people in Ireland in 2022 do eat cabbage and bacon. I probably eat it twice a month. It is just a normal dinner. I am not doing it under duress, it is not a government sponsored "Oirish" initiative, we are not required to put it on our instagram to attract flocks of American tourists.

I've never known cabbage to be so controversial.

@MadameHeisenberg

It’s a global village these days. I’m British (English) and DH is French. The kids hold dual nationality but were born in Switzerland and have only ever lived here. They speak French with Swiss accents and identify with all 3 countries. We celebrate St. George’s day, Bastille day and Swiss National day.

My grandma’s family were Irish and came over to Birmingham from Ireland, like many others did. There’s a sizeable Irish population in Brum and the St. Patrick’s day celebrations in the city are always great - I miss them now I live abroad ☘️

I really dislike this idea of policing who should and shouldn’t be allowed to participate in festivities and celebrations, particularly as it’s overwhelmingly done in good faith and a spirit of community. It’s nasty and divisive.

Thank you so much for this and expressing what I was thinking. We live in France and although I hold a UK passport I don't feel very British/English at all these days - when I talk about "mes compatriotes", I am referring to my fellow Frenchmen and women and when the time comes I will apply for citizenship. DH and DS both hold Irish passports (through parent and grandparent respectively) and feel very connected to Ireland and the family heritage they have there. Neither feels English at all, despite each also having an English parent. They support Ireland in the rugby (never, ever England) and yes, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day, albeit in quite a low key way.

I always find on these threads people who are most offended aren't even Irish.

If people actually living in Ireland aren't offended why the are you.
What someone ate or didn't eat has fuck all to do with it.

I am Irish living in Ireland. I have also lived in England. OP, I would have loved to see you in your Irish tartan, had a chat with you about it and about your family history.
I don't drink Guinness, go to parades or usually even wear green for St. Patrick's day. However I have enjoyed the days off this week and have enjoyed some time in the beautiful countryside over the past few days.
My children have enjoyed the last week at school where they have done a lot of Irish dance, music, language etc and it was lovely to see all of the children going to school dressed in green on Wednesday. I think it is an important part of their culture and identity.
I think if people around the world want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day they should go for it. Maybe they have lovely memories of an Irish grandparent or memories of a happy holiday in Ireland. Maybe they remember enjoying Irish dance or music as a child, maybe they still enjoy it today. They should celebrate the happy memories if they want to, life can be hard enough for us all.
I like to see Ireland being celebrated all over the world, its amazing to see all of the famous buildings lit up in green and parades in multiple cities across the globe. Ireland, like anywhere has its good and bad but I am proud of my little country. It was come a long way in the past 100 years.

no but my nana followed her irish heritage.

Well said, Evanna13.

I've never known cabbage to be so controversial

@Uafasach me neither. No need for anyone to get their panties in a bunch

@Uafasach

But why would you crave boiled bacon and cabbage or Guinness just because you were Irish? I am of Irish descent and I don't. I don't expect Irish people to

Who's craving it? The only craving mentioned on the thread was a pregnancy one.

We all like to wander down memory lane but it is weird to assume that people living in Ireland in 2022 want to eat what your Irish mammy cooked you in England in 1952 or live in that world

Some people in Ireland in 2022 do eat cabbage and bacon. I probably eat it twice a month. It is just a normal dinner. I am not doing it under duress, it is not a government sponsored "Oirish" initiative, we are not required to put it on our instagram to attract flocks of American tourists.

I've never known cabbage to be so controversial.

And it was only one craving, I had others and to be fair the curry one was the surprise, I didn't like curry before I was pregnant and couldn't get enough of it when I was pregnant. My Indian doctor found it quite funny.

Pregnancy apart don't lots of us like food we had as children? When my kids come home they often ask me to make a favourite meal from childhood although they all follow their father and don't like bacon and cabbage.

[quote limitedperiodonly]@ancientgran no one is denying you your right to confer Irish citizenship upon your children or grandchildren if they comply to the criteria but why is it so difficult for you to understand that different countries have different rules about citizenship?

Boris Johnson is British and was American for a while.

I am eligible for Irish citizenship because of my grandparents but I took it up 25 years ago because I qualified as an artist which was a tax break open to people who did not necessarily have any Irish links aside from owning property there.

The Irish government were flexible as to who counted as an artist. They wanted the money and I wanted to save it. Win win.

I have never eaten boiled bacon and cabbage in Ireland and it's been a good 40 years since my non-Irish mum dished it up. She did it with barley and I was fascinated by the clear salty gravy with golden fairy rings of dissolved fat on top. Cheap stews aren't exclusive to the Irish as people from many other backgrounds including the English will attest.[/quote]
I don't find it difficult, how rude. My children have triple nationality, I understand the rules for all 3 countries.

