What does it mean to be Irish? That, my dear readers, is the question I pose today.
Answers may be many and most may be difficult to pinpoint.
Around this corner of the internet it is always good to explore our Irishness together, as we celebrate our shared heritage..
And so let's delve in together, with a little foray into our Irishness by continuing my series of blog posts all about the Irish Psyche.
Table of Contents
A Difficult Task To Define Irishness
Perhaps uncovering the meaning of our Irishness is too great a task for any blogger to undertake, and it's definitely a question that has no neat and tidy answer.
But you know me!!!! .... I never shirk away from a difficult topic, and will not let my lack of psychological training deter me from going where no man has gone before.... not even Freud .... deep inside the Irish psyche.
So be forewarned.... this is no scientifically researched thesis on what it means to be Irish. This little rambling is based solely upon my experiences as an Irish woman, plowing through the University of Life.
We know that we "Irish" are a complicated bunch, and trying to amalgamate our traits into easily identifiable, shared quirks and idiosyncrasies is probably a lunatic's endeavor. But I am a Crazy Celt after all....
So together let's delve into the forty shades of green that meld together creating our Irish identity.
Irish Pride
Whatsoever we personally believe it means to be Irish, there is one undeniable fact ....
We Irish are deeply proud of being Irish.
How many of us have seen our friends and loved ones wearing T-shirts adorned with the words ????
"Irish And Proud"
or
"Proud To Be Irish"
And a few of us have worn said T-shirts ourselves. But what exactly are we so proud of, that we feel compelled to let the world know of our Irish pride through the very clothes we wear?
Domhnall Gleeson, an Irish actor, has reflected upon his Irish pride, but has also acknowledged that he does not understand what it really means to be Irish.
"I'm hugely proud of being Irish.
And I don't even know what that means.
I just know that it's true."
~ Domhnall Gleeson
Do you know what Irish pride is? Do you know what your 'Irishness' means to you?
I'm not sure I really know what my Irishness means to me. I have always believed "I was born in Ireland, therefore I am Irish."
But is being "Irish" something more than a birthright?
Here's what the actor, Colin Farrell, has shared on this topic....
"Being Irish is very much part of who I am.
I take it everywhere with me."
~Colin Farrell
And so let's try to discover together what exactly it is we are proud of, when we say we are "Proud to be Irish."
Our Irish Psychosis
Now Brendan Behan may have been a little harsh when he said ...
"Most people have a nationality,
but the Irish and the Jews have a psychosis."
~ Brendan Behan
But if you consider his words closely, you realize Behan may have been onto something. Both the Irish and the Jewish people are ancient races, who have traveled the far reaches of the world, but who have not always been welcomed wherever they roamed.
Through the ages, both peoples have remained connected with their kin and with their ancient homelands. They have proudly maintained those ties, because they are innately proud of their national identity, albeit a psychosis.
The Irish and Jewish people are survivors, strong-willed and determined.
The writer, Edna O'Brien, summed this up beautifully about the Irish when she said ...
“When anyone asks me about the Irish character,
I say look at the trees...
Maimed, stark and misshapen,
but ferociously tenacious.”
~ Edna O'Brien
Another Irish writer, Anne Enright, also identified the psychotic nature of our Irishness, and our acceptance of out-of-the ordinary behavior ....
“'Up and down' is Irish for anything at all from crying into the dishes to full-blown psychosis. Though, now that I think about it, a psychotic is more usually 'not quite herself'.”
~ Anne Enright, in Yesterday's Weather
And so it appears this Irishness is intertwined with a sense of tragedy ...
“There's no sense to being Irish unless you know the world's going to break your heart.”
~ Attributed to both Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Thomas Adcock
But despite tragedy and sadness we love music, laughter and fun...
“For you can't hear Irish tunes without knowing you're Irish, and wanting to pound that fact into the floor.”
~ Jennifer Armstrong from Becoming Mary Mehan.
Have you ever found yourself tapping along to an Irish tune, or pounding the floor boards in a tribal dance as if declaring your Irishness to the world? And so I ask, what does being Irish mean to you?
My Personal Sense of Irishness
My sense of Irishness is embedded in memories of my childhood, growing up in Dublin in the 1960's and '70's, with deep connections to an older Ireland, which I experienced when visiting my family in County Cork.
