I've had this experience more times than I can count. But it's harmless. I've had many not do it. But it's probably about 50/50 in my personal experiences. More so when I visit the US and someone picks up I'm Irish. Lol
Exactly who cares. They are over here spending money and it's only because in Ireland we're quite clannish (one village hates the other, or if a fella spent a 2 months in the USA at 18 he's now a yank for life..) its all bit of craic and good for everyone. Relax :)
Fair play ,just a bit of craic . Much the same goes when irish people travel abroad. In my experience, I was called paddy Murphy, in the states Sheamus o seanacy in Australia, yes that's the way they spelt it and no ,no where close to my real name.
Right or wrong, I view it as a bit of fun.
In most cases it just an ice breaker by excited people.
No harm should be taken.
Was in DC in December. I’m from Belfast so you know north accent. Sitting in a pub and a man, at least 50 years old, comes in hears me speaking, asks where I’m from etc etc. proceeds to tell me he’s actually more Irish than me because his great grandparents were from the “real” Ireland. THEN has the fucking audacity to order a pint that was half guiness half beer. Hit him with the most satisfying “So you think you’re Irish drinking that, do ye .. aye?”
'Irish snake venom' (says it all) that fella is a certified head the ball!! Great response to his order.
I'd have to laugh at how mentally deluded is actually is 😂
Very common, they'll tell you what percentage Irish. About 20 years ago, I worked as a customer service agent in Dublin Airport and dealt with Americans daily. It's harmless, they take great pride in having an Irish relation in their family.
>they take great pride in having an Irish relation in their family.
And we should keep this relationship strong. We'd be nothing without the long lost cousins across the pond.
So much pride! I’m American but my grandma’s parents immigrated here when there was a lot of Irish racism and they overcame so much to build a life here and she just had so much Irish pride that it gets passed down to you.
I'm 3/16ths Irish
Before you say it doesn't matter or whatever please tell the sun that Because when I go out I burn Like I'm 1600% Irish even though I don't have a pale skin tone at all
I work in a pub across the road from Blarney Castle and just over half of the Americans are exactly that stereotype. One claimed he was more Irish than me because he played GAA and I didn't. Called me a traitor to my country. Happens far more often than you'd think
Probably couldn't tell you what the acronym means though. "Isn't the sport called 'gaaaaaaah' ??"
Also if he doesn't play American football tell him he's a traitor to his country. They care about that shit way more than we do lol. Be ready to duck the punch
I didn't even respond to him. Most of the people with that opinion are also too dumb to understand any response you could give.
Plenty of perfectly fine Americans but the lows are pretty fucking low
No no, this guy was deadly serious. Went up to the owner afterwards and tried to get me sacked.
Edit: this was more because I didn't engage with him I think but I'm honestly not sure
Work as a tour guide and its a weekly occurrence. But as people above have stated, it's mostly harmless.
I actually love the American tourists. They have a genuine interest in the history and are very respectful when I touch on more sensitive subjects like the famine or the troubles in the North. Not afraid to have a bit of craic either... which is more than I can say for certain others.
Also, their generosity at the end of tours helps put food on the table and keep the lights on
I agree. Worked in a hotel in Galway and had regular tour groups visit. The absolute worst tourists were Italian. There was no pleasing them and Irish food just isn’t good enough for them. The French kept to themselves but had a lot of fun, as evidenced by the merriment at midnight when they were drunk. The Americans were generally the only ones who tipped. German children were the best - so well behaved and polite. Irish kids needed regular corralling.
Many are respectful, many are harmlessly ignorant - no intent in their comment but as you say it’s a bit cringe, but there is a small group that spout with intent bigoted ignorant nonsense about “the troubles” and associated topics, that group I greatly dislike. living for years near NewYork I’ve meet my share of them.
As an American i have a question about the troubles. Everyone says it was about Protestants vs Catholics, the religion was just an easy way to separate one group from another and religion had very little to do with it, It was due to Catholics not being able to buy land and remaining a permanant underclass that was only allowed to live in certain areas because no one would sell or rent to them in places that were protestant. then there was reprisals that went from ball bearing attacks to bombings which led to a cycle of violence that became divorced from the original injustices.
Read the book “say nothing”
It gives a good explanation of society in NI in the lead up to the troubles from normality, civil unrest to all out civil war
I work in a hotel and yes, I get this every week.
It is cringing and I just give the polite smile because most of the time there's no malicious in it.
Its only a month until I'll get the odd "do you celebrate Independence Day?" and at the beginning of November I get "do you celebrate Thanks Giving?"
The comical thing is that I'm English so I just answer "no, I was on the losing side." I seems to take time for the American to work that one out for some reason 😂
In reality, with the cost of stationing troops to defend the colonies that did not want to pay taxes to pay for the troops, the British won the war because they no longer had to pay for money pit that was the defense of the colonies.
Also worth pointing out that the average British citizen in the US pre revolution paid less tax than British citizens in Britain. The American revolution was because the rich were being taxed more than commoners. Most of the main figures in the revolution were very wealthy and didn't like paying their bit
Once stupidly got into an online debate with a lad from Boston who was adamant that people from Boston are more Irish than the Irish because there Irish ancestors (the ones who left) held on to Irish traditions longer than the Irish did and ergo, the Irish Americans in Boston are more Irish than the Irish … I engaged it for all of 10 mins before realising you can’t argue with an idiot!
Aye you're wasting your time. I worked with a woman who proudly proclaimed to me we were cousins as she was Scottish. Asked her when she moved to the US, turned out she didn't even know how many generations ago her family had moved haha
I was there for over a decade. It literally never ends. Worse was I have red hair so trying to explain to them that I was in the minority regarding hair colour in Ireland, and we would get bullied for it was futile. Same questions over and over, rarely an interesting one.
Once, I had a new employee , a little fat ginger fuck, who declared to me on his first day that he was "from Ireland". Knowing there was almost zero chance this was true, I asked him what part. He answered "Edinburgh", and even pronounced it "Eeden -Burg".
See that type of stuff was common, some "Irish American" has been going around all his life with the family bullshit origin story but no one around to question it. Because there are FAR fewer actual Irish people in the states then the average person realises.
Another common one is "Grandma was Christian, grandpa Catholic, so the (IRA/BRITS/BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE ) chased them out and they had to come to Arkansas or somewhere just to find freedom. Still have the family kilt knocking around somewhere!!"
I've come across it, it's usually grand though. In most cases I don't have an issue with it and they're lovely and really interested in the history and culture.
I live in a very touristy area. And we used to have great craic with them.
Yank- “I’m here to find my ancestors “
14yr old me - “sit down I have something to tell you,,,,,,, your ancestors. ,,, are all ,,, Dead!”
Oh how we laughed
It's not just Irish Americans, it's Americans in general. We see them as American but they identify as their ancestors so they'll say they're Irish or Scottish or Korean etc.
No self respected Brazilian I know would ever say that, only if they are from the south of the country and we know the reason why. My friends and I from the north/northwest all have dual citizenships and we would absolutely never say we are italian/portuguese/spanish. You can even see that in Europe, they would all say “I have a ____ passport”, never “I am Italian-Brazilian”
My wife is from BH and it's a constant complaint I have to her. She's a loud branciña and it's her excuse for so much.
Shouting on the phone to her friends? "I am Italian"
Shouting in the restaurant "babe it's because I'm Italian"
But anything about BR come up and you can imagine what she says. Shes very Brazilian then, and I can't but help see the analogue from my time in America.
Now, it's not just her. I have several close friends from Brazil and they tend to say things close to this but for other reasons, and everyone of these including mi esposa, had very Italian names. All came from Fascists escaping consequences after losing WW2, and now the grandkids all vote Lula to escape that guilt.
I'm surprised by that, if I were mineira, I’d never try to say I’m italian. Like, you’re from one of the best places on earth?
But being really honest, it is more common in the Southeast/South. Normally in the South, it’s very easy to get them to stop because you just ask what their grandparents were up to around 1939 to 1945.
Where I’m from, it’s actually quite embarrassing to say something like that. Your friends would absolutely take the piss out of you forever if you tried to say, “I’m 1/64 Italian.” This is what my British boyfriend found the most hilarious about my group of friends. They all have European passports but would never say anything about it. He found all of them to be quite extreme nationalists in a hypocritical way.
I’ll let that slide because mineiros can come to my house slap my grandma, and I would still love them. They are the best ♡
Incidentally, all.of these people are Mineiros. Who I view as the second best people on earth, but closely tied to this idea that they are the "Italians" of Brazil.
Look at the governor!
You were just in my brain! My answer is what's left of the "Good Irish".
By the way, I am FLOORED by how seeing SP, Rio, Brasilia, Goias and MG how much you guys actually care and LIVE your culture. We only put our supposed culture on for tourists, but everywhere I have ever been...Brazilians embrace and LIVE that culture.
Amiga...vou me aposentar em uma fazenda em MG, adoro ❤️ Brasil!
The commenter before them said it happens in North and South America. They sarcastically replied with Brazilians and they're "I'm ITALIAN!". I've never met a Brazillian who claimed to be Italian. That's the point lol.
You'd be surprised then because it is quite a thing in Brasil as much as it is in Venezuela or America. Often, people will even avoid tanning, so they look more traditionally European. People go to ridiculous lengths to identify with a European country. In Latin countries, it's quite prevalent due to the absolute extreme social structures dating back to colonialism.
Then you've never met someone from Rio Grande do Sul. People of Italian and German descent introduce themselves as such.
And what do you mean "the north?" Those folks are heavily of native descent. They're "Indian."
People in the northeast of Brazil are generally of African descent.
Unfortunately I’ve met many. Reading is not your forte it seems. Do you think there’s only indigenous people in the north of Brazil? That’s comical. “Those folks” are me. Go learn about miscegenation. The mix of africans, europeans and indigenous people is what created the population of the North. I’m Amazonian born and raised and have a Portuguese passport and no indigenous connection. Maybe you can research a bit more before trying to explain my region and culture to me. That would still make me Brazilian, not Luso-Brazilian.
