A MESSAGE TO IRISH AMERICANS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY.

[rgrpuck]

DAMN

[EvilCouch]

Did someone get pinched a little too hard for not wearing green or what?

[Rangerguru]

Damn, I thought I had anger issues.

[Darksaga]

Did someone get pinched a little too hard for not wearing green or what?

I wore Orange on St. Patty's day. When asked why I said, "I'm Protestant." Luckily the gentleman I was with had a sense of humor.

[AngryPistols]

Aye Laddies.

[Jim]

No aargument. In Northern Virginia, more DWI citations are issued on 17 March than on New Year's Eve.

[rgrokelley]

There are two types of Irish ancestors in pre-20th century America. The "warrior" Irish and the "famine" Irish. The warrior Irish tended to leave Ireland prior to the 19th century, due to repeated conflicts with the English (that they lost. The Irish win battles everywhere, except Ireland). The English said give Loyalty, or leave. Many left. This is where the "Wild Geese" came from. Many of those came here in the 18th century. They hit the main ports of Philadelphia and Annapolis, and moved west, creating a buffer zone between the French and the ports. When the French and Indian War kicked in, they couldn't go west, so they took a sharp left turn, and settled down the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina, and the Upcountry in South Carolina. These folks had a slight grudge against Britain, and when it came time to fight again in 1775, they toed the line.

The second wave of Irish are the "famine" Irish and came here, either by force, or by choice, and were looking for prosperity. They tended to settle up north. In the beginning it was just a few, and they were looked upon badly by the Northerners (NO IRISH). The Southerners, who were Irish, really didn't care for them either, but since they didn't settle here, it was no problem. What the Southern Irish did was create a new legend. Since being Irish was looked down upon, they now became Scotch-Irish, to differentiate themselves from the famine Irish.

During the War Between the States Lincoln had a huge problem. It was an incredibly unpopular war, the North was losing an awful lot. and no one was enlisting much after the debacles of 1861-1862. Lincoln authorized the draft, but that didn't go over too well. The largest riot in US history was the draft riot in New York, where the main victims were the Blacks who happened to get in the way. So to enforce the shrinking Union Army the immigration standards were pretty much dropped. Anyone can come over, and since you are here, join the Army. There were as many foreigners in the Union army as home grown by 1864.

In the end, there are more folks of Irish descent in the US than in Ireland.

And I don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day. I tell my daughters that if anyone pinches them, punch them in the nose. They will then know they are truly Irish

[Horned Toad]

Reading that makes me glad my ancestors were Welsh and German

[BadMuther]

Fuck Bill, always beating around the bush....

I personally haven't met many off the boat Irishmen, but the ones I did were pretty cool. Bill being from NY, I can see where he gets this from.


Proud Scotch-Irish! Bitches.....


Fatfuck Michael Moore takes Pride in saying that unless your family came over on the Mayflower, you have no right to say anything about immigrants....


I take pride that EATON is one of those names...

[ANGRYCivilian]

What the Southern Irish did was create a new legend. Since being Irish was looked down upon, they now became Scotch-Irish, to differentiate themselves from the famine Irish.

There was an Irish documentary on the other day, that said the Scotch-Irish were actually Scotch-Irish. They were Scotts that were forced off their land by the English, and given land-grants in NE Ireland. This land was stolen by the English also, and the Scotts were looked down upon. These Scotts packed up and moved to America, and were known as Scotch-Irish.

It was a very interesting documentary.

[rgrokelley]

What the Southern Irish did was create a new legend. Since being Irish was looked down upon, they now became Scotch-Irish, to differentiate themselves from the famine Irish.

There was an Irish documentary on the other day, that said the Scotch-Irish were actually Scotch-Irish. They were Scotts that were forced off their land by the English, and given land-grants in NE Ireland. This land was stolen by the English also, and the Scotts were looked down upon. These Scotts packed up and moved to America, and were known as Scotch-Irish.

It was a very interesting documentary.

Technically all Scottish are bastard Irish. The name Scotland is a Roman name that means land of the Irish or the Land of the Gaels. The original inhabitants of Scotland were Irish that kept going back and forth.

The documentary you saw is correct that the origin of the modern Irish troubles took root around the time of Cromwell, when the Protestant lowland Scottish, and the English, were sent to colonize the northern part of Ireland. If you weren't aware, the lowland Scots were not Celts, such as the Highland Scots. The two never really got along, which is why whenever the English attacked Scotland, they usually were assisted by the Lowland Scots.

However the folks who call themselves Scotch-Irish in the South were not all from those areas. For example my first ancestor to this country came from the western part of Ireland (Galway). By the way he was also sold into slavery in Virginia after he was stolen off the docks (can't wait for my reparations

During the time of the 18th century you never saw the term "Scotch-Irish" except as a derogatory comment by the English. You were either Scottish, or Irish and the two never mixed. In fact calling someone a Scot, who was not one, was an insult that usually led to a fight, eye gouge or duel.

It was not until the 19th century that you see the term "Scotch-Irish" being used, in lieu of calling themselves "Irish". This was mainly to distance themselves from the hordes of Irish pouring into the docks in New York and Boston after the famine.