Thank you for this! I can add to your list of "Hibernian toadies" and "Celtic cowards"...Ryan, McConnell, O'Reilly, Hannity...my Irish grandmother would say "They're not Irish!"
76
The Irish could still save civilization?
Paul Ryan.
Mitch McConnell.
Steve Bannon.
Kellyanne Conway.
Mike Flynn.
Sean Hannity.
Bill O'Reilly.
Rupert Murdoch.
Newt Gingrich (nee McPherson).
58
Thank you.
6
This column rates five shamrocks!
47
Great article
14
Eagan forgot to include the lying hatemonger Sean Hannity in his list of Celtic cowards. Surely that lowlife perfectly represents everything wrong with the conservative Irish American community and it's hypocritical amnesia about just where their forbears came from and who they really were.
59
BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!
15
When we can actually admit we would've been AGAINST OUR OWN ANCESTORS (poor Irish, Italians...Catholics...gross! & those awful squareheads Swedes!)...being admitted to this country...We're definitely in a weird place...
23
"The hottest place in Hell should be reserved this St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish who want to pull up the ladder, shut the doors of Ellis Island and turn off the lamp at the Statue of Liberty,” Niall O’Dowd, a founder of the IrishCentral media empire, wrote this week."
So glad to read this Tim.
56
We get it. Anyone who wants less immigration is a racist and a hypocrite. Anyone who wants more immigration (including meatpacking plant owners) is pure and good.
More subtle analysis from the Times.
19
I was never so proud to be of Irish descent as on the day Ireland became the only country in the world to extend full equal rights to gay citizens by a popular referendum. Ireland today is a beacon light of liberty and justice. By contrast, when it comes to honor, dignity and human rights, our U.S. President isn't fit to wipe the Taoiseach's shoes. As for that little crew Mr. Egan refers to as "a handful of Celtic cowards," Ireland like other nations has had its share of traitors, cowards and opportunists - people who held it back from liberty for a long time but at last the will of good people triumphed. May it be so here in the U.S. as well.
42
My Irish father, who served in the Royal Navy during WWII had enormous affection for the United States and its people, whom he credited with saving our collective European hides. But for his mother’s illness, he would have emigrated here. That was left to me, his son. My father would be bitterly disappointed in the United States he saw today. A self-educated man, he had a high regard for erudition and intelligence, something he saw as a prerequisite for leadership. He had intimate knowledge of the story of his own culture and its bitter history. For reasons that still mostly elude me, he was also a racist. But even given that, I know what he would think of President Trump and his immigration policies. I like to think he would see his people’s story in the current struggles of others. I’m certain he would be incensed at the idea of breaking up established hard-working families, of any color, to fulfill some misguided ideas about immigrants. He would understand the role they have played, and continue to play in so many ways, in the building of this country.
15
As a descendant of Pilgrims, Puritans, and New York Dutch, I can't claim the honor of Irish ancestry, but those early settlers were immigrants, too, and suffered religious discrimination or loss of livelihood in their homeland before enduring the perilous journey across the ocean, never again to see the loved ones they left behind, and struggling to survive in the harshest, most primitive conditions once they got here.
Every new wave of immigrants since then has faced the prejudice of the groups that got here before them--undoubtedly the result of the tribal and territorial defenses wired into our DNA--but civilization itself is the effort to tame those xenophobic impulses, a kind of mutual assured survival.
People leave despotism, war, and poverty behind to come here. They find whatever work they can, often doing menial jobs even if they were Somebody in the old country, because you have to speak English to get a good job--and the next thing you know, their kids are your doctors.
The awful irony is that the grandson of a German immigrant, who married a Slovenian who cut the immigration line, has been elevated, however astoundingly, to the highest office in the land--yet he wants to pull up the ladder.
46
So amused, actually not! The Famine Irish came here "legally"! Yes, the Famine Irish - FBI background checks, Homeland Security, fingerprints, testing for venereal disease, HIV! The more disturbing aspect, especially Hannity, Bannion is that they exude hate. Hannity exudes hatred. Bannion as well. With some Irish ancestry, deep revulsion, With simple humanity, disgust, revulsion.
11
The saint whose day we celebrate tomorrow expelled the snakes from that incomparably beautiful island. Might he do likewise with the White House?
67
Well, someone needs to save civilization, and it might as well be the Irish. It sure won't be the Americans.
67
For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad,
For aIl their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad.
--GiIbert Keith Chesterton
21
Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity make me ashamed of my rich Irish heritage.
46
With Pence in line for the Presidency if Trump is forced out, the country is truly between Scylla and Charybdis. Trump, the lecher president, rules from the perspective of a life spent in coddled debauchery and hedonism. Pence, the chaste, Evangelical-hypocrite, would rival the Mullahs of Middle Eastern theocracies in his quest to do "God's work" of purifying the nation.
Pence is the only reason for not impeaching Trump.
65
Lets see what a newly scorned mic in Andrew McCabe has up his Irish sleeve. The Irish, though hard working and loyal to their quick, are a mad genie out the bottle when wronged.
"May those who love us, love us, and those who don't, may God turn their hearts, and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping." Irish Blessing
Here's hoping Trump limps his way into sunset, and soon!
49
Any chance we can find a present day St. Patrick to rid the USA of our snakes that go by the name of Trump, Pence, McConnell etc?
32
Good strong column. Thanks.
10
I highly recommend the books and columns of Irish Times writer Fintan O’Toole (that’s not me), particularly “Up The Republic” and “Enough is Enough.” O’Toole offers an Irish perspective on the Irish Republic, but much of his insight applies equally to the U.S.
4
This is a lot of romantic revisionist nonsense. I'm originally Boston and, in fact, half "Irish" on my mother's side. Someone should ask the Italians, Jews, blacks, Asians, and Latinos of Boston how the Irish-Americans treated them when they got here. It was not a pretty picture. I recommend Nat Hentoff's "Boston Boy" in which he describes the anti-Semitic violence and abuse he suffered as a kid at the hands of Irish-American thugs. The Irish and Irish-Americans had/have the advantage of being white, English-speaking, Christian, and fair skinned. Deal with it and drop the victim act as well as the stance of moral superiority that comes with it.
38
This is the best op-ed piece I think I've ever read in the Times.
6
That kind of "civilization" real American don't want saved.
1
Except for conquest and the spoils of other lands and peoples no one left their birth land if not in search of work and opportunity. All were dirt poor reduced to circumstances by corruption and poverty by oppressors both native and alien. The Irish were no different to any other ethnic group other than the enslaved African. The Jews, Russians, Italians, Germans, Polish, etc. suffered the same fate except the Irish suffered a further indignity with the “No Irish need apply” signs. That so many Americans of Irish descent follow the Trump mantra is an insult to their ancestors and a spit in their eye for the sacrifice they made to put them where they are and presume to be lacking the courage of their convictions as descendants of poor immigrants and refugees. They are a disgrace and have no remote connection with Ireland or the Irish.
18
As someone with plenty of Irish blood running through his veins(thank you Ancestry.com), nothing pains me more than to come across an IrishAmerican-Trumper..
19
Although the NYT never publishes my (innocuous) comments, hopefully you'll get my thanks for this article. As an Irish immigrant married to one from India, I think it's high time that more people called out what's happening in DC. And not just in the WH, by any means. My kids, and theirs, have certainly learned it's proper to think. And speak out.
13
There are two kinds of Irish-Americans: ones who won't remember and ones who can't forget where we came from.
9
Mr. Egan forgot to mention Paul Ryan, whose "policies" echo those of the 19th century English who let the Irish starve.
42
Audacity is what made America great. Immigrants the same.
Trump makes America small and scared.
24
Pence, Ryan, McConnell, King, Mulvaney. Malevolent leprechauns all, capering wildly through the streets and alleys of Washington, lying, wheedling, fawning on Trump and anyone else who will toss them a coin to dance their twisted little reel. Imps full of mischief and green bile.
There once was a cruel politician
Who hadn't an ounce of contrition
for the people he'd cheated
and the lies he repeated
as he twirled down the road to perdition.
"By gnawing through a dike even a rat may drown a nation"
-Edmund Burke
28
Please. let us not twist a celebration of our legal immigrant roots into an apology for those who are in this country illegally. Legal immigrants from whatever ethnic source are welcome. Those in this country in violation of the law are not welcome regardless of ethnic origin! Some of us believe that and are not ashamed to say so, no matter what vile names we are called.
11
It would be better for us with Irish genes to remember the Easter Rising, April 24, 1918 - a time when the strength of being Irish spoke to an Empire with the summary word, enough, and removed the yoke of six hundred years.
14
Excellent column, thank you.
Sad that the Hibernian toadies (Pence, Ryan, McConnell, Mulvaney, etc) will wear their betrayal of the working class and immigrants as a badge of honor while Trump is in the White House.