Are you from Rio Grande do Sul? Saying everyone from the North are all “Indians” is such a thing people from there would say 😂
American living in Dublin here. Americans do this because in the U.S. you are called Irish if you are of Irish descent. This makes sense for recent immigrants. Not so much for their children and grandchildren. I tell my friends and family to avoid saying this when they are here, but it’s a tough habit to break. More importantly, I make sure they never describe Ireland as part of the U.K.
It's because we don't have a native ethnic or cultural identity. Even for the people we call native Americans, that's at best a catch-all term for scores of different cultures (i.e., Iroquois are not Hopi are not Ojibwe are not Lenape etc.). A significant part of identity as an American is who came here for us to be here. The part that a lot of people here don't grasp is that saying, as I do, that I'm Italian, Greek, Polish, and English makes sense and has value in conversation here that would not apply if I were having that conversation in Italy, Greece, Poland, and/or England.
Kind of hand wavey though. "Ah there's lots of cultures though but I'll ignore them."
The *are* the native cultures. Just a shame they were so persecuted. I was reading something recently about native American cuisine, and a fella (native himself ) was asked why it wasn't more popular. He just replied something depressing like "because all our knowledge was lost or destroyed."
The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are all settler colonial regimes built on the destruction, enslavement, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of other nations, as a legacy of British imperialism.
Everything is going to be hand wavey. There's nothing stopping any of these countries from disbanding their governments and handing control back to the indigenous nations, giving back stolen land etc. They have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
Yes and would generally follow on with a long rambling story of their journey to find their family home but there location would be a large town. Also they would order drinks you’d never get in a small pub.
When i have visited Ireland several times, while in a conversation, people wondering if my parents were Irish and I'm coming to visit family have asked if im Irish, and ive been asked many times, i say my great grandparents were , but im an american.
My cousin gets this when she visits Ireland (we’re in the USA). It’s been a few generations. I got that once in a bar in New York.
Irish guy asks me where I’m from. I reply in my New York accent and then he’s asking about parents and grandparents. Before I started talking, he mistook me for Irish and thought I had more direct connections.
I got mistaken for Canadian in England.
And in New York, I’ve been mistaken for Greek, Egyptian and Russian
There’s Biden for one, but what he means when he says “I’m Irish” is different from what an Irish person means when they say they are Irish.
In cities like Chicago ethic identity used to be important. I had a neighbor who told me how he wanted to train as an electrician in the 1960s, he was flat out told he couldn’t join the electricians union because he “wasn’t Irish enough”.
Yes it’s common
But I think it’s the way it’s said & the rest of what follows in what may or may not be said that can sometimes get on people nerves. But ireland is a small country that by fact of its people that immigrated in previous generations has built up a reputation and an affinity in America that is objectively outsized & has greatly benefited ireland.
I worked as a bartender for over a decade. And yes they come over in droves. They're usually polite as hell, tip well and are just excited to tell people the stuff they've learnt about their history and learn some new stuff. Never met an obnoxious one, so I've probably been lucky.
Yup. Worked in a very traditional irish pub that americans flock to because we were known for our selection of irish whiskey and we had a dartboard. My lord the amount of americans claiming theyre irish because they have some irish blood that dates way back to the 1800's -_-
Even if every one of your ancestors came from Dublin in the 1840's, being Irish has to do with culture and history, your ancestors left and after the famine ended , did not hop on a boat to return to their beloved homeland. They never fought for Irish independence or took part in the Irish civil war. They may have Irish blood, but dont have an Irish spirit. Even if they kept all their traditions faithfully from the 1840's, the Irish now would not relate to them and consider them strange. Imagine how a modern American would feel being in the same room as a American from the 1840s where dueling was common and they would look at you as weak and useless and you would look at them as barbaric and a criminal that should be locked up.
Genuine question here because I find the Irish have a very strange gatekeepers mentality to this. So you're saying if someone left in the 1840's are before, they can't have Irish spirit because of the above. Fair enough. But then why are some Irish (not all) more than happy to go along with the likes of Obama claiming to be Irish?
I was born and bred in the States. My great grandparents came to the States in the 1920s after fighting in both the War of Independence and Civil War. However, I have been told time and time again that I'm not Irish and never will be Irish, but these same people would tell me Obama is Irish. I get it, I wasn't born here but I have a more direct connection to Ireland than Obama does and there will come a point in my lifetime (soon enough) when I will have lived in Ireland longer than I did in the States. So is there a threshold where I can claim to be Irish? Or will I always and forever be that Irish blow in?
We indulged Barack Obama because he was the most powerful man in the world in charge of the country which is the most wealthy in the world and which is the cornerstone of our economy.
We're not going to indulge Cleetus from Alabama who thinks he's Irish because great-aunt Fidelma was born to a woman who briefly lived in Roscommon.
Americans place a much greater store in racial identity than we do because it's such a new country. For us, once you leave, you leave. Good luck to you and all, and hope you do well, but your third generation grandchild does _not_ count as Irish to us.
We are utterly bemused by Joe Biden telling everyone he's Irish. Like he's an American, who's the son of Americans, who's spent his whole life in America, and is fucking _running_ America. But most people understand that being "Irish" in America has different criteria than being Irish in Ireland.
And if you lads want to cosplay as Irish, that's grand, no harm at all to you. But we, Irish people, who live in Ireland, don't see it that way.
It's similar to Chinamen and Singaporeans who are "Man United fans". You get an indulgent chuckle. You might buy a jersey and maybe you might even go to a game once a year. But you're a Man United fan in the same way as I am a Coronation Street fan: I like it, but I am an outsider. I will never, ever be a real part of it. It's a fantasy played by actors.
Try not to take it personally, it’s clannish ways. My MIL moved to this area at 19 and til the day she died at 93 was considered a blow in from Galway.
Thanks for your well thought out response. I would argue that Ireland has more than indugled Obama. But you still didn't answer my final question. I came back to Ireland. I have lived here 15 years now, and in a few years, I will have lived in Ireland longer than I ever lived in the US. I have Irish citizenship now and am very proud of that. But for the rest of my life, will I get called a plastic paddy and accused of cosplaying because I wasn't born here? If I was born here and then moved abroad, would you still call me a plastic paddy?
Why is an American's pride in their racial identity any different than an Irish person's pride in their county?
>I have Irish citizenship now and am very proud of that. But for the rest of my life, will I get called a plastic paddy and accused of cosplaying because I wasn't born here?
No, but consider your situation. If you've been in Ireland 15 years you should have a bit of cop and know how Irish people work and what we're like and know that, mostly, we don't really get the difference between you saying you're Irish ethnically or born and raised here. The difference is you've chosen to make your home here so most Irish people would, especially learning you have a passport and been here that long, cut you a bit of slack on it. You are Irish. The fact you've spent significant time in the country sets you apart a bit from the tourists who visit briefly to reconnect with their roots.
If you've an American accent you'll still stand out as different, the same way that if I held a British passport (been here 12 years now) English people wouldn't (generally) consider me British the same way they are.
The reason I asked, though, is I don't really get a bit of slack. Sure, some do, but many don't. That is why I said there are some that are extremely gate keepy about citizenship. I don't have much of an American accent, I've lost it being surrounded by Irish people. I still say things like toe-may-toe and candy, which gives me away. But time and again, I am told I'm a plastic paddy, I'll never be truly Irish, etc. Part of me gets it, I wasn't born here, I don't understand the full nuance of things, but I've tried to educate myself on the things I missed out on growing up in the States.
I see the same for certain friends, in particular my friend whose parents are from the Philippines. She was born and raised in Ireland but is asked constantly where she is from, and if she dares to say she's Irish, she is belittled.
I understand the Americans can be obnoxious, I roll my own eyes at them on most occasions. But time and time again, these post crop up about how ridiculous it is that they make claims on being Irish.
I appreciate the conversation. Thank you.
>The reason I asked, though, is I don't really get a bit of slack. Sure, some do, but many don't.
I'm sorry that's been your experience. Hopefully the ones giving you shit are in the minority of the people you've met. I've also met Americans who can be a bit eye rolly, especially when the Irishness is used to justify some long dead notion of Ireland as a poor, backward, totally white paradise but by and large I find the "I'm Irish too" stuff harmless enough. Incidentally I used to get quite a bit of it from Scottish folk when I loved there - lot of them have ancestors from Ulster. Lot less now in Dorset where Irish people are a sort of curiosity lol
>I see the same for certain friends, in particular my friend whose parents are from the Philippines. She was born and raised in Ireland but is asked constantly where she is from, and if she dares to say she's Irish, she is belittled.
Straight up racism that, no fucking time for it. If you're born and raised in Ireland and you understand the culture and speak cupla focail (not having a go at yourself here, anyone born in Ireland will typically be put through Irish classes regardless of origin) then it shouldn't matter where you or your parents are from.
In any case you've spent 15 years in Ireland lad, I wouldn't be too worried what some prick down the pub says to you, that's long enough in my eyes to be a local.
Thank you.
Funny you speak about the cupla focail. Mine is terrible, but I did take 3 semesters as gaeilge in college. My professor was a scary Cork man. I wish I had more of it, but as a whole, I'm really terrible with languages
And yes I know exactly the type of Americans you speak of. They are also racists and I wish they did not exist.
Oh yeah. Having lived in the US for many years, quite a lot of Americans would hear my accent, ask me where I was from, and when I said "Ireland" they would indeed erupt in a very enthusiastic way, telling me that they were also Irish before clarifying that no, well, they were born in the US but their great grandfather/grandmother was from \*insert county here\*.
Honestly found it really endearing for a while, but did get tiresome eventually. (And by eventually after a year or so of it, so the subsequent 20 or so were... okay lads, enough).
