Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

You're all just upset because you're not Scots..and therefore not perfect in every way. ;)

(PS: Me gran was from Bandoran and therefore I can actually claim an Irish passport)

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

I have no desire to be Irish, or Scottish, or Welsh. Like Winnie the Pooh I just am.

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

I didn't have a desire to have any nationality and to be honest it's added to the confusion of life - especially after marrying a british soldier lol!

He thrust himself upon me and here we are. No real identity and all screwed up culturally, but other than that happy as wee pigs in......

Mrs M x:rofl:

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

And, really, does it get any better than that?

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

After 10 years together, I kinda doubt it:blink:

Mrs Mx

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

I was born in Johannesburg, mother Welsh, Dad Jewish South African (adoptive parents), and my birth parents - father Irish, mother German/Dutch and have lived in London for 12 years, am a British Citizen, am Gay and moving to Canada - bit of a United Nations me. :confused:

I always will be "originally from SA" no matter where I live and what citizenship I have. I am what experiences, infuences, choices and genes have made me - fabulous! :thumbup:
I once spent a weekend in Dublin! So can I call myself Irish?:lol:

Rob.

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

This is quite funny one for me....

I was born in Montreal to Irish parents - both had naturalised and had become Canadians by the time I was born.

I left @ the age of 5, and came to live in the UK at 10. My mother reverted to having a British Passport and I obtained an Irish one.

I am now looking to return to Canada, as a Canadian!

Am I weird or what. I never have felt at home really anywhere, and maybe I never will, however I'm returning to Canada and will call myself Canadian (even though I'm really Irish LOL)....

Anyone still awake?
Bandit.

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

In Canada (and likely most of the US) these 'What are you?' discussions occur over and over again in the lives of people growing up in Canada while meeting new friends in the school ground, at high school, at college, at a bar, at work, etc…. It's just how you get to know someone here. It's idle chit-chat, an ice-breaker. These discussion are, for the most part, as about as meaning as when people discuss the weather.

I say I'm Scottish, Irish and Native as meaningfully as I say I'm blonde. It's not that I disrespect my family's background, it's just that in this context, 'what I am' doesn't have a huge amount of meaning to me.... how could it? and why should it?

It could be that you are thinking people in Canada (or the US) should define themselves, in terms of nationality or culture or citizenship as meaningfully as you seem to. It's not going to happen; it simply isn't as big a deal to most Canadians, especially if they were born here.

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

Phoarr...

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

:eek:wicked, cor i'd love to be a fly on the wall the day they find out!!!


your wee boy's better off without them then love,

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

Well this thread made me laugh in an otherwise dull day at work :rofl:
I think it's great that people wish to be considered Irish, no matter how tenuous a family link they have. I was recently in New York, and had great craic in the 'Irish' bar! :thumbsup:

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

:rofl::thumbsup: Absolutely !

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

My parents were from Northern Ireland. I was born in the UK. If I have to quantify it, I suppose I've always considered myself British (as opposed to English - my mum always went to great pains to explain that she was British - it must have rubbed off). She experienced all the "No blacks, no Irish" comments when they first came over, and was suitably offended - but no-one could ever get beyond the accent, therefore she was "Irish" - not that that kind of treatment was acceptable to anyone.

Hubby's parents are from Ireland (who also experienced that same "No blacks, no Irish"). My mum loved my husband from the outset - so when the proposal came, she had no issues with me marrying a 'good Catholic boy' ! She really took to his parents too but she thought that his parents, however, might be horrified at the whole idea! We married in a Church of England church. His parents have always been lovely, and nothing short of brilliant in welcoming me into their home and lives. I know his mother had issues about the choice of the church, and privately thought she might turn into a ball of fire when she crossed the threshold :rofl: Our two children are their only 'non-Catholic' grandchildren but it's not been a problem - that I have ever been made aware of. Love and happiness come first. Their own faith is fierce but private.

I can't help but wonder if both of our sets of parents had stayed where they were born, and my hubby and I had 'just happened to meet' somewhere in Ireland, how different the story might have been?

As an aside, I remember when my dad was travelling overseas alot, especially around Saudi and Iraq, he always took 'both' passports with him - his British one and his (I have no idea how he got it) Irish passport. The Irish passport was his get-out-of-jail card should he get into any trouble.

Many people use or discard their heritage, nationality or genes. Sometimes it is perhaps quite flippant, say, when there's a footie match on the box and it's just easier to support one or the other. Sometimes it is without thought or unconcious and it's just an element of their life that is thread in and out of their very fibre. And sometimes it is a deliberate, well-thought out and decisive 'ownership' of their origins. Declaring who you are, or where you are from, is putting your big flag in the sand and saying "This is me". Is it?

Ireland is a paradox to me. On the face of it, you will never meet such a friendly, hospitable and funny race of people. But the relationship between nationality and faith is never far from the surface. My personal experience shows that this can bring about abject misery - and whole-hearted love and acceptance. So just your average human, then, eh?

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

There are plenty of Francophone Quebeckers with Irish/Welsh blood (about 40%, I think). A surname is no indicator of first language.

Re: How Irish do you have to be to BE Irish?
 

What I can't understand is;

Why do so many people WANT to be Irish. I've got absolutely nothing against the Irish (or any other nationality) I just don't get why they have to search so hard to find the flimsiest link to satisfy their desire to be something.

I also never wanted to research my family tree. I've no reason to suspect that my ancestors were any better than the rellies that are still alive. Although I did hear that they emerged intact from a potato famine ;)