I am intensely proud of Ireland, of its unique culture, its rich history, and its people who live all over the world.
I love this description of 'Irishness' ....
"Irishness is not primarily a question of birth, blood or language; it is the condition of being involved in the Irish situation, and usually being mauled by it."
~ Conor Cruise O'Brien
I know my Irishness is an innate sense of identity, I carry with me wherever I may roam. It's an identity I wish to retain with pride, even though we all now live in a rapidly changing world.
Discovering The Meaning Of Our Irishness
On this blog we don't shy away from exploring the deep and complex topic of what it means to be Irish.
This blog post is merely an introductory ramble.
We have dipped our big toes into the great wide ocean of answers out there, but as time progresses, we'll hopefully swim a little deeper into this sea of Irishness.
To follow along you can check out my subcategory "The Irish Psyche." All new blog posts on this topic will be filed right there.
Why not join me on this journey of discovery? Stop by whenever you can, as we uncover our Irishness together.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more ramblings you might find interesting....
Irish Main Dishes
- Delicious And Flavorful Whiskey Pork Chops Recipe
- Guinness Glazed Chicken Tenders
- Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Leftover Turkey and Ham Rissoles
Online Jigsaws
- Cherry Blossoms in Bloom in Saint Stephen's Green
- Mount Errigal Online Jigsaw Puzzle
- West Cork Rainbow Online Jigsaw
- Doagh Strand Online Jigsaw Puzzle
Dr. Kathleen O'C. Hoekstra
The concept of psychosis is not apt re any group of people. It is intellectually lazy to apply it in this way, and dilutes the meaning of this phenomenon. It is especially degrading when it is applied to the efforts of groups which have had to cope with oppressive reality (reality being the antithesis of psychosis) for hundreds of years. So, attributing this pathology to the Irish is flippant, and as insulting as any of the other untutored and cruel characterizations we have had to endure since the English effort to dehumanize us. The Irish, like all oppressed people, already had a national character before the Invasion. It was into this character that they integrated characteristics which were needed in order to cope with a superior force bent on destroying them. Such behaviors were the very antithesis of psychosis ; they were based on an accurate assessment of their reality and a marshalling of their strengths. Thus, these characteristics are quite reality based, and hence not psychotic. It is not psychotic to hone humor, grace, patience, creativity--and impatience at some point-- in the face of an attempt to eliminate you from the face of the earth. Anyone who thinks that they were psychotic or paranoid in their assessment of the attempt to destroy them need only to read an honest Irish history, visit a famine museum, or investigate the history of other groups which were destined for destruction. Perhaps one could start with Native Americans and Jews.
Irish American Mom
Dear Dr. Kathleen - Thank you for your insightful response. I introduced Brendan Behan's quotation by saying it was a little harsh, but you have eloquently explained why his statement is unfounded and flippant. I really appreciate this portion of your explanation .. "The Irish, like all oppressed people, already had a national character before the Invasion. It was into this character that they integrated characteristics which were needed in order to cope with a superior force bent on destroying them. Such behaviors were the very antithesis of psychosis."
Thanks so much for stopping by and adding to this discussion.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Gene
Mairead,
My grandparents came from Scotland and Germany; but, while I can't claim to be Irish, I love the country and the people. There are several things that I see that tie our countries together. • We both broke away from England. Were Ireland as far away as North America, you could have won full independence too.
• America also had problems keeping everyone on the same page and suffered a Civil War. Whether it be race or religion, can we pray that you become united once again.
• The US has had 300 years of independence to your 100. Fortunately we were in a position to help with the famine for those who stayed and found places for those who emigrated. The Irish have been an important segment of our history and we were wise and fortunate to open our shores at that time.
• One big difference is that the Irish are the remains of the people who settled, fought, and survived on that island. We are a nation of immigrants who have only been here for 500 years or less; and we could not find a way to live with the residents in a land that is 100 times larger than Ireland.
Irish American Mom
Hi Gene - Thanks for this comparison between the Irish and those that have settled in north America. You aptly point out that in America... "We are a nation of immigrants who have only been here for 500 years or less; and we could not find a way to live with the residents in a land that is 100 times larger than Ireland."