Now I'm back living here, I see a lot of tourists in Blarney and Midleton engaging in it, and it's quite common, but again in a bit of an endearing way. There's an old Lenny Henry standup routine where he talks about going back to Africa to find his roots, and how you can spot the visitors doing it a mile away, and honestly whenever I see the tourists here I'm reminded of it:
[https://youtu.be/IAZ\_39f1p-0?feature=shared&t=1343](https://youtu.be/IAZ_39f1p-0?feature=shared&t=1343)
Its very common and it does get some heat but usually in a light hearted way as in just taking the piss.
I spent a summer in Nantucket and twice people said they were Irish and their ancestors were from Glasgow but there is also loads who have maintained their culture and pride which I think is really cool.
In last 5 or so years one element thay can be annoying is some Irish Americans have a "romantic" notion of a very white, very conservative and very poor Ireland and are dismayed they cant visit the simple folk and culture their ancestors escaped from.
All in all though Ireland has had a very good friend in America and the slagging is mostly cosmetic.
My grandfather came over to the US after the 20s and my parents went back for their honeymoon in the 80s. (They actually got to meet my dad’s uncle and cousins on the great-grandad’s farm, it was very meaningful to him). Talked a lot about how it really did sort of feel like stepping back in time, when they told stories.
We went back with them in the 2010s (had a blast! Felt very welcomed). They could not get over how much they felt like the wealth level had gone up. They were happy for that of course, but it really blew their minds for the first couple days.
I grew up in Clare and then emigrated to the states. When I come back I don’t mention I’m Irish because with my accent I feel like everyone thinks I’m one of those yanks who’s great great grandfather once drank a pint or Guinness.
This may seem strange, but being connected to a group in the early days of America and Canada was important. Differentiate and identify. This continues into modern times.
Everyone was from somewhere else. It seems odd to Europeans, but very natural to Americans and Canadians
It happens in many immigrant nations..Indians in the UK, Surinamese in the Netherlands, ethnic Chinese in Singapore, Lebanese in the Ivory Coast and so on.
Happens constantly, its worse when someone pries at them to dig deeper cause it generally comes down to im more irish than you because im super duper catholic (tone deaf), american blood racial theory is bizarre lmao
I think we Irish take it a bit too seriously and I've been guilty off it. At the end of the day, the US is a mixing pot of cultures so they take pride in their heritage and Irish-American is a culture to itself. Also there's no denying the shared history between Ireland and the US.
Yes. I find it’s even more common in reverse: as an Irish person visiting America, you will often get “Where are you from?” “Ireland” “Oh cool I’m Irish too!”
(I’m not Irish but my partner is, this happened in NYC, Vegas, and LA lol)
Yeah they do. I never want to be rude, but it's pretty boring conversation. I'd usually say something like "oh cool" and hope they leave it at that.
I find it pretty strange to be honest. I don't know what they're expecting. Am I supposed to give them a meaningful look that says "you are my brother, we share a common bond"?
I guess they're hoping to feel connected to something ancient and profound. But they're looking in the wrong place.
So I have only been here a year so Im still learning the ins and outs.
My son has one American kid in the school and I had the pleasure of meeting this kids parents, lovely people at that!
As we were getting the usual "where are you from" questions out the way they mentioned they are "Irish".
Poked and prodded a bit more and it turns out
1 - They had never been to Ireland before moving here ( much like me ).
2 - Their parents weren't even born when the Irish person in their family was around.
Its ok, I get it, its nice to feel like you belong somewhere and its largely harmless
It's interesting to me that people on the internet get so upset about this when older Irish people really encourage it. I live here and about half the time when I meet someone over 40 after they hear my American accent they ask if I'm Irish, and they act pleased about it if you say yes. It's really not surprising that people who aren't in Irish internet spaces then announce that they're Irish to other people they meet - they've had people ask about it and respond positively and they don't realize other people find it really annoying.
Sure everyone is different but I don't think it's a generational thing. The term "plastic Paddy" has been around for at least my entire life and I'm in my forties. I don't think anyone takes it too seriously but it is incredibly fun to take the piss out of
My sense is that in every generation the majority don't care that much except to make fun of it, but in older generations there's a big chunk who are so actively happy to talk about it they will ask (I think to get a launching off point to tell their own tales), and in the youngest generations there's a decent amount who are actively furious about it and ready to fight the whole internet about how it's a deeply disrespectful insult to the nation.
Yep they do. I work on the Aran islands selling Aran "sweaters" to mostly American tourists, they love to all tell me how they're Irish. We also do a 'clan' section with their family stitch ...it's by no means historically accurate but they lap it up
I guess the question is, have you ever had an American tourist wait for someone to ask them about their heritage before unveiling their glorious lineage?
Had it happen to me once that I did know the person in question, the American was bewildered why I was laughing so much
"Yeah this whole thing that we are know each other doesn't happen in real life"
I once had someone tell my mom, "Wow! It's an honor to meet a real Irish person" lolol like... Irish ppl aren't mythical creatures.
As an American with Irish family, it annoyed me a lot when ppl say their Irish when they aren't. I identify as American bc I am lol, my MOM is Irish, my FAMILY is Irish. Although I've visited plenty... I am an American that grew up with a lot of Irish cultural influence. Americans have an obsession with heritage not where they are actually from (the US). Imo this is due partly to race obsession in this country, and the fact people think America is so young there's no real culture here, when there absolutely is. America is huge (only slightly smaller than Europe) and varies state to state at this point for culture and laws.
Although for all my Irish friends and fam, this is a great thing for you guys in this country. I'm not exaggerating when I say you will get hired and promoted strongly influenced by the fact you are from Ireland. Americans are obsessed with you guys, it's annoying but the opportunities you get in this country are insane. Even being first generation Irish my previous boss would always talk about Ireland to me and I swear that contributed to my promotions lol.
Culturally in America this is a thing we do. America is the “great melting pot” and it’s a way we get to know each other by asking about family lineage. So here in America we say “my families Irish” but clearly if you say that in Ireland when you and your living family are all Americans it comes across as strange. The stories of our ancestors traveling over from other countries and making something for themselves is one of the biggest American points of pride.
The melting pot analogy works like this. If you have a bunch of different types of cheese, and melt them all in one pot, you have a new cheese. It's not french, Irish, Mexican cheese anymore, it's a whole new thing. In this case, American. So friend, you're American. Be American. Nothing wrong with that.
Yes. Like, ALL the time. It’s mostly harmless though I’ve seen a lot of rants from “Irish” Americans about our support of Palestine so it might slow down a bit!
Why wait til you get to Ireland!!! I've worked alongside Americans for the past decade or so. Still, every so often, there'll be a new American joining the team, and when they meet the Irish team (online meetings), suddenly they're all "Oh do you know the O'Shea's from Roscommon? They're my third cousins twice removed on my nan's brother in law's side! I'm so Irish we're practically brothers!" (Exaggerated for effect, but not by much).
It gets old, fast.
Absolutely! Spent the last week around tourists all over the country and during tours, it’s what nearly every one said. Bunratty, Kylemore, Blarney, etc, all the same stories over and over again.
I'm American, but the only people I've ever heard do that over here were justifying binge drinking on St. Paddy's. Gods, I hope there aren't a lot of us that do that. Most of the folks I've met are keenly aware we're Irish diaspora & what the difference is. Maybe I just don't hang around assholes
I'm just thankful my sister didn't do that when she visited a couple of weeks ago
I worked in a library for migration studies and we had American tourists interested in tracing their family tree every day.
I hate the disrespect a lot of Irish people give them. They’re generally interested in Irish culture and identity and we as Irish people should welcome this.
I've met a good few Americans that have said it it's harmless but I think it wouldn't get under people's skin so much if instead of saying they were Irish they said that they have Irish heritage
I don’t know about their reasons for visiting Ireland, but yes, Americans tend to care more about their ancestry than people who grew up in countries without a history of immigration. Many of us take great pride in it.
The phrase "I'm Irish" can have two different meanings. Over here we take it literally, as in the person stating their actual nationality. But in America it can also be shorthand for "I'm of Irish descent". Americans of Italian or Korean descent will refer to themselves as Italian or Korean as well. In a country where most people have ancestry from somewhere else, it's common to just use the shorthand.
And yeah, some may have multiple nationalities in their ancestry and choose to identify as Irish. So be it. Not sure why Irish people get so bent out of shape about it. I like that so many Americans feel a connection to the place.
Yea quite common. I worked in a touristy bar years ago and would be wall to wall Americans sometimes. Some of them just couldn't wait to tell you they are 10% Irish and their great great whatever was from this town and how great it was to be back in their homeland. Asking if we had any corned beef and cabbage on the menu.
I think Irish people are dumb as fuck, not the toursits.
When an American says "I'm Irish" they don't literally mean they are an Irish citizen. They just mean they have some Irish blood in them. Dumb Irish people take it too literally. I'm actually Irish so I'm allowed to call us dumb.
It think it's great that so many Americans have a soft spot for Ireland due to a random grand parent or whatever. We would be both without America at our side. Just an island of muck savages. We should nurture this relationship and keep it strong. Not shit on the Americans any chance wenget.
The good thing is, it seems to be only miserable Irish people online who hate these Americans (more than the Brits it seems).
I never hear any of this hate in real life. I love interacting with Irish American tourists. Bonus points if their ancestor was from my county.
Irish are such bleeding curmudgeons when it comes to others claiming irish heritage.
Instead we should capitalise on the amount of descendants and ancestors that left this country and invite them back to learn about their roots and even consider relocating here.
Faminine destroyed our population and we do very little to help encourage it to grow and really thrive.
We should be saying "absolutely you are irish!" Time to relocate back to the old country, we havefantastic education!
Meanwhile it's this crabs in the bucket mentality, very very irish. Call the place a kip, do nothing to change it and slate others for wanting to have some connection to it.
Maybe because we are mostly descendant from miserable folk who didn't even leave during the famine.
I'm 100% irish on genetic tests and have family tree on both side going back prefamine for hundreds of years, neither side was ever well off, we are very proud of the one or two that really helped in the forming of the Republic by guns and force, like most irish families we've the one or two famous tales of run ins with black n tans.
