Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??

SharpshooterTom

So Barack Obama comes to Ireland on monday and his heading to Moneygall, Co.Offally to visit the home of his great-great-great-great irish grandfather making him 1/64th Irish! :pac:

Quick question, do you think this goes on in most other countries in Europe? Apparantly his mother is mostly of English ancestry, with some Scottish, Welsh, French, German and Swiss.

He's going on to the UK the day after, I don't see him going on trips to Wiltshere or anywhere looking for his ancestors? So why only here? Is this the only country this goes on? Why is Ireland so obsessed with presidents ancestries?

People always criticise Americans for romanticizing their ancestries, but it's times likes this where I think we're really just as bad.

For Forks Sake

There's plenty of votes in having an 'Irish connection' in the States

galwayrush

Are we really the only country?:pac::pac::pac:

Rds1989

Because we are a small nation and slightly insecure. It's harmless though if americans want to irish or irish claim famous people as irish let them.

God...

You haven't been to the US or canada have you???

alwaysadub

Cos loads of Americans want to be Irish.

TaraFoxglove

So silly that he has to go some stupid village when he has such a short amount of time here.

hatrickpatrick

The "only" country?!

You should check out a place out there called "Israel", you may not have heard about it, but over there, blood is shed on a daily basis over ancestry claims dating back thousands of years.

SeaFields

TaraFoxglove wrote: »

So silly that he has to go some stupid village when he has such a short amount of time here.

He wants to go there.

Agricola

The mass immigration from Ireland over the years which has led to Irish people being holed up everywhere. We like to claim as many people for our own as possible. All the the better if they happen to be the US President!

TaraFoxglove

SeaFields wrote: »

He wants to go there.

Yeah, but someone could have told him it wouldn't be massively exciting and that there are much more interesting things to see and do. I mean, he's not going to say "My ancestral home? Pah! Why would I want to go there?"

ejmaztec

If aliens arrived from the other side of the galaxy, some twats up in Dublin would go out of their way, and after a bit of tippex here and there, would prove that the aliens' ancestors came from Offaly.

steddyeddy

You are joking right?

Isreal
Germany at one stage
Iceland
America
Italy
ect
ect
ect.

Cork boy 55

It's ruthless real-poltic by Obama

Irish-american vote
American ex-pat in Ireland postal vote(tens of thousands)

Obama does not give a flying **** about Ireland or the Irish people(prove me wrong)
Why is this visit now and not one or two years ago?

Also Will Timothy Geithner veto of Ireland's debt restructing be brought up
Assuming its true but if it is not true has Morgan Kelly being suued

The deal was torpedoed from an unexpected direction. At a conference call with the G7 finance ministers, the haircut was vetoed by US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner who, as his payment of $13 billion from government-owned AIG to Goldman Sachs showed, believes that bankers take priority over taxpayers. The only one to speak up for the Irish was UK chancellor George Osborne, but Geithner, as always, got his way. An instructive, if painful, lesson in the extent of US soft power, and in who our friends really are.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0507/1224296372123.html

Cybercubed

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically, but yeah whatever. :pac:

starbelgrade

Some people have an interest in ancestry, others don't.

It's all relative.

The Waltzing Consumer

Name of thread = " Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??"

Last line of OP's post = "People always criticise Americans for romanticizing their ancestries, but it's times likes this where I think we're really just as bad."

Not the brightest

Dionysus

Gnobe wrote: »

Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??

It's not, and it's not.

SharpshooterTom

The Waltzing Consumer wrote: »

Name of thread = " Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??"

Last line of OP's post = "People always criticise Americans for romanticizing their ancestries, but it's times likes this where I think we're really just as bad."

Not the brightest

I was talking about in the context of europe.

Kiwi_knock

Sure we are all from Kenya

Mike 1972

Cybercubed wrote: »

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically

WTF ?

partyndbs

Becoz our own ancestry is as boring as ****...ever see the deal they make out of us being 'basques' or some ****...