Modern Ireland has welcomed many immigrants to her shores, especially in the past 10 years. Foreign born nationals now account for nearly 13 per cent of the Irish population. I hope we have learned from the lessons of our American neighbors across the Atlantic. I hope that our strong sense of identity and confidence in our nation will allow us to accept and live comfortably with diversity.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Ray Brown
Dear Mairéad,
This is a great topic of what it means to be Irish. Although we might see so many different ideas before us, a huge array of colors that shape us, I will therefore only use my experiences to shape my idea of being Irish which can be very different from someone else's. I was born and raised in California. I grew up hearing Irish music when I was a child and thought my parents were not in step with the modern world. I did not get to appreciate Irish music until I was much older, and then I really liked it at a much older age of 30 year old.
I remember my mom always telling us to be very proud of being Irish. That part was ingrained in me. When I was in the fourth grade, in a Catholic school, we had to read about once a month a school paper called "The Catholic Voice". In it it mentioned only briefly "Londonderry". Being a child who always wanted to "one up my dad", I ran home and told him that he was wrong. It was called "Londonderry" and not "Derry" as he always said it. ( His family came from Derry.) He took me in a room to discuss our history that I did not know. The next day I was prepared to argue the title of the city with the nun if she ever brought it up again. She didn't. I was ready to tell her the paper was dead wrong. I knew it would probably mean staying after school, but I was prepared for that. That is one aspect of being Irish..
There are so many other reasons of feeling Irish, but I will mention one more. When I was in the university, in my third year I was getting very tired. We had telephone booths downstairs and I would call my mom to say I wanted to quit, or take a year or two off. She kept me going. She said, "Ray, the Irish are not quitters. Do you want to be a quitter? She also said, "Don't be a quitter. We are IRISH AND IRISH NEVER QUIT!" For that reason I finished my bachelors and eventually my Master's Degree. That always stuck with me that "None of our family were ever quitters. We are IRISH". God Bless our parents for being Irish.
Irish American Mom
Hi Ray - I love your mother's response when you wanted to quit your studies. "We're Irish and the Irish never quit" is something many an Irish mother has said to her children over the years. I concur with her completely, and Irish perseverance may be a topic for another blog post someday.
The question of Derry vs Londonderry is as politically charged a topic as any you may find. I participate in some online writing groups, and in one group an American writer sent me a manuscript for feedback. She had set her novel in the deep south at the time of the Civil War, but one of the main characters came from Derry. Different characters called the city Londonderry, but the pattern was neither consistent nor accurate for me. My advice to her was to pick a different town for her story. Without a full understanding of Irish history, I think it was dangerous for a novice to choose Derry as a setting.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Ray Brown
I think you are absolutely right that without knowing the nuances of what Derry means, the author should have picked another topic. This goes back too far for a cursory name without knowing the in depth nuances for this author to pick these terms for her book.
Irish American Mom
🙂 🙂
Thanks,
Mairéad
Betty
Hello,
I love this topic, and I feel I can only discuss it from my own perspective, in terms of what it means to be Second generation Irish American, Tom Hayden wrote an excellent book entitled, "Irish on the Inside" in which he spoke eloquently about the interior sensibility of the Americwn Irish. He talked of our longing for our ancestral homeland, yet our recognition for many of us that we were no longer Irish, but rather something else born of the diaspora. I also want to recommend Maureen Deszel's book "Irish America: Coming into Clover."
Having recommended these two, I can say that for me being American Irish, especially so close to the grandparent immigration, I feel a keen sense of my ethnicity. The parts I've chosen to keep are the perseverance, the sense of humor, the appreciation for history, the love of language in all its forms-- poetry, drama, fiction, I feel a strong sense of one foot in the scientific worldview, and another in mysticism, something I attribute to the Irish connection with nature, the land and spirituality. While I don't have family that I know of there, when in Ireland, I do feel a sense of connection and a deep sense of longing for what my family left behind, a sense of belonging and a sense that the country they left has changed radically in many ways for the better). Loyalty. Perseverance. A sense of the tragic embedded in everyday life. Strength in the face of adversity, service to others, and commitment to helping the oppressed. These I keep. I rejected Catholicism, though I appreciated my parents' piety and devotion. They modeled a deep faith for me. I a,so reject any attempt to stereotype us, particularly as drunks, leprechauns or pit of gold chasers. I think we American Irish have a ways to go before we shed our vestigial shame and sense of having been discriminated against...Finally, to the extend the Irish have a romanticized and shallow understanding of our homeland, I reject that and I appreciate places like this where we can communicate with one another more seriously
Irish American Mom
Hi Betty - Thank you for your personal vision of what your Irishness means to you. You have highlighted so many wonderful Irish traits and characteristics, I am finding inspiration for future posts on this topic from your comments. I'm delighted to hear you find this little corner of the world wide web a place where we can communicate seriously about Irish topics, in an open and respectful manner.