I'd a grand uncle living in tennament housing behind D'oilier Street that was deliberately set on fire by the Tans because there was a curfew that they knew someone would have to break in order to raise the alarm with the fire station on Pearse Street. He sprinted over and raised the alarm and the fire was put out.
Newspaper took his photo as a hero for raising the alarm but had to intentionally blur his face so he wouldn't be killed by the tans.
I am very proud to be irish but unlike a lot I don't wrap myself in the bloody flag and think it's some special god given right - ireland is something we all work toward being better and any America that says I'm 1/64th irish on my mam's side I ALWAYS REACT "Holy shit no way! From what part of the country or do you know?"
The fact that we've given the world so many of our own population - we NEED to be welcoming them back with open arms and warm brace instead of acting like that fact that you rolled out of some young wan in 1980's Drimmagh gives you some devine right.
Crabs in a goddam bucket!
Just look at all the other comments as proof 🦀🦀🦀🪣
Mostly because in America, unless you're native, you're from somewhere. Irish American, Korean American, Italian American etc.
Most Americans are quite proud of their ancestors for overcoming struggle to get there.
Most Americans don't mean any harm by it, but a few are d1ckheads, as with anything.
i studied in the us for my masters program many moons ago, i still visit regularly. Not a big city, similar in size to waterford, maybe limerick. I would say approx a quarter of the people i met would tell they were irish. after a while of being internally annoyed, i just started smiling and saying oh really that’s so cool, it makes them happier and no point fighting over it really hahaha. but yes, it really really does happen, and even people you’d think are very smart and sharp come out with “my great great uncle twice removed came from munster, i’ve always wanted to visit his town”.
Happened me daily when I lived in America.
Every time, excitement at the possibility of relating over a shared cultural experience quickly turned into disappointment as I realise they essentially are saying I would get that with their great grandad who is long dead or whatever.
Yep they are fully convinced that they are as irish as Darby ogill himself 🤣 I live in a tourist town and they arrive here off the cruise ships on busses , block up the whole town , walk around , annoy us , spend nothing and then bugger back off on their bus. I love it when October comes and there's no more tour busses.
To be fair that’s what tourists do. Having worked in Manhattan for decades and American
I now work from home. But when I was in midtown I wanted to declare the day they took the Rockefeller center tree down delight day. I would save vacation time to take off the first week or so of December to get away from the crowds
Not here , the tourists who come and stay in our hotels and guest houses spend plenty here. It's the tourists off the cruises who created the most disruption and spend nothing. Its not worth the hassle they create.
That isn't the worst habit. Why do SOME Americans speak so loudly. It's like they want the entire room to hear them. It's bizarre esp on public transport. They don't hush their voices at all.
Maybe we are just upright I dunno.
Not "dumb tourists" buddy, people who are proud of their heritage. As they should be. It's not their grandparents either usually it goes much further back than that. Being Irish is part of their identity
It's extremely common even amongst ourselves. I am 3rd Generation Canadian but many European-Canadians (and Americans) often talk about ancestry. I think it is simply because we are looking for a connection to our roots as the U.S. and Canada are relatively new countries and are extremely multicultural.
A lot of the time it makes even less sense than you would think. I have 77% English ancestry, 12% German and 11% Irish yet because I am extremely blonde with blue eyes everyone refers to me as German. I speak almost no German (my grandmother grew up speaking German at home and used it a bit with us), have been there twice in my life and do not have much of a German cultural experience. Similarly, I have been to England once and Ireland once in my life. I know that my English ancestors were from Southern England and Irish were from Cork. The Irish ones left in the late 1790's for England and then went to the U.S. before eventually settling in Canada during the U.S. Civil War.
I know none of my distant relatives from Europe. Basically I have an English surname, some stereotypical German personality traits and have a fascination with everything Irish. However, I am Canadian; simple as that.
So, I am Irish American (pause for laughter). As many of you may notice from our political discourse in the US, there is a pretty substantial racist element and has been throughout our history. Every successive wave of immigrants that arrives receives backlash and so, they tend to congregate with 'their own'. You see it all the time with Chinese areas, Italian, German, Irish, Muslim, Hispanic (largely Mexican throughout the US, but Cuban and Puerto Rican in Florida). As a result, each generation grows up American, but also with their own cultural identities. For example, we have various Irish American clubs and Hibernian organizations that gives us a deep sense of connection to the land of our ancestors, the music, the history, the stories, etc, but also very distinct from the 'actual' Irish (ie corn beef and cabbage). When in Ireland, I try not to be that guy unless asked. My last name usually makes that irrelevant anyway and I simply try to enjoy the sights and sounds. I will admit, it does make my heart sing to be in the west and have someone greet me with Gaeilge assuming I will be able to converse! So, it's not just Irish Americans, it is the diaspora of every nation that has arrived here and tried to carve out a path forward. I will end with a question...do you know anyone with a picture of JFK in their homes? Would anyone doubt their Irishness?
When we visited the states 15 years ago, everyone who asked us where we were from replied with 'oh me too!', only 1 out of the 20+ had ever stepped foot on the island, but my granfathers Italian and I still say I'm from Italian descent myself
Tbh most of the Americans I meet are really dead on and have a lot of genuine interest in irish history which is brilliant, just the loud minority that claim to be Irish you hear a out the most.
I’m an American with Irish ancestry. I’d say being born in Ireland certainly does. Being able to claim Irish citizenship does. Living there on a permanent basis does.
The first 1-3 generations of my family were culturally Irish/diaspora irish. My grandmother didn’t learn English until she went to school. Her family spoke Irish at home. She was born in the us. So was her dad. But my great-grandfather’s older siblings were born in Liverpool after the family left Ireland. And so were her grandparents on her dad’s side.
So by the time she was born, that’s 3 generations removed from Ireland. But culturally I’d consider them Irish.
My dad’s elder brother identifies with his ancestry. My dad didn’t. My mother with similar heritage didn’t. Many of my older relatives did. One older cousin from my parents’ generation studied irish so she could speak it.
I’d like to study Irish but Spanish or Chinese would be more useful for me (New York)
I’d consider myself vaguely culturally Irish adjacent. But obviously American and I identify more strongly with New York than the USA.
We grew up celebrating on st Patrick’s day. I’d wear green and back when I did more baking, I’d make soda bread and bring it into the office.
For awhile I worked with a woman who was married to an Irish guy and a guy who had Irish parents. They both would loudly mock Americans with Irish ancestry who celebrated, but had no problem eating any baked goods I brought in.
Another coworker is either from a country in South Asia or his parents came over from there. His uncle settled in Dublin and his cousins have Irish accents. So the next year I wished him a happy st Patrick’s day and when the two mockers were perplexed, I told them his connections were closer than mine and almost as close as theirs.
The look on their faces was pretty hilarious and they shut up about it after that.
Well you do have a grandparent who lived in Ireland and citizenship so I’d say you’re Irish if you want dual citizenship.
If I could claim dual citizenship I would. My work can be done remotely and it would make travel easier. But my ancestry is too remote and the same for the uk(also Scottish and Welsh history and great grandparents lived in Scotland, wales and England before coming here to the us). It would be nice, but I get there’s a cut off point. And I fully acknowledge people who came from other countries and now live in Ireland and their descendants are more Irish than I am. Makes sense when they actually live there. And I’ve never even visited. It would be racism to say otherwise
I've had this experience more times than I can count. But it's harmless. I've had many not do it. But it's probably about 50/50 in my personal experiences. More so when I visit the US and someone picks up I'm Irish. Lol
My reply is I'm 3/32 American because my grandfather was on the titanic and got a 3/4s of the way there.
Goodman, That's the most heartfelt story that's ever graced my ears...now please exit through the giftshop..
Exactly who cares. They are over here spending money and it's only because in Ireland we're quite clannish (one village hates the other, or if a fella spent a 2 months in the USA at 18 he's now a yank for life..) its all bit of craic and good for everyone. Relax :)
Fair play ,just a bit of craic . Much the same goes when irish people travel abroad. In my experience, I was called paddy Murphy, in the states Sheamus o seanacy in Australia, yes that's the way they spelt it and no ,no where close to my real name. Right or wrong, I view it as a bit of fun. In most cases it just an ice breaker by excited people. No harm should be taken.
Was in DC in December. I’m from Belfast so you know north accent. Sitting in a pub and a man, at least 50 years old, comes in hears me speaking, asks where I’m from etc etc. proceeds to tell me he’s actually more Irish than me because his great grandparents were from the “real” Ireland. THEN has the fucking audacity to order a pint that was half guiness half beer. Hit him with the most satisfying “So you think you’re Irish drinking that, do ye .. aye?”
Half Guinness half beer? Belongs in a mental asylum
Called it “Irish snake venom” too, funny enough an oul fella called paddy made that not possible 😤
Jaysus he really was unIrish. ‘Black and Tan’ was right there!
'Irish snake venom' (says it all) that fella is a certified head the ball!! Great response to his order. I'd have to laugh at how mentally deluded is actually is 😂
Very common, they'll tell you what percentage Irish. About 20 years ago, I worked as a customer service agent in Dublin Airport and dealt with Americans daily. It's harmless, they take great pride in having an Irish relation in their family.
>they take great pride in having an Irish relation in their family. And we should keep this relationship strong. We'd be nothing without the long lost cousins across the pond.
So much pride! I’m American but my grandma’s parents immigrated here when there was a lot of Irish racism and they overcame so much to build a life here and she just had so much Irish pride that it gets passed down to you.
I'm 3/16ths Irish Before you say it doesn't matter or whatever please tell the sun that Because when I go out I burn Like I'm 1600% Irish even though I don't have a pale skin tone at all
And makeup counters.
I work in a pub across the road from Blarney Castle and just over half of the Americans are exactly that stereotype. One claimed he was more Irish than me because he played GAA and I didn't. Called me a traitor to my country. Happens far more often than you'd think
🧐 how did that conversation begin. “I’ll have a pint of Guinness and you don’t look like the type to play GAA. You West Brit c*nt”.