TaraFoxglove

partyndbs wrote: »

ever see the deal they make out of us being 'basques' or some ****...

That's very likely!

Kevin Duffy

OP, before I answer your question....whereya from yirself? Who were yer mudder's peeple? Wir ya named for yer fadder? Are yi from round here at all....or are yi only a feckin, feckin'....blow in!?

Kevin Duffy

starbelgrade wrote: »

Some people have an interest in ancestry, others don't.

It's all relative.

Lovin' your work sir.

mikemac

Obama doesn't give a damn about Moneygall or Ireland

But he cares a lot about Irish-American votes

alexjk

Cybercubed wrote: »

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically, but yeah whatever. :pac:

I'm of Protestant ancestry. Is 500 years not enough to be considered Irish?

--LOS--

I wouldnt think Ireland is particularly obsessed with ancestry compared to other countries?

mikemac

alexjk wrote: »

I'm of Protestant ancestry. Is 500 years not enough to be considered Irish?

Blow-in

fryup

i hate this type of thing, i kinda know what the OP is on about

its like obama can only be accepted if he's got some irish blood in him,

it was the same when muhumad ali came here a few years back and also Clinton and Reagan as well

its this whole "clanish" irish thing, i find it outdated & cringeworthy:o tbh

darragh16

Ireland aren't obsessed with ancestry, Americans are obsessed about their ancestry considering their country has been a melting pot for all sorts of races and cultures for the past 200 years.

mikemac

Bit of a landgrab going on:eek:

Moneygall is in Offaly but it's widely said the GAA pitch and some parts are in Tipperary.

So the Nenagh Guardian is welcoming Obama to Tipperary. Not a mention of Offaly. Cheeky

fryup

feelingstressed wrote: »

Obama doesn't give a damn about Moneygall or Ireland

i feel sorry for the bastard having to visit that hole of a place

xflyer

Without reading any of the previous posts, I agree with darragh16, we're not. The Americans are worse than us. But there's nothing wrong with it. It's interesting to know where you came from. I found out that I'm related to a landlord, a figure of hate for me at one stage. But at the same time I was related to someone who helped smuggled in guns for the rising. Actually sat in the boat bringing in the guns.

Odd thing though, same family.

Complicated isn't it? History and all.

ascanbe

Cybercubed wrote: »

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically, but yeah whatever. :pac:

Wouldn't normally post this old chestnut, but..

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u189/chucklesmcnoodle/picard_facepalm.jpg

Mike 1972

Given the whole ancestor tracing malarkey is based on the highly dubious assumption that all your forebearers have been faithful to their spouses its all a pile of shyte really.

xflyer wrote: »

I found out that I'm related to a landlord, a figure of hate for me at one stage. But at the same time I was related to someone who helped smuggled in guns for the rising. Actually sat in the boat bringing in the guns.

Odd thing though, same family. .

Same Person ?

ShooterSF

I have worked in numerous pubs and every time the locals have to pin you to someone or you're an outsider. Many Irish are clannish, can't say if we are higher than other nations though...

mike65

I suspect the OP is merely reacting to the fact the British are not interested in sort of thing, they like it when a Yank ups sticks and moves to London esp if its for good (cue tabloid gushing about Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and er David Soul etc) but no-one ever got quizzed on Parky or Ross about their ancestors in Macclesfield and how proud the guest is supposed to be to be 1/32, or 1/64 English/Welsh/Scottish

losthorizon

starbelgrade wrote: »

Some people have an interest in ancestry, others don't.

It's all relative.