Later they'll complain they were just trying to be the "adults in the room".
The Irish save civilization by recording and remembering the past, we'll not forget whose side these toadies are on.
A bit of green frippery hanging out of your pocket is not enough disguise to hide behind - so "may God turn their ankles (or worse) so we can tell them by their limp".
6
I am half Irish myself and know how the Irish were first oppressed by the British who stole their land and who, fleeing starvation came to the US to face more scorn.
All Americans should treat immigrants with respect but especially those who, like the Irish, knew oppression themselves.
11
Pence who met with the openly gay Taoiseach under condition that no cameras were allowed. Good and important commentary, Mr. Egan. (Hearing Ryan spout about his Irish pride and his Kilkenny visit, trying to crack jokes and act with pride was nauseating.)
11
Thanks, Mr. Egan!
1
Thank you. Great.
America has always needed someone to look down on, Trump just says it allowed. During Mexican American it was the Irish Catholics soldiers who where disrespected and Protestant Army that drove the into the Mexican Army.
The became " Batallón de San Patricio: the Irish Heroes of Mexico" which is how standing up for principles is done.
2
In Dublin, the EPIC (Museum of Emigration) pays tribute to Irish resilience. They were sent all over to world to perform back-breaking labor and build the Empire. Not theirs. They were soon joined by Africans, Indians, Chinese, and other soon-to-be "undesirables." Much of "English" culture in the Empire is mostly Irish. And, yes, African-American culture is more Irish than African.
3
Thank God and His or Her Angels for Timothy Egan. It is the saddest of sad spectacles to see so many Irish-Americans forget the great historical truth that we were despised and diseased and considered as apes. So many of the most amnesiac and smug paladins of Irish America now emerge as leading players in the coarse soap operas of the current legislative and executive branches. Give 'em heck, Tim.
6
Look at Paul Ryan wearing the green tie like a costumed leprechaun. I've never seen a better example of a plastic paddy! There's no greater sellout to the Irish spirit of charity than that man, with his having helped pass the most disastrous attack on working people in generations (the tax bill). And look the Irish taoiseach lapping up Trump's praise like a school child... How disgusting! And to the rest of these morally corrupt American politicians who claim Irish ancestry -- you do not speak for us! We'll be happy to see you gone from office as soon as possible.
11
"The irony was that a president who wants only the smartest and best-looking immigrants was embracing a nation once known for sending famine-stricken, disease-laden, crime-breeding foreigners to our shores."
The so called "progressives" will stage a riot if someone endeavors to describe poor, non-Western people with broad brush pejoratives, but seem more than at home doing so if the subjects are caucasians from the West. If this writer had attacked the former in the same way, he would have promptly lost his job. It's odd to then hear that progressives claim to stand for all people.
5
Ireland? No thanks. No theocracies on my lists of countries to visit. No Ireland, or Saudi Arabia, either.
3
What a strange article this is. It borrows a title but does not reference "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill. The Irish "saved civilization" after the fall of the Roam Empire circa 400 AD by documenting the history of western literature, intellectual findings, and the Christian religion of the time piece by piece, fragment by fragment, and book by book. In some ways this allow the scholars of Europe to eventually retrieve it and expand ideas.
When the Irish entered the melting pot of the USA, they brought with them a passion and ferocity of ideas, a genetic of intellectualism and a a combativeness the like of which was found in journalists like Jimmy Breslin and humanitarianism and idealism of the Kennedys. In spite of my name, half my blood is Irish, and so proud to be so in spite of my antitheses, punks like Pence and Bannon.
9
"...A nation once known for sending famine stricken, disease laden, crime breeding foreigners to our shores." Really? Does that include John Hughes the Archbishop of New York, or William O'Dwyer - Mayor of New York, or William Paterson, Gov of New Jersey and signer of the US Constitution? How about Maureen O'Hara or Eugene O'Neill? Shall we add "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald and his bountiful clan? And an Irish born Signer of the Declaration of Independence - James Smith representing Pennsylvania.
Please Mr Egan be careful with your adjectives. It has become common place to smear whole groups of people with demeaning adjectives. We should be better than the tweeting White House.
2
The Irish like most Americans want people to enter our country legally and not cut in the line. They are not opposed to immigration only illegal immigration. My Irish ancestors all entered Boston many years ago but did it the correct way. They applied for citizenship, had the proper citizenship papers and supported themselves and never received a dime of government assistance such as welfare. They were too proud to take handouts and worked hard and succeeded in their new homeland.
The immigrants coming here today should do the same as the Irish and other immigrants did years ago and come legally and not expect the government to support them. We are a very welcoming nation and love all different kinds of people but we do not want them taking advantage of our good nature. We must stop being Uncle Sap.
4
"In trying to erase our history, his administration recently removed the phrase “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants” from the federal agency dealing with immigrants."
What is wrong with Trump? We ARE a nation of immigrants and should be proud that out of the mix of people who have come here we have created a beautiful, intelligent, and creative breed of mutts. If given the power, what pure bred strains would 45, Bannon, and other find suitable for this nation?
If only 45's German immigrant grandfather and his Irish immigrant mother had been barred from coming, we would not be in this mess. We must fight this trend! If this doesn't sound like Germany in the '30s, what does??
4
The weakness of this column is its failure to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration. Since I'm of Irish extraction, I'm supposed to support people who broke the law to come here? Doesn't illegal immigration make legal immigrants feel like chumps? No one is saying to extinguish Lady Liberty's lamp. My Irish ancestors came through Ellis Island, legally. That's the way to do it.
5
That was a very beautiful article for very dark days.
4
Thanks for tweaking the shamrocks of the"Hibernian Toadies" in the Trump orbit.They oppose immigration from famine stricken countries and when the survivors of disasters arrive they are loathe to help them with shelter and jobs.Mr.Trump spends so much air time bashing immigrants ,never admitting that they will become valued members of the American Family. Shame on Trump, Pence, Ryan ,McCarthy and company.
3
My great-grandparents came over from Ireland in two waves, settling in Nova Scotia. and then moving to Boston. When my Grandfather and Grandmother moved to the Boston area he had to drop, the O' from his surname to get a job. For without Grampa Vernon, I would not be here today. He was a good man, talked little but listened often. I do not forget what a strong man he was. Thank you for this article. It is sad that no one in Washington can listen as my Grampa Vernon did>
4
Niall O'Dowd's reference to pulling up the ladder evokes the round tower monks used as a look-out for raiding Vikings and as a safe house when the raiders struck. The door was high off the ground, and the last monk up was tasked with pulling up the ladder. A tardy oldster might be left to the mercy of the berserk lads from the North. It always bothers me when Irish history is retold that so many Irish who came to America to escape heartless racist exploiters, should, on arrival in America, join the ranks of heartless, racist exploiters.
4
Excellent column. Thank you and happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.
3
In my 81 years, I have probably known people of almost all heritages. There is a common thread of decency in most. With none being exclusively good or bad. Today I will celebrate St. Patrick's Day thinking of my extended family that includes at least 3 races, too many national origins and religious sects to mention. I will break my usual tea totaling by drinking a green beer with friends and family. God Bless our Land of the Free!
9
If we open our eyes we will see physician after young physician of foreign origin, working to keep us healthy. We will see television commercials run by our largest tech companies featuring engineers and scientists of foreign origin. We will see that all of us, badly mistreated Native Americans excepted, are of foreign origin. All those extremely bright, diligent young scientists - we can either welcome them, or compete against them. I know which I prefer to do. Erin go bragh!
40
I am of Irish and German descent in equal measure (my maiden name and appearance being very German). Of course I was also raised Catholic.
I married into a large and wonderful Jewish family and raised my daughters as Jews.
I just returned from a business trip to Israel where I was deeply moved by the proud ethnic/religious identity of all of their citizens; Israelis, Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Moroccans....the list goes on.
On my very long flight home I had plenty of time to reflect on all I saw and heard and I had a very aha moment.
My childhood was defined by my Irish heritage; hearty laughter and story telling, always time for a beer, Irish soda bread, lots of aunts and uncles and cousins many of whom became nurses, teachers, firefighters and cops. And more recently large clans making the pilgrimage to tour Ireland together.
There was never any discussion of my German heritage. I think I now know why-the Germans in my large extended family including my father and grandparents on my father’s side-I suspect- were horrified by Germany’s role in WW2. They decided to literally silence it and not give any voice to their German heritage.
I’m sad that my parents felt they had to rewrite my heritage but the older I get the more I appreciate the pillars of Irish identity (even though I have significant issues with the Catholic Church). The Irish focus on family, fun, story telling and loyalty are aligned with much of what I saw in Israel.