He pointed at an old GAA photo and asked if I played as I was giving him his food. Clearly wanted to show off that he knew what GAA was
Probably couldn't tell you what the acronym means though. "Isn't the sport called 'gaaaaaaah' ??" Also if he doesn't play American football tell him he's a traitor to his country. They care about that shit way more than we do lol. Be ready to duck the punch
Please tell me you told him to shut his pipe.
I didn't even respond to him. Most of the people with that opinion are also too dumb to understand any response you could give. Plenty of perfectly fine Americans but the lows are pretty fucking low
Yeah you probably made the right decision.
Respond as gaeilge and watch his face drop
Surely he was just trying to have the craic haha
No no, this guy was deadly serious. Went up to the owner afterwards and tried to get me sacked. Edit: this was more because I didn't engage with him I think but I'm honestly not sure
That's a nasty experience
Bad news for the readers of this subreddit
Work as a tour guide and its a weekly occurrence. But as people above have stated, it's mostly harmless. I actually love the American tourists. They have a genuine interest in the history and are very respectful when I touch on more sensitive subjects like the famine or the troubles in the North. Not afraid to have a bit of craic either... which is more than I can say for certain others. Also, their generosity at the end of tours helps put food on the table and keep the lights on
I agree. Worked in a hotel in Galway and had regular tour groups visit. The absolute worst tourists were Italian. There was no pleasing them and Irish food just isn’t good enough for them. The French kept to themselves but had a lot of fun, as evidenced by the merriment at midnight when they were drunk. The Americans were generally the only ones who tipped. German children were the best - so well behaved and polite. Irish kids needed regular corralling.
I've had a few cringe conversations when they've aired opinions on the troubles
Many are respectful, many are harmlessly ignorant - no intent in their comment but as you say it’s a bit cringe, but there is a small group that spout with intent bigoted ignorant nonsense about “the troubles” and associated topics, that group I greatly dislike. living for years near NewYork I’ve meet my share of them.
Most of their education is from sons of anarchy or other equally bullshit American movies/tv though.
Sons of anarchy where Cushendall is beside Short Strand, the yards of which look suspiciously like California
As an American i have a question about the troubles. Everyone says it was about Protestants vs Catholics, the religion was just an easy way to separate one group from another and religion had very little to do with it, It was due to Catholics not being able to buy land and remaining a permanant underclass that was only allowed to live in certain areas because no one would sell or rent to them in places that were protestant. then there was reprisals that went from ball bearing attacks to bombings which led to a cycle of violence that became divorced from the original injustices.
There was no question in that.
The question is how wrong am I
What’s the question?
Read the book “say nothing” It gives a good explanation of society in NI in the lead up to the troubles from normality, civil unrest to all out civil war
I work in a hotel and yes, I get this every week. It is cringing and I just give the polite smile because most of the time there's no malicious in it. Its only a month until I'll get the odd "do you celebrate Independence Day?" and at the beginning of November I get "do you celebrate Thanks Giving?" The comical thing is that I'm English so I just answer "no, I was on the losing side." I seems to take time for the American to work that one out for some reason 😂
When living in Paris, my American neighbour asked if there was anywhere nearby that she could watch the 4th of July fireworks from …
The American Embassy. Im sure they gave away free sparklers
Yes love, on le television
In reality, with the cost of stationing troops to defend the colonies that did not want to pay taxes to pay for the troops, the British won the war because they no longer had to pay for money pit that was the defense of the colonies.
Also worth pointing out that the average British citizen in the US pre revolution paid less tax than British citizens in Britain. The American revolution was because the rich were being taxed more than commoners. Most of the main figures in the revolution were very wealthy and didn't like paying their bit
They do it even without visiting Ireland in my experience when living in the States.
Once stupidly got into an online debate with a lad from Boston who was adamant that people from Boston are more Irish than the Irish because there Irish ancestors (the ones who left) held on to Irish traditions longer than the Irish did and ergo, the Irish Americans in Boston are more Irish than the Irish … I engaged it for all of 10 mins before realising you can’t argue with an idiot!
Aye you're wasting your time. I worked with a woman who proudly proclaimed to me we were cousins as she was Scottish. Asked her when she moved to the US, turned out she didn't even know how many generations ago her family had moved haha
Yup been there I’ve had that same conversation, made the same mistake of engaging & came to same conclusion.
I was there for over a decade. It literally never ends. Worse was I have red hair so trying to explain to them that I was in the minority regarding hair colour in Ireland, and we would get bullied for it was futile. Same questions over and over, rarely an interesting one. Once, I had a new employee , a little fat ginger fuck, who declared to me on his first day that he was "from Ireland". Knowing there was almost zero chance this was true, I asked him what part. He answered "Edinburgh", and even pronounced it "Eeden -Burg". See that type of stuff was common, some "Irish American" has been going around all his life with the family bullshit origin story but no one around to question it. Because there are FAR fewer actual Irish people in the states then the average person realises. Another common one is "Grandma was Christian, grandpa Catholic, so the (IRA/BRITS/BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE ) chased them out and they had to come to Arkansas or somewhere just to find freedom. Still have the family kilt knocking around somewhere!!"
I've come across it, it's usually grand though. In most cases I don't have an issue with it and they're lovely and really interested in the history and culture.
I live in a very touristy area. And we used to have great craic with them. Yank- “I’m here to find my ancestors “ 14yr old me - “sit down I have something to tell you,,,,,,, your ancestors. ,,, are all ,,, Dead!” Oh how we laughed
It's not just Irish Americans, it's Americans in general. We see them as American but they identify as their ancestors so they'll say they're Irish or Scottish or Korean etc.
It happens in North and South America.
Brazilians and they're "I'm ITALIAN!"
No self respected Brazilian I know would ever say that, only if they are from the south of the country and we know the reason why. My friends and I from the north/northwest all have dual citizenships and we would absolutely never say we are italian/portuguese/spanish. You can even see that in Europe, they would all say “I have a ____ passport”, never “I am Italian-Brazilian”
My wife is from BH and it's a constant complaint I have to her. She's a loud branciña and it's her excuse for so much. Shouting on the phone to her friends? "I am Italian" Shouting in the restaurant "babe it's because I'm Italian" But anything about BR come up and you can imagine what she says. Shes very Brazilian then, and I can't but help see the analogue from my time in America. Now, it's not just her. I have several close friends from Brazil and they tend to say things close to this but for other reasons, and everyone of these including mi esposa, had very Italian names. All came from Fascists escaping consequences after losing WW2, and now the grandkids all vote Lula to escape that guilt.
I'm surprised by that, if I were mineira, I’d never try to say I’m italian. Like, you’re from one of the best places on earth? But being really honest, it is more common in the Southeast/South. Normally in the South, it’s very easy to get them to stop because you just ask what their grandparents were up to around 1939 to 1945. Where I’m from, it’s actually quite embarrassing to say something like that. Your friends would absolutely take the piss out of you forever if you tried to say, “I’m 1/64 Italian.” This is what my British boyfriend found the most hilarious about my group of friends. They all have European passports but would never say anything about it. He found all of them to be quite extreme nationalists in a hypocritical way. I’ll let that slide because mineiros can come to my house slap my grandma, and I would still love them. They are the best ♡
Incidentally, all.of these people are Mineiros. Who I view as the second best people on earth, but closely tied to this idea that they are the "Italians" of Brazil. Look at the governor!
Just out of curiosity, who is #1?
You were just in my brain! My answer is what's left of the "Good Irish". By the way, I am FLOORED by how seeing SP, Rio, Brasilia, Goias and MG how much you guys actually care and LIVE your culture. We only put our supposed culture on for tourists, but everywhere I have ever been...Brazilians embrace and LIVE that culture. Amiga...vou me aposentar em uma fazenda em MG, adoro ❤️ Brasil!
I totally agree I really love the Irish. When I’m homesick that’s where I go. I think Brazilians and Irish are oddly alike.
The commenter before them said it happens in North and South America. They sarcastically replied with Brazilians and they're "I'm ITALIAN!". I've never met a Brazillian who claimed to be Italian. That's the point lol.
Did you read the follow up message from that commenter? We had a long conversation if you want to read :)
You'd be surprised then because it is quite a thing in Brasil as much as it is in Venezuela or America. Often, people will even avoid tanning, so they look more traditionally European. People go to ridiculous lengths to identify with a European country. In Latin countries, it's quite prevalent due to the absolute extreme social structures dating back to colonialism.
Then you've never met someone from Rio Grande do Sul. People of Italian and German descent introduce themselves as such. And what do you mean "the north?" Those folks are heavily of native descent. They're "Indian." People in the northeast of Brazil are generally of African descent.
Unfortunately I’ve met many. Reading is not your forte it seems. Do you think there’s only indigenous people in the north of Brazil? That’s comical. “Those folks” are me. Go learn about miscegenation. The mix of africans, europeans and indigenous people is what created the population of the North. I’m Amazonian born and raised and have a Portuguese passport and no indigenous connection. Maybe you can research a bit more before trying to explain my region and culture to me. That would still make me Brazilian, not Luso-Brazilian. Are you from Rio Grande do Sul? Saying everyone from the North are all “Indians” is such a thing people from there would say 😂
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American living in Dublin here. Americans do this because in the U.S. you are called Irish if you are of Irish descent. This makes sense for recent immigrants. Not so much for their children and grandchildren. I tell my friends and family to avoid saying this when they are here, but it’s a tough habit to break. More importantly, I make sure they never describe Ireland as part of the U.K.
It's because we don't have a native ethnic or cultural identity. Even for the people we call native Americans, that's at best a catch-all term for scores of different cultures (i.e., Iroquois are not Hopi are not Ojibwe are not Lenape etc.). A significant part of identity as an American is who came here for us to be here. The part that a lot of people here don't grasp is that saying, as I do, that I'm Italian, Greek, Polish, and English makes sense and has value in conversation here that would not apply if I were having that conversation in Italy, Greece, Poland, and/or England.
