If I am Scottish Irish, can I tell people I'm full Irish?

Question

Because I had Catholic parents, but my Scottish-Irish grandfather is Protestant. Can I tell people I'm full blown Irish because that's where my family was most recently located before they came to the US?

Answer 1

Scots-Irish is a fine thing to be. If they're interested and ask more, you can further explain, "My family came to the US from Ireland, but my grandfather's side came to Ireland from Scotland after 1745." (Or whenever. And if you don't know why I picked 1745, shame on ye for a Sassenach git!)

It all depends on how far back you want to go, and how interested people are in the conversation.

For example, I have ancestors who came to the Virginia colony from Scotland in 1746 (cue "Parcel of Rogues" by Robert Burns), and I have others who came to the US from Ireland in the mid-19th century -- but they were originally from England, so I don't have a lot of true Irish (which means I must be a Chieftains fan just because they're such freaking awesome musicians.)

And... I mean, if you go back far enough, both you and I almost certainly have ancestors who came to Ireland, Scotland and other parts of the British Isles from Scandinavia, between 782 and 1066. So it all comes down to whether this is a light conversation with a co-worker while waiting for the meeting to start, or an enjoyable chat with a genealogy buff.

It's like "What kind of car do you drive?" For some people, the answer "A blue one" is sufficient. For others, it's appropriate to talk about the reflash settings for boost, fuel and timing, the brand name of the aftermarket tuner gear I've installed, the kinds of motorsport I participate in, etc. All utterly meaningless and boring to somebody who isn't deep into the sport, all fascinating to somebody with the same interests. Family history is the same way...

Answer 2

everyone in ireland is partly scottish anyway,the celtic tribes from central europe migrated first to scotland,then later,to the last outpost of land before hitting the shores of the new world,ireland.chances are,u also have traces of norman ,scadanavian(viking) blood as well.spanish influence occured in parts of ireland as well.of course,if u were born in america,u are an american of irish ancestory,u can only claim to be irish if u are an irish citizen !!!! y diss ur scottish heritage,tho'-they have a coool thang goin' on-just watch "braveheart"! (even if mel is a bit of a jerk.)ps-besides,unless u've traced ur geneology veeery far back,its hard to tell what u are.some digging showed that my husbands "irish " ancestors included a family of english actors.and i thought the acting thang was very cool,face it-no one's a pureblood anything.people migrate,intermarry and emigrate.we r all fulla flava !!!!!!

Answer 3

Tell people whatever you want. Haven't you seen the episode of family guy where peter tell everyone he's black? If you want to be just Irish, be Irish. No one is going to go look up your lineage.

Answer 4

The most important thing about being Irish is to always remember to keep your lies straight. Then you can tell people whatever you want.

Answer 5

Technically you are not full Irish. So my answer to your question would be no, you cant tell people you are full Irish.

Hope this helps :-)

Answer 6

Shine on, brother. Shine on!

Answer 7

you can tell people what the hell you like, i mean its your life tell them your chinese if you want to.

Answer 8

just say you are a celtic islander

Answer 9

sure you can