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The American-Irish Edited by Colleen Cummings

The American-Irish Edited & Designed by Colleen Cummings

CONTENTS

Introduction 7 Editor's Note 9 Kevin Lyda 10 Jacquelyn Anne 16 Cathy Burke 18 Connor James 19 Jenn Gonnelly 23 Leslie Wrenn 26 Sue McCormick 27 John Wyatt 32 Joy Siegel 37 Beatriz Beggs 42 Amanda Stuart 48 Marie Somers 49 Opinion Section 50

TION INTRODUC This book is a celebration of the American-Irish by the American-Irish. This book is about the Americans who have chosen to run away and move to Ireland after falling in love with the country. Americans who have moved here later in life to start anew. Americans who moved here because they found a slower pace of life, a better quality of life. Americans who moved here because of an Irish spouse. Americans that have moved here as a career choice and never went home. They've moved to Ireland and this is their home. When one visits another country, one cannot help but feel that everything is so absolutely bright and new and different. It is no wonder why everyone loves to travel - you get to scoop up all of the pretty things about this new country, pack them in your suitcase and pin them up as fond memories. But when you permanently move, you suddenly begin to also see this new country for what it truly is. You see the way a city breathes, a healthcare system works, how politics sway, a whole new group of people think - and for the American, that another world exists outside of America. The Americans that have moved to Ireland are a new kind of identity, a new kind of culture. An identity that isn't quite Irish-American as many will not have Irish descent. This new identity surpasses being only American because now they've adapted to a new country. It is the American-Irish that have developed and taken on everything that Ireland has thrown at them as they came rushing in with rose-coloured glasses and made this experience into something their own. The American-Irish are fiercely independent. They come from a history of pioneers who have dreamt big and travelled far for a better future. And this book is a collection of their journeys, missions, dreams, and realities of moving to Ireland. This book comprises interviews, stories, and surveys on the American-Irish. You'll find that their choice of words, spellings, phrases, and opinions sway somewhere between Irish and American. This is the voice of the American-Irish.

OTE EDITOR'S N This book is a collection of interviews, correspondences, phone calls and meetings that I held with American-Irish people living in Ireland in 2020. All interviews were conducted between January 2020 and March 2020. The stories that are compiled in this book are the written accounts by each credited author. The interviews within this book are transcribed and conducted by me. All photos are either from the American-Irish authors and interviewees featured or my own photography. The "Opinion" section of this book consists of survey responses on an anonymous survey I ran in February 2020. The English switches from American-English to IrishEnglish frequently due to the nature of the speakers. I have left the original speakers tone and choice of spelling in text.

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ell. That took a little longer than intended. And sorry so long - I wrote during build cycles. And sorry if it’s disjointed as I kept jumping between writing code and prose. I don’t think I put any for loops in here… Not sure how interesting my story is. I had two tough acts to follow as my mom spent the first decade of her emigrant experience in the U.S. as Sister Francis Kevin. And that was the decade my dad robbed a bank. All I did was move to a suburb of Boston - Glasnevin. Prior to being my mom and kicking the habit, Bernadett McCormack grew up just outside of Ballymahon, Co. Longford. Six of my grandparent’s kids lived to adulthood and of those, one was given to a childless relative in Westmeath, three emigrated to America as teenagers and finally my mom emigrated at the age of 20. Six months after she left she found out her father died; she wouldn’t make it back to Ireland for a decade. By the time she had me she had a pretty good nursing job and an American husband. And she could afford to go back home more often. I think her past made her desire to visit “home” regularly stronger than for her siblings. I was born in March, 1971. The picture here was taken in May, 1971 - I suspect passport officials would

be unimpressed by it these days. And my first trip to Ireland was to Dublin in August, 1971. I don’t recall it, but my Irish relatives were rather taken with my dad and the fact that he carried me around in a papoose-like thing. My mom was carrying a penguin passport at that point so I kind of wonder if that might have been part of the motivation for that. Ireland is a small country - a woman with a passport picture in a habit while carrying a baby might be talked around the place. Trips to Ireland happened every few years ever since then. For holidays and the odd wedding. And likewise we had Irish relatives visit in America. Bar the odd few months here and there I’ve always had a passport. Though none with a picture as cute as my guest appearance in my dad’s passport. Moving to Ireland first occurred to me after university in 1992. I went to SUNY at Buffalo and I wasn’t all that interested in staying there. The economy wasn’t great in Ireland though and I didn’t yet know I was an Irish citizen. Instead

KEVIN LYDA

“And I…was I returning? Or was I emigrating?”

NARRATIVE My mom guessed I’d make it six months. She was always happy that I liked “home” but she had left an Ireland with few jobs and limited futures. This new Ireland was hard for a lot of us to comprehend. A generation might not have to emigrate - and for the first time there was the idea of returning. Some of my Irish friends in Boston did. And I…was I returning? Or was I emigrating? A cousin in Dublin just had her son and she and her husband had bought a new house in some new estate that had the word “cyber” in it (the council did not let that stick). She wanted to rent out her flat but wasn’t sure how to find a tenant. Which was good, because I didn’t know how to find a flat. Two problems solved. Not the typical immigrant experience, but then it was the immigrant experience for several of my relatives when they went to America. Working and living here was odd at first. I had the distinct impression I was on holidays because that was my Irish experience up to that point:

"I didn’t yet know I was an Irish citizen."

I moved to Boston - where I ended up making friends with a bunch of Irish immigrants. In Boston of all places, what are the chances? One day on a whim I did some research and discovered I was an Irish citizen and how to get a passport. As it happened I was working right around the corner from the Irish consulate in Boston. I got the paperwork I needed from my mom and in early 1997 I got my first Irish passport. I tossed it into a drawer and kind of forgot about it. By early 1998 my house - share developed drama and my employer had burned through their VC money and were clearly about to lock the doors. So I did some research on working in Ireland, booked a one week trip and set up four or five interviews. It was the start of the Celtic Tiger and I ended up doing two or three interviews a day. I’d first job hunted as a CS major with no experience in the U.S. recession of the early 90s and the Irish job market of the late 90s was like a different world. For the first time in my life I picked from several job offers - to start in a month.

Lyda in the U.S at six-years-old, and in Ireland at 46-years-old

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Lyda's father's passport

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Meeting relatives, watching Coronation Street, staying up late at night reading a Stephen King or Roddy Doyle novel. Instead I was going to work - boo! But there were no more checks and posting out bills - they just came right out of my account. And I got four weeks of holidays. And I could book a flight to anywhere in Europe for not much money at all and essentially no jet lag. As time went on the idea of going back to the United States seemed inconceivable. After six months I asked my mom to sell my car. And in two years I’d bought a house. When my mom retired in 2003 she did return - and she renewed the Irish passport she emigrated on. In 2011 she started dropping teacups and so began her five year journey with ALS. While some initial treatment was done in the U.S. and involved arguments with insurance companies, most of her care was in Ireland. And none of it involved insurance companies or arguing about bills. The only horrible part was the ALS - and for the life of me I don’t understand a society that would seek to add to that. My largest difficulty in dealing with the health service was after my mom passed returning all the things they’d given to us. At this point if I was to leave Ireland it would be to move to Spain or France. Somewhere with warmer winters. Twenty years on the consequences of the Generation That Stayed continue on and are making Ireland a better and fairer place - even as the old guard seems determined to mess that up. For all the rain, it’s a place with a hopeful future.

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View flying into Dublin

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JACQUELYN ANNE

“She followed me around the world for 40 years. It was time I followed her.”

grew up with an Irish mother and an Italian father. My Irish grandmother was in our lives daily and we were greatly influenced by her and surrounded by family. We celebrated all things Irish! I finally got my citizenship through my grandmother and did that simply to honor her. My husband and I were living in Belize, Central America when on my birthday he looked at me and said, “You’ve followed me around the world for 40 years. Let’s go move to Ireland!” This was in 2018. We took the next year to prepare for this next adventure and moved here to Cork in June, 2019. We had visited Ireland before for a vacation in 2010 and met cousins in County Mayo, where my grandmother is from. So, now I feel like I’m truly home! The pulse of the city, the culture, the various things to do, the convenience of not having a car and yet, everything we need is within walking distance. The people are friendly and helpful! The weather is grand! I’m a citizen and my husband wants to apply in five years when he can so yes, we do see our lives here! We can't imagine living anywhere else! Anne and husband

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Anne at her Irish Grandmother's house

NARRATIVE later. This continued for a year until we got married the following year, and here we are, 37 years married this month, I’m here 38 years next month. We have a grown daughter who has boys, and our son is married in Australia with their first baby due in April. I have to say I’ve felt at home here since I arrived and knew I’d never live in the U.S. again. I haven’t even been back since ‘97.

o, my story isn’t that exciting, but here goes! I’m from Ohio and my friends were Irish-American who celebrated the fact through being members of the local Irish club, Irish dancing, bagpiping, etc. I was fascinated by it and took an Irish history course in college. I was working as a waitress but lost my job so was looking for a new one. One snowy Saturday a group of charity walkers arrived in Columbus, they were walking from California to Boston raising money for Concern. Due to the weather they decided to stay in Columbus for a week, so my friends and I hung out with them day and night! I decided then I wanted to move to Ireland, so I moved in with my friends, sold everything I owned, and met the walkers in Boston. We flew to Shannon where I got a visitors stamp in my passport. I was supposed to work voluntarily at a place called Camphill here in Kilkenny. I met my now husband the first day in Ireland, and after a week, that was it! I never went to work with Camphill, I went with him in his lorry around the country instead! I flew home when the three month visa was up and came back two weeks

CATHY BURKE

“I have to say I’ve felt at home here since I arrived and knew I’d never live in the U.S. again.”

Aerial view of Ireland

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love the term American-Irish, I’ve used that to describe myself a few times before. I too am from Philly(ish). I’m actually from Malvern, out in the suburbs. I have vague Irish ancestry from mid-1800s, but I never claim to be Irish (something many of my friends here find funny and refreshing). My family has actually been in South East PA since the 1680s. They were Quakers that came over with good 'ol Willy Penn. In 2015 I graduated college with no clear direction for my life. So I figured if I ran away to Ireland on a working holiday visa for a year I’d buy myself time to come up with an answer. I lived at home and saved up for a year. About a month before I went to Ireland I went to a Little Green Cars gig at Union Transfer. I noticed some people with Irish accents and a tricolor flag at the front. I bumped into them after the show and one of the girls asked me for a lighter. She told me her name was Orla. I told them all I was moving to Ireland in a month. They didn’t fully believe me, looking back on it, but

they asked me where and I told them I was thinking about Dublin but I wasn’t so sure yet. In unison they all went “Fuck Dublin!” And told me to go to Galway because that’s were they went to school. They were over at Drexel for a study abroad semester. They then hopped in their Uber, never to be seen again but at least I had finally decided where I was going to live. So in late May 2016 I boarded a plane to Dublin, spent a couple nights there adjusting to the jet lag and then took a train to Galway where I had an Airbnb for three nights, zero friends or contacts, and no plan of what I would do. Fast forward three months: I had a job in a cafe and made a handful of friends. I actually went to a music festival in Bristol, England with some of them and got talking to a friend of a friend named Conor. I told him that same story and he said, “I think I know them.” And I told him “No, there is no way you know them. Philly is a really big place.” And he was like, “They’re film students you say? Orla, Hazel, Ross, Martina…” Rattling their names off. “Oh wow,” I said. “Yeah that’s them actually!” He told me that he was friends with them, and that he was having a party the following weekend and some of them might be there. So the next weekend we were back in Galway and his house and one of the girls was able to make it to the party. It was Orla, the girl who asked me for a lighter in Philly. She arrived and everyone was like “This lad says he knows you!” She looked at me funny, and I said “We’ve met before. Little Green Cars. Philadelphia.”

CONNOR JAMES

“I figured if I ran away to Ireland on a working holiday visa for a year I’d buy myself time to come up with an answer.”