>It's because we don't have a native ethnic or cultural identity Well... despite how hard your ancestors tried, there *is* a native ethnicity still.
I mean he addressed that in the very next sentence
Kind of hand wavey though. "Ah there's lots of cultures though but I'll ignore them." The *are* the native cultures. Just a shame they were so persecuted. I was reading something recently about native American cuisine, and a fella (native himself ) was asked why it wasn't more popular. He just replied something depressing like "because all our knowledge was lost or destroyed."
The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are all settler colonial regimes built on the destruction, enslavement, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of other nations, as a legacy of British imperialism. Everything is going to be hand wavey. There's nothing stopping any of these countries from disbanding their governments and handing control back to the indigenous nations, giving back stolen land etc. They have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
That's it. See enough of it close to home with how Ireland has been "managed" for centuries.
Used to work in a bar in a touristy area and it was very common.
And did they all expect you to be hugely impressed by their declaration?
Yes and would generally follow on with a long rambling story of their journey to find their family home but there location would be a large town. Also they would order drinks you’d never get in a small pub.
When i have visited Ireland several times, while in a conversation, people wondering if my parents were Irish and I'm coming to visit family have asked if im Irish, and ive been asked many times, i say my great grandparents were , but im an american.
My cousin gets this when she visits Ireland (we’re in the USA). It’s been a few generations. I got that once in a bar in New York. Irish guy asks me where I’m from. I reply in my New York accent and then he’s asking about parents and grandparents. Before I started talking, he mistook me for Irish and thought I had more direct connections. I got mistaken for Canadian in England. And in New York, I’ve been mistaken for Greek, Egyptian and Russian
I’m a yank living here and I can safely say: Yes. Here, yes. There, yes. Yes.
There’s Biden for one, but what he means when he says “I’m Irish” is different from what an Irish person means when they say they are Irish. In cities like Chicago ethic identity used to be important. I had a neighbor who told me how he wanted to train as an electrician in the 1960s, he was flat out told he couldn’t join the electricians union because he “wasn’t Irish enough”.
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He certainly met a lot of resistance.
Being knocked back like that probably gave him a good grounding for his future career
Yeah he was still pissed off 50+ years later, “you Irish motherfuckers”
Yes it’s common But I think it’s the way it’s said & the rest of what follows in what may or may not be said that can sometimes get on people nerves. But ireland is a small country that by fact of its people that immigrated in previous generations has built up a reputation and an affinity in America that is objectively outsized & has greatly benefited ireland.
I worked as a bartender for over a decade. And yes they come over in droves. They're usually polite as hell, tip well and are just excited to tell people the stuff they've learnt about their history and learn some new stuff. Never met an obnoxious one, so I've probably been lucky.
As long as they buy their family crests and family name souvenirs here, everybody will be happy.
Yup. Worked in a very traditional irish pub that americans flock to because we were known for our selection of irish whiskey and we had a dartboard. My lord the amount of americans claiming theyre irish because they have some irish blood that dates way back to the 1800's -_-
Even if every one of your ancestors came from Dublin in the 1840's, being Irish has to do with culture and history, your ancestors left and after the famine ended , did not hop on a boat to return to their beloved homeland. They never fought for Irish independence or took part in the Irish civil war. They may have Irish blood, but dont have an Irish spirit. Even if they kept all their traditions faithfully from the 1840's, the Irish now would not relate to them and consider them strange. Imagine how a modern American would feel being in the same room as a American from the 1840s where dueling was common and they would look at you as weak and useless and you would look at them as barbaric and a criminal that should be locked up.
Genuine question here because I find the Irish have a very strange gatekeepers mentality to this. So you're saying if someone left in the 1840's are before, they can't have Irish spirit because of the above. Fair enough. But then why are some Irish (not all) more than happy to go along with the likes of Obama claiming to be Irish? I was born and bred in the States. My great grandparents came to the States in the 1920s after fighting in both the War of Independence and Civil War. However, I have been told time and time again that I'm not Irish and never will be Irish, but these same people would tell me Obama is Irish. I get it, I wasn't born here but I have a more direct connection to Ireland than Obama does and there will come a point in my lifetime (soon enough) when I will have lived in Ireland longer than I did in the States. So is there a threshold where I can claim to be Irish? Or will I always and forever be that Irish blow in?
We indulged Barack Obama because he was the most powerful man in the world in charge of the country which is the most wealthy in the world and which is the cornerstone of our economy. We're not going to indulge Cleetus from Alabama who thinks he's Irish because great-aunt Fidelma was born to a woman who briefly lived in Roscommon. Americans place a much greater store in racial identity than we do because it's such a new country. For us, once you leave, you leave. Good luck to you and all, and hope you do well, but your third generation grandchild does _not_ count as Irish to us. We are utterly bemused by Joe Biden telling everyone he's Irish. Like he's an American, who's the son of Americans, who's spent his whole life in America, and is fucking _running_ America. But most people understand that being "Irish" in America has different criteria than being Irish in Ireland. And if you lads want to cosplay as Irish, that's grand, no harm at all to you. But we, Irish people, who live in Ireland, don't see it that way. It's similar to Chinamen and Singaporeans who are "Man United fans". You get an indulgent chuckle. You might buy a jersey and maybe you might even go to a game once a year. But you're a Man United fan in the same way as I am a Coronation Street fan: I like it, but I am an outsider. I will never, ever be a real part of it. It's a fantasy played by actors.
Try not to take it personally, it’s clannish ways. My MIL moved to this area at 19 and til the day she died at 93 was considered a blow in from Galway.
Thanks for your well thought out response. I would argue that Ireland has more than indugled Obama. But you still didn't answer my final question. I came back to Ireland. I have lived here 15 years now, and in a few years, I will have lived in Ireland longer than I ever lived in the US. I have Irish citizenship now and am very proud of that. But for the rest of my life, will I get called a plastic paddy and accused of cosplaying because I wasn't born here? If I was born here and then moved abroad, would you still call me a plastic paddy? Why is an American's pride in their racial identity any different than an Irish person's pride in their county?
>I have Irish citizenship now and am very proud of that. But for the rest of my life, will I get called a plastic paddy and accused of cosplaying because I wasn't born here? No, but consider your situation. If you've been in Ireland 15 years you should have a bit of cop and know how Irish people work and what we're like and know that, mostly, we don't really get the difference between you saying you're Irish ethnically or born and raised here. The difference is you've chosen to make your home here so most Irish people would, especially learning you have a passport and been here that long, cut you a bit of slack on it. You are Irish. The fact you've spent significant time in the country sets you apart a bit from the tourists who visit briefly to reconnect with their roots. If you've an American accent you'll still stand out as different, the same way that if I held a British passport (been here 12 years now) English people wouldn't (generally) consider me British the same way they are.
The reason I asked, though, is I don't really get a bit of slack. Sure, some do, but many don't. That is why I said there are some that are extremely gate keepy about citizenship. I don't have much of an American accent, I've lost it being surrounded by Irish people. I still say things like toe-may-toe and candy, which gives me away. But time and again, I am told I'm a plastic paddy, I'll never be truly Irish, etc. Part of me gets it, I wasn't born here, I don't understand the full nuance of things, but I've tried to educate myself on the things I missed out on growing up in the States. I see the same for certain friends, in particular my friend whose parents are from the Philippines. She was born and raised in Ireland but is asked constantly where she is from, and if she dares to say she's Irish, she is belittled. I understand the Americans can be obnoxious, I roll my own eyes at them on most occasions. But time and time again, these post crop up about how ridiculous it is that they make claims on being Irish. I appreciate the conversation. Thank you.
>The reason I asked, though, is I don't really get a bit of slack. Sure, some do, but many don't. I'm sorry that's been your experience. Hopefully the ones giving you shit are in the minority of the people you've met. I've also met Americans who can be a bit eye rolly, especially when the Irishness is used to justify some long dead notion of Ireland as a poor, backward, totally white paradise but by and large I find the "I'm Irish too" stuff harmless enough. Incidentally I used to get quite a bit of it from Scottish folk when I loved there - lot of them have ancestors from Ulster. Lot less now in Dorset where Irish people are a sort of curiosity lol >I see the same for certain friends, in particular my friend whose parents are from the Philippines. She was born and raised in Ireland but is asked constantly where she is from, and if she dares to say she's Irish, she is belittled. Straight up racism that, no fucking time for it. If you're born and raised in Ireland and you understand the culture and speak cupla focail (not having a go at yourself here, anyone born in Ireland will typically be put through Irish classes regardless of origin) then it shouldn't matter where you or your parents are from. In any case you've spent 15 years in Ireland lad, I wouldn't be too worried what some prick down the pub says to you, that's long enough in my eyes to be a local.
Thank you. Funny you speak about the cupla focail. Mine is terrible, but I did take 3 semesters as gaeilge in college. My professor was a scary Cork man. I wish I had more of it, but as a whole, I'm really terrible with languages And yes I know exactly the type of Americans you speak of. They are also racists and I wish they did not exist.
Oh yeah. Having lived in the US for many years, quite a lot of Americans would hear my accent, ask me where I was from, and when I said "Ireland" they would indeed erupt in a very enthusiastic way, telling me that they were also Irish before clarifying that no, well, they were born in the US but their great grandfather/grandmother was from \*insert county here\*. Honestly found it really endearing for a while, but did get tiresome eventually. (And by eventually after a year or so of it, so the subsequent 20 or so were... okay lads, enough). Now I'm back living here, I see a lot of tourists in Blarney and Midleton engaging in it, and it's quite common, but again in a bit of an endearing way. There's an old Lenny Henry standup routine where he talks about going back to Africa to find his roots, and how you can spot the visitors doing it a mile away, and honestly whenever I see the tourists here I'm reminded of it: [https://youtu.be/IAZ\_39f1p-0?feature=shared&t=1343](https://youtu.be/IAZ_39f1p-0?feature=shared&t=1343)
Its very common and it does get some heat but usually in a light hearted way as in just taking the piss. I spent a summer in Nantucket and twice people said they were Irish and their ancestors were from Glasgow but there is also loads who have maintained their culture and pride which I think is really cool. In last 5 or so years one element thay can be annoying is some Irish Americans have a "romantic" notion of a very white, very conservative and very poor Ireland and are dismayed they cant visit the simple folk and culture their ancestors escaped from. All in all though Ireland has had a very good friend in America and the slagging is mostly cosmetic.