18
Reading this gives me hope that good willed, caring, honest men and women can be chosen to lead. We so desperately need that. We need to put these people in front and center of Americans sight so it can be seen that we can have that too. We are a society that feeds on fast information, not everyone reads wonderful articles like this that can show us a better direction.
11
What a great--though each word hurts to read--cleaning up of the Irish American story. Made me appreciate that a few of those genes that flowed into me. Thanks Mr. E. And happy St. Pats.
8
Great column, Mr. Egan and it's written in the tradition of the many great Irish literary figures: with grace, insight and truth-telling.
27
I believe that we should control our borders but not substantially restrict immigration since all the Trumpian xenophobia is really just a form of labor protectionism. Protectionism which is never right, be it to affect steel, wheat, autos or workers. We need to compete on a global scale. One that produces iPhones with $12/day labor. One where anyone making more than $32,000/year is in the global top 1% of earners. Factually, immigration today is NOT like it was for our ancestors. My grandfather came here in 1902 at the age of two. His mother sold everything she had and gave it to a young woman she knew who was sailing to the US to carry her only son to relatives in West Virginia. There, he grew up in a coal company town. His education ended at fourteen because he was now large enough to work 12 hour days in a glass factory. By the time he was 16, he was big enough to handle a pick and shovel so was sent into the mines. He so hated it that he ran away, rode a coal train to Philadelphia, lied about his age and enlisted in the Navy. I doubt Democrats today would accept such a future for any immigrant, legal or otherwise.
6
On behalf of my Irish born grandmother who entered the U.S. through Ellis Island around 1900: thank you for this column and Happy St.Patrick's Day to all.
34
As an Irish person, I agree with you to some extent. However, Ireland sold out to global tax avoidance and other dirty money long ago. Modern Irish prosperity was built the quick and easy way--help the wealthy to hide their money, thus keeping it from serving the needs of people in the form of taxes. I have been bitterly disappointed for years at this terrible global game the Irish have played. There is no denying it. The Irish play the game of "we remember when things were terrible", but have not stood in solidarity with the disadvantaged in terms of actual modern behavior. I wish it were not so, but it is. So, I won't be holding my breath for the Irish to save civilization, except at the level of rhetoric.
21
This is a glass-half-full perspective. Ireland is a modern European economy. It’s use of tax and economic policy is not unlike most modern economies. Where it sees ways to advance its own economy (e.g. giving Apple an unprecedented tax break, borrowing billions at low rates from the EU) to create jobs and opportunities for its citizens, it takes it. Over the last 30 years, Ireland has significantly improved the average standard of living across the country. At the same time, Ireland’s borders are open to immigrants, with an enormous number of Eastern Europeans welcomed to the country and contributing to that improved way of life. It’s Prime Minister is a gay man of Hindu descent! Of course it has its own hypocrisies but to cast the whole country as a lie and a fraud is simply incorrect.
3
A lot of them are right huers Sarah. But what would Ireland or America be without a sustaining myth or two?
When we try to trace where our family came from, we run into a brick wall. We are pretty sure that the main trunk of the tree from Ireland went to Canada, and walked to Pennsylvania from there. Some ended up in Bellefonte to work iron, and some made it to Wilkes-Barre to mine coal.
As for my Polish branch, my great-grandmother arrived legally, sponsored by cousins (her bothers, who suddenly immigrated because they were conscripted into the Russian army most likely didn't sponsor her because they were here illegally.) My great-grandfather never would speak of his past, but piecing the story together, he may well have been illegal too. He left a Polish regiment of the Russian army to come here and work the mines. All he ever told my mother, who asked of his youth: "I will not speak of that time."
My family would be on the deportation list right now, foreigners who broke the law to take jobs from people. My great grandmother never even spoke English, and had her kids translate for her.
I have a realistic view of immigration - no nation can be the receiver of all of the world's misery. But I recognize that in most immigrants - especially in those who struggle to get here - we have the core of the American spirit, with people who expect to work hard and value their family. I can't condone anything that smacks of dehumanizing injustice in our treatment of people who come to escape misery and death.
61
The Irish are also admired in Mexico for the Saint Patrick's brigade..
Irish immigrants to the USA were conscripted to fight in the Mexican-American war... once the Irish realized it was all a US land grab... theft from Mexico, they switched sides and fought wth ton the side of Mexico against American aggression and to preserve their sovereignty.
"In the spring of 1846, the United States was poised to invade Mexico, its neighbor to the south. The ostensible reason was to collect on past-due loans and indemnities. The real reason was to provide the United States with control of the ports of San Francisco and San Diego, the trade route through the New Mexico Territory, and the rich mineral resources of the Nevada Territory—all of which at that time belonged to the Republic of Mexico. The United States had previously offered $5 million to purchase the New Mexico Territory and $25 million for California, but Mexico had refused."
http://www.latinorebels.com/2015/03/15/the-soldiers-of-st-patrick/
17
And Abraham Lincoln lost his seat in Congress for calling that war what it was:thievery.
2
I am of Irish ancestry and I find it interesting how this has shaped me.
When I hear the anti immigrant talk I think of the Great Hunger and remember from whence I came.
My people built the railroads and were miners. Jobs that others did not want and because of that were placed in contact with other immigrants.
I live on the west coast where there is no dominant ethnic group and thus I find it hard to understand the xenophobia. People are people. Once you get to know them it is hard to discriminate against them.
I have to be honest and admit that at one time I was irritated by certain behaviors of my African American neighbors. It was then pointed out to me that this irritating behavior was Southern in origin and the behavior I objected to was common to most southerners irrespective of their race.
If as the racists say, minorities are the cause of all problems why do so many individual of all races come to the left coast when they only aggravate the traffic problems and the housing shortage?
By the way I have a problem with all of the forms that want to classify me as white. This denies my ethnic heritage and groups me with the British. White is not a race.
9
British is not an ethnicity. Neither is it necessarily white. If you mean to object being classified or associated with white English, then that really is what you should say.
4
For those of sensitivity, we can use 'Caucasian' when filling out bureaucratic forms, and Africa in my heart this early morning to let you know that your Irish friends are searching for you and your family. Our water engineer will find you and the U.N. has been alerted quietly in the interim. Perhaps you remember when Ireland and India were at odds in our Division where none of us had a drop of water to drink during the day, and you and I had tea, foregoing lunch.
'O Brother, dear Brother, this is to bid you farewell. Feeling slighted by you. We both know that America is in a state of chaos and rather than calling your sibling a 'rara avis', my retort remains that I am a sphinx without a secret; not the sharpest blade in the drawer, you forgot my Irish heritage when circumstances led us to Napoleonic warfare in Paris.
It is your understandable and yet miserly disposition that has caused my flight. Your parents are now at rest in France, and while your vision is clouded by fog, mine is becoming more perceptive.
America chose not to leave The Simpleton on the golf course in Scotland surrounded by a flock of sheep and your braying that Mueller is going to uncover these allegations of foreign influence may be premature on your part.
Our mother was far more courageous than either of us; not only a great beauty and a builder, but with a steel-trap mind. She did not care for the Irish and yet she married one, far more polished than these yahoos occupying the White House.
If Democrats want to win they have to be real. Real about life here. How many of US are poor? struggling? worried about rent and health care? worried about paying for our kids' college?
Millions upon millions upon millions of Americans are fearful because they have very little financial security. Those at the top scoff at this, calling them lazy; or, they have no concept at all about how an insecure life feels. So, shame on US.
Yes, let us bring in the Dreamers and the immigrants that have lived here for a long time. Let us make them feel welcome and assist them becoming citizens. But, don't kid yourself about this 'compassionate' stand: it's rather hollow.
We continue to lead the developed world in poverty and children in poverty. Why is that? Greed. It is because of selfish greed which actually drives this country; and that is why Trump is President. He said he could make the poor whites rich. That was a monumental lie (one of countless) but those with no hope reach out to demagogues that promise hope. This toxic racism and anti-immigrant poison is here because we've done so little for the average American. We've enriched the few. A few billionaires have more than half the country. Shameful. That is our shame.
I have nothing against immigrants, but, of course, their is a limit in what a place can both care for and sustain. Germany is having great trouble creating good lives for their 82 million people, plus the 1 million new immigrants over the last year.
Compassion?
8
I am a proud Irish American. We often say, "Everyone is Irish on St. Patty's Day!" Alas, there are exceptions. People who are not loving, kind nor inclusive need not apply. Erin Go Bragh!
