I grew up in an “Irish Catholic” neighborhood in America. I only have my experience but it gets weird sometimes. Some people make it their whole personalities.
I imagine you’re looking for answers from actual Irish people on here but I’ll throw in my two cents anyway! My grandmother was from Ireland but my family has history in other European countries as well. I’ve never really felt anything other than American but my heritage is important to me since it’s my personal history. Not a plastic paddy though. I actually hate St. Patrick’s Day. Just an excuse for people to act stupid and get drunk.
Presuming one doesn’t have experience with Irish-Americans other than an extremely myopic and stereotypical view, you might be surprised by what common cultural quirks remain. It is easy for businesses to capitalize on the lucky leprechaun tropes but scratch under the surface and you will find many social practices still dominate.
I was a grown ass adult before I learned that church funerals (and wakes!) within three days was not the norm in the US.
Soda bread and brown bread are made at home; not the stale garbage you buy at the checkout line on March 16.
As someone raised in an Irish American family,the amount of culture that was erased and white washed continues to amaze me. I only recently learned my grandfather and his five siblings were raised in an Irish-speaking household in the 1930s and 40s.
Like many, many ethnic heritage groups across the US and Canada, there are organizations that coordinate civic events. Some are tied to Catholic churches; some around sports/music. So what if a parade is their “big” event? Lots of small businesses that are otherwise overlooked are often spotlighted in community events related to St. Patrick’s.
Both my wife and I are Irish
Our kids are born here in the US and are technically Irish-american. If we ever move back to Ireland..they’ll be Irish. But as it stands, they’re American and their parents are Irish.
The plastic paddy culture here is pretty annoying – but if it makes people happy..let them have it. Just don’t try pinch me because I’m not wearing green on St Patty’s day.
Clueless
If I was born in England I would be English regardless of my parents nationality, if born in the US you’re American
It gets a lot of flack here.
Im not sure what the big deal about it is tbh.
One post here pointed out it becomes people personality which is odd tbh, its like a weird sense of nationalism for a place theyve never seen.
It really has nothing to do with me. The US is a composite mix of different peoples and cultures. Europeans settled there in their millions, Irish among them. Many of those Irish and their descendants intermarried with other ethnic groups to produce the next generation. A lot of Irish-Americans would have fairly diverse ancestral lines but tend to focus on only one aspect of them. Biden has English and French ancestry as well as Irish.
I had that conversation with my son the other day. He is 15 and tried to understand it.
I compared it to what happened to Turkish families who moved to Germany post war to help rebuild the country.
They stayed close together, kept certain traditions and rituals. They also didn’t mix as much ( partly down to language barrier – partly cultural ) but then instead of going home they stayed. So those traditions / rituals were passed on to the next generation and the one after.
One of my friends is first generation German and when she actually flew “home” to Turkey it was nothing like she was told. A lot of the Turkish culture in turkey had changed and become more”modern” she actually had more freedom in Ankara than in Berlin.
She always says when she has children she will raise them as Germans with Turkish heritage rather than being Turkish because she never felt really home in either country.
Long story short, I think it’s similar to the vibe I get of American Irish.
Older generations clung to their culture and made a new sub culture “American Irish” and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s their heritage. But they are American as much as my friend seen herself as German and her children now most certainly are.
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I grew up in an “Irish Catholic” neighborhood in America. I only have my experience but it gets weird sometimes. Some people make it their whole personalities.
I imagine you’re looking for answers from actual Irish people on here but I’ll throw in my two cents anyway! My grandmother was from Ireland but my family has history in other European countries as well. I’ve never really felt anything other than American but my heritage is important to me since it’s my personal history. Not a plastic paddy though. I actually hate St. Patrick’s Day. Just an excuse for people to act stupid and get drunk.
Presuming one doesn’t have experience with Irish-Americans other than an extremely myopic and stereotypical view, you might be surprised by what common cultural quirks remain. It is easy for businesses to capitalize on the lucky leprechaun tropes but scratch under the surface and you will find many social practices still dominate.
I was a grown ass adult before I learned that church funerals (and wakes!) within three days was not the norm in the US.
Soda bread and brown bread are made at home; not the stale garbage you buy at the checkout line on March 16.
As someone raised in an Irish American family,the amount of culture that was erased and white washed continues to amaze me. I only recently learned my grandfather and his five siblings were raised in an Irish-speaking household in the 1930s and 40s.
Like many, many ethnic heritage groups across the US and Canada, there are organizations that coordinate civic events. Some are tied to Catholic churches; some around sports/music. So what if a parade is their “big” event? Lots of small businesses that are otherwise overlooked are often spotlighted in community events related to St. Patrick’s.
Both my wife and I are Irish
Our kids are born here in the US and are technically Irish-american. If we ever move back to Ireland..they’ll be Irish. But as it stands, they’re American and their parents are Irish.
The plastic paddy culture here is pretty annoying – but if it makes people happy..let them have it. Just don’t try pinch me because I’m not wearing green on St Patty’s day.
Clueless
If I was born in England I would be English regardless of my parents nationality, if born in the US you’re American
It gets a lot of flack here.
Im not sure what the big deal about it is tbh.
One post here pointed out it becomes people personality which is odd tbh, its like a weird sense of nationalism for a place theyve never seen.
It really has nothing to do with me. The US is a composite mix of different peoples and cultures. Europeans settled there in their millions, Irish among them. Many of those Irish and their descendants intermarried with other ethnic groups to produce the next generation. A lot of Irish-Americans would have fairly diverse ancestral lines but tend to focus on only one aspect of them. Biden has English and French ancestry as well as Irish.
I had that conversation with my son the other day. He is 15 and tried to understand it.
I compared it to what happened to Turkish families who moved to Germany post war to help rebuild the country.
They stayed close together, kept certain traditions and rituals. They also didn’t mix as much ( partly down to language barrier – partly cultural ) but then instead of going home they stayed. So those traditions / rituals were passed on to the next generation and the one after.
One of my friends is first generation German and when she actually flew “home” to Turkey it was nothing like she was told. A lot of the Turkish culture in turkey had changed and become more”modern” she actually had more freedom in Ankara than in Berlin.
She always says when she has children she will raise them as Germans with Turkish heritage rather than being Turkish because she never felt really home in either country.
Long story short, I think it’s similar to the vibe I get of American Irish.
Older generations clung to their culture and made a new sub culture “American Irish” and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s their heritage. But they are American as much as my friend seen herself as German and her children now most certainly are.