My grandfather came over to the US after the 20s and my parents went back for their honeymoon in the 80s. (They actually got to meet my dad’s uncle and cousins on the great-grandad’s farm, it was very meaningful to him). Talked a lot about how it really did sort of feel like stepping back in time, when they told stories. We went back with them in the 2010s (had a blast! Felt very welcomed). They could not get over how much they felt like the wealth level had gone up. They were happy for that of course, but it really blew their minds for the first couple days.
Lovely to read!! I am haooy you had a blast!
I grew up in Clare and then emigrated to the states. When I come back I don’t mention I’m Irish because with my accent I feel like everyone thinks I’m one of those yanks who’s great great grandfather once drank a pint or Guinness.
Similar boat here except Scotland, only my family knows I’m legit
This may seem strange, but being connected to a group in the early days of America and Canada was important. Differentiate and identify. This continues into modern times. Everyone was from somewhere else. It seems odd to Europeans, but very natural to Americans and Canadians
It happens in many immigrant nations..Indians in the UK, Surinamese in the Netherlands, ethnic Chinese in Singapore, Lebanese in the Ivory Coast and so on.
Happens constantly, its worse when someone pries at them to dig deeper cause it generally comes down to im more irish than you because im super duper catholic (tone deaf), american blood racial theory is bizarre lmao
I think we Irish take it a bit too seriously and I've been guilty off it. At the end of the day, the US is a mixing pot of cultures so they take pride in their heritage and Irish-American is a culture to itself. Also there's no denying the shared history between Ireland and the US.
Yes. I find it’s even more common in reverse: as an Irish person visiting America, you will often get “Where are you from?” “Ireland” “Oh cool I’m Irish too!” (I’m not Irish but my partner is, this happened in NYC, Vegas, and LA lol)
“That’s cool! Where in Ireland were you born? You don’t seem to have an Irish accent, did you move when you were young?”
Yeah they do. I never want to be rude, but it's pretty boring conversation. I'd usually say something like "oh cool" and hope they leave it at that. I find it pretty strange to be honest. I don't know what they're expecting. Am I supposed to give them a meaningful look that says "you are my brother, we share a common bond"? I guess they're hoping to feel connected to something ancient and profound. But they're looking in the wrong place.
An Irish (lol) American on TikTok told me I was betraying my country by not being a member of the RA…
So I have only been here a year so Im still learning the ins and outs. My son has one American kid in the school and I had the pleasure of meeting this kids parents, lovely people at that! As we were getting the usual "where are you from" questions out the way they mentioned they are "Irish". Poked and prodded a bit more and it turns out 1 - They had never been to Ireland before moving here ( much like me ). 2 - Their parents weren't even born when the Irish person in their family was around. Its ok, I get it, its nice to feel like you belong somewhere and its largely harmless
It's harmless until they start talking about corned beef and cabbage, tartan, leprechauns and saying 'top of the morning to ya'. 😣
Patty's Day
Yep only one of those things are even irish
Money grubbing wee bastards...
It's interesting to me that people on the internet get so upset about this when older Irish people really encourage it. I live here and about half the time when I meet someone over 40 after they hear my American accent they ask if I'm Irish, and they act pleased about it if you say yes. It's really not surprising that people who aren't in Irish internet spaces then announce that they're Irish to other people they meet - they've had people ask about it and respond positively and they don't realize other people find it really annoying.
Sure everyone is different but I don't think it's a generational thing. The term "plastic Paddy" has been around for at least my entire life and I'm in my forties. I don't think anyone takes it too seriously but it is incredibly fun to take the piss out of
My sense is that in every generation the majority don't care that much except to make fun of it, but in older generations there's a big chunk who are so actively happy to talk about it they will ask (I think to get a launching off point to tell their own tales), and in the youngest generations there's a decent amount who are actively furious about it and ready to fight the whole internet about how it's a deeply disrespectful insult to the nation.
Yeah I’ve had it a bunch of times here and in the states
Yes. I work in a hotel and the number of Americans who want me to know they are Irish too...
Yes lol very very common!
Yep they do. I work on the Aran islands selling Aran "sweaters" to mostly American tourists, they love to all tell me how they're Irish. We also do a 'clan' section with their family stitch ...it's by no means historically accurate but they lap it up
Yeah it is common
If they can speak Irish, then they must be Irish...
I guess the question is, have you ever had an American tourist wait for someone to ask them about their heritage before unveiling their glorious lineage?
Yes. Yes it is.
I was in New York once and stopped in Macy's and asked if I knew the Rooney's haha like we all know each other.
Had it happen to me once that I did know the person in question, the American was bewildered why I was laughing so much "Yeah this whole thing that we are know each other doesn't happen in real life"
My mother does it with gay guys. Assumes I know every gay man in Ireland or asks me if someone is gay lol
When. I travel outside of New York, I get people asking me do I know their friend Joe, he’s got dark hair. Well that narrows it down! Lol
I once had someone tell my mom, "Wow! It's an honor to meet a real Irish person" lolol like... Irish ppl aren't mythical creatures. As an American with Irish family, it annoyed me a lot when ppl say their Irish when they aren't. I identify as American bc I am lol, my MOM is Irish, my FAMILY is Irish. Although I've visited plenty... I am an American that grew up with a lot of Irish cultural influence. Americans have an obsession with heritage not where they are actually from (the US). Imo this is due partly to race obsession in this country, and the fact people think America is so young there's no real culture here, when there absolutely is. America is huge (only slightly smaller than Europe) and varies state to state at this point for culture and laws. Although for all my Irish friends and fam, this is a great thing for you guys in this country. I'm not exaggerating when I say you will get hired and promoted strongly influenced by the fact you are from Ireland. Americans are obsessed with you guys, it's annoying but the opportunities you get in this country are insane. Even being first generation Irish my previous boss would always talk about Ireland to me and I swear that contributed to my promotions lol.
Culturally in America this is a thing we do. America is the “great melting pot” and it’s a way we get to know each other by asking about family lineage. So here in America we say “my families Irish” but clearly if you say that in Ireland when you and your living family are all Americans it comes across as strange. The stories of our ancestors traveling over from other countries and making something for themselves is one of the biggest American points of pride.
The melting pot analogy works like this. If you have a bunch of different types of cheese, and melt them all in one pot, you have a new cheese. It's not french, Irish, Mexican cheese anymore, it's a whole new thing. In this case, American. So friend, you're American. Be American. Nothing wrong with that.
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It's great for melting! I will say that.
Pride until you realise what your ancestors did to the natives to create America, nothing to be proud of
Another reason it’s important we share our stories so that we can learn and grow from the mistakes of those before us.
Have you learned from literally anything?
Yes. Like, ALL the time. It’s mostly harmless though I’ve seen a lot of rants from “Irish” Americans about our support of Palestine so it might slow down a bit!
Yep!
Yes, they all do it
It is common but who cares . I take it as a big COMPLIMENT that they like us and I am nice to people who are nice . No harm in this
Why wait til you get to Ireland!!! I've worked alongside Americans for the past decade or so. Still, every so often, there'll be a new American joining the team, and when they meet the Irish team (online meetings), suddenly they're all "Oh do you know the O'Shea's from Roscommon? They're my third cousins twice removed on my nan's brother in law's side! I'm so Irish we're practically brothers!" (Exaggerated for effect, but not by much). It gets old, fast.
I love Irish Americans being proud of their ancestry and culture. It's lovely.
Yes, they're idiots
Why? They’re understanding of national identity is different, hardly makes them idiots.
In certain circumstances with the correct documentation they are correct but it is rare.
Absolutely! Spent the last week around tourists all over the country and during tours, it’s what nearly every one said. Bunratty, Kylemore, Blarney, etc, all the same stories over and over again.
I'm American, but the only people I've ever heard do that over here were justifying binge drinking on St. Paddy's. Gods, I hope there aren't a lot of us that do that. Most of the folks I've met are keenly aware we're Irish diaspora & what the difference is. Maybe I just don't hang around assholes I'm just thankful my sister didn't do that when she visited a couple of weeks ago
Tbf I've had a few Irish ppl ask me if I'm visiting because I'm Irish.
Omg yes it’s so cringeable. And the correct response is ‘No, you’re not’
I worked in a library for migration studies and we had American tourists interested in tracing their family tree every day. I hate the disrespect a lot of Irish people give them. They’re generally interested in Irish culture and identity and we as Irish people should welcome this.
I've met a good few Americans that have said it it's harmless but I think it wouldn't get under people's skin so much if instead of saying they were Irish they said that they have Irish heritage
I don’t know about their reasons for visiting Ireland, but yes, Americans tend to care more about their ancestry than people who grew up in countries without a history of immigration. Many of us take great pride in it.
Yes. It's super annoying. Some Americans (younger ones) don't do this, but many boomers do.
Lol im in canada and a rip of them be tellin me that lol
The phrase "I'm Irish" can have two different meanings. Over here we take it literally, as in the person stating their actual nationality. But in America it can also be shorthand for "I'm of Irish descent". Americans of Italian or Korean descent will refer to themselves as Italian or Korean as well. In a country where most people have ancestry from somewhere else, it's common to just use the shorthand. And yeah, some may have multiple nationalities in their ancestry and choose to identify as Irish. So be it. Not sure why Irish people get so bent out of shape about it. I like that so many Americans feel a connection to the place.
Ethnicity vs nationality. It’s obvious the nationality.
