A few days ago my eleven-year-old grandson asked me what I am besides Irish. I said, “I’m nothing besides Irish.” He said, “No. I mean what other countries did your family come from besides Ireland.” I said. “None.” Then he said, “But that means they would have had to marry other Irish people when they got here.” And I said, “That is what they did. For several generations.”
Well since all my grandkids have inherited ancestry from different places and some even worship the Lord in a religion different from my own, they were amazed at my lack of variety. Which got me thinking. With everyone being Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day and all, how many Americans are at least a wee bit Irish on the other 364 days a year? It seems that last year the big minds at the Washington Post stumbled across the exact same question. You can read the entire article here, but I will share a few fun facts.
34.5 million Americans list their heritage as either primarily or partially Irish.
Irish is the second-most common ancestry among Americans, falling just behind German.
Miami may be the least Irish city in the nation with an Irish population of approximately one percent.
Boston, on the other hand, has the most-concentrated Irish population for a city: 20.4 percent.
This great map shows us the Irish heritage of every zip code in the nation. It is easy to see that some places could use a little more “wearing of the green,” but in most parts of the country, the Irish are well represented.
While many small geographies do claim an Irish population of higher than thirty percent, the award for the neighborhood with a population claiming the highest percent of Irish ancestry is Breezy Point in my home borough of Queens, which comes in at a whopping 54.3%.
So I say to all of you who are Irish for the day and to the thirty four million Americans of Irish descent, we’ve come a long way since the days of “No Irish Need Apply,” but we should never forget that is where we started.
I leave you with the “Always Remember” blessing.
Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Have a joyous Saint Patrick’s Day, one and all.
Terrie
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