I have read Maureen Deszel's book, and found her research and conclusions very interesting. Thanks for recommending "Irish on the Inside" by Tom Hayden. I'll have to add that one to my reading list.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Betty
ps Sorry about the iPad typos in the above post
Irish American Mom
Hi Betty - Never worry about typos - my posts are littered with them. No matter how often I read a post over, I seem to always let a few typos slip by.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Betty
PPS: Sorry, one other observation. I was always told that the quote attributed to Adcock above was made by Irish American senator Daniel Patric Moynihan. He said it to veteran reporter Mary McGrory in the wake of the Kennedy Assassinstion.
Irish American Mom
Hi Betty - Thanks for pointing this out - I edited my post and added his name to the attribution line. It makes more sense as something Daniel Patrick Moynihan would have said, especially after the Kennedy Assassination.
All the best,
Mairéad
Ray Brown
One more thing about being Irish that I would like to share. I have only been to Ireland twice, but I have seen 18 of the 32 counties of Ireland. My brother was with me on my first trip to Ireland and I left to return to my work, in the States, but he saw even more counties than I did since he stayed a lot longer then I did. In 1981, I heard all the troubles going on in Ireland and my brother and I wanted to get a feel for Mother Ireland. In Donegal I saw many signs on barns that said "Free..." there were a lot so I don't remember all the names to be freed.
When my brother and I got to Derry and Belfast, I asked for directions to a go to a certain place and the women I asked, heard my accent and saw that I was wearing a crucifix and told me to take it off. She said "you are lucky you are asking in the Nationalist area but you do not know the North." She said, " If you go three blocks ahead and two blocks left you will be shot for wearing that crucifix, because you will be in Orange Country." I reluctantly took it the crucifix off knowing she had a good point. This gave me a real sense of being Irish.
My brother and I went to see the Nationalist cemetery where Bobby Sands was buried and we had all our things in the car, so my brother went in first and I waited in the car. As I was waiting I saw two Saracens enter the street below me and guns were fired. I was wondering who is being shot at and if one of the bullets could accidentally make me a victim. I later found out that the British soldiers were firing at an IRA man and that he escaped in the streets. This also registered in my mind about being of strong Irish descent.
The last thing that happened while I was in the North, is that we were taking lots of pictures and we saw a British soldier. My brother started to take a picture of him and I told him not to. My brother did not listen. I remembered that when I was 26 years old I tried to take a picture of a soldier in El Salvador, Central America, and El Salvadorian friends told me it was against the law to take a picture of an El Salvadorian soldier. My friends were practically shouting at me not to do it. They said I could be shot. I remembered this but my brother had more Irish determination than I did. The Brit soldier saw us, raised his gun, and pointed for us to get out of the car. Within seconds there were about 10 Brit soldiers pointing guns at us, pointing at the roof tops and pointing at the left and right of the road. They took our names, asked many questions, and confiscated our film. (They said there is a law, that you cannot take pictures of an installation and that a British soldier is considered an installation.) This was the British law, of foreigners in Ireland.
I had to get back to Shannon Airport so my brother drove me back and went back up the to the North. My brother said, "I will take even more pictures (which he did) and that these are foreigners in our Irish lands. They will not keep me from Ireland, the country of our proud families." This is yet another aspect of being Irish. The determination to love Mother Ireland and not let others determine what we can and cannot do.
I knew Northern Irish that told me stories about their predicaments too, and it made me determined to read about the Irish history even more. So, I guess one can say, the occupiers gave me the determination to learn even more about Irish History.