Wrong word to use

ascanbe

mike65 wrote: »

I suspect the OP is merely reacting to the fact the British are not interested in sort of thing, they like it when a Yank ups sticks and moves to London esp if its for good (cue tabloid gushing about Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey and er David Soul etc) but no-one ever got quizzed on Parky or Ross about their ancestors in Macclesfield and how proud the guest is supposed to be to be 1/32, or 1/64 English/Welsh/Scottish

Didn't the BBC just have a progamme on called 'Who do you think your are?' based around this very topic, though? I think there's a growing level of interest in this stuff in many countries.
Agree, though, that there is far more stock put on on searching for an Irish angle/connection when someone of note visits here, than there would be in Britain; probably just symptomatic of the fact that we're a small country that still harbours an inferiority complex.

mike65

ascanbe wrote: »

Didn't the BBC just have a progamme on called 'Who do you think your are?' based around this very topic? I think there's a growing level of interest in this stuff in many countries.

Well thats on a different level - personal stories, not political/showbiz schmoozing to win approval.

Son Of A Vidic

Cybercubed wrote: »

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically, but yeah whatever. :pac:

You're having a laugh surely? So people of the Protestant faith can't be Irish? You need to look up your history, because you'll be amazed when you find out about the Protestant influence on early Irish Republicanism/Nationalism.

Jeboa Safari

Presumably because so many people have been forced to leave the country

ascanbe

mike65 wrote: »

Well thats on a different level - personal stories, not political/showbiz schmoozing to win approval.

Agreed; just saying that there is a growing interest in the search for ancestry in other countries.
In terms of the schmoozing to win approval/looking to foreign visitors for validation, though, i have noticed that it is also on the rise in Britain, now that the penny has finally dropped regarding the end of empire and their diminished power in the world; still have a long way to go to catch up with us, though.

Johro

Yeah but if ya go back far enough each and everybody's ancestors were African.

philstar

i think the queen this week was the first time we weren't obsessed about where this person came from and we just accepted her for who she is..the queen of england, which was a refreshing change

LordSutch

http://www.wargs.com/political/obama.html

The ethnic/national ancestry of Mr. Obama, as far as is currently known, can be shown as follows:

50.0 % Luo (Kenya).
35.0 % English.
04.6 % Scottish.
03.9 % Irish.
03.7 % German.
01.5 % Welsh.
00.97 % Swiss.
00.09% French.

---

100.0 %

paddypowder

Cybercubed wrote: »

The irony is is that his ancestor was actually a protestant meaning he's not actually ethnically irish at all technically, but yeah whatever. :pac:

bs... not all ethnic irish are catholic

and not all republicans/nationalists are catholic either

The Princess Bride

ShooterSF wrote: »

I have worked in numerous pubs and every time the locals have to pin you to someone or you're an outsider. Many Irish are clannish, can't say if we are higher than other nations though...

Annoying,yes.
Ireland is such a small country, though, and you'd want to ask around or you could find yourself dating your second cousin(d) once removed.
It's only as I get older, I find out I'm (distantly)related to people I wouldn't have even known about.
Scary actually.

later12

4 pages of this and nobody has mentioned Burke's Peerage or Burke's Landed Gentry... mainly focused on the UK, with only small and ambiguous coverage of Ireland. The UK has traditionally been a state positively obsessed with ancestry, heredity and pedigree! We don't have a patch on their documentation of their peoples' ancestry.

I wouldn't even say Ireland is obsessed with ancestry. There is an interest in tracing relatives that is particularly prevalent in rural areas, but this rarely extends back beyond living memory, or perhaps over only three generations, and tends to be much more concerned with current progeny than deceased forbears.

Out of British friends my age and Irish friends my age, I would say my British friends are much more aware, and indeed proud of, their respective family backgrounds. Many Irish people my age wouldn't be able to tell you their great grandmothers' maiden names, nor be aware of what their families were doing, say, one or two hundred years ago. This is so for lots of socio-economic reasons, I guess, but it certainly has been my experience.

For Forks Sake

msthe80s wrote: »

you could find yourself dating your second cousin(d) once removed.

In certain counties, this is actively encouraged. Tipperary for example.