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James and wife, Orla

NARRATIVE o cling erican t llow Am oing things.” ave a fe I didn’t h e Irish ways of d e alone. h ame her traight into to t s d that I c “It helpe ust sort of dove Ij on to, so

“Oh shit, yeah! You guys were really good!” She thought I was in the band. Everyone had a bit of a laugh and she looked annoyed. “No, I’m that American guy that was talking to you guys after the show!” “Ooohhh, you’re that guy! We didn’t think you were seriously going to move here!” We had a good chat for the rest of the evening. I saw her a few more times after that, and several months later we met again in a bar. She was recently single, and we hit it off and started dating. On new year’s Eve of 2016/2017 I told her I loved her and she said she loved me too. Which was absolutely absurd because we only knew each other really for a little over a month. It was frightening being in love with someone from another country, knowing my time in Ireland had a limit. We tried not to think about it, but at the end of June 2017 I had to move home. We said we’d figure out a way to make it work. My uncle was getting married in September of 2017 so she made plans to come visit me and meet my family. We researched every possible visa option for her to move to the States. We considered moving to Canada together if we had to, but that was just as complicated. But then a week before she was due to fly over, we were on the phone and I said “Here’s a crazy idea, maybe when you’re over in America we can get married?” There was silence and my heart sank. Then she said “Sorry the call dropped. What were you saying?” “I uh, uh…will you marry me?” Of course she said yes, so when she was over visiting we eloped. My brother and his girlfriend (now

wife) were our only witnesses. Afterwards, we were both anxious to tell our families about it, but when we finally did they were all very supportive and happy for us. The original intention was for her to move to the U.S. I came over to Ireland that Christmas to spend time with my new in-laws. At the start of 2018 I rang USCIS to see how long it would take to complete her visa, and was shocked to learn it would probably be another year. We couldn’t deal with being apart any longer, so I changed my plans, quit my job and moved back to Ireland in spring of 2018. Now we’re living in her home town in Westmeath and we have our first real home together and very little desire to move to America. Maybe eventually, but not anytime soon. I’m very comfortable in Ireland at this point. Whenever I visit home I strangely have a sense of culture shock in my own country. You suddenly notice so many odd Americanisms that you never picked up on before. I’ve only been living in Ireland for a total of about three years, but Id say I’m very well assimilated. I love tea, I love a full Irish, I watch Father Ted and understand why it’s funny. I know the craic. It helped that I came here alone. I didn’t have a fellow American to cling on to, so I just sort of dove straight into to the Irish ways of doing things. My first summer here I had a housemate that was on the Dole, so he and I hung out every day and I made him teach me Irish slang and Irish cultural references. He gave me a great head start on becoming more Irish. I feel like my sense of humor fits Irish humor very well, and I enjoy how things are more laid-back and

NARRATIVE My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America. My last night in America.

living in the Midlands now. It’s so untouched by tourism, and feels quintessentially Irish to me. It is funny how confused people are that an American would move to Ireland. I was talking to a Polish security guard about it and he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. He said “an American who wants an Irish passport? Now I’ve heard absolutely everything!” I do think about that fact that as an American expat, my reason for emigrating is different from most around the world. We haven’t had to move for economic reasons. We have the luxury of leaving our home in search of ourselves more so than money. And I’m not saying that all Americans in Ireland are wealthy (I’m certainly not, and I have such sympathy for any Americans paying Dublin rent), but we do have a sort of global privilege by way of our passport. American-Irish, and American expats in general are a unique breed.

"Everything just a bit slower and smaller over here. And I love it."

not everyone is so damn serious about everything. Which is very much the cast back in the states. Irish people are often confused about where I’m from when they meet me. I do tend to talk with an Irish inflection without realizing it. Unless I’m talking to another American and then my accent sort of naturally code-switches. It feels jarring at time, and my family and friends love to make fun of me for saying “bins” and “giving out” and “you know yourself.” Especially living in Mullingar where I’m one of three Americans in the town. I’m sure you catch yourself doing it as well. I think living in America there’s so much pressure to make something of yourself, and prove yourself to others. In Ireland I don’t really feel that same pressure. Everything just a bit slower and smaller over here. And I love it. Galway was great for awhile, but I’m actually really happy to be

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am originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. And I have to admit that I never dreamed that I wouldn’t still be living in Utah. Unlike a lot of other Americans I never had a romantic idea of Ireland, to be honest I never thought much about it at all. My heritage is incredibly mixed but is mostly Welsh. So I never had the heritage draw. 20 years ago in an effort to escape a few things going on at home (nothing serious), I took an option to travel to England to help out a division of my company. The request was open-ended, anywhere from two weeks to two months, depending on how the project went. I was an internet programmer and so at the time, even though it was a newish technology, I had an online dating profile. On the day I agreed to travel to Birmingham, England I went home to pack and while doing that I changed my location on the dating profile. Within a couple of hours of making the change, I got a message from some guy in Ireland. He was a nice guy but I wrote him off. I was going to be in England and he was in Ireland, there was no way that would work. Well somehow it did work, we dated across the Irish Sea while my project expanded itself to eight months.

In April we will be married for 19 years. The funny thing is when he asked me to marry him I distinctly remember saying “Yes, but what do you think about living in the U.S. and have you ever heard of Utah?” We did move back to the U.S. and lived into Utah up until 2015. We decided that the economies of Ireland and the U.S. in around that time presented us with the best opportunity we were ever going to get to move back. So in our late 40s, we sold our house and pulled up stakes to move to Ireland. It has been a massive adventure moving here. It’s not always easy, but it is certainly always entertaining. My husband is from Dundalk but three years ago we bought a house in Monaghan Town. It is the oldest house that is still a private residence in Monaghan and it is right in town. Irish people are a much less mobile population than we are in the U.S. I think that lends itself to a distrust of people who move here. Especially because a lot of Irish see the U.S. as far more exciting than Ireland and can't understand why we would choose to make the move here. In the three years since I have been here, I have found that there are people who can’t get over the fact that I am American, but there are those who appreciate that it is just a part of who I am and we have become friends. I have insinuated myself into the community by volunteering for all causes I feel strongly about. I made great friends during the Repeal Campaign. Settling someplace new is always difficult, and there are some massive differences in the cultures, but I am thankful that I feel a part of this community.

JENN GONNELLY

“So in our late 40s, we sold our house and pulled up stakes to move to Ireland.”

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Irish landscape

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“This is home, I have no desire to ever move back.” am a musician. Classically trained (BM degree) in voice and choral music, but started playing harp and Irish trad later in life. I am originally from Pennsylvania but have I lived all around the U.S. I had been to Ireland in my late 20’s and had an epic adventure here with my best friend in 2001. In 2013 I was living in Kansas, single after breaking off an engagement. I decided for my 40th birthday I would go back to Ireland with the same friend from my trip in 2001. It was February, so my flights were cheap and my accommodation was as well! There are not a lot of tourists in Ireland in February, so we were lucky. We had an amazing time and I performed in a few pubs and made some connections, musically. I decided to come back that summer and to make it a plan to visit a couple of times a year. On March 15, I decided I wanted to have a date next time I visited, so I sent a message to a handsome guy in Dublin who matched me quite a bit on OKCupid. He responded and we began chatting, emailing, texting, and Skyping. Over the next four months we talked and video chatted constantly. We met in person in July 2013 on his birthday in Dublin. In January 2015, after nearly two years of long distance and the two of us traveling back and forth, I came to stay in Dublin to do a seven month internship to finish my masters

LESLIE WRENN

degree in Music Therapy. On March 15, 2015, exactly two years after our first communication, he proposed at The Cliffs of Moher. We married that December and welcomed our little girl in March 2017. This is home, I have no desire to ever move back. Every time I used to visit Ireland I felt more at home and comfortable here than I did in any of the places I lived in the States (Pennsylvania, Chicago, Phoenix, Kansas). I remember a friend of mine in Phoenix remarking that when they first met me, they thought I was from Europe. Sure, sometimes it is hard to find friends or fit in here, but I found that the case in the U.S. as well when you move around a lot. I worked as a music therapist and voice/harp teacher here before my daughter was born. I now gig as a trad session musician and sing with the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir. I still do a bit of Music Therapy work. I haven’t been back to the States since October 2016 (my mother passed in June of 2016, and I’ve only my sister and some cousins left in the U.S.). In addition to loving the quality of life here (aside from housing costs), our daughter was born with Down Syndrome and a heart defect. Both of which were not diagnosed until after she was born. I don’t feel that the U.S. would be a welcoming place for her. I think overall Ireland is a much kinder society. Also, her life saving heart surgery and all my care when she was born cost us €0. My husband is a Dub, born and raised. His family have become my family. While I miss my family and my sister, I know Ireland is going to provide the best life for our family.

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moved to Dublin in 2017 and have Irish citizenship through the Foreign Birth Registry as my maternal grandmother was born in County Donegal. The question that is inevitably asked is…but WHY did you move here? I don’t have the short, simple answer of “for work” or “for love” that a lot of Americans are able to use as their response. Well not exactly true. I suppose my love of Ireland is the short, simple response. (I know, cheesy!) In my senior year of college I did a three week course in the suburbs of London at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. During the middle weekend of the course, a lot of my American classmates were planning a quick trip to Paris. I, on the other hand, went to Dublin with two other people in my class. That weekend was when I fell in love with Ireland. But I didn’t make it back over until another four years later in 2005. It was then that I found out (from a tour guide by the name of Michael Redmond…isn’t it funny the names that stick with you?) I

could get Irish citizenship through my grandmother. My Grandmom Quigley had emigrated to the Philadelphia area in Pennsylvania with her family when she was only two years old. Prior to my first chance to visit Ireland, I of course knew I had Irish heritage but never really thought much of it other than on St. Patrick’s Day. As I got older and more curious about my heritage (and let’s be honest, spent plenty of time drinking in Irish themed pubs) I became more loud and proud about being Irish. Not then realising the irony that to be truly Irish you aren’t loud and proud about being Irish…unless you are mistaken for being English! I still didn’t pursue getting my Irish citizenship until about 2013. The CEO of the company I worked for described how he had just gotten his Irish citizenship finalised. Both of his parents had been born in Ireland. Right. I decided that I had put it off long enough. I gathered the requested documentation, submitted it, needed to re-submit certain items and within a year I was granted a certificate stating I was an Irish citizen. At the time I thought it was just a cool thing to have and didn’t have any intention of ever moving here. I visited Ireland again in 2015 and the seed was planted but never thought I’d actually have the guts to make the move. I applied for my Irish passport which was a breeze since I had the citizenship in hand. A year or two went by, and I would occasionally float the idea of moving to Ireland to friends and family. No one (including myself) took me seriously. One evening after work I was talking to a colleague over a drink

SUE MCCORMICK

“I quit my job, rented out my house, and moved by myself at the age of 36 to a country where I knew almost no one.”

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View flying into Ireland from America

and again mentioned the possibility of moving to Ireland. Maggie, with her Long Island accent, bluntly said, “Sue, you just need to do it! You keep talking about it, and your friends and family won’t encourage you because they don’t want you to go. So I’m telling you. What is stopping you?” That was the push I needed. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here and I actually did it. It was almost a year between when I decided to move and when I made the move. I quit my job, rented out my house, and moved by myself at the age of 36 to a country where I knew almost no one. All for no real reason other than I was in a rut,

I love Ireland, and I did not want to live with the regret of thinking “What if?” Within two weeks of moving here I met the man I will marry. We have been living together for two years now and I can’t believe I needed to move to another country to meet the love of my life. It’s even weird to write it down like that, but that’s what happened. Of course there was (and sometimes still is) a lot of tears, homesickness, distress of being away from family and comforts of home, fear of the future and the unknowns…but all in all I am happy with the decision I made to change my life.

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McCormrmick's Irish-born Grandmother, Mary Anne Quigley

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Mary Anne Quigley (Doherty), and Grandpop, Tom Quigley

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first moved to Ireland from Philadelphia in 1999. I was nine years old. I didn’t know anything about the country. When my parents asked my sister and I how we would feel about moving to Ireland, I asked if they spoke English there. My family moved a lot when I was growing up (eight times by 1998), so I was used to moving, and not having to learn another language was pretty much all I cared about. It was different. School was strange – I remember suddenly being very far ahead in subjects like English and very far behind in subjects like Math (now “Maths”). It was the same recreationally - very far ahead in basketball and very far behind in soccer (now “football”). I made plenty of Irish friends, but the best friend I made was a Russian immigrant. Having to learn this new culture on the fly was a very powerful shared experience.

It was absolutely a monoculture. As non-Irish, we were more of a curiosity than anything else. I think a lot of people were surprised, after decades (really centuries) of migration, that people would choose to leave the United Sates and come to Ireland. I had a lot of kids in school ask me questions when I started like “Are you American?…Like from TV?” My Dad and the other expats that worked either inside of around the IFSC would get the DART into Connolly station in the morning and back out in the evening. There wasn’t really a whole lot of integration. That seemed to change a little bit more when the tech companies like Google set up in the mid 2000s. In the meantime, Ireland still felt very much like a Catholic, nonglobalized, country. EVERYTHING closed on Sundays - and in the evening every other day of the week. Some staples and amenities were nice, although I think I only really noticed the small things as a kid. The bread was better. The butter was better. But you couldn’t find peanut butter anywhere! In 2001 we moved back to Philadelphia for my Dad’s work, but that was relatively temporary, as we’d be heading back to Dublin soon enough. When we moved back to Ireland in 2003, after another two years in Philly, so much had changed. The old Irish “Punt” was gone with Euros in circulation, more American chains like Subway had stores in Dublin, and there was a giant Spire on O’Connell Street. Starbucks started to pop up everywhere soon afterwards. It was a Big Deal when Dundrum Shopping Centre opened and had a 24 hour Tesco around 2007.

JOHN WYATT

“You have to remember how much Ireland has changed in the last couple of decades…they were still getting used to people coming in rather than going out!”

NARRATIVE

Cliffs of Moher

was an example of that unilateral action. I also think that after being the “good guys” in WWII/the Cold War, it was viewed as very hypocritical for the United States to be proactively seeking conflict with other threats gone. This did seem to be temporary though, as people’s attitudes changed overnight when Obama got elected in 2008. He was loved here during his presidency, probably more than any president since JFK, (see: Moneygall plaza). Ireland also had its own problems to worry about with the recession hitting around this time as well. Personally, I think I had perfect timing to avoid the worst of the recession, as I was in college from 2008-2012, missing out on some

"The bread was better. The butter was better."

Ireland started to get more multicultural too. There was a huge wave of Eastern Europeans to Dublin after the EU expansion in 2004. With Ireland transitioning from the Celtic Tiger to the property boom, times were good, so while there was definitely some apprehension and mild racism towards the “new” immigrants, it was mitigated by the fact that no one was really struggling. However, anti-Americanism was EVERYWHERE. The war in Iraq had just started. I think that Ireland has an (understandable) cultural sensitivity against unilateralism, which is evident in pro-Palestine and anti-Israel attitudes being higher here than almost anywhere else in the EU, and the war in Iraq

NARRATIVE

Wyatt and siblings during first move to Dublin, 1999.

