# 10th generation Americans claiming they're Irish **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 5, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736 "2003-09-05T15:55:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/1 "2003-09-05T15:55:45Z")
What the heck is it with some Americans? I’ve heard it said so often, especially on this board, where some American person will get all high and mighty about how his great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was affected by the potato famine. You’re not Irish-American. You’re not Scottish-American. You’re just bloody American. Live with it! Grrr! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/2 "2003-09-05T16:14:57Z")
The Irish Potato Famine was from 1845-1850. That’s 150 years ago. That’s not anywhere close to 10 generations. Also, these people aren’t claiming to be Irish. As you say, they’re claiming to be Irish-_American_. You’re just jealous your forefathers weren’t smart enough to flee from the desolate rock you’re living on. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/3 "2003-09-05T16:17:13Z")
Is your beef strictly with Irish and Scottish Americans or do you have a problem with German and Italian Americans, too? ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/4 "2003-09-05T16:19:54Z")
I agree. I have a friend who calls himself an immigrant. He was born in England and has lived in Oshawa, Ontario (industrial suburb of Toronto) since infancy. He knows far less about England than I do after having lived there for a year and a half. For example, he thought Leeds was in the south. Immigrant my ass. It’s disrespectful to people who actually have to deal with the stigma of being a foreigner. Drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/5 "2003-09-05T16:20:51Z")
My full name is Lee Duncan Bruce. Wanna guess my ancestry? I’m descended from a very famous Scotsman and for some odd reason I’m very proud of all of this. I’m also proud to be an [American!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=209244) Your Scottish-American friend, **Bruce\_Daddy** ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/6 "2003-09-05T16:21:04Z")
I started to understand the Irish-American phenomenon a lot better when I read _The Road to McCarthy_ by Pete McCarthy. “Irish-American” is a proud subculture of America, and a very legitimate one at that, with its own traditions and history. The confusion for me arises on this side of the pond when people say “Irish” instead of “Irish-American”. That’s when I take the piss. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/7 "2003-09-05T16:27:01Z")
It used to really annoy me but then I grew up and realised as **jjimm** says they mean Irish-American. I did get a lot of “Hey, I’m Irish too” when I was in Vermount. It actually worked out quite well for us Paddy’s over there. Couldn’t do enough for us. Great time was had by all. The last few I’ve meet over here have all been good people who I’ve enjoyed sinking a few Guinness with. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/8 "2003-09-05T16:30:24Z")
Christ almighty. I really meant to type Vermont there. ps Burlington is a great place. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/9 "2003-09-05T16:34:01Z")
How the hell else do you expect us to justify our small dicks? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/10 "2003-09-05T16:35:43Z")
In America, you quickly learn that almost everyone is Irish somewhere in their ancestry. OK, maybe this is just true in the North and Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/11 "2003-09-05T16:38:34Z")
My (actually) Irish friend gets a huge kick out of all the Americans who tell her, “Hey, I’m Irish, too!” ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/12 "2003-09-05T16:46:14Z")
Oh feck you. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/13 "2003-09-05T16:49:54Z")
Hey, I’m 11th generation French-American, with my GGGGGGGG grandfather being a Huguenot who came to Virginia in 1700. My name is French, but as a 6’1" fair redhead from Arkansas, I really don’t consider myself French, or even French American really, but it is my history, and I think that’s what people in America are referring to. Not so much saying “I’m Irish”, but “my family history here began in Ireland”. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/14 "2003-09-05T16:53:29Z")
My mother was born in Scotland and moved to the USA when she was 20 or so, though she’s still not a citizen. She married my dad, who is American. Am I allowed to call myself Scottish-American even though I’ve never actually _been_ to Scotland? 'Cause when I was a kid my mom used to yell at me when I said I was Scottish. This has made for much insecurity and sadness in my later years. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/15 "2003-09-05T16:56:11Z")
In my opinion, the correct terminology would be “American of Irish descent”. I’m a genealogist and have traced my family lines to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Germany. No, I’m not Irish or German, but am certainly descended from people who were (and who got around, apparently). Being this far removed from my Irish ancestor just means that we take the dishes out of the sink _before_ pissing in it. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/16 "2003-09-05T16:58:22Z")
New Englanders are really big on ancestry. We’re told that using the “Irish-American” term is incorrect if you’re born American, so I rarely see it used. Same with Greeks and the Portugese and everyone else. Ask a 3th generation Bostonian whose great-grandparents were from Greece what nationality he is, he’ll say “Greek.” That’s just how it is. Don’t ask people from the South what nationality they are, they’ll just look at you funny. “American.” :dubious: Totally different there. I’m also descended from the French who settled Nova Scotia, but somewhere around 1850 I guess this became old news, no one mentions it. They’re too busy being Irish. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/17 "2003-09-05T17:02:51Z")
3th meaning 3rd. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/18 "2003-09-05T17:07:50Z")
I’m a Yank. And if you’re from the NI or the ROI and have a problem with that, then Getawaydafug ya wee gat. Who’d ya fink y’are? Wee Slabber… ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/19 "2003-09-05T17:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chefguy \* > Being this far removed from my Irish ancestor just means that we take the dishes out of the sink _before_ pissing in it. Now that’s class. You’ll be saying you use toliet paper next. Me I use coffee filters 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736/20 "2003-09-05T17:26:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Is your beef strictly with Irish and Scottish Americans or do you have a problem with German and Italian Americans, too? \*\* It’s with everyone that has ever been stereotyped on ‘The Simpsons’. Indian-American? Yeah right. I thought they were the original Americans 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10th-generation-americans-claiming-theyre-irish/199736.md?page=2)