15
The Irish were allowed in because of the Industrial Revolution's insatiable appetite for labor hours, and they broke their backs doing hard labor here. Every group in the US today had some economic force driving it into our country. To say each group has some loyalty to its homeland leaders and the principles that allowed its ancestors to become citizens, is to hand critics a weapon, the same weapon of hate used against JFK when he ran for the presidency, the idea of loyalty to principles and agents not American. We're today angry and rightfully upset at a president who flaunts his disloyalty to America while cozying up to a foreign murdering dictator, not a manly thing, not American, hardly patriotic at all. It's our tradition and our history we honor and celebrate today, and it's right to call out people who aren't good men, who aren't honoring our tradition and history, but let's be wary of handing some ill informed guy a reason to do the wrong thing and crow about his stupidity. I'm American, and yes, great grandad sailed here under sails from a distressed county, and he wanted everyone to know he sailed here and what a hardship it was. Overcoming the hardship was the lesson, one I'm not soon to forget, nor am I willing to add to the hardship. You want to be a citizen of American? Earn it, and you know what that means. We have foreigners being brought into the US everyday to work in and enjoy our country like it's a free winning lottery ticket. Earn this, we say. Earn it.
6
Sorry. I didn't mean to flag your post. I just wanted to say that I believe the majority is earning the right to be here, has been. I think the people who still don't deserve are those who use our constitution and values to spread hate and discourse between us all. It's hypocritical for these people to use the very freedom afforded to us all to enact war on people because of their race, status, etc. They want people out but I say they should go and leave us in peace.
2
Who brings them in? Earn it, you say? You blame the victims. How many visas does Trump apply for annually to bring in servants for his clubs and resorts?
2
I look forward to Egan's editorials, and this one drives the nail home again.
What he writes about the Irish I have said about Jewish Americans who support Trumpian xenophobia. If I could gather those Jews in a big hall I'd gladly take the stage and the microphone to ask one question: "Tell me where your people came from?"
For the most part, I already know where their people came from--the same place my people came from. And I know why they came. Once, when I was a kid, one of my elders, born in America, was waxing poetic about the Old Country. Even then I knew he was omitting significant truths. "Cousin," I said, "if it were as good as you say, they would have stayed."
Had they stayed, they'd have likely not survived for long. And I know in my family they came however they could, by whatever legal and often illegal means necessary.
So, as Egan writes so pointedly about the amnesia of his fellow Irishmen Bannon and Pence, I could say the same for Kushner and Miller...especially Miller, the worst kind of xenophobe, one who would make his toxic views the law of the land.
39
Agreed. And as a Jew myself, I´m afraid that once the Kushner´s are exposed as having put business interests above national interest, the ancient rallying cry ('disloyalty') of the anti-Semites will be invoked against us all. It's especially disgusting to see cowards like Cohn and Mnuchin continue to serve Trump after Charlottesville (as well as all the other non-Jews like Kelly, etc, who should know better).
5
Three of my grandparents came from Ireland ...all after 1900. I have heard all the tales of discrimination against the Irish. Once you've had that experience first hand, you don't forget and you bristle when you see it happen to anyone else. These "Irish" Americans who support restrictive measures for legal immigration and seek a merit based plan are guilty of insulting their own ancestors.
29
Thank you, Thomas, and hope you are enjoying kind weather in Florida this weekend. Joining you in adding that my grandparents came over from Co Cork, among the first settlers in New Haven, they arrived a decade before Eugene O'Neill's family, and Sunday evenings, the roast and taters were prepared, followed by a reading of Yeats.
My father was to divorce himself from the Irish Americans of New England, as soon as he reached a state of mobility. It was hardly a source of self-congratulation to be Irish in New England in those days, and he reached New York, taking it by storm.
He visited Ireland for ten days and stayed for ten years, writing that while he did not find his fellow Irishmen endearing en masse, he could not have chosen a race of people who as individuals, are more provocative, original, unpredictable, and who have resisted more firmly the process of sameness, which is slowly spreading across the face of the earth, adding that they were often the cause of their own insularity.
It is your Irish French Catholic daughter who writes this morning to tell you that we have an oaf occupying The White House, and I am joining many of my American Country fellows in putting up a fight. He, of slippery fingers, is trying to sell our Nation and hard liberties fought down the river at the cost of his soul . A tragic moment in American history, but we will prevail in the end.
13
Trump believes in nothing. His intention is to set us against each other any way he can. He goes for the weak spot - our own prejudices and fears. All he wants is for us to fight amongst ourselves, so we don't notice or challenge his thieving ways.
We must not allow our worst selves to prevail. Trump is stealing our country and we are buying his lies. Immigrants aren't the problem, he and his TV friends are.
14
The Irish also gave us Timothy Egan.
Our gain.
Ireland's loss.
18
Yes, it's all well and good, but it's [INSERT CURRENT YEAR] and we shouldn't be stuck in the old ways. We may have been accepting of millions of uneducated, disease stricken people back then, but it's [INSERT CURRENT YEAR] and we should put those olde-timey, archaic notions behind us. We need to move forward, and not be stuck in the ancient mode of thought that we need immigrants for any reason anymore. We don't need any of any kind, from anywhere be it Mexico or India or Norway or Ireland. We may have been a nation of immigrants in the past, but in the same way I was a car buyer in the past; once my needs were met I ceased to be so. Otherwise, my driveway gets too full and I spend too much money on useless things that won't return my investment.
2
The baby boomers are aging and turning the USA into a giant nursing home. You do need immigrants.
2
I was blessed with an Irish mother who immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1950s and brought her mother and sister to California several years later. My Irish family formed the core of my progressive, open minded upbringing in conservative Orange County during the 60s and 70s. And I am doubly blessed with Irish citizenship and an Irish passport as are my three children due to the inclusive nature of Ireland’s citizenship definition. Who would have thought immigrating back to Ireland would be a serious option for me and my family?
44
I'd be in Canada now, except they won't take me because I'm too old. I'd try Ireland too, but imagine they'd similarly decline. With your family's passport, and because of all the gun violence and school shootings in this country, you might want to raise your kids in Ireland. I've urged my son's family to emigrate to a civilized country for the sake of my grandchild.
5
With a father born in Scotland and grandparents born in county Cork, I welcome all immigrants who want to become assimilated Americans, but am leary of those who want to create foreign enclaves. I also wish the concept of “anchor babies” to end. Being Scots-Irish, I have never any feelings of ethnic inferiority or superiority. All ethnicities have enhanced American culture.
5
Well said indeed! Shame on Pence and Ryan, Kelly and Mulvaney, and all the rest of the Irish Americans in this Administration who embrace Trump's hatred and bigotry. Dare I hope that Trump heard anything that the Taoiseach said?
73
"Why can't my country die for me?"--James Joyce
10
If all the people who had any ancestor that came in the last 1500 years from Europe, Africa, or Asia were forced to leave North America would there be any people left on the continent?
And how would they choose where to go from among the any places their ancestors came from?
8
Yes, there would!
The ancestors of our native Americans crossed the Bering Strait from Asia far earlier but in principle you are correct!
About 12% of those living in The Republic of Ireland, where Mr. Varadkar is Taoiseach, are immigrants. This is the almost the same proportion of immigrants as the US population. The difference is that all the immigrants in Ireland are legally there. Maybe we can learn something from the Irish.
8
All the immigrants in Ireland are NOT legally there - many are there on overstayed student and tourist visas, as in the US. However, as Ireland has the benefit of being surrounded by water, with customs and immigration checks at all its borders (except for the one with the UK, which has similar customs and immigration checks, and with which it has a common travel/immigration control area) - there are very few illegal immigrants who have arrived undetected. Ireland's treatment of (legal) refugees is not exactly exemplary - while their asylum claims are being processed (which can take years), asylum-seekers cannot work, and must live in 'direct provision' government hostels, with a small State payment for necessities. The conditions are not cruel if (as they were intended) they last only a few months, but become prison-like if extended for years. No - there is not a lot to learn from the Irish regarding immigrants and asylum-seekers (refugees).
9
The Irish saved New York City and went on to save much of America. I’d love to see it again. Happy St Patrick’s day to all the Irish and those, like me, who wish we had a bit of blarney in us.
8
I encourage all of my fellow Irish Americans to visit the Tenement Museum the next time they are in NYC and find out about the terrible prejudice and poverty their ancestors faced when they arrived on these shores, You can’t help but be sympathetic to more recent immigrants who are also coming here in search of a better life.
31
Of note, my Jewish grandmother was born and lived in that very same building.
7
But today's immigrants don't live in those conditions and, unlike my Irish immigrant grandfather, aren't put to work in a factory at age twelve.
2
Best column I've read in a long time!
2
Our Western Oracle.
I simply ask the question why has Australia successfully achieved assimilation and continues to allow 200k immigrants from all corners of the globe into the country every year and the USA has failed. A study of the two countries would be worthwhile.
3
But we have not failed! We are a nation of immigrants, what on earth are you talking about?
The USA has not failed at all!
I believe that Australia is starting to have problems with non-white refugees now.
Our problem here is with ILLEGAL immigrants only.
The US needs controlled legal immigration but system for that is largely broken.