NARRATIVE

NARRATIVE I have so many Irish friends now – and an Irish wife! I would very happily move back to the United States, and likewise I’d be happy to try living in other Schengen Zone areas if the right opportunity arose. If you’d asked me a few years ago, I would have called myself more “American” than Irish, but now I don’t feel like either. American-Irish seems appropriate. But I’m also happy here, and while I may not ever feel completely settled, I’m happy to call Ireland home.

lf lled myse ld have ca ither.” ago, I wou ee few years n’t feel lik sked me a t now I do “If you’d a rican than Irish, bu e more Am

of the layoffs and hiring freezes. 2012 was also when I finally got my dual citizenship. It was a LONG process – due to accruing my years of residency prior to age 18, I had to wait until my parents submitted in 2008 and their application being successfully processed before submitting my own in 2010. It still annoys me slightly to think about what should have been a one-year process taking four years, but you have to remember how much Ireland has changed in the last couple of decades. I think the first Immigration Act revisions since the Irish Republic was established happened in 1999. They were still getting used to people coming in rather than going out! Now in 2020, American culture seems to be everywhere. People send me “SNL” links and can recite entire “Friends” episodes from memory. Irish friends who were only vaguely aware that “American” football existed a couple decades ago came up to me all through February 2018 congratulating me on the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Outside of the (understandable) deeply suspicious looks I get when I give strangers directions and they hear my accent, there doesn’t seem to be much racism directed towards Americans outside of the fairly “normal” xenophobia you’d find pretty much anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, I think that immigrants from poorer countries have a tougher time integrating here, as I think they’re viewed as more of a direct threat for the same jobs as working-class Irish people. I hope this changes, much like how Eastern Europeans are more broadly accepted here in Ireland now after some initial animosity.

Howth, Dublin

INTERVIEW † Where did you grow up and how did you end up discovering Dublin?

†: The paleness is real. J: The sensibility, the way of life, how everything wasn’t so, not commercialized, but it wasn’t so go-go-go. They valued being around people, they valued the good stuff. They like the craic, let's be honest. I was overcome, I was like this is where I’m supposed to be. And I said something to my best friend and she just kinda laughed at me and was like “yeah that isn’t going to happen.” Like, okay. And I kind

JOY SIEGEL

J: I actually grew up in Chicago and went to University of Illinois, then moved to Virginia to be a teacher. So I was there for 17 years. When anyone asks me where I’m from I say Virginia because I didn’t necessarily choose Illinois but I chose Virginia. My first visit to Ireland was in 2003 and it was the stereotypical backpacking thing. I actually visited a bunch of countries. Ireland was supposed to be my second to last one. I landed and dropped my stuff off at the hostel and my best friend was - she just was not interested. She was going to stay in and that was fine. I just walked outside - and it was actually really close to the corner of O’Connell like right by the River Liffey. It was the Litton Lane hostel, and it’s no more - it's called something else now. And I saw this guy in a kilt and everyone was pale as all get-out, which I am myself. So it was kinda the first moment that I realized there was a place where I looked like everyone else. And it was insane - and my first year teaching I had a girl ask me why I was so white.

of just dismissed it, didn’t think anything of it. I went back home. Fast forward to 2008 and I convinced my Dad that we were going to take a family Christmas instead of do gifts that year and I convinced him that himself, me, my mom, and my brothers would go… and we actually spent Christmas here for a week. It was after the bust so there was a big difference in 2003 and 2008. But I still felt an absolute connection with to it. I made my third trip over in 2016. I won a $1,200 grant from an educational foundation in the Richmond, Virginia area. I was actually the first teacher in my schools 27 year history to win this grant and no one has won it since. My whole thesis was that I really believed in looking and walking in someone else’s shoes. Anytime I taught history it was with the intent to get all of the viewpoints onto the table. I prided myself that by the end of the time I ended a unit, the students would be able to support any of the sides. And say, "Well I can understand why [any side] would say that, I may not agree with it, but I get it." I believe in looking at points of view from a historical perspective and I wanted to visit Scotland, England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. [I wanted] to see what they say about each other and about the U.S. I wanted to see what happens when history is presented from the other side. So I got the grant and I spent five weeks over here. And I committed to saying “yes” to everything on this trip. Yes I will stay an extra day and meet someone I haven’t spoken to before. And yes I’ll go on a crazy weekend. I said yes to pretty much everything and really travelled authentically. And

INTERVIEW

†: Are you sponsored then with the job offer? J: I’m on a visa, but I need the sponsorship kind of. Because I have the job I’m allowed to apply for the work permit which I didn’t actually

"I’ve never li v e d in t h e same state me tha t a I’ s m m y n o f a w m an ocean a ily anyway w . It a y ’s in n s o t t e a a d of just a b b ig deal to u n c h o f s t a tes away."

when I got home I was a disaster and it became my mission over the next two years to get back. That's how I ended up back in November 2016, because I had extra grant money due to Brexit. The money I had been allocated I had budgeted based upon the money I thought[I was going to spend] and then Brexit happened while I was over and suddenly my money went so much further. I asked if I could go back in November [and it was accepted]. I ended up working in a primary school in Drogheda. It was right after the [U.S. presidential] 2016 election and I absolutely loved every bit of it because the students saw me as a person they could have discussions with and I wouldn’t be offended by what they said or their viewpoint because that was the whole reason I was there. And then I came back in the spring of 2017, then the fall of 2017 and I realized that the only way for me to get here to live and work was to get a different visa. So I went to the University of Limerick (UL) this past year - just finished - and immediately from UL I got hired by an online medical education company. And after three months I was offered a permanent position. So I’m mid-move to Dublin right now. I have a place to stay next month, and then I’ll have this place for the year. But I’m in the in between stage of moving right now. I’m not leaving though!

need because of the visa. But I need the work permit to apply for the visa [laughs]. But it's that kind of stuff which is annoying but so long as you know it up front and you know how to play the game then it is fine. †: So you wouldn’t have decided to move for good until 2008? J: I didn’t see an option for living here, so I just thought it was a nice place to visit. But every time I’d fly home…[sighs]. Like the first time I flew home I was sad. The second time I flew home in 2008 I cried on the plane. Every time after that, like the 2016 trip - I literally started hyperventilating, the poor Aer Lingus flight attendant - just 'cause she was sitting across from me. She was like "Oh wow you are a mess."

†: So when you come over is it your own mission, like "This is Ireland, this is it, this is for me?"

J: Oh no nope nope nope. So I moved here in 2018 and I knew I was going to get the masters and I knew I was going to get the visa after that. And my whole family is still in Illinois, they didn’t come to Virginia. And the only people here are the friends I’ve made. I’ve absolutely no desire to move back, but once I became an adult I’ve never lived in the same state as my family anyway. It’s not a big deal to me that I’m now just an ocean away instead of just a bunch of States away. †: Do you feel more at home in Irish culture vs. American?

INTERVIEW

GPO, O'ConnellStreet, Dublin

†: How would you describe that feeling? You have everything you could want in theory in the States. Why do you choose to live here?

J: Yeah, there’s not as much. There’s no Target, there's no Old Navy. I feel like here it forces you to have to…just be happy with what you have. It’s not so capitalistic, it’s not so competitive. Like here, the only person I have to be competitive with is myself. I felt like at home - and that's kind of bizarre 'cause if I’m here then I’m referring to that direction [the States as home], but if I’m back in the States, then I’m like "oh when I go back home [to Ireland]". Even when I was teaching in the States, it was constantly like who has the best scores? You’re constantly looking over

"It is where your soul is at home."

J: Yes, I do. I had a student two years ago. He was nine and a gifted student. It was before the big trip where I was like “Ah I must get back!” And I said, "Boys and girls I won’t be here next week I’m going back to Ireland." And a girl is like “I don’t understand, why do you like Ireland so much?” And I go, “I can’t really put it into words.” And he goes “No, I got it, I got it. It is where your soul is at home.” I’ve never had even an adult put it so perfectly.

INTERVIEW

†: So you've found your spot so to speak. Is it specifically in Dublin? You’ve been coming over a decade, what keeps you in Dublin city? Or are you open to Ireland as a whole? J: I am open to Ireland as a whole. But I feel like Dublin is where I’m meant to be. I have a bit of that spiritualist side where it's kind of I KNOW what I’m supposed to do and I can’t always explain it and I don’t always understand why but I know that's the path that I’m meant to be on and I just go for it. And I currently bus in once a week to go work and [my work is] kind enough to let me telecommute the other four days a week. When I bus in though I get this smile - I grin when I go in. I like Dublin. It’s busy. It kept its typical Irishness. It's still

"I really feel li ke m y li fe ju s t being able to beyond mea ge t s u h r e e r . e B li le k e s s w e as everything d beyond mea s u r e , lu c k y b e yond measure ."

your shoulder to go "Am I better than that one? Or am I on enough committees? Am I doing enough?" And it isn’t because are you doing enough for yourself. You have to do so much to make sure that you are not falling behind someone else. It’s the constant rush to keep up. Where here…it’s beautiful! I was so type A, I was so high strung, I was so wound UP. And it wasn’t until I got out of that, and I probably knew that in my first trip in 2003 like as soon as I was out of that and in a situation that allowed me to just sort of let me breathe, then I could see it for what it was. And I was like that is not a healthy situation for me. I cannot live like that and I DIDN'T know differently. But now that I do know differently I know that I can’t do that for the rest of my life. I need to be somewhere I can just breathe and be happy with the little things and just enjoy other people's company.

about family and community. And yes it's multicultural and yes there are A LOT of tourists there. But it still has its roots and it's still in the architecture. It has a nice balance of being cosmopolitan and being a look back on history. †: How would you describe your experience as an expat?

J: I’ve always had a bit of an affinity. After my trip in 2008 I actually tried to do Irish dance lessons at Temple Bar. They were supposed to be offering them one day when I was there, they didn’t. When I came back [to the States] I started doing competitive Irish dance. And I actually competed from 2010 to 2018. I did my last Feis in June 2018. Why not do all the things? Richmond Virginia actually has a GAA so I started playing camogie in February 2018. I’m a terrible player, my coach from Galway told me to go to Ireland to get better and then come back. I mean I kind of always had the affinity with that. It could have been that a couple of years ago that I had to remember that I am not Irish. Basically [my coach] was very blunt with me, he was like if I want this I better want it bad. Because this is going to be hard, there are going to be people that don’t like you. It just really painted a bleak picture of it. But, to my absolute delight, I have found that that has not been true at all. But I have also never pretended that I was Irish. When people asked where I am from or am I Irish I’ve just never said yes. You just leave the typical answer, you ask an American and they say “Well I’m like 15 percent because my great great grandmother is from Sligo and

INTERVIEW my uncle is from…” we kind of run through the genealogy. I never did. I just sort of always say no. I identify as American and I’ve found that has broken down so many borders. And I didn’t realize that something so small like that - they kind of just saw me for someone who wasn’t trying to invade in and you know who you are. And I found that if you are kind and you are decent and you are a kind person that comes through. And I haven’t run into problems. I’ve met some incredible friends here. If you’re a good person and you don’t pretend to be someone you aren’t then people respond to that. †: How would you define "home"? J: The way I use "home" is just describing another location for me. So if I were to differentiate, I would say my family is from Illinois, I am from Virginia, but I belong in Ireland. †: After all of that, if you could go back and change anything do you think you would? J: [Immediate] No. Even though it was long and drawn out and it was (oh gosh) dramatic and it was heartbreaking and it was frustrating. I made great friends and I lost some friends. I would hope I would appreciate it as much as I do, but I don’t know if I would. So I wouldn’t want to change it because I consider myself so lucky Every. Single. Day. Like in my diary of this year, it actually says ‘beyond measure’ because I really feel like my life - just being able to get here like was everything beyond measure. Blessed beyond measure, lucky beyond measure.

Lady Justice, Dublin Castle

INTERVIEW

B: It was never my intention to stay in Italy forever. I had seasonal work there working as a tour leader, which was a lot of fun. I would spend nine months of the year living and working in Italy and go home in the winters for the off-season. One of the years I met my boyfriend, who became my husband so I ended up just staying [laughs]. Then I ended up getting my citizenship in Italy and my husband is from Ireland so that's how I ended up in Ireland. †: After living in Italy for nine years…is that how you obtained citizenship? Or did you receive it through descent? B: I was able to do it through my Italian grandfather. It took two years, but yeah that is how I got it. C: So when you did move to Ireland was it a decision you made with your husband or had you already been travelling to Ireland? B: I had travelled with my husband and I liked it and then we decided to try something new. In 2014, we were engaged, he said “Let’s move to Ireland.” He had been running a business in Italy and he had grown tired of the bureaucracy there [laughs] so he just said “Let’s try something new.” And I said yes, let’s go for it.

†: Did you move straight to Dublin? B: Yes, we moved to Dublin. And at first it was hard to find a place to live so we were living with his sister for six months and that was not fun [laughs]. Then we finally found our own place and within a year we had our business up and running. †: Dublin is so difficult to find a place to live in. So how did you go about finding housing and work once you arrived? At this point you would be an EU citizen, so I’m sure that helped along the way. B: Yes, we didn’t have to worry about visas. It took us about a year to get settled. One of us had to work while the other was sitting at the business. So I got straight to work. I didn’t have too much trouble finding work but there were a couple of months I was unemployed which was hard. The two jobs that I got more longterm were through people I met. I noticed that in Ireland it is very difficult to find a job if you don’t know somebody. There is a lot of networking done here. †: So it is more about who you know than your CV? B: Yes, I was nudged along by people who knew me and put a word in for me. And if weren’t for that I wouldn’t have found a job that paid enough to support me. When I first got here, I had a job in four days because one of my best friends works at Airbnb and that honestly got me through the first couple of months. Then after that I was unemployed for awhile, and then worked in a pizza shop where I met my future boss. He noticed that I

BEATRIZ BEGGS

†: Your first move to Europe was to Italy for nine years and then following that you moved to Ireland. Can you speak on how you first moved to Italy and what led you to eventually move to Ireland?

