There’s a huge disconnect between what many Americans think of as Irish and what it really means to be Irish. I think a lot of the disconnect stems from the fact that our immigrant ancestors came here from abject poverty and terrible conditions. A lot of them never wanted to go back to Ireland again and wanted to forget all about it. My grandmother on my father’s side called it the “Veil of Tears” and never wanted my dad and aunts and uncles to learn gaelic. She wanted them to totally assimilate into American culture.

The end result is that I think a lot of us Irish Americans are missing a vital part of our background, the language, the pagean religion…a lot that was not only taken from us with so many invasions of the island of Ireland but also that we let go ourselves over the years.

So, what does it mean to be Irish? I’m not entirely sure yet. I ended up marrying an Irish guy who moved here 6 years ago, and in getting to know his family, I’m starting to understand a little bit. First off, you have to own land. Gone With the Wind was very true to that theme, with Scarlett O’Hara hanging on for dear life to her Tara home. My husband was obsessed with buying a house. His grandmother has been instilling the virtues of owning property in him for his whole life. It makes sense if you think about Irish history why it would be important to own land.

The other thing I’ve learned is that there is Irish curry. And you don’t eat it with rice, you can only eat it with chips (french fries). And for some bizarre reason in Ireland you can only get it in a chinese place! Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

And if there ever is gonna be healing
There has to be remembering
And then grieving
So that there then can be forgiving
There has to be knowledge and understanding

–Sinead O’Connor, Famine