Old Europe preserved itself thru the notion of Our Culture--provincial, self-absorbed, and xenophobic. What made America, however, was wave after wave of despised immigrants who, nonetheless, solely thru hard work, made America work. Every new immigrant population was met with the cry of "They will destroy Our Country," not less than the Irish, but every new wave brought boundless opportunity and wealth and promise. Trump's cry of "Make America Great Again" is nothing more than the old cry of Old Europe, the cry of "let's pull up the ladder behind us" and all will be well. But the immigrants have always been the salvation, the diversity, the cultural enrichment that made us great to begin with, even in the face of Robber Barons like Trump.
29
My great-great grandfather came with his wife and four children on a coffin ship from Liverpool to New Orleans -- mere ballast for empty ships on their way back to buy cotton. One third of those Irish died in that ship, including their youngest child. Their three sons fought in the Union army during the Civil War. Their son became a wholesale food distributor and a consultant of Herbert Hoover in the U.S.Food Administration after WWI, using his expertise on food transportation to millions in hunger at that time. His son begat a heritage that includes physicians, psychiatrists, engineers, teachers, and
salesmen, independent businessmen, carpenters, and day-laborers, men and women who are still responsible for the richness of this country. This is one of thousands of such stories that have built this nation. These stories affirm the potential of any immigrant to contribute to our economy and polity. Thank you Mr. Egan for this great article. The vacuum at the White house could suck the life out of us all, without this kind of strong journalism.
51
Well said, sir.
1
Although I myself come from an Irish immigrant heritage of which I am proud, and am aware of the "no Irish need apply" phase of American history, Idon't think it's completely honest to forget the racism and xenophobia of Irish immigrants who settled i Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Boston, Chicago, etc. Our immigrant history is a tangled one
10
Read this in Dublin on the eve of Saint Patrick's Day and the language and argument are a punch in the gut. Trumps mother was a Gaelic speaker from Scotland who moved across the Atlantic in search of a better life. We really are better than this isolationism
18
Why is virtually every single previous comment here about the Irish and not about the Choctaws? In the hypothetical hierarchy of victimization of the past 250 years or so, I think the Irish come in far behind Native Americans. So why isn't this about what even the oppressed can try to do for others? Maybe a little less wallowing in the past and a little more reflecting on what one can in the present is in order on the part of the commenters, the principals in the story appear to have nailed it.
7
Nicely said. What is it with us, immigrants in this country that, once happily established, seek to close the doors to 'new blood'? Fear, hate, envy, stupidity, or all of it? When Trump's family came from Germany, they had to say they were from Sweden to be accepted (as Germans had a bad name). It seems an odious discriminatory practice to find scapegoats abroad 'a la Trump' to blame for our own incompetence and graft. And the Irish were a glaring example of it, unfounded, cruelty gratis by nasty bigots in our midst. The current ugly American in-chief makes no excuses for his xenophobia, a distinct hypocrisy on his part, and seemingly proud of it. But the rest of us ought not tolerate such an ignominious course. We do know that immigrants are the one's that made this country what it is today, at the forefront of progress in science and technology and even the arts and perhaps literature as well. Let's just not belittle other countries, an arrogance we cannot tolerate any longer. Unless we choose to dwell in our own stupidity.
7
"We’re stuck with Trump, the most un-American of presidents"--and yet, he IS President, which says a great deal about what this country is and still is not.
8
I visited County Clare years ago visiting a friend and it felt like home. I learned a great deal about the famine and economic conditions of that time while I was there. And this was before I realized my ancestry on one side resides there. I am rather disappointed to learn that Mr. Pence is also from that region in generations past. It is a shame he has lost the fundamental part about being Irish (remembering the history that ones ancestors experienced) through his Christian fundamentalism and chosen silence over the very same issues his grandmother likely struggled with. Hypocrite, he is.
10
Here's hoping that Andrew McCabe (and I'm assuming that name is Irish too) will be free now to tell the full story of what he has seen and knows about Trump, the Comey firing, and the other sordid details of this administration. Help save the country, Andy!
14
I remember in the 80's my Father saying to my Uncles, who were reaganites, and in this country because their grandmother took the risk and came over from Ireland (as did my Dad's grandfather) ....
"You forget where you came from" .... Most of their children are trumpites,
and I cannot figure out why.
13
i remember jfk's speech during the 1960 campaign to try to convince many of his fellow americans that the pope wouldn't take over the usa if kennedy became potus.
a certain country north of the usa had a catholic prime minister from 1896-1911. it's also had three prime ministers born outside the country including one in the 1980s. Australia's had a couple in the past several years.
1
My mother was born in Ireland. My grandfather, a blacksmith by trade, left Ireland in steerage to America with about $30 in his pocket. He served in the Navy in WW I.His son, a WW II veteran of three years, was the first to graduate college on the G.I. bill. His children, all college grads, went on to become lawyers, engineers, MBAs. That is the promise of America we must never forget or extinguish for those following. Who does not aspire to a better life for their children? Was there discrimination against the Irish Catholics - you bet. They were excluded from admission to the exclusive, blue blood schools, and best Universities. Instead, they created their own universities like Notre Dame, Boston College, Georgetown, etc.
The Irishmen surrounding and enabling this disgrace of a President should be ashamed of themselves. Here's an irony: Pence and Tim Kane, both running for VP, grew up serving as Catholic altar boys. Who kept their their true values, and who turned their back on them by being a Charlie McCarthy puppet to a malignant narcissist?
28
Great article, as usual, Mr. Egan. My favorite Irish saying I heard from a real one: "Irish don't get mad, they get even"
4
It used to be said of the Boston Irish that their favorite pastimes were "...sports, politics,and revenge...".
Began the day by calling a couple, life-long partners now in Jerusalem, and then sent a web tour of Glendalough with a sprightly guide, on a global-basis to All and Sundry.
Remembered to wear my 19th century shamrock pendant with tiny diamonds for good fortune, and Jerusalem came back with some interesting facts about St. Patrick's in The New York Times. Dusted off my father's book 'The Indestructible Irish', and received from an Asian friend a 'Happy St. Patty's'!
With Irish eyes, I remember when a fine Irish-American used to call the office on St. Patrick's Day with a booming 'Top of The Morning' before the Parade started. He is credited with telling a younger debater, 'You are entitled to an opinion, but not to your own real facts'.
A newcomer to Kilkenny asked what my thoughts were of the celebration of St. Patrick's in Ireland, and the memories of this outsider, a child at the time, were that a religious card was exchanged, followed by Mass, followed by the rural men going to the local pub, while the women sat in the car, waiting for their return.
Ireland in MD. came in last, and we discussed 'Black Panther'. Remember, I told her we were once known as the dirty Irish and white gorillas. She loves India where a golden trophy was awarded to her for water; she loves America, and 'Sorrow' is my name because Mr. Egan has ruined it by mentioning Pence from Co. Clare, where my spouse-to-be plunged into the Shannon as an act of chivalry.
Homage to Ireland.
3
"St. Patrick’s Day has long been a festival of memory:" Yay! It's my birthday! Go team! Hence the name Patricia when I was born.
Ireland consists of very good people. They have a very good literary history, and I admire their culture.
I have to; I am mostly Irish on both sides of my family.
It is a good heritage.
7
The Irish will save another part of civilization by potentially bringing down Brexit. For a hard Brexit to work, they need a border (build a wall!) which neither Irish north or south want now that movement is free. And the peace agreement allows all Irish to have Irish citizenship, making them citizens of the EU as long as Ireland is a member. So they will strike another blow for internationalism, possibly foiling the English xenophobia so admired by Trump. Thanks to the Irish people for one of the more successful peace agreements in our recent era.
86
Courageous. But why should speaking the truth be so unique? In this day and age, sadly, all too often the truth is in hiding.
26
Mr. Egan, Poignant, powerful and prophetic. It is reflective pieces like this that elevate you to the high altar of Op-Eds — ones that remind us to be human, humane and true to our core values.
93
I think it should be mentioned that Ireland abolished birthright citizenship in 2004, by overwhelming popular vote, the last European country to do so, when they started receiving significant numbers of immigrants. So, really America still provides more opportunities for immigrants to get citizenship than Ireland does.
11
Few peoples have suffered as the Irish suffered under the heel of the Brits, and, as Mr. Egan points out, in this country they were initially considered to be simian counterparts of African slaves. But I agree with Mark, above: it's important to keep a balanced perspective. I was living in Ireland when birthright citizenship was abolished, and I remember well the rampant xenophobia, the accusations leveled at Nigerians, who, it was said, were coming to Ireland only to have their babies there so that they themselves could plunder the social programs. On my first visit to Ireland, I and my companion stopped in a small village in Co. Clare and went into a shop. When we came out, the street running through the village was lined with villagers pointing and staring down the street. When we looked in that direction, we saw an African American couple walking up the street. The villagers seemed never to have seen people of color; they were agog. And this was in 2001. People fear the unknown other; fundamental human nature is human nature, and, for some terrible reason that I hope will someday be explained. the oppressed all too often become the oppressors.