INTERVIEW

†: That is amazing. You have two languages, Italian and English, and have lived in three cultures (America, Italy, and Ireland) how would you describe adapting to each new country? B: It’s funny, my parents are actually South American - they are from Chile - so I grew up with two cultures already. My parents were very traditional and as immigrants themselves they tried to raise their kids within Chilean culture and my siblings and I resisted as much as we could because we wanted to be as American as possible [laughs]. So I already understood what it meant to try to adapt culturally to a place. I had also travelled a lot and had the experience of being a trip leader. One of the things about being a trip leader is you have to be the cultural interpreter of where you are so I tried to remain as openminded as possible. In Italy I had a much easier time adapting to the culture due to the way I was brought up and my beliefs. Even with little things like how people regard food in Italy is more my style rather than Ireland. People eat with the seasons in Italy and they know a lot about food and they try a lot of different things. And here in Ireland the people are way more traditional

ou know is alcohol…y unless there tive." an't happen ren't produc ocial thing c a week you a "It is like a s e three days hungover lik when you're

spoke Italian (he was Italian) and he asked me if I wanted to come work for him so I said yeah, sure [laughs]. It was in nursing recruitment, which I didn’t even have any experience in but because of my language ability and professional experience I was perfect for the role. It was lucky, if it hadn’t of been for that I don’t know if I would have even gotten off of my feet.

with their food choices. It is a lot harder to introduce something new here I think. So just little things like that. So for me Ireland was quite a culture shock, I wasn’t prepared for it at all. I thought it was going to be less of a culture shock because it’s an English speaking country at all. But no, the first six months were really hard for me. †: So what would you consider to be the biggest culture shocks in Ireland for you?

B: Ugh [pauses] I like to have a few drinks, you know. But people here, they like to drink a lot. More than I was used to. It is like a social thing can’t happen unless there is alcohol. If I’m around my Irish friends and there is no alcohol it feels forced. The impact that it had on my health and mental health… you know when you’re hungover like three days a week you aren’t productive. So that was hard. So I had to carve out a little space for myself not to be that way which was hard. The second culture shock that I had is that I find Irish people to be very nostalgic, they like to talk about the past. And I think that's nice, I think it's good but it can turn into a lot of repetitive stories where the same things are talked about again and again. And I found myself craving new things, new types of conversations especially because when people in Ireland talk about the past, it does not apply to me and I’m not involved in that conversation which can be very isolating, you know? So those were the big two culture shocks I had.

†: With the nostalgic past you speak of, would it be an Irish historical

INTERVIEW

†: Definitely. Moving back, where in the States were you from? B: I was born in San Fran and then moved to the bay area. †: West Coast. So this could apply to Italy as well as you spent so much time there, but what do you miss the most about home whether it's something dumb like Target or something more? B: From back home (West Coast), I miss the weather and the convenience of everything as well as the diversity of people. Back home I was friends with lots of different kinds of people from different social classes, walks of lives, and ethnicities. I find that here people stick to their circle a lot more. From Italy I miss the food, the lifestyle, the beauty, the regard for art and history and being able to talk to anybody about the history or agriculture of the place. †: On the flip side what do you find the best about Dublin? B: [Immediate] Oh, I love Dublin. I think it is such a fun city, I don’t think I’ve ever been bored here. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, you can still have a good time in Dublin just having a couple

drinks or going to the theater or - there is live music everywhere you go. You’re never short of entertainment here. I think it is a very fun, dynamic city. It is just big enough to not be so big - you can still explore a lot of it on foot. It is becoming a lot more diverse, and I’m not sure how I would deal if I had to live in a different part of Ireland. I don’t think I could live somewhere very rural and isolated. Dublin is a great city, and even as hard as it is to find housing - and it definitely has problems - if you can make it work here and you can work and have a nice place to live - and not even nice, just decent [laughs]. It’s just great, I love this town. †: That’s awesome. Do you see your foreseeable future in Dublin? B: I don’t think I would go back to Italy to work, that is a tough place to work. I would go back to the U.S. if I knew I had a job with all of the benefits lined up. But to be honest my husband and I will probably stay in Dublin for the foreseeable future. We know we don’t want to retire here, we want to retire somewhere sunny when we don’t need to work. †: You mention home as more about people than places. How would you define "home"? And because of how many places you’ve lived in would you argue that you can have more than one home? B: Yeah, I think that the word "home" is very complicated, especially for an expat. You never have just one home anymore, you’re always going to have more than one. For me, I feel like I have three homes. Italy will also be a home for me even if I don’t go back

"I love Dublin. I think it is such a fun city, I don’t think I’ve ever been bored here…I think it is a very fun, dynam ic city."

past or more of personal past experiences they’ve had? B: Like simpler times I would say. There is probably some very nice… like even Dublin used to be very poor. I think that people have very nice memories of those days. And I’m glad they do, but it is hard when you are around people who speak of it and you weren’t there you can’t help but feel really left out.

INTERVIEW

†: So it is the time spent in a place that makes it home? B: Yes, I was very much into my life in Italy [laughs]. But life wasn’t easy, like the bureaucracy ugh! It was very frustrating and there were way more frustrating expat moments

than I experienced in Ireland. But the way people live their lives like the easy going lifestyle, I loved that. If I could have that every day I would go back to it. †: You’ve defined being an expat as the hardest and most fulfilling thing you’ve done in your lifetime. If you could go back in time would you have changed anything? B: I would have tried longer visits to Ireland, rather than staying with family. Like staying on our own in Airbnb or something to get a better feel for it. It’s funny like people did warn me, like my husband did warn me, moving to Ireland is going to mess with your head [laughs]. He said, “Because people are different here, they’re not how you are used to living your life. We are

"If someone was forcing me to pick one home I don't think I could."

for a really long time. The bay area would definitely be home to me because I know it really well and I feel really comfortable there as well. Also, my immediate family is there so it's hard for me not to think of it as home. If someone was forcing me to pick one home I don’t think I could do it. Dublin is my home because I am physically here. It doesn’t feel like this is where I necessarily belong but it is where I am making my home.

Dublin City

INTERVIEW

†: Absolutely. How did you go and refocus your experience of Dublin to a more positive one for yourself? B: I’m still doing it. I add little things to my life to make sure I have a focus outside of just a fun social life. Like, I joined a book club because I realized I missed having these conversations about books and art and I needed a little piece of the old me back and that was really helpful. I joined a gym. And running a business with my husband takes up 90% of our time [laughs]. Also, my husband and I travel a lot. We just do little short weekend breaks away even if it is just somewhere else in Ireland to

e d I was lik fidence an s.'" full of con ther place ode. I was so many o dventure m se I already lived in "I was in a becau o anything 'Oh I can d

going to have to do a better job at taking care of ourselves when we’re there physically and mentally." Also the weather, the winter - it can all mess with your head. I think when I moved here I was in adventure mode. I was full of confidence and I was like "Oh I can do anything because I already lived in so many other places before." And then six months in I was definitely knocked down. I was definitely experiencing some kind of depression or something like that because it was cold, it was dark, it was wet. And on top of it the social life was exhausting me. It's not that I was ever bored but I don’t think that I could do one more night of sitting in the pub telling the same stories, talking about the same people, listening to the same songs. I needed to get out of that and enrich myself in some other way. And I do love going to the pub and I have really great friends and family here. But after awhile I think I needed to get out of that routine because it was a dangerous one.

break up the scenery. And just do something different. And when I can I get together with some of my friends to go hiking, or biking in Phoenix Park to break up the routine of work, work, work and then drink.

†: And then pub, pub, pub, [laughs] yes. Last question, If you could offer advice to other Americans moving over to Ireland, what advice would you give?

B: The only thing I would add is that it is a very different experience if you move here with a partner who is not Irish and it is just the two of you navigating through this country together vs. being married into an Irish family or having an Irish partner. Those two [situations] are so different that the whole experience changes. When I was living in Italy with my husband (then fiancé) it was like the two of us against the world. We only had each other and we didn't have any family there and not too many friends. We were navigating through this different culture together and that made us feel really strong and secure. When we moved to Ireland, I didn’t know I was with him. It was like I was on my own. Because it was no longer me and him against the world it was like me, the one foreigner in the family. So there is 100% a difference on your experience if you are with a nonIrish person moving to Ireland vs. being with an Irish person when you move to Ireland. And this is true with all of the expats I have spoken to who have moved here.

INTERVIEW

Beggs and husband on their wedding day

NARRATIVE

A week into my volunteering, a very nice young man walked in to buy a ticket for one of the films. We hit if off (lust at first sight perhaps?). I decided to stay in Galway just a bit longer than planned. I met a well-known performer from Australia at the Arts Festival which was going on at the same time. He invited me to be in his show at the Edinburgh festival, which was happening in August. I said yes of course. The young man I had met in Galway came out to see me in the show in Edinburgh and promptly proposed. We married in April 1992! Still happily married and now living in Cork!

AMANDA STUART

ere's the story: It was July 1991. I was 40 years old and living in Los Angeles, trying to become a famous actress. It wasn't working. A guy I had met some years prior had told me about Galway, Ireland. He said it was a very artistic city and I'd fit right in. Since nothing was happening with my career, I quit my job, took my savings and headed to Galway for what I thought might be a month or so. I read in the local newspaper that they were looking for volunteers to sell tickets for the Galway Film Festival. I thought it would be a great way to meet some new people.

Galway, Ireland

NARRATIVE

and two dogs later and we’re still together here in Ireland! Both my parents are Irish but they had lived in NY for over 20 years each. I have been back to NY many times as I still have relatives there and in the last 10 years with the help of Facebook, I’ve reconnected with school friends and I’ve been to two reunions. I’ve brought my husband and kids back to where we lived to show them around. Both of my sisters returned after college and one lived in CT for 20 years the other in NY for 10 years then both returned to Ireland. I am a dual citizen and that’s what I consider myself.

MARIE SOMERS

was dragged kicking and screaming at sixteen from Syracuse, NY to a tiny (600 people) village in County Mayo. I begged my parents to let me stay with friends, relatives, or anyone for my final two years in high school. I didn’t want to miss junior prom, junior trip, senior prom, graduation, etc. But alas that didn’t happen. I completed my final two years of school in Mayo and really felt like an outsider and couldn’t wait to finish school then get out! My plan was to work for long enough to earn enough to go back to New York. Then I met an Irishman, my Irishman. 37 years, two children

Coast of Mayo

OPINION

/Yes, I have Irish citizenship. / No, I do not feel assimilated enough with the culture to consider myself Irish. / Yes, but not 100%. Like most Americans, I have other heritage as well. / Yes. My great grandparents were from County Cork and immigrated in the late 1800s. / Yes and no. At this point I have been here for 14 years, almost half of my life. I have never been an adult in America. / No, I don’t feel like I fit into Irish society and I feel American. Irish people also make it known that we are foreigners. / No. I think I only would if I was born in Ireland so even when I become a citizen I don’t know if I will call myself Irish. / Irish American - because I was born in the USA to Irish American parents and lived there until my 30s. / No. I’ve lived in Ireland during three different periods, and currently permanently here for the foreseeable future. But living here does not mean my cultural heritage (including accent, language use, likes, habits, etc.) changes, so no matter how long I’m here I’ll always be American. / No. I’m American and I’m not yet eligible. We missed the chance to have our daughter born into Irish citizenship by about 10 days and I’m a little bitter about it. / No. I only have a U.S. passport. / No, because I wasn’t born to Irish parents, nor in Ireland, nor grew up in the culture and customs. I was born and raised Texan and a Texan I will be until the day I die! / Yes, mother is from here and half my family is here from her side. / No. I’m not of Irish descent. / No, I still consider myself American although Ireland is my home and I sometimes feel I think more like the Irish than Americans. / I did before I moved here because it was in my heritage. Now that I live here I realize I am definitely not Irish! / No. I am very proud to be from the U.S. / No Irish heritage.