My point, which you don't seem to understand, is people are saying how strange to pretend you're Irish when you weren't born there and yet when we look at Johnson he wasn't born in GB but everyone accepts he's British. His parents happened to be living and working in the US when he was born, my parents happened to be living and working in England when I was born. (the same as other people on here) Why is my being Irish brought into question and yet him being British is fine and dandy.

He is British and I am Irish. No plastic involved and it is my birthright.

I never claimed only Irish people eat bacon and cabbage, have a look back and see. I was commenting on the corned beef and cabbage and people thinking it was Irish and I said I'd never heard of that but yes bacon and cabbage was a meal I like. Like your claim about people saying they were proud of bacon and cabbage alot of what you say seems to be made up.

Hope that helps you to understand.

DH's parents migrated from Ireland to England for work, as did many Irish people in the mid 20th century. They met here, married and raised a family in London .
He was brought up in a very Irish community -- neighbours, Catholic schools, pubs, dance halls, friends, the lot. Summers were spent on his mother's family farm in Ireland.
He considers himself as much Irish as English, growing up steeped in Irish culture. They wore shamrock on Paddy's Day (sent to them in damp paper from home) and celebrated it every year. Not over the top, just a very convivial evening in the pub. Church every Sunday.
Naturally he has an Irish passport. DS is getting one too, it's an important part of his heritage and he is proud of it.
DH's Irishness is still integral to him, his parentage and background are Irish even though he was born here. For both DH and DS, St Patrick's Day is a significant cultural marker.

Hah! Well said Evanna13 although celebrating my Irish heritage would require big drums, blue serge suits and a traybake for afters.

I think you are over angst-ing this OP

You can celebrate St Patrick's day as as someone who has mixed heritage including Irish if you want to.

The same way I can and do as 1:4 Irish but important in our family. And the same way my mixed race DCs get to celebrate some West African celebrations too and to have support with their hair and culture, don't let anyone tell you different.

I get really annoyed when my "occasionally white passing except in summer months" Afro haired DDs get any "oh but you're white ?... but what's happening with your crazy fuzzy hair?" stupid comments from school or others. You know what? ... MIXED race and bloody proud of it.,

@EdHelpPls

I'm actually Irish. Didn't acknowledge St Patrick's Day at all, which is about how much I celebrate being Irish in general 😁. It's not that I don't like being Irish, I'm just neutral I suppose!

I feel the same way. Live in England, dh is English - kids feel English, I didn’t celebrate Paddy’s Day - not the same thing now. The tremendous excitement about be able to break lent - it was like Christmas - that was back in the day when even the corner shop wouldn’t sell you any sweets without asking about your lentern obligations - all sweetie money was supposed to go in the Charity box! The Hibernians would play Roddy Mc Crory as they marched down past our house to the chapel to attend mass before the celebrations started. It all feels a bit commercialised now. If you feel connected to Ireland op that’s great - enjoy the cultural riches, I feel connected to a few countries I’ve lived in that I have no familial connection with, who cares, just enjoy it!

@Ikeptgoing

I think you are over angst-ing this OP

You can celebrate St Patrick's day as as someone who has mixed heritage including Irish if you want to.

The same way I can and do as 1:4 Irish but important in our family. And the same way my mixed race DCs get to celebrate some West African celebrations too and to have support with their hair and culture, don't let anyone tell you different.

I get really annoyed when my "occasionally white passing except in summer months" Afro haired DDs get any "oh but you're white ?... but what's happening with your crazy fuzzy hair?" stupid comments from school or others. You know what? ... MIXED race and bloody proud of it.,

❤️

@ancientgran I understand you perfectly.

My heritage is so mixed (including a bit of Irish somewhere way back - as probably many folk have). I don't celebrate any 'days', but if a friend invited me to their nationality's 'day' I'd happily go along and dress up - any excuse for a party. I don't go around declaring myself to be any of the things that I have in my heritage except the one I have most of.
But I'd say if you want to dress up in green and celebrate St Patrick's day go for it, everyone is so drunk and happy, no one cares.

I'm Aussie. My great grandparents were English, Irish & Scottish. I have travelled to and feel an affinity with all those places and keep in touch with relatives in Scotland but think of myself first and foremost as Australian. I have celebrated St Patrick's day in the past, but only really because my local pub at the time was an amazing Irish pub which did fabulous food, so a friend and I went to join the fun.

I actually don't celebrate Australia Day anymore either because of how it impacts Indigenous Australians.

@debwong

How come there are no English-Americans or Welsh-Americans?

War of Independence. All the English-Americans quickly invented a dubious Irish or Scottish great great granny and latched onto that instead.

I know some English-Americans. It's not much of a party. One of them is coming back this year.

@Branleuse & @Sparkl
Thank you for your comment re the tartan, I thought I'd misunderstood what I'd read 🙂

@Sparkl did you find anything about Irish tartan after you secretly judged?

Changechangychange,

Ever heard of Wasps?

(and it wasn't England the US won its independence from.)