43
Whatever, Ireland did, right or wrong, the U.S. is not Ireland. Our economic resources are different. Our situation is different in may ways. And we are doing wrong by our immigrants. That is what matters.
15
As always politics comes down to whose ox is being gored.
The ox of immigration is being gored by Republicans who fear that immigrants will not vote for Republicans, which, when looking at America’s political history, is often the case, thus fulfilling the fears of Republicans.
In the middle 1800s it was the Irish: “Help Wanted. Irish need not apply.” “Irish and dogs keep off the grass.”
In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law by Chester Alan Arthur (and not repealed until 1943).
In the 1920s the anti-immigration targets were “eastern and southern Europeans, (“Russian” Jews and Sicilians). The Immigration Restriction Act of 1921 (The Emergency Quota Act) and The Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson–Reed Act), both signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge.I
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act), signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, abolished the national origins quota system that had been American immigration policy since the 1920s
Now the animus is directed elsewhere, but the rationale is the same.
There is no political incentive for House Republicans to support immigration reform. And, if there is no political incentive for House Republican support, there is no Republican House support at all…
America, a nation of immigrants, has always had a problem with immigrants, most especially those not like US.
However, if immigrants were sure Republican voters...
39
I am the child of Irish immigrants who came here just after WWII. I've never understood the antipathy of some of those of similar origin to others who came and still come here. Agus slainte to all on the feast day of Padriag.
38
To Dan Broe: THANK YOU for speaking up. I'm of Italian descent, Ellis Island era. When I see the way that many of my fellow Italian-Americans treat today's immigrants, I am heartbroken on a good day, but beyond disgusted on a bad day. I'm thinking of U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, who won his seat shortly after a Hispanic immigrant was killed for fun in his hometown. Rather than show any human decency, he rode the hate wave to national office. And I'm thinking of U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (possibly a distant relative of mine), who is no better.
20
Very good article. I agree wholeheartedly.
15
At 83, I am old enough to remember when some people advertising for help still said "no Irish need apply." Some of my ancestors had arrived in the USA many years before my birth (one distant cousin fought in the Civil War on the Union side). Nevertheless, many of Irish descent still found prejudice and discrimination when seeking employment.
Too many of today's politicians of Irish heritage forget where they came from and do not extend to newcomers to this country the same compassion that their ancestors were denied. Shame on them!
239
My smorgasbord of ethnicities includes just under 30% Irish, so I'll open my mouth on this one, even though it was my Austrian grandfather who repeatedly urged his 7 kids to be "American". He even anglicized his last name to mark his new identity. How VERY different from today's immigrant population. Those who care to read what the founding fathers intended for this nation, should see it as fierce hope of self preservation, not the creation of a welfare state for the rest of the world to parasitize and destroy.
8
Perhaps you might read what Alexis de Tocqueville had to say on whether Democracy in America could work; perhaps I should not forward your input to Austria, whose family died in prison camps and who voted with joy for The Democrats; nor has she ever felt the need to anglicize her last name, nor I, mine, which is Irish and means Priest in Hebrew. It's a long way to Tipperary, and your words are a reminder that we have a long way to go.
1
Pence has been worse than merely passive and mute. As governor of Indiana, he tried to pressure the Archbishop of Indianapolis not to sponsor one single Syrian refugee family.
109
Still waiting for the rational explanation of how the Irish can save civilization. I guess what Egan is trying to say is that some people are so down and out that our exploitative perpetual tsunami of poor immigrants can be rationalized as humane from the perspective of people who write opeds for the NY Times. So let's keep up with the global race to the bottom in our desire for cheap labor while we simultaneously pursue aggressive automation wherever possible. Let's keep that spigot open while we head towards massive apocalyptic unemployment and the destruction of the welfare state. What could possibly go wrong Mr. Egan?
14
Peter: Egan, like other lefty libs, only sees illegals as future Democratic voters, so that the nation could be "flipped" to a one party, All Democrat society -- as in California -- where anybody conservative or Republican is a small minority with no power nor any seats in government.
If they have to destroy the nation to realize that dream...THEY WILL.
The Irish were starved to death because the British corn merchants opposed giving the desperate Irish corn seed to replace the potato crop which fed 8 million Irish prior to the famine of the 1840s. A million died in the famine and another million moved to America which welcomed in open arms to work 18 hours a day at hard labor. The Irish had to work hard to become "white." They did eventually. What the Irish can do to save civilization is to oppose Trump tooth and nail. Some of them are doing it.
157
A nice piece, Mr. Egan. Thank you.
13
In America color aka race is the physically identifiable historic reality that separated the enslaved and unequal Africans in America from everyone else past and present. That civilization is not worth saving from any just moral humble humane empathetic perspective. All white Judeo-Christian Europeans in America look and live powerfully privileged meaningful lives that matter alike.
2
The idea that sexual orientation, religous family background, family national origin and current nation of residence is the lead list of attributes indicating moral high ground is a racist, bigoted, exclusionary form of p.c. at its worst. Actions, example, and a clarity in calling others to action is how to set a moral high ground.
10
THANK YOU.
I do not care that Mr. Varadkar is gay or half-Indian but why are those noted here as if they make him morally superior to a white Irishman of native Irish ancestry? Is gayness now a positive political attribute? a sign of superior moral character?
The only interesting thing is the degree to which the Irish have repudiated their once strong Catholic faith. It seems a majority of the Irish now hate the Church and actively vote for policies against its teachings.
1
I'm the classic American Mutt, sure, plenty o' Irish in the family tree, German too, how the English added their blood I never knew but in the end I'm red, white and blue, how about we call it the American Quilt?
11
correct title: how the Irish could save civilization . . . again. let's not forget the medieval Irish monks whose literacy and tireless industry preserved literary classics and philosophy texts that otherwise almost certainly would have been lost to us.
39
Indeed, that book is powerful.
2
This has been widely discredited. The man who wrote that book either overlooked, or intentionally excluded the fact that much of the Roman Empire never “fell”, continuing existence as the so-called Byzantine Empire. It was destroyed by the Muslim Ottoman Empire in the late Middle Ages, but its spiritual remnant survives as the Eastern Orthodox Church. That author really did a lot of damage.
3
For those who cheer Trump’s immigrant bashing notwithstanding their own immigrant roots, the hypocrisy goes much deeper. The current crop of immigrants, legal and non legal, came here with the knowledge and support all of us. We saw them working in restaurant kitchens, on construction sites, cleaning hotel rooms, and on the farms. We were more than happy to pay less for food and labor because, well, we could get away with it. For decades. Now that it suits us, we are gleeful at the thought of expelling them, even when that means separating babies from parents and military veterans from the only country they have known. This is Trump’s America. The land of hypocrites and the home of cowards.
231
To Victor James of Los Angeles: Very well said. Thank you.
4
best comment. ever. explains us now.
4
Speak for yourself. MILLIONS OF US are horrified to see illegal aliens working in kitchens or on construction sites, because we know fellow citizens who can't find jobs because they cannot compete with illegals. (Many employers PREFER illegals, who are too scared to ask for higher wages or pay roll taxes or unemployment pay.)
We were NOT happy to pay lower prices, but see our nation taken over by illegals who are arrogant and demanding and have no respect for our laws. But we had no choice, because lefty libs LIKE YOU AND EGAN told us we were bigots who were not allowed to apply the law to illegal aliens, and you screamed "Racist!" every time we spoke up against illegal immigration.
Why on earth would an illegal parent leave their BABY behind and not take them along, back to the family's native homeland? That makes no sense whatsoever. Minor children must go with their parents.
3
My father was once homeless in co Mayo. He served on the U.S. Army twice before becoming a citizen. His granddaughter is a pediatrician at the university of Iowa, where they pause the football games to wave at the kids in the hospital. Trump, Pence and their kind would have prevented that story. I will do what meager amount I can to make sure stories like that will continue to be told.
147
STILL?! … Still?
Apart from teaching the world how to get snakes off an island and why children should be careful as they pass under bridges (trolls), when have the Irish ever had it in their hands to save civilization? Potatoes are not civilization.
None but the English ever thought of Ireland as the original “hole” country, add any four letters you like. I never did and I’d hazard a guess that Trump never has, either.