/ Although I have Irish citizenship now (naturalized), no. Given my different upbringing and accent, I don’t feel that I will ever be seen as Irish here. Being Irish feels like something you have to be born into (unlike being American, which I think anyone can be). / No, I hold a U.S. passport. / No. I’m not a citizen yet and feel like I’ll need to live here a lot longer (been here 7 years). Not having an Irish accent also plays a part. I do feel like I fit into the culture though. / Yes. I am Irish-American, of full Irish descent, so have always identified as Irish. Interestingly, I lived in Ireland for about 5 years before moving to Dublin. It was in Dublin that I was made to feel like an outsider/foreigner/ immigrant and that was when I started feeling more American than Irish or Irish-American. Now, I know that what I consider myself to be is not how I am seen. I have now settled on considering myself AmericanIrish. That may change as the clock continues to tick. / I do. I’m Irish citizen now, I have adopted the country as my own. / No, I’m an American with origins from Asia. / I’m still an American. I am very straight forward and can’t be one way to your face and another way behind your back like the Irish. / No, because I am not an Irish citizen. Even if I get citizenship in the future, I’m not sure if I’ll consider myself Irish. I think it would be more American-Irish. / I am Irish and I am American. I have dual citizenship and an Irish passport. / No, because I am American. As in I will never be seen by the Irish as being Irish no matter how long I live here. / Yes, because: a) I was raised in an Irish-American household b) My maternal grandparents were from Ireland c) My father’s side of the family emigrated to the U.S. around the time of the Irish Famine d) I obtained Irish nationality in 1992 through my maternal grandparents. Also, I have been coming to Ireland since 1986. / Yes. I live here, I work here, and my kid has an Irish accent. / No, born and raised in / Kind of. My mom was Irish

but had me over a decade after emigrating. So I’m American. I’m an immigrant but I’m not fully either of those things and “Irish” is as good a term as any to fill in the missing parts. / Ancestral yes but I would never refer to myself as Irish. / No. Even though I have citizenship, it still seems odd to refer to myself as Irish. / No, I have Irish heritage but I also am Greek, Swedish, and Cherokee Indian. I grew up in America so am American. / No, I still feel very tied to my family and friends in America and feel outside of Irish traditions/vernacular. / Yes, my great grandparents are from here so grew up with the Irish culture. / I have Irish citizenship, but I’m an American…just moved here in July at age 60. In America they think I’m Irish. / Sometimes. I’ve lived here for 19 years. / No. I am an American in Ireland. I do not have any ties to Irish family bloodlines besides being married to an Irishman and having our half Irish son. / Yes, as father is by birth. / Yes my parents were born in Ireland, so I am Irish. / No because I am not. I was born and raised in the U.S., so therefore am American. / No. I’ll always be American. / Yes. / No. I have been an expat here for 2 years. / I don’t consider myself American. I was born and raised in Alabama. I could never consider myself Irish. My children are half Alabamians and half Irish. I wish they remembered more of their time living in Alabama though. / No. I am a guest. / No. But when I'm in another country I'm starting to. / Yes. My parents were born here so it my heritage and I am raising my children here now. / Yes, well, at least 50/50. / No, only of Irish descent since I was born and raised in the U.S. / No not yet, but I suppose I will once I get citizenship. / No. Lived in U.S.A. ‘til age 37. Never took up citizenship here. No Irish ancestry. / I was born in America and my ethnicity is not Irish. I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself Irish. However, whenever we

ASK AN AMERICAN

do you consider yourself Irish?

OPINION U.S. in 1870). / No. While Ireland is my new, permanent home I lived in the States for decades so I feel it better represents who I am. Once I’ve been in Ireland for about as long as I was in the States I’d say my feelings may change and I might consider myself to be more Irish, but I haven’t been in Ireland long enough yet. / Prior to moving of course I did because I had an Irish last name. After moving I realized I was the furthest thing from it. I’d like to say now that I might sounds Irish but still wouldn’t consider myself as one as my Irish friends would just laugh at the thought. / No, I didn’t grow up in Ireland and my parents and grandparents were American born as well, so culturally I can’t be Irish. My great grandparents on both sides were Irish but I don’t think that is enough for me to say I’m Irish. / I consider myself American. / Not at all. No family, no roots, no connections, no friends, nada. I instead identify as an Asian-American. / No. I will always be American with full on Texas pride. / Yes because of my heritage. But, I’m also a citizen which I did through my grandmother. / No, I think of myself as more European or global these days, though I live in Ireland and am still an American citizen. / No. I live in Ireland. I have assimilated here but I’m still American living happily here. / Yes - I have a duel citizenship. / Yes, I did in the States as well. Even before moving here, I always felt Irish. / No, because born and lived in America 'till moving here at the age of 31 in 2001; even though I have both an Irish passport and Irish citizenship. / No, I’ll always be American. / I do, after living here 38 years. / Kind of. I have been here nearly as long as I lived in the U.S. (25 years U.S.- 22 in Ireland). I have both an American and an Irish passport. Likewise, I have both and done Americanisms. / Yes, I’ve been living here for almost half my life at this point. The States has changed so much, there are times when I really can’t identify with my

friends Stateside. / Not by blood - not much, anyway. But I do in soul, where it really counts. / Yes, I’m half Irish, and it’s a huge part of my identity. / No, the people here make it clear to me every day that I will never be a local here or truly be a part of them. / Always there is an assumption that I’m a tourist when it comes to meeting strangers outside of work. / Yes, on occasion. / Yes.

do you ever experience negative attitudes or assumptions about you by native Irish people? / Yes, and people always make comments about how I am an American and make little digs at America. / No, I don’t know about assumptions but I usually steer clear of negative attitudes. If I have to communicate with people like that, I just remain my happy self. / No, I haven’t experienced that. / Yes, not particularly about me but about “Americans.” / Sure. But fair ones. / Yes, definitely. In their subtle Irish way that isn’t openly negative - they would never do that so openly! But they do it in small, subtle ways and slagging. Loads of slagging. Which they say is a way to know people like you - but it’s also a way of creating space between people. People often think that I’m a Trump fan or love guns because I’m American and Texan. / Just the usual stereotypes given to Americans based off of what they have seen on T.V. / No, I would say curiosity but not negativity. / Rarely as most of time I just consider it “slagging” but yes I do. / Yes, very often. / Only very rarely. Sometimes people assume I’ll be enthusiastic about everything because I’m American, even about really dumb stuff, which can be slightly insulting, but

"Only when I moved to Ireland was I told I was American."

travel somewhere and people ask where I’m from, I do say Ireland because it is my home and I consider it the place I come from. / No - no Irish passport. Born in the U.S. / Not “really” Irish. After 20 years I still feel that I am not part of the cultural identity, especially in terms of the fact that much of the social rules are based in Catholicism. / No. I still consider myself American but I consider my children to be Irish. / The longer I am here, the less I feel Irish. I’ve been here a decade and am still asked daily where I’m from. Now that I have kids, I feel more American than ever and want them to have that too. / No. I’ve only been living in Ireland since March 2019. My family would say we’re Irish, but I wouldn’t make that distinction myself as the closest Irish relative was a great-great grandfather whom I didn't know. / Yes and no. I do consider myself Irish (my mom is a dual citizen and we have Irish roots). That said, I’m very aware the Irish don’t consider me a real Irish person (Plastic Paddy). / No, I wasn’t born here nor grew up here and it’s not my family’s culture. / No, I feel at home and have chosen to live here but I was born in the States and my family are still there so my connection is still strong. I prefer the values, ethics and way of life here compared to where I grew up. / Well I hold Irish citizenship but probably have more Irish tendencies than considering myself Irish. / No. I do not have any Irish ancestry and I’ve only been here seven months. / Yes. I grew up as an Irish American in New York. Never missed a St. Patrick’s day parade nor a ceili nor an Irish dance. My parents are Irish. I grew up my whole life thinking I was Irish even though I was born in the U.S. It was only when I moved to Ireland was I told I was American. / Not yet, no. I’ve only been here two and half years. I think that will change once I marry my Irish man and I’m here a lot longer. / Yes. By ancestry (my great grandparents emigrated to the

OPINION American” after telling a story where someone was a bit ditzy. / Yes lol. A lot of Trump comments [are made]. / Not really…they think I’m a little crazy moving here on my own with two dogs and four cats, but they excuse me most everything because I’m American…Irish people have been helpful and open to me. / Not so much as during the economic downturn a few years ago. / Yes, on a regular basis. / Yes, I think there is an assumption that Americans are all alike and we all behave the same way. / Yes at the beginning until they got to know me. / Not that I’m aware of. / Not often but I’ve been here eight years so yes it has happened a few times a year. / Not once in 9 months. / Yes! All the time. / Not about me being American, but certainly about Americans in general. / Assumptions, yes. But not normally negative. / Very occasionally people make comments about politics in the U.S. or get judgy as if there is something morally inferior about Americans as humans. / Yes. Loud, rich, Pro Trump. / Every single day. It is assumed that I’m loud, picky, rude, controlling, “so American” etc. / Yes, especially due to my weight and the fact that my qualifications are not recognized here. / Of course, lesser so in recent years as I have become better known in my profession but definitely in the early years. / I do, directly and indirectly. / Very rarely. I have an Irish name so there is some leeway given to me but I do hear snippets about “those crazy Yanks.” Where everyone in the room looks at me with an “oh but not you of course” kind of look. Beyond that, I’ve encountered people who automatically assume I’m a Trump supporter (I’m not). / Not to my face but sometimes I feel like I’m treated differentlynot as friendly or warm. / Absolutely, I’m ACTUALLY half Irish (my dad was born and raised in Ireland), but because of my American accent Irish people always assume I’m one

of “those” Americans. / Yes as there seemed to be an anti American sentiment when I first arrived here but that quickly passed. / No, never. I have met amazing people and I have made fantastic friends. / Not really, no. I think because English is the native language in both countries. There are some assumptions about culture where they assume it would be the same. I find it difficult to explain that the way it’s done in Ireland isn’t the way it’s done in the States. Particularly with family, they meet every week, extended family included, and that’s not common for me, but it’s normal here, so we can butt heads a bit about that. / Yeah, they think Americans are obnoxious. Nice, but very ignorant. At this point I’ve blended in so I never get any negative attitudes or assumptions. If anything, the Irish no longer believe I actually am American. / Yes the culture is not as open as American. / No I have had a really positive experience with Irish people. Obviously they make jokes about America but nothing that I wouldn’t say myself. / Occasionally. / Not often, thankfully. / Yes, but not very often. I am fortunate to live in a very rural part of Ireland and people here are very welcoming and kind. / Yes, some assume I am here temporarily. Some make rude comments about Americans in front of me. I have been told I won’t be hired by a company because they only hire Irish. / No. I blend in, but I’ve seen and heard negative attitude and ideas about other immigrants. / Very little; mostly the contrary. / Yes. As many friends as I’ve made here, I’m still seen as a typical American. / Yes, especially since I live in a very rural area. / When I first moved here 12 years ago it was worse than It is now. I think I both grew thick skin, learned that some of the comments I would often hear were not meant to be as nasty as I took them and Ireland is becoming more tolerant to other cultures. / A little bit, but not much. We usually just joke about

“The thing where people assume I’m a tourist is tedious.”

nothing serious. / Absolutely. / Not really. Just some questions/attitudes about stereotypical Americans or about Trump. / Yes, all the time. I have lived in Dublin for more than 10 years now and I find that in Dublin I am constantly battling against wide brush assumptions about me based on my accent/passport. It is exhausting! / Sometimes people will ask why I want to live here. I say a lot of Irish live abroad. / Absolutely!!! But not a lot. Mostly people are fascinated with the fact that I would leave New York or San Francisco for Ireland. I have been told by a patient that I came over and took an Irish person’s job and by another that I shouldn’t be here. It happens but rarely. / I am still not familiar with a lot of slang and find certain Irish accents difficult to understand. This can lead to a lot of misunderstandings that make me feel like I am seen as stupid because I don’t understand something that seems simple to the Irish person. / Yes. People think I am easy or loose and will steal their man. I have also been shunned by native Irish people for these assumptions that have no basis in reality. The Irish are outwardly hospitable but inwardly clannish, in my opinion. In the summertime, the native Irish assume I am a tourist. I have used this to my advantage at times, getting extra attention and sometimes gifts. / Not about me specifically, that I am aware of, but about other Americans or other nationalities, yes. / Yes. Nothing major, and certainly not abusive. But it is not unusual to hear an offhanded negative remark about the U.S. and Americans. / Sometimes, but I don’t pay attention to most people. / Yes, but also positive. / Generally, no I don't. The thing where people assume I’m a tourist is tedious. / All the time. / Yes! The nice people definitely out weigh the rude though. Several times I’ve been told we were stupid, directly and indirectly. Comments like “Well you’d expect that from an

OPINION

what do you believe the irish opinion of americans to be? / They generally like all things that are American. / Consumerist and rich. / Generally positive. So many want to move there, and/or go on holidays there. But they also think we are loud, badly dressed, uncouth and fat. / I think the Irish think of Americans is similar to what I think of Americans….loud, obnoxious and arrogant. / Fat, crazy about guns, ignorant Bible thumpers. But at the same time positive. (I know that seems counter-intuitive, but there it is). / We think that we are the best, money obsessed, stressed, and we are overachievers. / Differs from people who have been to the U.S. to those who have not. Majority are that we are strong willed. / That Americans are a little loud, obnoxious, pushy and unrefined people. / That we’re all loud, over enthusiastic know-it-alls- that we all have a lot of money that we’re sometimes quite annoying and gullible but not the worst in the world. / Generally on a one to one basis I feel like most Irish people like Americans. Many of them have close relatives who are American and many have memories of the American relatives sending packages home. Despite that, in a wider sense I often hear people speak of Americans with negative cultural connotations - loud, power hungry, workaholic, consumers, etc. / Loud, professionalised, and

like to brag. / Love/hate relationship. / Loud, obnoxious, conservative, Trumpist, attention-seeking, “not Irish.” / Optimistic. Hard-working. Over-sharers. Close-minded. / In trouble with Trump. / Loud, over sharing, sometimes can be arrogant. / Loud, ignorant of other cultures and politics, rich. / Work too hard, are not funny, and are overweight. / Loud, gun-toting, entitled. / That we’re super upbeat, enthusiastic, and slightly naive. / Loud, Trump supporting, and gun-toting. / I don’t think they care that much about Americans. I think some Irish people think Americans think they are superior. Irish people are more interested in the place/ experience of America than they are with the people. / Negative. Especially more recently with Trump in office and the increase in gun deaths combined with a refusal to disarm or even accept reasonable gun-control. They just think Americans are crazy. I can’t blame them or disagree, I just wish they would not put us all in the same bucket. / Overwhelming positive. As a lot of development came from direct investment from American companies. / Arrogant. / That generally we are not intelligent, we dress badly and they we are loud and rude. Also that we are easily fooled. / I think a lot of opinions are formed based on interactions with tourists. Generally, I’ve heard Irish people to view American tourists as friendly and loud. / Loud. This assumption is based on their ears pricking up at our accent, not necessarily because we are louder. There are plenty of loud native Irish. / Depends on the circumstance, but overall favorable. / I think it’s mixed. They generally have enough experience with Americans - either through visits there or having relatives there -- to generally have a more nuanced take on Americans. / Loud, abrasive, over enthusiastic about everything, a little over the top.