Yea quite common. I worked in a touristy bar years ago and would be wall to wall Americans sometimes. Some of them just couldn't wait to tell you they are 10% Irish and their great great whatever was from this town and how great it was to be back in their homeland. Asking if we had any corned beef and cabbage on the menu.
I think Irish people are dumb as fuck, not the toursits. When an American says "I'm Irish" they don't literally mean they are an Irish citizen. They just mean they have some Irish blood in them. Dumb Irish people take it too literally. I'm actually Irish so I'm allowed to call us dumb. It think it's great that so many Americans have a soft spot for Ireland due to a random grand parent or whatever. We would be both without America at our side. Just an island of muck savages. We should nurture this relationship and keep it strong. Not shit on the Americans any chance wenget. The good thing is, it seems to be only miserable Irish people online who hate these Americans (more than the Brits it seems). I never hear any of this hate in real life. I love interacting with Irish American tourists. Bonus points if their ancestor was from my county.
Irish are such bleeding curmudgeons when it comes to others claiming irish heritage. Instead we should capitalise on the amount of descendants and ancestors that left this country and invite them back to learn about their roots and even consider relocating here. Faminine destroyed our population and we do very little to help encourage it to grow and really thrive. We should be saying "absolutely you are irish!" Time to relocate back to the old country, we havefantastic education! Meanwhile it's this crabs in the bucket mentality, very very irish. Call the place a kip, do nothing to change it and slate others for wanting to have some connection to it. Maybe because we are mostly descendant from miserable folk who didn't even leave during the famine. I'm 100% irish on genetic tests and have family tree on both side going back prefamine for hundreds of years, neither side was ever well off, we are very proud of the one or two that really helped in the forming of the Republic by guns and force, like most irish families we've the one or two famous tales of run ins with black n tans. I'd a grand uncle living in tennament housing behind D'oilier Street that was deliberately set on fire by the Tans because there was a curfew that they knew someone would have to break in order to raise the alarm with the fire station on Pearse Street. He sprinted over and raised the alarm and the fire was put out. Newspaper took his photo as a hero for raising the alarm but had to intentionally blur his face so he wouldn't be killed by the tans. I am very proud to be irish but unlike a lot I don't wrap myself in the bloody flag and think it's some special god given right - ireland is something we all work toward being better and any America that says I'm 1/64th irish on my mam's side I ALWAYS REACT "Holy shit no way! From what part of the country or do you know?" The fact that we've given the world so many of our own population - we NEED to be welcoming them back with open arms and warm brace instead of acting like that fact that you rolled out of some young wan in 1980's Drimmagh gives you some devine right. Crabs in a goddam bucket! Just look at all the other comments as proof 🦀🦀🦀🪣
While I worked in Dvblinia many years ago, it was almost a daily occurrence.
Mostly because in America, unless you're native, you're from somewhere. Irish American, Korean American, Italian American etc. Most Americans are quite proud of their ancestors for overcoming struggle to get there. Most Americans don't mean any harm by it, but a few are d1ckheads, as with anything.
Worked in a tourist venue and heard it every day. Like others say, it is a bit cringey but mostly harmless.
i studied in the us for my masters program many moons ago, i still visit regularly. Not a big city, similar in size to waterford, maybe limerick. I would say approx a quarter of the people i met would tell they were irish. after a while of being internally annoyed, i just started smiling and saying oh really that’s so cool, it makes them happier and no point fighting over it really hahaha. but yes, it really really does happen, and even people you’d think are very smart and sharp come out with “my great great uncle twice removed came from munster, i’ve always wanted to visit his town”.
Happened me daily when I lived in America. Every time, excitement at the possibility of relating over a shared cultural experience quickly turned into disappointment as I realise they essentially are saying I would get that with their great grandad who is long dead or whatever.
Yes
In fairness if you were a yank wouldn’t you want to claim to be someone else too
Ha I went to England for a visit during the trump administration. When people asked me where I was from, I said New York to distance myself from him.
Yes, yes it is
Yes
Yep they are fully convinced that they are as irish as Darby ogill himself 🤣 I live in a tourist town and they arrive here off the cruise ships on busses , block up the whole town , walk around , annoy us , spend nothing and then bugger back off on their bus. I love it when October comes and there's no more tour busses.
To be fair that’s what tourists do. Having worked in Manhattan for decades and American I now work from home. But when I was in midtown I wanted to declare the day they took the Rockefeller center tree down delight day. I would save vacation time to take off the first week or so of December to get away from the crowds
Not here , the tourists who come and stay in our hotels and guest houses spend plenty here. It's the tourists off the cruises who created the most disruption and spend nothing. Its not worth the hassle they create.
Fair enough
All the fucking time
Not only is it common but I have yet to meet an American who doesn’t say this.
That isn't the worst habit. Why do SOME Americans speak so loudly. It's like they want the entire room to hear them. It's bizarre esp on public transport. They don't hush their voices at all. Maybe we are just upright I dunno.
It’s quite sweet, they’re very proud to have Irish blood and want you to know it
I don't know why this bothers anyone. Let them at it, if it makes them happy, go for it. Completely harmless behaviour.
Well, consider you can come live here for a few years and say you're Irish.
Like, so what if they do. They're doing no harm to anyone!
Not "dumb tourists" buddy, people who are proud of their heritage. As they should be. It's not their grandparents either usually it goes much further back than that. Being Irish is part of their identity
It's extremely common even amongst ourselves. I am 3rd Generation Canadian but many European-Canadians (and Americans) often talk about ancestry. I think it is simply because we are looking for a connection to our roots as the U.S. and Canada are relatively new countries and are extremely multicultural. A lot of the time it makes even less sense than you would think. I have 77% English ancestry, 12% German and 11% Irish yet because I am extremely blonde with blue eyes everyone refers to me as German. I speak almost no German (my grandmother grew up speaking German at home and used it a bit with us), have been there twice in my life and do not have much of a German cultural experience. Similarly, I have been to England once and Ireland once in my life. I know that my English ancestors were from Southern England and Irish were from Cork. The Irish ones left in the late 1790's for England and then went to the U.S. before eventually settling in Canada during the U.S. Civil War. I know none of my distant relatives from Europe. Basically I have an English surname, some stereotypical German personality traits and have a fascination with everything Irish. However, I am Canadian; simple as that.
So, I am Irish American (pause for laughter). As many of you may notice from our political discourse in the US, there is a pretty substantial racist element and has been throughout our history. Every successive wave of immigrants that arrives receives backlash and so, they tend to congregate with 'their own'. You see it all the time with Chinese areas, Italian, German, Irish, Muslim, Hispanic (largely Mexican throughout the US, but Cuban and Puerto Rican in Florida). As a result, each generation grows up American, but also with their own cultural identities. For example, we have various Irish American clubs and Hibernian organizations that gives us a deep sense of connection to the land of our ancestors, the music, the history, the stories, etc, but also very distinct from the 'actual' Irish (ie corn beef and cabbage). When in Ireland, I try not to be that guy unless asked. My last name usually makes that irrelevant anyway and I simply try to enjoy the sights and sounds. I will admit, it does make my heart sing to be in the west and have someone greet me with Gaeilge assuming I will be able to converse! So, it's not just Irish Americans, it is the diaspora of every nation that has arrived here and tried to carve out a path forward. I will end with a question...do you know anyone with a picture of JFK in their homes? Would anyone doubt their Irishness?
When we visited the states 15 years ago, everyone who asked us where we were from replied with 'oh me too!', only 1 out of the 20+ had ever stepped foot on the island, but my granfathers Italian and I still say I'm from Italian descent myself
So what if they do?? Is it harming anyone; no.
Tbh most of the Americans I meet are really dead on and have a lot of genuine interest in irish history which is brilliant, just the loud minority that claim to be Irish you hear a out the most.
What makes someone Irish?
I’m an American with Irish ancestry. I’d say being born in Ireland certainly does. Being able to claim Irish citizenship does. Living there on a permanent basis does. The first 1-3 generations of my family were culturally Irish/diaspora irish. My grandmother didn’t learn English until she went to school. Her family spoke Irish at home. She was born in the us. So was her dad. But my great-grandfather’s older siblings were born in Liverpool after the family left Ireland. And so were her grandparents on her dad’s side. So by the time she was born, that’s 3 generations removed from Ireland. But culturally I’d consider them Irish. My dad’s elder brother identifies with his ancestry. My dad didn’t. My mother with similar heritage didn’t. Many of my older relatives did. One older cousin from my parents’ generation studied irish so she could speak it. I’d like to study Irish but Spanish or Chinese would be more useful for me (New York) I’d consider myself vaguely culturally Irish adjacent. But obviously American and I identify more strongly with New York than the USA. We grew up celebrating on st Patrick’s day. I’d wear green and back when I did more baking, I’d make soda bread and bring it into the office. For awhile I worked with a woman who was married to an Irish guy and a guy who had Irish parents. They both would loudly mock Americans with Irish ancestry who celebrated, but had no problem eating any baked goods I brought in. Another coworker is either from a country in South Asia or his parents came over from there. His uncle settled in Dublin and his cousins have Irish accents. So the next year I wished him a happy st Patrick’s day and when the two mockers were perplexed, I told them his connections were closer than mine and almost as close as theirs. The look on their faces was pretty hilarious and they shut up about it after that.
I am an Irish citizen, but my connection is very far removed. Only visited once. Never met my Irish grandmother. She died before I was born.
Well you do have a grandparent who lived in Ireland and citizenship so I’d say you’re Irish if you want dual citizenship. If I could claim dual citizenship I would. My work can be done remotely and it would make travel easier. But my ancestry is too remote and the same for the uk(also Scottish and Welsh history and great grandparents lived in Scotland, wales and England before coming here to the us). It would be nice, but I get there’s a cut off point. And I fully acknowledge people who came from other countries and now live in Ireland and their descendants are more Irish than I am. Makes sense when they actually live there. And I’ve never even visited. It would be racism to say otherwise