It makes little sense to condemn “sending famine-stricken, disease-laden, crime-breeding foreigners [Irishmen] to our shores”, since apparently they were good-looking ENOUGH to seduce Dutch- and German- and English-derived girls here thereby creating so MANY Irish-Americans that when I first arrived in NYC in late 1976 from the left coast you couldn’t find a cop or a firefighter who wasn’t Irish-British or German-Irish in derivation (and not these Tinker-Toy cops of today, but guys with beer-guts who stood well-over six feet and weighed well-over 200 lbs who could intimidate the hell out of perps).
Yet both the Taoiseach AND Tim Egan need to consider that Trump EMBODIES American freedom. Imagine anywhere else where a pampered richie elite who led a rash of casinos into bankruptcy could become the most powerful national leader in the world in a representative democracy without being able to parse a simple English sentence. Now, THAT’S freedom.
10
Uh … Haitians DON’T “all have AIDS”?! (Joke. Joke.) But … didn’t Trump say so? To paraphrase Richard Nixon on that hilarious (and scary) David Frost interview broadcast, “It’s not tacky or outrageous if it’s the president”.
What Egan fears to admit is that Trump is about as Amurkin as any president ever has been. And that could explain the Taoiseach’s puzzlement. It takes a few generations to become one among God’s people.
And Pence? The man with the foolish grin sitting perfectly still, the fool on the hill who thought he saw the sun going down, the eyes in his head seeing the world going ‘round, figured he was a cinch for president after the impeachment and conviction, will need to be satisfied with historical anonymity like almost all our vice-presidents without the hand-size to get elected president on their own steam.
5
Dick -
Have you read How the Irish Saved Civilization? Or anything? Did Not Think So.
If Trump embodies anything, it's fraud, venereal disease, inherited $ from a grandfather running whores, unpaid contractors, unpaid investors, and lies.
As a descendent of Irish immigrants who created wealth based on education and intellect, Trump is just the dregs, Dick. xo
32
Dick,
We've had presidents with wit, intellect, inflexible moral compass, charisma, ..... not Trump. It's not really an issue of breeding. It's really the measure of the man/woman. Trump is the short end of the stick, Dick.
14
This article really resonates with me. As my surname implies, I am descended of hearty Irish immigrant stock who came here a little over a century ago to escape their beautiful "emerald isle" that was ravaged by war. Their acceptance in American society was no sure thing and their obstacles were considerable. These roots inform my politics, fuel my work ethic, provide me with empathy, and shape my worldview. Not a day has gone by the last frightening, xenophobic 14 months where I haven't thought about the struggles of the grandparents and great-grandparents I wish I'd known.
As a result, it made me more than slightly uncomfortable to listen to the Irish luncheon yesterday and hear how, in the current era. the sanitization of that immigrant experience has become a veneer for a good old boys network that marginalizes immigrants, replete with jokes aplenty about blarney and gab, long stories and silly jokes, reasons to drink Guinness, and the so-called triumph of Irish Americans in Congress. To think our immigrant past has become so whitewashed that we have forgotten from whence we came is not progress--it's historical neglect. Aye, what would our great-grandparents say?
206
As the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, potato famine etc, why do the Irish have to save civilization Again? We saved literacy for god's sake. Gave you poets and playwrights and thinkers and singers.
93
Having grown up in a large Irish, Catholic family, I often heard the expression,
" There are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish and those who wish they were." I have always been very proud of my heritage, although it's been a bit tougher lately what with Ryan, Bannon, McConnell, etc , lost Irishmen all. Thank God for Joe Biden and now Conor Lamb and Beto O'Rourke, who show what the heart and soul of an Catholic, Irishman really are. It's about the other person and what good you can do for them. Happy St. Patrick's Day to all.
314
i'm not crying!
1
On the subject of the Irish diaspora, be aware that there are tens of millions more in other countries, and they were generally treated dismally until the second half of the 20th century - for example the notorious "No blacks or paddies" notices that were frequently posted with respect to UK lodgings post WW2. The Irish have always managed to contribute, and it's a source of pride to those of us back home that culturally we have an footprint far beyond our small (4.8 million) population.
But the paddywhackery is tortuous. BTW it's either St Patrick's Day or Paddy's Day. "Patty's Day" is exclusively a US term and grates on the ear for us, as patty is never used as a diminutive of Patrick.
One last thing: It amuses me that international writers make such a big point of Leo's ethnicity and/or sexuality. Here in Ireland the discussion centres on his politics, which although probably socially liberal by US standards is very middle of the road her. His economic policy is hard right by our standards.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he and his partner visit Pence though.
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This piece is magnificent. Thank you.
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New York's Irish immigrants paved the way for my grandparents, Slovak immigrants who lived on East 70th Street. My grandfather was, for a while, a cook at a private dining room at the new Piccadilly Hotel at Times Square and my grandmother cleaned doctors' offices. Both children learned English in school, went to excellent high schools, and on to college.
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I'm the only one in my family not born in Ireland. My father came, sponsored by a relative, until he was able to sponsor my mother and siblings. When I was young, I resented illegal aliens because, unlike my family, they had "cut the line." As I've gotten older, I've changed my mind, or maybe I should say that my heart changed: I just don't care anymore. Legal or illegal, black or white, gay or straight, religious or not, I care only whether a person is a good neighbor. Thank you, my childhood and now renewed hero, Mr. Rogers, for that insight finally sinking in.
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It doesn't help that Trump has stopped the U.S. A. from supporting efforts to provide family planning and birth control to poor nations. It isn't just too many humans here, it's too many humans everywhere. But when women have access to family planning and birth control, populations stabilize. A lot of the problems that cause war, famine, and refugee movements are related to overpopulation versus resources. (See Malthus)
Let's get together and admit that VOLUNTARY family planning is one of the most important issues of our time.
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While Niall O'Dowd can crow about openness to all immigration, it should be pointed out that the Irish were not above political shenanigans in terms of assuring their own political interests in immigration politics: the original visa lottery, which was an Irish-American political scheme cooked up by Bruce Morrison to legalize Irish illegals in the 1980s, used the mantra of "diversity" while ensuring a 40% Irish set-aside because, apparently, we were not sufficiently diversified from the 32 counties.
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We do let in large numbers of legal immigrants every year, something one could easily miss in press coverage. Some like to pretend there's no important difference between those who arrive here legally, like most Irish-Americans' ancestors did, and those who are here illegally. Times writers, for instance, love the phrase "Immigration, legal or illegal ... ". We can certainly change the laws if they aren't liberal enough, but in most areas (though perhaps not immigration) Americans generally support enforcing laws until they are changed. There are still some states arresting pot smokers, for example, without huge public protests against this. I certainly do appreciate the Americans of the day letting my own Irish grandparents in, but they would have had the right not to. As it was, those with any familiarity with Irish-American history know that early Irish immigrants were hardly "welcomed" here; they were more grudgingly tolerated by most of the native-born. If anything, Americans of today are more welcoming of legal immigrants than Americans were then. The issue, however, is illegal immigration. Perhaps we should debate open borders, which is implicitly what advocates for the undocumented seem to want, but are careful not to name; but we should be clear that that is what we're debating.
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Well, if you came here in the 19th Century across the Atlantic, it was pretty hard to be "illegal" if you did not have a communicable disease.
And, while "early Irish immigrants" might not have been met with open arms, my somewhat later Irish immigrant ancestors (1870's-80's) were met at the boat by NYC politicians who got busy registering them to vote in the next election.
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“Legally?” Most ancestors of current Irish Americans arrived before there were immigration controls.
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I can attest that America forms a common bond among its inhabitants without always the benefit of common ancestry. At home, my wife and I practice Hindu religion, celebrate our festivals and try to maintain our native cultural customs and traditions.
But it all started changing as soon as our son started attending pre-school and kindergarten. Within days and weeks, he started acting like a typical American kid as if he had been brought up in an American household.
What could be more gratifying for a young couple who, even with their court issued citizenship certificates safely tucked away, was unable to shed completely their immigrant mentality - a sorta self-assumed second-class citizenship behavior?
Within no time, by the example of our little son, we started loosening up, too, both mentally and socially. Before he started his third grade, our son had brought us completely into the mainstream of American life.
I have no doubt in my mind that America would stay the beautiful melting pot it is, no matter who occupies the White House, who his guru of the day is, and who presides over our schools.
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Well done, Mr. Egan. If more of today's Irish-Americans are even vaguely aware of the hostile reception their forebears encountered on reaching America, they would be organizing the welcome for the latest arrivals. Man of them are like that and, sadly, many of them are not, Mr. Bannon being an extremely regrettable example of the latter. Yes indeed, America is a great experiment, a country based more on an idea and on ideals than on anything as concrete as ethnicity. I don't recall hearing that in my early education but my father was aware of it, and of his Irish-American history as well, for which I am always thankful. For those like Bannon that choose to be ignorant or in denial, Niall O'Dowd's idea for them is just fine.
And a Happy St. Pat's Day to you and yours... and everyone else.
