Having Irish heritage from each of my parents I get a little nostalgic around St. Patricks day. While everyone around me decks out in shades of green, consuming green food and beverages, and making leprechaun jokes, I turn inward, thank my ancestors, and think on the plight of immigrants to America. Right now there is a greater awareness of what different cultures and ethnicities experience upon coming here, and this goes back to the beginning of our country, fighting over who had the right to be here, who was too much of a “royalist,” who was born on this land and owning this land. Looking across the history of our world, this has been a struggle of conquering nations from the first attack thousands of years ago.
Humans seem to prefer autonomy, to govern their bodies, their family, and equal input to the governing of their community. When this is threatened defenses are raised and humans begin to react. Because I understand this human trait I understand why so many posted signs that read “Irish need not apply.” There was a large influx of Irish to America that began during the potato famine and continued into the 20th century. But even before the famine, Irish immigrants weren’t warmly welcomed. They were more rustic in appearance and had strange beliefs because they combined Catholicism with their Celtic religious traditions. They kept their families and tribes close and fiercely protected them and their traditions.
When I look back at my Irish heritage I am reminded that I come from people who are hard workers. The Irish have been called lazy drunks for a long time, and that came from what those around them saw, but there is more to that story. What else are humans going to do when they can’t find work and are depressed about that? Drinking is a great way to numb that pain. Leaving one vulnerable, agitated, and more willing to fight. These correlations are easy to make if one wants to think on it. But the greater picture of the Irish are people who have worked hard as farmers, in mines and factories, and have struggled through poverty for many generations. The hardworking nature of these men was utilized before and during the Civil War. In the south if a slave owner had a particularly dangerous job they’d go to the docks and hire Irish day laborers so that they wouldn’t risk losing their slaves to this task. If the Irish man died, they could go to the dock the next day and hire another one. Thus in the South the Irish were considered less then African slaves, while being utilized for their ability to work hard.
So this heritage lands on me. We have struggled through poverty, discrimination, famine, and acclimation to a new country and culture. And all those that have gone before me have passed these pieces onto me. I cannot embrace my Irish heritage without acknowledging the poverty mindset that has been handed down with its bff, depression. I have sympathy for those being discriminated against, and choose not to discriminate, because my people have been. While I live in this great country and haven’t experienced famine, the ghosts of those who have remind me to be thankful for what I have, to waste not, and to be generous to those in need. The Irish have been greatly misunderstood throughout history and my soul is aware of the changes my family faced and what they did to get safe, to be able to freely practice their faith, and to live their lives in peace. I think of my Great-great-great grandmother who left Ireland to be a nanny in New York City so that she could have a chance at life. The heritage she left of hard work and determination runs in my veins, I see it in my uncles and aunts, in my cousins, and in their children.
As I make my life, working through the good and bad that comes from my heritage, I am thankful for the values that have shaped me: family first. Family isn’t just blood, its friends, or chosen family, too, and they are my tribe and I protect them, fight for them, and love them fiercely, because I’m Irish and this is what we do. I work hard, with strength and integrity, at what ever job is before me, because I’m Irish and this is what we do. I carve out a place for my faith practice, because I’m Irish, and this is what we do. So be it a Guinness, Irish soda bread, or a clover, I raise one to you! Thank you for celebrating my heritage.
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