Irish American Mom
Hi Ray - Your experiences in Northern Ireland have left an indelible mark on your sense of Irishness. The challenge now facing Ireland and Northern Ireland is the need to acknowledge our acute sense of history, our shared experiences and not the fears and resentments that have divided us for centuries. That is no easy task, when you understand the depth of the divisions that evolved in Ireland and especially Ulster over hundreds of year. I pray that we can look forward to a future of peace within an inter-cultural community, where we can identify the values we wish to define our Irishness in this modern era. We need to highlight our strengths, by fully understanding the insecurities, fears and resentments of the past. There is much work to be done to encourage positive attitudes and beliefs that will eventually facilitate integration of all communities.
Thanks so much for adding to this discussion and have a lovely weekend.
Mairéad
Ray Brown
Dear Mairéad,
Thank you for your time to answer all the people that speak to you. You do a marvelous job of making people think. I might add, the one person who said she was once ashamed to say she was Irish, but now all the green she sees makes her proud, well she should never be ashamed to be Irish. I completely understand her however, because many English have disparaged us through the centuries, they have been great at causing dissensions and trying to dehumanize us. One saw it in the Hallmark cards, and other cards at Saint Patrick's Day. Psychologists call this the "Self Fulfilling Prophecy" when you hear something long enough you begin to believe it. Luckily I was raised in a family that was a solid Irish Catholic family and knew Irish history so I never felt inferior in the least about my Nationality. I was always very proud of being Irish.
One does not have to see only green, or a shamrock to be proud of all that the Irish have accomplished. We have some of the best writers in the world, leading scientists, and we have many brave Irish who fought and died to have one United Ireland. We have brave lads like James Connolly, Thomas J. Clarke, P.H.Pearse, Michael Mallen, Eamonn Ceannt and the list goes on-and-on. There is a great book, that I have had for years, (I hope it is not out of print), Called, "Nothing But The Same Old Story The Roots of Anti-Irish Racism" , the Text was by Liz Curtis and it was first published in 1984, by Information on Ireland, PO Box 958, London W140JF. It starts with the Racism in 1521 and goes on from there. Any Irish book that tells our history, from the Irish viewpoint, can make someone that did not grow up with being told to
" Always be proud you are Irish" learn from our infinite readings and grow to love Mother Ireland and the love of our people. In the book, on the back cover is a statement by the great Jean-Paul Sartre, the great French existentialist: "How can an elite of usurpers, aware of their mediocrity, establish their privileges? By one means only: debasing the colonized to exalt themselves, denying the title of humanity to the natives, and defining them simply as absences of qualities-animals, not humans. This does not prove hard to do, for the system deprives them of everything."
Irish American Mom
Hi Ray - I try my best to respond to every comment. I'm so glad you appreciate my efforts. A few slip by, and a few I delete if they are overly political or have any bad language contained within them. My goal is to keep my blog a welcoming place, where we can all have a little chat about Ireland, and our Irishness, without getting overly-bogged down in Ireland's long and tragic history. Some of the topics I raise are difficult ones, but I really enjoy how readers share their personal stories in such a warm and friendly way. Thanks for adding to our discussions once again.
And thanks for more book recommendations - my "to read" list is getting longer by the day.
Take care,
Mairéad
Ray Brown
Thank you Mairéad for commenting on these topics. I am looking forward to other comments by people about what it means to be Irish. When we put all our heads together, we can have all the condiments for having a glimpse of each persons meaning for being Irish. I am looking forward to reading many more and learning from them.
Lorna
Great topic Mairead, I think we revel in being the nation that most people seem to love now. For many years, we were embarrassed to be Irish because of the stereotypes but now that the green shines everywhere on St Patrick's Day and so many Irish people are doing well worldwide, we now take immense pride in our Irishness. We just need that to spread to our use of the Irish language now 😉
Irish American Mom
Hi Lorna - The Irish are now welcomed all over the world, and this is probably attributable to many Irish characteristics such as friendliness, chattiness, and a great sense of humor. The Irish language is definitely a topic for a blog post. Many Irish Americans are very proud of our language, but I'm afraid that same pride is not shared by many Irish people living in Ireland.