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I think Bammon's opposition to immigration is based on race and religion more than anything else. If you are white and Christian he will welcome you to the USA. Any other, not likely.
2
There was a time, back around 700 AD when the only civilizing force in all of Western Europe were the Irish monks preserving the learning of the ancients in their monasteries.
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The Moors did a pretty good job, too.
3
Try thinking about other people.
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"a nation once known for sending famine-stricken, disease-laden, crime-breeding foreigners to our shores."
Really? By who? No source, but attributed as if it was an accepted general perception. I realise the writer is ham-fistedly setting up a painfully obvious straw man to make a counterpoint but this is not world class journalism by any stretch.
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It is well documented history that in the 19th century, the Irish who arrived in the U.S. were considered subhuman, disease-laden, and crime-breeding. No one now is saying that's what they were; however, it is a matter of historical fact that's how they were viewed.
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I took it as that that was the negative beliefs that were thought OF the Irish rather than what they actually were.
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"Really?" Yes, really. "By who?" By Great Britain and the English who governed Ireland by force.
You could read Egan's *The Immortal Irishman* to get a start in learning about history of not-so-Great Britain in Ireland. An excellent book.
6
Why is it that all the tribunes of "diversity" and "openness" always wind up to be left-leaning Democrats in tune with the "progressive" agenda?
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I guess if you were smart enough to understand it, you wouldn't have to ask the question.
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Why the scare quotes? Are you trying to be sarcastic?
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Brother, you said it all.
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There are a number of recent Irish immigrants in my neighborhood. Not one of them has retained their faith in the Catholic Church based on the abuses of children tolerated and covered up to an even greater extent in Ireland than in the United States.
While they believe in God and Jesus, they emphatically do not trust or believe in any representative of the Catholic Church. Their advice is clear: "Do not allow your child or grandchild to ever be alone with a priest. It is just too dangerous."
Recent Irish immigrants may have something to teach the descendants of earlier Irish immigrants about the threats from persons in authority who abuse that authority and are protected by power and rule of silence rather than stopped by rule of law.
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When the Irish first came to America many years ago, it was the Catholic Church who helped and aided them during strong anti-Catholicism feelings. The Irish were subjected to the "no Irish need apply" sentiment in Boston but it was the Catholic clergy that supported them and gave them comfort. They developed the parochial school system when the public schools were not very welcoming to these new arrivals.
It is a new breed of Irish Catholics who are entering our country and they are so lucky to become American citizens. The Catholic Church is still there for them but they turn away. I am glad that my Irish relatives kept the faith and passed it on to future generations. The New Irish are of a different mindset and this is not necessarily a good thing. The Catholic Church Is still practiced by 1.3 billion people around the world.
7
The Irish were actually very xenophobic on arrival during the nineteenth century and pushed for parochial schools. Yes, they were not welcomed with open arms however I believe we - Irish Americans - have to be honest about our problematic past. Particularly the Draft Riots of 1863. We are not perfect and that’s ok, no people are. But the strict narrative of our oppression without acknowledgment of our rampant racism and political corruption is simply revisionist history to go down easy with a pint and corned beef.
Additionally, not naming and honoring the trauma suffered by victims of clergy abuse and the Magdalene laundries is unproductive and protectionist towards the institution. It reinforces to me that Catholics are more invested in being Catholic than Christian. Which is ok as long as you acknowledge as much. The cloak of piety is rather transparent these days.
14
Or some former Catholics from Boston could very well do the same.
1
Well said. Thank you. Every St. Patrick's Day I make brown bread and boil some potatoes in memory of my ancestors who came over in the wake of the Hunger. I marvel at what they endured and feel a debt of gratitude. Immigrants are such a large part of the better aspects of America. Resist Trump.
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Thank you for reminding me of the wonderful brown bread in New England. You could buy it in cans in New York.
1
Tim, I'm an Irish-American who considers himself to be a rational idealist. I have a few problems with unhindered immigration.
First, times change. The boat is filling up. At what point do we stop taking on new passengers and risk capsizing? In roughly the last 75 years, the world population (and America's) has increased nearly 3 times. Population growth is one of humanity's greatest threats to the environment and humanity's future. It doesn't help when America is something like 5% of the world population and uses something like 30% of the world's resources. And we want to add to this by having an ultra-open policy of immigration?
Secondly, "undocumented" is just another euphemism for illegal. If we are to be honest with ourselves, let's call a spade a spade. Illegal immigrants are breaking the law. Do we want a world that is an anarchy where everyone who can sneak in is accepted just because they were daring enough to do so? People should be invited into your house, not allowed to simply break in. Citizens of a democracy should have a right to decide democratically how many people they wish to invite to their home (and yes, I agree that choosing your guests by their racial qualifications is is not acceptable).
I'm extremely liberal on nearly all social questions - women's rights, transgender rights, abortion and a host of other issues. But I can't agree with you on immigration. IMO, America needs a fair, but limited immigration policy.
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You realize we are an aging population - We are not replacing ourselves. We need immigration to sustain our economy.
8
"America needs a fair, but limited immigration policy"
How would you define or determine "fair?"
4
Start getting ready to punch your ticket to that special place referred to in the article.
Half my family is of Irish descent. The other half came over on the mayflower. Your words are nearly the spitting image of letters we've uncovered from the less progressive side of the family in reaction to the Irish diaspora and increase Irish arrivals to the US. We all now laugh at how those racist ancestors must be turning in their graves were they to see our amazing, diverse and welcoming family now. Guess it's true what they say about history and those doomed to repeat it.
To quote a savvy commenter with way more recommendations than you: eaten bread is soon forgotten. My, my, how quickly you've forgotten your easy, free bread.
For shame!
12
Immigrants have in the past accepted the culture of the original settlers, who were mostly British Protestant capitalists. The ideas of John Locke and Adam Smith are still influential. There was a fear in the 19th century that too many Catholics would change the culture of the country. That did not happen. Scalia, whose family came from Sicily, tried to maintain a link with that past. Catholic families like the Kennedys morphed into WASPs. There has always been a fear that the wrong type of immigrant would change the culture for the worse. America is an idea. We just have to hope for the best but recognise the risks.
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The Kennedys were never "Wasps". JFK was an Irish aristocrat with an upbringing of public service; he fought in WWII and was an heroic PT boat captain. His assassination left those of who were young, and who saw him at UC Berkeley grief stricken. He was young, and he was ours. Ted Kennedy fought for medical care for all, education for all, and decency towards all. Bobby Kennedy saw real poverty in the deep South; it changed him. He was the Kennedy who would have made a great difference. Another loss. "W" and the Bush family were always among the rich establishment; George H. W. Bush was a war hero; the rest of them were not. Trump's antecedents were merchants with no heroic history. We shouldn't expect anything of the current owner of those fake bone spurs, and a money trail leading to loans from Russian oligarchs. Mueller will follow that trail. We don't need the porn star, however interesting. We just need to support Mueller. And listen to men like General McCaffrey.
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And now Joe Kennedy III, Bobby Kennedy’s grandson is stepping into that role, picking up the mantle.
I had the pleasure of voting for him in his first run for Congress in 2012 before becoming a Vermont resident.
I also helped him as a customer, at the time he was just heading off for his volunteer Peace Corps posting.
4
Eaten bread is soon forgotten and so in turn some amongst us have forgotten the struggles of our forefathers. This phenomena is not limited to us Gaels, it can be observed across all cultures and races once given the chance. Rather than saying its for the Irish to save civilization we should stop seeing ourselves as different and then say its up to all of us to save civilization.
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OK, but the Irish lead. LOL
1
Great Article Mr. Egan. As the grand-daughter of impoverished Irish Famine immigrants who arrived in New York and went on to enjoy a good deal of prosperity, your analysis resonates with my family's experience. Growing up we were taught to cherish our Irish heritage and respect and honor the United States and especially its nurturing of opportunity of all. Immigrants are the life blood of innovation, creativity, and energy in every aspect of American life. We must do all we can to fight back and call out the disgraceful resurgence of Know-Nothingism that characterizes Donald J. Trump and his followers.
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Thank you, Mr. Egan. As the daughter of more recent Irish immigrants, I weep for what Trump has done and will do yet to this country. My parents wouldn't recognize it. We've become a nation of Know-Nothings.
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Peggy, you are not thinking clearly.
The majority of the voters voted for Hillary.
It was only our 18th. century election system that got Trump elected!
16
Rolf: the First Amendment is a 18th century invention too.
The Electoral College is baked into the Constitution and can only be changed with a Constitutional Amendment.
Nobody has ever even proposed this to my knowledge.
The Electoral College has elected every President in US History. To her credit, Hillary knew this. Obama knew this. Why do YOU not know this?
We do not elect POTUS by a popular vote.
Obama had no problem winning the Electoral College.
2