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It's a made up American term? Maybe, if the Queen of England was American.
I didn't say the Irish use the word blarney, it's another term for "bull****"
which I definitely attribute to the Irish-of which I'm half. The Irish love to chat and stretch the truth. Maybe the young Irish are different, but when I've been to Ireland I've sat at many bars and heard many tall tales. A lot of Irish Americans I know fit the bill. Granted, a lot of the taletellers in Ireland were older and buzzed. But in the same sense, many Irish Americans I know are great writers and tell their tales well. The facts are better unchecked though.
The blood thing? It's more like genes. Ever notice how cocker spaniels lift their paw and point when they see birds, even when they haven't been raised to hunt? Same thing. We're the DNA of our ancestors, hence alcoholism (I won't go further), talents and weaknesses.
I plead guilty to accepting stereotypes. You accuse Americans of falling for stereotypes, yet your post is full of assumptions about what Americans think. Very borish.
You call it "tall tales" as an American (how quaint and romanticised)..The Irish call it "takin' the ****" out of an Irish American.. You wouldn't actually know the difference though because you'd think they were actually impressed with you being half Irish and all and knowing the culture (or having the surname of O'Reilly or whatever) It's just not a big deal to the the people that live there... They've heard it all before.
I am an American, and sorry to break the news to you, but you are too if you were raised in this country. Your DNA doesn't actually educate you on these things.
I could tell you a joke about a Kerryman, but you wouldn't get it..Why? because you don't know a Kerryman from a Dubliner from a Clareman. You weren't raised in Ireland..that's why. Your DNA won't tell you what that means. You have to live there to understand and that in itself might take many years, if ever...
Your great, great grannie's recipe for soda bread isn't going to tell you who you are. I'm sorry to break the news to you on this. This has nothing to do with Cocker Spaniels or DNA.
Oh, and as much you'd like to romanticize the "alcoholic pub culture" of Ireland..a recent study shows that there are far more non-drinkers than drinkers. It's not as common as you'd like to believe (but if you'd like to make it into something to be admired, then you've got it all wrong..alcoholism in any country is nothing to make light of and has devastating effects on its people).
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clongirl
I could tell you a joke about a Kerryman, but you wouldn't get it..Why? because you don't know a Kerryman from a Dubliner from a Clareman. You weren't raised in Ireland..that's why. Your DNA won't tell you what that means. You have to live there to understand and that in itself might take many years, if ever...
You seem to have an awfully narrow definition there. OK, so a New Yorker doesn't know squat about growing up in the hills of Appalachia. So what? Does that make him any less an American? Or is a Kerryman less of a "true Irishman" because he doesn't know about growing up in the streets of Dublin (or vice versa)?
For that matter, what's the criteria for a "true Irishman" anyway? Do you have to be born there, live there all your life, what town, Protestant or Catholic... what's the magical, "perfect" combination that makes one "more authentically Irish" than someone else?
BTW, weren't the Germans into this kind of thing at one time...?
You seem to have an awfully narrow definition there. OK, so a New Yorker doesn't know squat about growing up in the hills of Appalachia. So what? Does that make him any less an American? Or is a Kerryman less of a "true Irishman" because he doesn't know about growing up in the streets of Dublin (or vice versa)?
For that matter, what's the criteria for a "true Irishman" anyway? Do you have to be born there, live there all your life, what town, Protestant or Catholic... what's the magical, "perfect" combination that makes one "more authentically Irish" than someone else?
BTW, weren't the Germans into this kind of thing at one time...?
You call it "tall tales" as an American (how quaint and romanticised)..The Irish call it "takin' the ****" out of an Irish American.. You wouldn't actually know the difference though because you'd think they were actually impressed with you being half Irish and all and knowing the culture (or having the surname of O'Reilly or whatever) It's just not a big deal to the the people that live there... They've heard it all before.
I am an American, and sorry to break the news to you, but you are too if you were raised in this country. Your DNA doesn't actually educate you on these things.
I could tell you a joke about a Kerryman, but you wouldn't get it..Why? because you don't know a Kerryman from a Dubliner from a Clareman. You weren't raised in Ireland..that's why. Your DNA won't tell you what that means. You have to live there to understand and that in itself might take many years, if ever...
Your great, great grannie's recipe for soda bread isn't going to tell you who you are. I'm sorry to break the news to you on this. This has nothing to do with Cocker Spaniels or DNA.
Oh, and as much you'd like to romanticize the "alcoholic pub culture" of Ireland..a recent study shows that there are far more non-drinkers than drinkers. It's not as common as you'd like to believe (but if you'd like to make it into something to be admired, then you've got it all wrong..alcoholism in any country is nothing to make light of and has devastating effects on its people).
Who is romanticizing? And if you are going to quote statistics about drinkers you should probably include the fact that Ireland is by far the leading country when it comes to binge drinking in the EU (which implies alcoholic). Many of those Irish non-drinkers don't drink because they are wives and kids tired of the mess the drinkers have made of their families.
So that means Ulsters must not be "real Irish" (or Scots), because their own ancestors aren't "from Ireland"....?
Although your "purist" attitude might help explain "the Troubles" in Belfast.
Ulsters don't consider themselves Irish.. they claim loyalty to the Queen up in Northern Ireland and their ancestors come from Britain. Their monetary and political systems are different than the Republic's. Their roads are certainly better to drive on and even the price of groceries is cheaper).
I certainly wouldn't claim to understand "the Troubles" because I didn't grow up there and wouldn't dare bring up something so complex and that I don't fully understand. You would be foolish to bring it up yourself.
If you were born and raised in America, then you are American (you can claim whatever heritage/lineage you like, but it doesn't change the fact)
As for the drinking.. Sure, there's an awful lot of binge drinking in Ireland among it's youth. You will also find heavy drinking in Russia, Poland, Eastern Europe, America, Britain, and in many parts of the world. It's not unique to Ireland. Alcohol ruins many lives all over the world and you don't have to be Irish to be an alcoholic or a binge drinker.
So that means Ulsters must not be "real Irish" (or Scots), because their own ancestors aren't "from Ireland"....?
Although your "purist" attitude might help explain "the Troubles" in Belfast.
"Purist".. meaning what? Your simplifying at best. The troubles in Belfast are deep and complex.. nothing to do with me and my attitude I can assure you.
If you were born and raised in America, then you are American (you can claim whatever heritage/lineage you like, but it doesn't change the fact)
For the billionth time, no one is trying to claim otherwise. As an American living in the UK, I'm constantly telling people I'm American (because they ask) and it's not like I have a problem with that - I like being American and I miss the US!
I would never say "I'm Italian" or "Irish" or "English" or "Norwegian" or "German" despite those all being my a part of my heritage (and despite my time in England influencing me to now identify more with my English heritage than another other of my ancestries), I would never say that unless in the right context ie, in reference to my heritage! And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
That said, I will be applying to British Citizenship in September and then you can all eat it because I really will be English! LOL
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