I loved learning Irish at school, but I'm ashamed to say I'm pretty rusty now after spending over twenty years living in America. Perhaps for the New Year I should try reading more in Irish.
Happy New Year,
Mairéad
Colleen Warshawer
This is a great topic!! As you can tell by my last name, I married a Jewish man and he is quirky too, but in a very different way than us Irish / Irish descendants. My dad's family came from County Tyrone with the last name "Shaw". Keep posting!
Irish American Mom
Hi Colleen - Thanks for stopping by - I'm so glad you enjoy the topics I choose to write about.
Happy New Year to you and yours,
Mairéad
Melissa Martin Ellis
A great discussion has ensued here, thanks to Mairead for asking the question. As a second generation Irish American, I too have always asked this question but have no firm answers yet. I'm planning to move to Cork in 2016 and know that I'll never be completely accepted as Irish...which is kind of a disconcerting, I am the offspring of four Irish grandparents, after all. I hope that I'll be liked and appreciated for those Irish characteristics which have managed to survive an American upbringing.
Colleen
Good luck on your move! Just out of curiosity, what characteristics do you have in mind? I can think of a few myself (iI'm 3rd generation Irish) but I'm curious what you have experienced.
Colleen
Irish American Mom
Hi Melissa - I hope your move to Cork will bring you happiness and a sense of home coming. Don't worry about whether Irish people ever grant you their approval to call yourself Irish - you're Irish in my book. I've been told by an Irish person that I'm an American now, and not really Irish anymore. I was born and bred in Ireland, so I don't know when or where I gave up my Irish identity 🙂 🙂 Just be yourself, enjoy every moment in Ireland, and you will find yourself welcomed in Cork.
All the best, and thanks so much for checking out this post.
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Wow Mairead, quite a quite a kettle of fish opened in this little post, I'll be brief with my humble 2 cents.
To be Irish is different to all depending on their circumstance, as different as Bull McCabe's or Sean Thornton's would be.
Happy New Year,
Brian.
Colleen Kerry
One of the many qualities I love about being Irish is the ability to feel so deeply that you have no choice but to see the humor in tragedy. Here's an example, I thought the way Frank McCourt wrote about his Irish upbringing in his book Angela's Ashes was hysterical, albeit tragic. My Jewish sister in law, in contrast, said it was too sad for her to even finish!
Irish American Mom
Hi Colleen - I like your example of how different a reading experience can be based upon a reader's background. And "Angela's Ashes" is a wonderful book to choose to prove your point. I think most Irish people appreciated the wry humor in this book. To many Irish people, including my own parents, the tragic circumstances of McCourt's childhood did not seem that far out-of-the ordinary for those times in Ireland when poverty was rampant. Frank McCourt told his story poignantly.
Thanks so much for adding to this discussion of our Irishness.
All the best,
Mairéad
Betty
Oh I too have heard this from so many NI folks who read the book -- "it was too sad to finish," etc. I found it hysterical and have a vivid memory of reading it while waiting for a friend to finish teaching a computer user course in the next room of his small divided classroom. I sat in the "office" side, with only a think room divider between me and the serious class of excel students. I had to stuff my hands in my mouth to silence the laughter, especially when Frank described his romantic escapades-- the "excitement" as he put it--in order to not disrupt the class. I thought I would burst. My friend finished and asked me, "have you been crying?" My face was red and the tears were still visible. "Aw Gawd no, Rick, I'm reading this book and it's a stitch!!!" I held it up and he goes, "what? I heard that was really tragically sad!" "It is," I admitted. Wiping my eyes, I said, "yea, truly sad but also a riot." "You're weird," he concluded. "Nah, just the Irish in me..."
Betty
Ps NI-not Irish
Irish American Mom
Hi Betty - The Irish sense of humor - it's different to the rest of the world. We'have an ability to laugh at ourselves, and the world around us, no matter how tragic our situation or surroundings. Another great idea for a blog post - the Irish sense of humor.
I love how you describe how you had to stuff your mouth to muffle your laughter when reading one of the most poignant, tragic books ever. But it's so true - the underlying sense of humor in Frank McCourt's work may only be truly appreciated by those with an Irish sense of humor.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - Trust me to start 2016 by opening that can of worms, or kettle of fish with such a broad, complex topic. I enjoyed your two cents and being Irish covers a broad spectrum of possibilities and probabilities depending on circumstances.