/ Loud, over sharing, opinionated, confident, friendly. / It varies quite widely. For some it’s where family are. For others it’s a shopping mecca. For others it’s a goal. And for others it’s the bogeyman. / That we are all loud and are all stupid. / As a group Americans are lovely but they think our government is horrific and generally has a bad influence on the world especially in regards to military campaigns and our backwards policies in regards to healthcare, cost of education and use of guns. / Overall good, but with a good portion I feel there’s a love/hate relationship with us. They love American movies, products, and want to go to America, but make a lot of snarky comments based on inaccurate stereotypes about Americans. Like they think we all have guns, or they read a dumb article saying “50% of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows” Give us some credit! Haha / Loud, brash, ignorant, conservative. / We’re not “real immigrants” (direct quote from many Irish people). Also the Irish think we’re loud. / They like us…generally…they don’t like the ugly American, the braggart, the know-it-all, the guy flashing his money - but who does? / I think Irish people are very positive about the States, especially compared to other countries I’ve been to. There is a strong bond between Ireland and he us because of all the Irish immigration to the U.S. / That we are ignorant, overweight and gullible. / Not bright, all Trump lovers, obese, not able to cook. / They genuinely like us for the most part. / The typical stereotypes such as being loud, fat, and dumb. That American culture is all about fast food. / Loud, opinionated, confident, outgoing, go getters, and are well presented. / Most like us but some think we are loud and uninformed. / Not a bad opinion of Americans, however, not a good opinion of the United States. / Jerks.

“They love American movies, products, and want to go to America but make a lot of snarky comments based on inaccurate stereotypes.”

differences between the U.S. and Ireland. / I haven’t yet. At least, none are any I disagree with! / No, much less than other countries I’ve lived in (Jordan, Hong Kong, France). / No, because even though I was raised in the U.S., I still kept an Irish accent. / Not me personally but I probably have the advantage of being lily white, American, and from a part of America that has a very, very high amount of Irish ancestry in general.

OPINION of Americans. I’ve never come across a negative view. / Obnoxious, loud, ignorant, but nice and always up for a chat, not fake in regards to our looks and appearance. / I think they like individual Americans and most have positive experiences living in America on a J1 visa, but overall I think they feel a bit like at least what they hear about on the news about America is crazy and stupid and they don’t get why we put up with the politics and inequity of it all. / Negative: Loud, self-indulgent, gluttonous, foolish. Positive: Adventurous, driven, wealthy. / Materialistic, even if they don’t use that word!! My daughter (11) attends school here. She is told that we are “rich” and that American schools have indoor pools, chocolate fountains, etc. which is definitely a misconception! For me, we have “American teeth.” / The Irish have such a long history of engagement with America that I find they mostly just think of Americans as… well, people. / Mixed! Either they really like Americans or have distrustful feelings toward Americans. / I think most Irish like Americans and America, in general, because so many of them are living over there too. / We are loud. We eat crap food. We love sunshine. If we didn’t exist in huge numbers here during the summer Ireland would be broke “only for them”. We love war. Our accents are incredibly annoying. We are ignorant. Most of us don’t have passports. And that we all wish we were Irish. / I think they quite like Americans. They do have issues sometimes with our louder voices or openness but these are common cultural differences between many different countries. / They are obsessed with America, yet want to pretend like they are better than America at every turn. Being from Texas, I’ve been told by most Irish I meet that I own a gun and am Republican. When I say that isn’t true, they tell me I’m lying. / Ignorant, stupid, kind of loud and obnoxious - in your face. The Irish also tend to perceive

Americans as from the south, so hicks and everything that comes with it - Trumpism. / Irish consume all American content, but for some reason they have a disconnect with how they perceive the Americans in front of them vs. the Americans they see in film. / It depends on which Irish person you speak to.

what is the most positive/negative cultural aspect of ireland? / The craic is the most positive. Begrudgery is the most negative aspect of Americans. / I really appreciate Ireland’s focus on nature and the outdoors, the respect for things grown to perfection vs. en masse. Negative, I suppose the contentedness with how things are (e.g. still using immersion heating, less convenience). / I live in a very small town, I can walk to everything and we have all of my husband’s family here. Everyone knows us, that is so nice. But it is so hard to make friends as everyone Irish grew up together and they don’t think of me when making plans to go out. / The positive is a simpler lifestyle that isn’t obsessed with commercialism. The negative is a that everyday is a lesson in patience. No one here is in a hurry to accomplish anything. / Having a second language and very specific “Irish” identity. Negative - a lot of racism. / Positive is a good work life balance and negative is that things are very backwards here and slow. / Hard to break through as an outsider in Ireland. / Positive: The close knit families and friendships Negative: How slow processes take, like getting a mortgage and buying a house and other things that also require applications. For me it was the board of nursing (no consensus on how the process works, no one seems to know, different info from different people you communicate with). / When it’s good - the sense of community, kindness and connection When it’s bad -

“The older generation still thinks of the States as the land of opportunity when in reality Ireland is more progressive than the U.S.”

/ Loud, obnoxious, always happy, say too much about themselves, discipline children in a different way. / Generally positively disposed. Bewildered on the gun crime and election choices. / I think it’s a love/hate relationship. They like us for entertainment and history value, but we also aren’t fully respected by them either. / Big question. American ideas are often thought to be a bit more touchy-feely. Americans speak their minds and speak their feelings. I’ve always worried that if I speak up as an American I sound demanding. / That we are loud, set in our ways, quite cheesy, but also soooo nice. / Mass consumers who are loud, tote guns and vote idiots into office. But are great for tourist dollars. / Ultimately, I believe the Irish opinion of Americans is positive… however, they tend to think many Americans are “thick” and “ignorant.” / Irish people my age (mid 20s mid 30s) generally seem to have a positive opinion of Americans their age, although I think it’s less positive with regard to American tourists or politicians. / I think there’s a mix. I think Irish people are both in awe of America and somewhat jealous of what America has to offer but also glad they’re not Americans and are thankful they’re Irish. I’ve heard the plastic paddy comments about how Irish Americans are perceived by the Irish. / Stupid, too overly obsessed with Irish culture, ignorant, Trump-loving hill billies. / Self righteous, opinionated, vulgar, inauthentic, immodest. / They think we are thick and too polite to a fault. And that we all attained the "American Dream" (we have not). / Arrogant, hard-working. / That we’re loud and opinionated, but also that America has lots of opportunities and more wealth. / I think the older generation still thinks of the States as the land of opportunity, when in reality Ireland is more progressive than the U.S. With opportunity comes assumptions of wealth, progressiveness etc, but these are only positive assumptions

OPINION and Photographer. I have found that the environment here has pushed me to be a better Creative. There are many opportunities here to work as a Creative. Most Irish people have culture so naturally in their lives that they have a deep appreciation and respect for it and the people who make it. It is a gift to be able to work as a Creative here, the environment is nourishing. I also enjoy taking in the Arts and with so many venues and festivals there is always someone else’s work to enjoy and get inspired by and that nourishes the soul. I think the most negative cultural aspect of Ireland is drinking which they bring to the level of a cultural and which is so insidious that it reaches into everything else. I enjoy a drink or more; but it is taken to a toxic level here and can ruin things and lives. / Positive: Social protections, view on women’s equality and diversity Negative: Not being straight forward, lateness and nosiness. / Most positive I have found to be raising my daughters here. They are sports mad so that has been fabulous. We love our GAA. The beauty of this country is second to none. The negative would be the weather, the drinking culture and how two faced, gossiping, begrudging and negative the Irish people can be. / I think the laid back culture is both positive and negative. It’s nice to have a more relaxed culture. For example, I’ve never encountered road rage and people never seem to be in a rush so they’re generally quite friendly and love to chat. However, this can be frustrating as well when things are not done in a timely manner or are more disorganized. / The most negative cultural aspect is the healthcare system. It needs an overhaul. People should not by unattended or dying on trolleys or waiting room chairs in the hospital. The Irish charm and hospitality is true. The native Irish will bend over backwards to be accommodating to a tourist. / Very friendly superficially but hesitant to make friends outside their circle. / Positive: A great appreciation

for culture and education Negative: A surprisingly closed society, nearly impossible for a foreigner - even an IrishAmerican - to integrate. / The people are so friendly and always up for a bit if craic, but nobody seems to have “big ideas” or want to try new things. / Positive: Traditional music and dance. Negative: Unfriendly to newcomers generally. / Positive - Work/Life balance (when you find the right job - took me 3 tries) Negative - I don’t find the girls here to be very welcoming. They all seem to have their friends and not want anymore. / I think they genuinely have a concern about those less fortunate in their society but they’re government and government agencies are not run in a very efficient way. / Positive - I think the Irish are smart and also very creative. Negative - I think the Irish are passive aggression, probably brought on by the many years and years of oppression. / Most positive : The social culture. People love to play sports and be social. Negative: The drinking culture and drug use. I’m shocked at the use of cocaine in Ireland. / People are great but they’re also a bit racist without meaning to be. / The best thing about the Irish is their skill at talking and storytelling. They are great at the chat. I also find Irish people very willing to help strangers and especially kind and concerned towards vulnerable people like the elderly and the homeless population. On the negative side, it is difficult to make close friends in Ireland as people really stick with the same friends they grew up with. / Tight-knit communities where it is difficult to get into and usually are pushed out as a stranger. A positive would be the laid back manner of most people where they aren’t always rushing to do something. / Positive most people have great sense of humour. Negative corruption and incompetence in government is just accepted. / Positives: Cheap healthcare Negatives: The people’s attitudes (clan-like, lots of talking behind people’s backs), the cost of living, high tax rates

“The beauty of this country is second to none.”

back-biting, being judgemental and racism. / For me the most negative is the link to very traditional religious belief that permeates most of the cultural and social, and even educational, aspects of Irish society. The most positive is the slower culture of work and less pressure. / Great cultural scene and literary history. But real gaps in funding for education. Housing and infrastructure problems suggest a real failure to care for the population. / Most positive is the majority support for a people based social contract. Most negative is the culture of addiction, bullying / violence and particularly racism. / Negative: JUDGEMENT all the time. Always judging people. False humility too! Positive: Way of life. Easy, great lifestyle. When you do make friends, they are your friends for life. / Positive - beautiful country, a great place to raise a family. Negative - poor healthcare, lots of red tape. / Positive: Smaller and easier to know what’s going on in most of the country. Negative: Can still encounter small minded thinking. / The most positive is that it’s close to mainland Europe and English speaking for those who do not have a second language to English. The most negative is its small size. It is an island and Irish people tend to only associate with themselves as a rule. / Positive - the history and scenery. Negative - house prices, job market. / Positive: That people are warm and very willing to help even total strangers in need, and willing to talk to and get to know new people. Negative: A tie between the culture surrounding alcohol consumption, and begrudgery toward people who have good fortune or who are successful. / People are very tied to where they’re from in Ireland so may be hard to make friends. People in Ireland seem judgemental about Christians or faith in general. Ireland is a beautiful country to travel in and within driving distance. I wouldn’t say it’s a simpler life than in the U.S., but I find it a lot less materialistic which is nice. / To Ireland’s credit it has a mountain of positive cultural aspects. I am a Storyteller, Writer

OPINION that loop. Also social circles are VERY hard to break into. / Negative would be the difficulty of finding a tribe. Truly close friendships are hard come by. Positive is the national wicked sense of humor. Craic. Nowhere else has the craic. / The arts heritage is incredibly strong. The xenophobia is too. / Most positive - living in a multicultural city in a beautiful country that has lots of history. Most negative - I know some older generations, political parties, and people from smaller towns here dislike immigrants like myself. / The most positive is there is very little materialism here compared to the U.S. You’re free to live your life without having to worry about having the flashiest house, car, etc. the negative would be there’s a real resistance to celebrating one’s success. As if there’s almost a shame associated with being successful. There’s lots of begrudging. That makes me so, so sad. I’m so so glad I grew up being told I was capable of achieving anything and that my successes were celebrated. I feel bad my Irish friends had to almost hide their successes to not be seen as a braggart. / Positive is close communities, appreciation for simple things, focus on family Negative is I feel there is a lack of ambition at times, it’s been hard to find a job as I don’t “know” people here, lack of diversity. / Positive: Family and community values. People look out for one another, have a duty of care, sense of family history and tradition. Negative: less open to change, cliquey. / Most positive aspect is the seeming social welfare state everyone is allowed to access yet the negative is the socio economic class system within society and how that dictates your life. / Positive the quieter way of life. And the beauty of the country. Negative the weather. Expensive. / I love the laid back attitudes toward life. Irish are more relaxed than Americans. It is lovely, and I am much happier since I moved here. I am not sure what is really negative. / Ireland is more culturally progressive with the abortion referendum etc. The most

negative bit is that Irish people tend to not celebrate their personal achievements. / People are nice but it’s not as personal in Ireland. Also people are generous with money but not with time. Ex. Might buy you a coffee but wouldn’t give you a lift home etc. / I think Irish culture is great in it’s ‘it’ll be grand’ attitude towards life. People are very relaxed and understanding everything doesn’t have to happen on time or be stressful. They don’t take things seriously that don’t have to be serious. That also makes for a great sense of humour! The most negative is probably the fact that everyone knows each other and has life long friend groups which makes it a bit harder for non-Irish people to be included. / Slower pace of life and focus on family. Not welcoming to outsiders, clannish. / The weather. Lol. Seriously, the culture and history are the most positive. I haven’t run into any negatives yet. / Positive: Higher level of general education and respect for culture. Negative: Too rapid adoption of American materialism. / Once they get to know you, they treat you like family. But it takes a really, really, really, really long time for them to really get to know you. / Most positive - I love the friendly people Most negative no good Mexican food and lack of options. / The people and their sense of humor I absolutely love. Negative cultural aspect- sheep mentality - too many followers and not enough independentlyminded folk though I see that changing recently. / Positive - small country with people who have fought hard got what they believe in and are all very proud of who they are. Negative - small minded, scared of change. / Relaxed, both good and bad! / Well it can be a mistake to generalise about cultural attributes as they can be personal and then assigned to a culture. They also vary in different areas. For example Dublin versus rural. If I were to generalise positives, I would say family here is quite close Negatively, it can be difficult to cultivate close friendships.

