Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??

SharpshooterTom · 21-05-2011 09:19PM #1

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 · 21-05-2011 09:21PM

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

galwayrush · 21-05-2011 09:21PM

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

Rds1989 · 21-05-2011 09:22PM

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... · 21-05-2011 09:23PM

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

alwaysadub · 21-05-2011 09:23PM

Cos loads of Americans want to be Irish.

TaraFoxglove · 21-05-2011 09:27PM

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

hatrickpatrick · 21-05-2011 09:28PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:28PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:29PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:31PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:31PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:32PM

You are joking right?

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

Cork boy 55 · 21-05-2011 09:32PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:33PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:35PM

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

It's all relative.

The Waltzing Consumer · 21-05-2011 09:36PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:38PM

Gnobe wrote: »

Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??

It's not, and it's not.

SharpshooterTom · 21-05-2011 09:38PM

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 · 21-05-2011 09:39PM

Sure we are all from Kenya

Mike 1972 · 21-05-2011 09:56PM

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 · 21-05-2011 10:06PM

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

TaraFoxglove · 21-05-2011 10:07PM

partyndbs wrote: »

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

That's very likely!

Kevin Duffy · 21-05-2011 10:11PM

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 · 21-05-2011 10:12PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

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

It's all relative.

Lovin' your work sir.

mikemac · 21-05-2011 10:16PM

Obama doesn't give a damn about Moneygall or Ireland

But he cares a lot about Irish-American votes

alexjk · 21-05-2011 10:16PM

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-- · 21-05-2011 10:19PM

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

mikemac · 21-05-2011 10:22PM

alexjk wrote: »

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

Blow-in

fryup · 21-05-2011 10:23PM

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 · 21-05-2011 10:28PM

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.

Why Is Ireland The Only Country Obsessed With Ancestry??

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