Let me just say, this topic is to be continued as we progress through the year.
Best wishes to you and yours for 2016.
Mairéad
Kiley Stacey
I just discovered your blog and am enjoying your writing immensely!
Thank you for doing what you do so well!!
Sincerely,
Kiley Stacey
Irish American Mom
Hi Kiley - Thank you so much for your kind words about my writing and my blog. I'm thrilled you found my little corner of the world wide web, so please stop by whenever you need to get in touch with your Irishness.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Maureen N.
Happy New Year, Mairead and Family!
I enjoyed this topic and have to agree that it has the possibility of opening quite a "can of worms."
How we see ourselves almost depends on where we are--I think. We carry on bravely, and we integrate very well. Having suffered the many persecutions over the centuries, we are still very protective of our Irishness, in my opinion. Yes, we laugh, and sing, and dance, and write about it, but deep within we are still vulnerable. We must remember that as Dr. Kathleen O'C. Hoekstra pointed out in her post ,"The Irish, like all oppressed people, already had a national character before the Invasion." Quite a history, an honorable history, and an ancient, noble language.
To me, the words of the song, "Ireland, Mother Ireland" say it all. To quote...
Oh, Land of love and beauty, to you our hearts are wed.
To you in lowly duty, we ever bow the head.
Oh, perfect loving mother, your exiled children all,
Across the thundr'ing seas to you in fond devotion call.
If you sigh, we hear you, if you weep, we weep,
In your hours of gladness, How our pulses leap.
Ireland, Mother Ireland, Let what may befall,
Ever shall we hold you, Dearest, best of all.
Dear isle across the ocean,
Dear loving land of ours,
May your days be sunny,
And your way, a way of flowers.
Wide though we be scattered, by alien vale or hill,
All the love you gave to us, we keep and cherish still.
If you, sigh, we hear you,
If you weep, we weep.
In your hours of gladness, How our pulses leap.
Ireland, Mother Ireland,
Let what may befall,
Ever shall we hold you, Dearest, dearest, best of all.
Slainte! Maureen
Irish American Mom
Maureen - What a beautiful poem and a perfect way to expand upon, yet encapsulate the essence of our discussion here. "Ireland, Mother Ireland" - we truly do see her as a mother, and our thoughts are always bound together with our mother's heartbeat.
Thanks as always for stopping by,
Mairéad
Patty O'John
Erin Go Braugh!!☘️ I luv my Irish Heritage. Going to Ireland I realize in a special way I've. come home. Although I was not born in Ireland, there's a feeling you can't explain until u get there. My Dad passed away several yrs ago but can feel his presence over there. Co Mayo in Cong, The Abbey cemetery had most of my siblings name s there. Of course they're most likely my distanct ancestors. I'm Scottish on my Moms side, so feel very fortunate to being a Proud Celt!!
Happy St Patrick's to all. God Bless ☘️🌈🙏🏼
Irish American Mom
Hi Patty - What a beautiful part of the world your ancestors hailed from. Cong is beautiful - a very spiritual place. I'm so glad you have been blessed with opportunities to visit Ireland. Lovely to hear you feel such a deep connection with the land of our ancestors.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Alice
Thank you for bringing Ireland to me. I enjoy and look forward to reading g your books. I found out that I am mostly Irish. Surprise since my adopted parents said I was Native American. I have worn a special smile an laughter in my heart since that news. I feel I belong to a very special group. I am absorbing all i can about the history, culture and music of this beautiful country. Thank You from a full Irish heart
Irish American Mom
Hi Alice - I am delighted you found my little corner of the web to help you explore your Irishness. We are learning so much about who we are through all the new genetic tests available. Lovely to hear you feel such a deep connection to Ireland. I've plenty more recipes and ramblings to share so stop by whenever you have a spare moment.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mr Robertson
lol cringy Americans
Irish American Mom
Hi Mr. Robertson - I'm sorry you found it necessary to be judgmental of others here and that you do not seem to understand the expressions of connection and interest in Ireland expressed by American readers here. After living in American for many years I have gained an appreciation of how many Americans long to learn more about Ireland.
Take care,
Mairéad