Why do so many Americans claim to be Irish?

Question

..I think i'd keep quite if i found out i was Irish!

As if being American wasn't bad enough! haha!!!

Answer 1

because for some reason they think that Ireland is a country that has achieved great things... like..um....ummm.... yeah leprechauns.

Answer 2

There were a lot of Irish people to travel here from Ireland during the potato famine, ya know. I would be concerned if there were no people with Irish blood. Personally I claim to be Irish because.... I am! It's not like I'm lying about it when I say it. I first and foremost call myself an American but when I'm asked about my heritage I say "Irish, Scottish, and Native American" because it's true, not because I can just say it. Besides my last name is McBryde. I couldn't say I'm not Irish even if I wanted to!

And why would you keep quiet if you found out you were Irish? What do you have against Irish people?

Answer 3

Because many such as I have an Irish great,great,great grandfather or some relative as an ancestor.
50 million Americans are of German descent so that many Smidt had to become Smith during WWII to avoid trouble.
There was much disgust for the "Hun".
Being Irish to an American means being a glib, well-spoken, likable bloke who gets on with just about anyone..egualitarian and many salesmen, politicians, merchants, writers and professionals like the Celtic part.
Understandably to a Brit, an Irishman might be seen as a hard-headed, swarthy, brusk, burly, hard-drinking, harder fighting type fellow who refuses to be reasonable about Northern Ireland.
Americans prefer the former to the latter...

Answer 4

Perhaps because a great many ARE. The Irish came over in MILLIONS, not thousands or even tens of thousands.

Thanks to the Potato Famine of 1846-1848, more than 6 million Irish lost everything, half of them lost their lives to starvation. The other half managed to make it to these shores. No other ethnic group has been so numerically well represented in this country.

And Irish are Catholic. And they LIKE large families. And as long as it's another Catholic they don't much care who their kids marry. They're not racist. They were and many still are, however, virulently anti-Brit. But then, the Brits are heretics, not Catholic and the kids would never be so dumb as to fall for one of the enemy anyway, so no worries.

BTW, me sainted grandmither on me sainted mither's side was a Hennessey from County West Meath. And as everyone knows, the Hennesseys have been stewards to the House of Bran Boru since Cuchulainn was a pup.

Answer 5

Because many Irish immigrants came to the USA and obviously had children so many are of some Irish descent now. I am part Irish and I am very proud of my heritage. The Irish are very hard working and very kind people.

Answer 6

BECAUSE many of us have irish ancestry and still practice the irish traditions and food that were handed down through the generations, my mothers side is irish, fair skinned and redheaded, they love making cornbeef and cabbage and have old irish superstitions, and WE LOVE being American, why wouldn't you? we have running water, jobs, great economy, working government, public schooling, you can act, live and pray however u want, people whine way to much and take America for granted, my husband is in the Air Force and he travels all over the world, whenever he comes back he always says how people here don't know how lucky we are

Answer 7

Because they want to get kissed on St. Patricks Day thats why they buy a button that says kiss me I am Irish. LOL

Answer 8

A lot of Irish people went over to emigrate to America after the Potato Famine in the (?) 1800s. Life in America then promised them more than starving in Ireland, so they went. I read that they even traced Elvis Presley's family tree back and found him to be of Irish descent!

Answer 9

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's day! Seriously, there were large amount of Irish immigrants at various times in America's history.

Answer 10

I have Irish blood in me,but I'm also mixed with other things. Also,My dads last time is Irish and my mom's maiden name is Irish too.

Answer 11

You'll find that NO AMERICAN will ever admit that their ancetors were ENGLISH even though most of them were!! A lot of them thing that Irish and English are one and the same!