“Everything is grand.”

with little benefits. / Very welcoming but hold discriminating opinions on some nationalities. / Positive : Ease and friendliness Negative : Everything is grand which means some issues get brushed off. / Most positive is the value of family and marriage. Coming from Alabama where most couples I know are on their second marriage Ireland is the opposite. I believe part of it is Ireland is less consume, consume, consume. I find if I am in the U.S. for more than 10 days I feel the need to purchase some material things I wouldn’t normally buy and look a certain way. I believe men in the U.S. are more likely to be unfaithful… being honest. O.K., the negative…I would prefer drinking to be less of every social function. I think people can be more closed off than Americans (or southerners). / Most positive are the Irish. They are just grand. Irish bureaucracy on the other hand can be feckless at times. / Positive, health care that isn’t going to bankrupt you. Negative, roll over and take it attitude. / I think Ireland is a lot safer place to raise kids (having come over as one!). Negative culturally, it’s not very ethnically diverse, which I think is a loss to the country. / Positive aspect is that Ireland has mainly a safe and wholesome culture. Very laid-back and family oriented. The main negative aspect is the isolated, “cliquey” culture where the Irish aren’t very interested in outsiders. / I think there is a lot of historical trauma in Ireland. Colonization, sexual abuse, economic strife, etc. I think that leads to a lot negative aspects in Ireland. Positive? People here are warm and friendly. / Positive: don’t take life too seriously, smile through whatever, and community is everything, everyone supports one another Negative: quite resistant to change, set in old ways, not willing to try new things or think outside the box. / Positive: Experiencing a new culture, universal healthcare, slower pace of life. Negative: The fact that everyone knows everyone and it’s difficult to get things done if you aren’t in

OPINION

what is the most positive/negative cultural aspect of the u.s.? / Ambition is the most positive aspect and superiority is the most negative. / Positive is probably its diversity and can-do attitude. Negative is that it’s too workcentric and not life-centric. / Being able to get food anywhere, anytime, in any amount of variety is something I miss. Also ease of finding a public restroom! I don’t like the fear of the “other” that is so prevalent there. / Americans have a very “can do” attitude. It’s a place of creativity and dreams. The negative cultural aspect is the ridiculous displays of conspicuous consumption. / Positive: I feel I have a better chance for success and a decent life Negative: It’s expensive and always on the go. / I’ve lived in the north, southeast, southwest and Alaska and the negative aspect is people’s beliefs of other cultures without knowing the culture. Positive is most people

are interested in where others have been, lived and visited so once you talk to them you can break barriers by showing interest in where they have been. Guess if you can get them talking you can make a friend. / Optimism is the best The worst is an egotistical attitude that the USA is “the greatest country in the world” and that we have a God-given right to tell other people and nations how to live. / I find the income inequalities and the difference in standards of living very negative in America. I don’t notice such a stark differentiation in Ireland. The most positive aspect is acceptance and understanding of diversity, even the fight for it. / Raging inequity, racism, and capitalist greed. Plus side: Resources can be stellar- education, national park system, the scale really provides top notch cultural forms across the board. / Most positive is the beauty of the landscape. Most negative is the rising of fear-based culture aggression, gun culture, narrowing of the separation of church & state, and racism. / Negative: Friends can be fickle, politics controls everything and is divisive Positive: Easier to make friends, real humility, dreaming is acceptable and not weird, individuality isn’t judged. / Positive - Access to many educational opportunities. Melting pot of many cultures to learn from and experience. Negative - Violence, too many rich living off the poor. Trump. / I would have said positive is freedom of speech and expression but I don’t know if that is true anymore. Negative is commercial focus on money and possessions. / Positives: Plenty of space, good roads, lots of jobs. Negatives: Healthcare and cost of higher education. / Positive - lots of job choice and housing, more social opportunities. Negative - Crime and gun violence. / Positive: We grow up believing that the world is our oyster, and work to pursue our goals, and encourage others to follow their dreams. Negative: We think we have it all figured out and that America is more advanced or “better” than other countries

(we could use a bit more awareness and respect for what goes on in other countries). / Americans assume that the U.S. is better than other countries because they are bigger and more powerful. However I enjoy the conveniences in the U.S. and more inclusion and tolerance about certain things. / I think the most positive cultural aspect of the U.S. is the genuineness of people. Straight talking, honest and warm, you will always know what is being communicated as people are sincere. The way people look after each other and communities pull together to care for one another. Negatives - Gun Culture, putting guns before people, greed, money obsessed and thing obsessed - Materialism; Trumpism and Trump-supporters (although we have some of them here and they act as crazy as their fellow Americans living Stateside). / Positive: Diversity. Negative: that we always think we are number 1. / Positive attitude, good natured people. Opportunity for all. Of course the weather depending on where you live. The negative: Donald Trump, some materialistic attitudes and extremes from weight to distribution of wealth. / The political climate in the U.S. is very divisive compared to Ireland, which I see as negative. Ireland’s citizens seem much more unified in their goals for the country. A positive thing about U.S. culture is that in my experience, it is easier to make friends as an adult. / American innovation and creativity is the most positive aspect. The most negative is gun violence, the cost of healthcare, the cost of university education. / Americans are usually very direct. But we also can be loud and uninformed. / Positive: A sense of optimism and overcoming odds. Negative: Overzealous, with unquestioning patriotism. / Americans are go-getters and raised with that can-do attitude. But ugh, Donald Trump. Like FFS. / The drive and initiative to do better. The negative is that drive has been limited to an individualistic mindset. Big

“I would have said positive is freedom of speech and expression but I don’t know if that is true anymore.”

/ The most positive for me in the time off, over Christmas, and holidays in general. The negative would be begrudgery and moaning. / Community and support I’ve found to be the most positive. I’m a gay single mother to a non-Irish child and our town swallowed us in with open arms. I’ve felt more connected, appreciated and supported here than anywhere in the world. If they judge me, they certainly don’t act like it. Negative would be the lack of belief things can change or be done in a better way. Many tend to accept the circumstances with an “ah, it’s grand, sure let it be” attitude. But I tend to have more passion and drive to make change. / I think The Irish are fun and friendly but outside of Dublin very inflexible and startlingly old-fashioned. / For me it’s about the peoplelike in America (and everywhere, I imagine) people can be both incredibly kind and friendly but also shockingly mean and rude!

OPINION deputies trying to get into my daughters high school. They were in lockdown. I love that Ireland is gun-free to most people. Another negative for me is the fake religious crap that nobody lives by but likes to act like they do (at least in the south) while cherry picking what they want to bible thump about. The overuse of all meds including opioids and mental health meds is defo a negative. / Most positive is the convenience of it all. Most negative is the political climate between both political parties. / Land of opportunity, where you can be anything. Including being a dick. America is a spectrum, fantastic highs, and some terrible lows. / Variety and options are the main positive aspects. Negative is safety, culture, and family values. Not to mention the price of everything. / I really wish Americans were less frightened of everything. Gun culture. Fear of communists/socialism/ Russia/China etc. It’s all fearbased control. I don’t know how universal healthcare is more frightening than what is happening already in the U.S. I love the Constitution, especially our commitment to freedom of thought and speech. Living in other countries has made me appreciate this more. / Freedom. Can be yourself. Negative: Sense of being right. / Positive: Shopping, jobs based on experience and not the piece of paper you hold. Negative: Consumerism, self centred attitudes, Christians that talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. / Negative is the abundance of political debate. Always. Every term. Every president. Positive is the sense that you can achieve whatever you want and for the most part, people support your endeavors to create something new. / The wide variety of cultures and cultural traditions is the positive and the increasing political divide and negative rhetoric is the negative. / Most positive - The opportunities available to you as an American citizen, either within or outside of the country. Most negative - the political and social climate, including the discrimination and unequal treatment of minorities, the

lack of gun regulations, police brutality, etc. / You really can achieve anything in the U.S. Hard work and connections pay off. From a negative standpoint, there’s still so so much racism in the U.S. The gun culture is horrendous. And the resistance to be open to any other culture having something to offer because “America is the greatest country in the world” is a real downside. / Positive would be freedom of speech, religion and thoughts. Negative would be the racism engrained in U.S. society. / Most positive is how we are taught to believe we can achieve whatever we want though the negative are the gun laws. / Positive: Friendly. Negative: A lot of people in the U.S. forget that there is also the rest of the world. / Positive - More opportunities Negative - Guns, racism, sexism, Trump, the attitude to always need more and bigger, no work/ life balance. / I honestly hate what the U.S. has become. I was so stressed all the time and politically and morally the country is a disaster. I would never return. / Positive is that Americans are generally more friendly initially and it’s easier to make friends. Negative would be the backwards progress of people’s rights and nationalism. / People in USA are a bit dramatic but you can share your feelings. / Positive definitely is the friendly and confident nature of Americans. People talk to strangers, go out of their way to make friends and have a strong belief in themselves which I think, good or bad, Irish people don’t really have. Negative is the close-mindedness, that Americans treat America as the greatest country on earth and refuse to learn from their neighbours or admit that the country could be better. / You can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Nothing is ever enough, you must try harder, buy more, climb the ladder. / Positive is the amazing resilience of the American people when things go wrong. Negatives? The sad attitudes of a cynical view of life. / Positive: It’s enormous, diverse, and energetic (at least

“Americans are go-getters and raised with that can-do attitude. But ugh, Donald Trump. Like, FFS.”

ideas need communities to make them happen. / Positive - We like things done quickly and efficiently (next day shipping, Amazon prime) Negative - Less time for vacation from work. / I think Americans have incredible work ethic but I think the work culture in America unhealthy, the healthcare system is a disgrace and there needs to be gun control. / Positive: The land of opportunity! There’s always a way to make money and reach your goals a lot quicker. Negative: Politics! We’re a divided nation and I don’t see that changing any time soon. / We’re happy people but we do think the world revolves around us. / I think Americans are very innovative and adapt to change well. We are friendly and open and many of us embrace diversity. On the negative side, we tend to be quite insulated from the outside world and are sometimes ignorant about other countries. / All about the consumer. Everything is big, big and bigger. A big downfall is the amount of debt one person goes into for their “American dream.” / Positive - Customer service. Love Christmas in the States, strangers wishing you Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Negative - Loud, can be rude, pushing in open spaces. / Positive: You can work hard and do well. Negative: Donald Trump and the emboldened followers who have made America very unkind. / Positive - Friendly, outgoing, easy to meet people and make friends. Negative - Work too much - very high rate of crime/ fear of crime. / If you work hard you can achieve your dreams but many minorities struggle. / Positive - Multiculturalism Negative - Individualism (i.e. belief that health care isn’t a right when it is almost everywhere else). / Americans have a “can do” attitude in the South that I love and miss . The pride of my fellow Americans is also pretty great . Negative for me - Gun culture is a big deal and a big negative for our family. A shooter who had already killed one person was shot dead by

OPINION

what is your opinion of the word “plastic paddy?” / Never heard this word before! Is this really a thing? / I think it is funny. And apt, but I mostly think of it as being for the cheap tat one can buy with shamrocks all over it and “Kiss me I’m Irish.” It is very weird to encounter a tourist shouting about how they have Irish roots and blah blah blah / Don’t bother. / It doesn’t really bother me. I don’t try to be Irish so no one says it to me. I think if someone is trying to be Irish or convince people that they’re Irish then they’re called that. / Usually someone trying to

hard to be included and making fun of Irish customs or dress. / It’s unfortunate - but I can see where some American people bring it on themselves. / I think it is an ugly term. / I haven’t heard that term used but the longer I am in Ireland the more surprised I am by how Irish the typical Irish-American considers themselves even if they have never been to Ireland or rarely visit. / Associate it with Notre Dame football fans and a lot of American tourists in Ireland. So to answer the question, not a very high opinion. / I hadn’t thought about this before. I would say it refers to non-native Irishness. / Can partially understand it as some Irish Americans are over the top. / I think it is an insult. It is a derogatory name for a member of the Irish Diaspora, of which both myself and my Husband are a member of that group. It infers that we are somehow less Irish because we were not born on the island of Ireland. It is used to put down or put in place a child or descendant of an Irish Immigrant born abroad. / I get a kick out of it. I was called that amongst the Irish while living in San Francisco. Usually was said in good fun. Not in a negative way. / I can understand it. My own family has a lot of Irish heritage that they’re proud of. Yet, they are flabbergasted by my husband’s Irish name (and any Irish names). They also were very mixed up by the ROI versus the UK. I’ve met a lot of other Americans who are quite similar. They have all the pride in the world for their Irish heritage and love to tell people that they’re Irish…but they really know very little about the country or have a very stereotyped image. / I have no idea what that is referring to. / I feel like if the Irish themselves use it, it’s their business. I would not. / While I find it derogatory especially if used to refer to me! - I think it does have a place with regard to Irish-Americans who haven’t a clue about the reality of Ireland. / I feel like that’s an American in America who says they’re “Irish” but, really, they’re American. / It’s a common non-immigrant/

immigrant dynamic. I’ve seen similar terms used by Swedes, Poles and Germans about their diaspora. Separated communities evolve separately. / Someone who tries and wants to be Irish but doesn’t fully understand the nuances of the culture or way of life. / I think it's funny (though I’ve gone into rants about how my ancestors were just smart enough to move instead of starve to death). / The word isn’t as bad as the existence of the non-native Irishness…I don’t mind the Guinness and the nice sweaters, but the plastic shamrocks and leprechauns are tacky in whatever culture you examine. / Never heard the term. I do hate, and am ashamed of, the American interpretation of Irishness in the form of leprechauns etc. / Some Americans can be a little over the top. / I find it very offensive. / I find all forms of fake Irishness quite offensive for Irish people; I cringe when I see Americans claiming to be Irish and “Americanising” Irish customs and culture. / Not kosher. / Only ever see it in newspapers around St. Patrick’s day. / I think they’re right in being offended by it. No other culture is as clichéd as the Irish. Of course this is because they’re so loved by all, but I can understand why they would get sick of it. / I thinks it’s good in a way… The Irish are loved all over the world and descendants are proud of their heritage. Irish people who never left don’t understand this connection though. / It’s mean-spirited and closeminded to other expressions of identity / I really don’t like it. We’re Irish and it’s hurtful. America took in so many Irish and while I know it wasn’t easy for them I don’t think it’s very nice to roll one’s eyes and laugh at us just because we were born elsewhere. I genuinely don’t like it and it does leave me upset when I hear it. / Never heard of it. But Americans should stop claiming to be “Irish.” Be proud of your ancestry, but don’t try to culturally appropriate. / No idea what this even is. All

“The resistance to be open to any other culture having something to offer ‘cause 'America is the greatest country in the world' is a real downside.”

in most urban areas). Negative: Anti-intellectual and narrow-minded. / Positive is that Americans tend to be personally outgoing and driven to do things, the negative is they tend to seriously fragment along the lines of opinion. / Most positive - The amount of selections we have. Most negative - The violence. / It is home. But it is too crowded and stressful. / Positive - Americans are always searching for more friends and a bigger community. Negative - Americans cannot see past America. / Positive aspect about U.S. is hope, ambition and a go-getter attitude. Also, and quite simply, convenience. I know that one is a double-edged sword, but I miss how everything (and many of those “everythings”) are so easily accessible. Negatives about U.S. would be the entitlement, the know-it-all mentality and the general lack of genuine connection and community support. I lived in multiple States across the U.S. and as hard as I’d try, I always felt alone or isolated. It was difficult to make friends at every age. / It’s easy to get things done but generally negative - I am perpetually disappointed by Americans. I’ll never move back. / Currently? The administration and what it’s bringing out in the American people.

OPINION

Do you try to neutralize your accent to sound more Irish? Why or why not? / Absolutely not! I’m from the American South, that’s who I am, why would I ever change the way I sound? / Not consciously, but I've been told my voice changes depending on who I'm talking to. But I've moved a lot

growing up so my English is an amalgamation of people I've known (my parents are not English speakers). / No, but I’ve been here nearly 15 years so I do say some words "more Irish" than I used to. Also I believe my sentence structure has changed, both speaking and writing. But if I hear a different regional Irish accent than I’m used to, I start to uncontrollably mimic it and that sucks! / No. Nothing sounds more ridiculous than an American trying to sound Irish. / Not on purpose, but after 14 years it is not particularly Minnesota anymore. / No! I have friends who do and I think it’s just silly. I’m proud to be from the U.S. and I don’t think I’ll ever change my accents or use terms like “quid”, “grand” or “craic”. When people do that it seems like they’re trying too hard in my opinion. / Absolutely not, I will use some of the Irish words but not with an accent. Don’t have one and won’t try to. / I try to use Irish vocabulary to be easily understood and because I think the words used here are nicer and make more sense than American vocabulary. I don’t worry about my accent, it’s just how I talk and if people don’t like it I don’t mind them. / No - never have and never will - but my children did when we first moved here (it calmed down after a while). / Definitely not, I wouldn't see any reason to. / No but it creeps in after a half decade. At least that’s what my us friends at home say. No one here seems to hear it, which I’m grateful for. Maybe once in a while I enjoy fitting in slightly more with a lad here and an extra so there. / Never. Never saw any reason to do it. Though I have found it amusing that folks here tell me "You haven't lost the accent" and folks in the U.S. have sometimes told me "I can't understand your accent." I think it is probably more that I have unconsciously assimilated some of the rhythms of speech in the county where I live and picked up a few colloquialisms than the accent in both cases. / I don’t try to - it does just happen. That is a part of living abroad, I think, you use

colloquialisms and sometimes people can’t understand my accent, so naturally over time it has softened. I have noticed occasionally that I soften my accent around my boss - so maybe that’s a subconscious approval thing. But with my friends and colleagues, no I don’t try to change it. / No…you can't help but pick up the slang, but if you try to sound more Irish you will get the piss taken out of you, I feel they will think you're not genuine either. / No. That would be obnoxious. / No, I don’t think accent is important, it’s what you say not how you say it. / No. And it annoys me when I hear other Americans do this. I am true to myself and where I lived for 36 years of my life. / Absolutely not. I find the Irish are difficult to understand. I like my clear accent. / No, but use Irish vernacular. / No, but I know it happens naturally. Even in the U.S. I tend to unconsciously emulate the speech patterns of the person I'm taking to. / Absolutely, was told from day one to "blend" and to not stand out. / For some words I find it more natural now to use the Irish way if speaking or vowel sounds because it sounds more normal to me. My American accent has softened, and sometimes I make sure I don’t sound as nasally depending on who I’m talking to (as to not stand out). / No. I am who I am. My accent is a part of me. However, when I lived in Cork my accent naturally started to change. In an attempt to be better understood I have undertaken an Irish syntax. I have a naturally soft and flat accent. Any changes occurred naturally. I think if something changes naturally then it is a genuine change, which is fine. I don't think you should ever go out of your way to change or deny your origins. *Note with the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment here there are certainly times when I have felt threatened in the company of some Irish people and in those instances I do try - for my own protection - to tone down. / No I am just myself. But I have been told my accent sounds more Irish now. / No. Be who you are. / Uh no! I am who I am and they

"When I lived in Cork my accent naturally started to change. In an attempt to be better understood I have undertaken an Irish syntax."

I can think of is a McDonald’s burger…plastic paddy. / I understand completely why Irish people are annoyed about Americans calling themselves Irish. I think once you spend some time here you do realise being Irish transcends ethnicity and is much more about culture, which those Americans don’t share. / Meh… it doesn’t bother me. I’m not native Irish so I don’t pretend to be. / Probably accurate. I have to tell Americans that my husband was born in Ireland otherwise they assume he is IrishAmerican and say, oh yeah, my brother in law is Irish. But you know the man has never even been to Ireland. / I’ve never heard it before, sounds derogatory. / It’s a tad derogatory. I don’t really care about the word. / For years I would dress up in green and go out in South Boston on St. Patrick’s day and pretend I was Irish for a day so I don’t really care. Let everyone be Irish for a day! / It’s a laugh. / I don’t know because I never felt my Irish heritage made me Irish. I’m Irish now because of the length of time I have lived here. In a small island country where people married others from nearby parishes for years it is difficult for heritage to be considered the same way as the Americans do. So I understand how they may challenge it. But this may change as Ireland becomes more multicultural. / Don’t mind. I’m not Irish and don’t pretend to be. / I don’t like it at all. I’ve never heard this before and don’t really have an opinion. It reminds me of us calling people Rhinestone cowboys at home.

OPINION naturally, that’d be fine. / I don't try. I do pick up accents of people I'm talking to unintentionally. / No, I want to be myself. A lot of people in America from my hometown say that I sound Irish now. Which concerns me for those that believe I'm putting it on. / No there’s no need you just sound fake. / No, I just speak normally but have picked up some jargon. Got sick of being made fun of for how I pronounced words like “vitamin”, so have made small changes like that. It’s impossible to hid who you are so why try? / Yes! 100% - It’s easier to be taken seriously with a neutral accent than an American accent here. / No I want to be accepted for who I am. / Nah haha, no way I could. I'm very southern. I've actually never met anyone in Ireland who sounds as southern as I do but I would like to. I think people where I come from never leave to go up north much less leave the country…I don’t expect to meet many people from where I'm from out of Alabama. I do go home a couple of times a year to see everyone. / No, but I don’t talk sometimes. / No, but I feel as though I unknowingly do that to avoid attention and that dreaded question, oh you aren't from here, where are you from? / I've certainly picked up some aspects of the Irish Accent, but I’m still recognizably a New Yorker. Even after 30 years! / I try not to but it's difficult to not naturally pick up an accent. However people get put off by it so I try to restrain myself. / I don't think I try to sound Irish and I don't think I would convince anyone, but people have noticed my accent has changed since I've moved here. / No, I am proud of where I come from. However, I am finding, through family and friends back home, that as much as I’m trying not too, I am losing my American accent quickly (it’s been 4 years so makes sense I guess). / I do, mostly because it doesn’t bring up questions about Trump or how long I’ve been here. / Yes I do. In taxis. 100% of the time. It helps avoid so much.

/ Yes and no. I go through phases where I want to blend in and times where I want to stand out. / Constantly. Mainly in hopes I won’t be asked where I’m from. It gets tiring. / No - I’m actually embarrassed of the idea of developing an Irish accent because I don’t want people I know back in the U.S. to read into it or think it’s due to pretentiousness, or people here to think I’m “trying too hard.” I do use different terms sometimes for the sake of being understood. / I have not made any active attempts to conceal or change my accent but I live in Donegal and the accent is so so strong up here that it’s made its way into my speech these days. / No, I don’t see the point and also I am visibly not from here. / Yes because I’m always treated like a tourist or outsider but this is my home. It makes it feel a lot less homey and makes me homesick. / No. Don’t need to. I am who I am. I don’t try and be someone I’m not. / Not consciously, but I know I have picked up loads of words. I moved a lot so no one ever knows where I'm from anyway. / No. I use Irish terms which makes me sound a bit more Irish (like boot, lorry etc.), but I have no reason to hide who I am by hiding my American accent. / It kind of came naturally so yeah I guess. You’re not going to continue using "trash" (even though they know what you are referring to) when they use the word "rubbish." "Boot" is "trunk," "sitting room" is "living room," "press" is "cupboard," "biscuit" is "cookie," and "chips" are "fries." Once you start learning the language the rest just comes naturally. / Yes and no, I think naturally you begin speaking like those around you. I think at first I did a bit but I don’t think it would be convincing even if I tried really hard to sound more Irish. / No - it seems disingenuous to me. My accent has naturally softened, and my vocabulary has shifted to Irish words, but I make an effort to maintain my native accent. / No. It would sound fake and silly. I’m comfortable with my accent and who I am.

"Constantly. Mainly in hopes I won’t be asked where I’m from. It gets tiring."

can accept me or not as I am. / I often start to unintentionally pick up an Irish accent when I'm around a lot of Irish people. But I'll admit I try to purposely put on a bit of an accent if I'm interacting with someone whose help I need (like a plumber). This is because I've noticed that my Irish husband tends to get better service than I do. / I don’t actively try to neutralize my accent though so have heard from American friends that I sound a little bit Irish on the phone. Inflection changes naturally over time with acculturation. / No, my American accent is pretty flat and when I try to do an Irish accent I sound like a pirate. / A bit, but not so much that people think I'm trying to pass myself off as native-born. I do it to stand out a little bit less, but also to help ensure I am understood when I speak. / Yes because I hate when people gear me and automatically say "oh are you here on holiday?" Or "how long are you here for?" / I talk the way I have always have in terms of accent, but I will use Irish words instead at times in order to be better understood by people. / Nope. Never been able to do accents. I will shift pronunciation for some words because I'm lazy and it saves repeating myself. / I don’t try to sound more Irish but I will speak quieter when I feel people are staring at me because of my accent. I will also use some (very few) Irish words because I have become sick of hearing people say things like “trash” to me in an American accent when I am looking for the “bin”. / No way, wouldn't even know how to do that, but I do think certain words have assimilated into my daily conversation. / No I’d sound terrible lol. / Yes. I feel I am automatically judged or assumed a tourist if I speak like I would in the U.S. / Nah. I'm from Boston so they love it. Easy to break the ice with it. / Nope…I’m 60 years old and I am who I am…I like to try to pronounce towns and words correctly, but the way I talk is pretty set…if it happens