asked if i was irish

[Bugbear]

The other day I sent in the ACS census, and in their follow up call, they ask my specific ethnicity. I told them Irish, English, and German, so it's official and on the record.

[OC Richard]

I get that "are you Irish?" question often, almost never "are you Scottish?"

Part of the trouble of course is the American General Public's foggy knowlege about history and geography. Many don't know what Ireland is or what Scotland is. Many's the time, when I'm asked the "Irish" question and I say that I'm wearing Scottish dress, that I get a reply along the lines of "aren't Scotland and Ireland the same place?"

Which brings us to another part of the problem, the unfortunate term "Scotch Irish". A vast number of Americans are dimly aware of their "Scotch-Irish" ancestry but don't know what the term actually means.
Many think it refers to people of mixed Scottish and Irish ancestry.
Then there's the people who are even more clueless:
Once when I was out playing my pipes a young woman came up and said
"My family is from Scotch-Ireland."

It was sad/amusing during the recent World Cup in South Africa to hear how often American sports commentators made statements which revealed that they knew very little about this stuff.
One American sports reporter showed up at an England supporters' campground in South Africa with a Union Jack draped around her shoulders and saying "good luck Britain!!" etc etc.
I couldn't begin to keep count of how many times I heard American reporters refer to the England side as "the UK team" or "the British team".

With all of this ignorance I'm amazed when I encounter somebody who knows about things, like the time when I was piping out at a High School and one teenager corrected another who was using "UK" and "Britain" interchangably.

[JockInSkye]

Of course, Republicans (Irish nationalists, not the GOP) adopted the kilt more than a century ago, which IMHO gainsays all the 'no historical basis' folk, i.e. it's their basis for saying that which is actually a bit lacking. I'd say there's no basis atall for saying that the events of the 19th century aren't old enough to be history in the 21st.

I have had debates about Irish historical kilt wear, I have to say though that the Royal family whom are English have been wearing kilts and other Scottish attire in Scotland (more notably balmoral) since the early 19th century, yet you could not say that this constitutes England having a history of kilt wearing. The same goes for English officers in the Scottish regiment.

A handful of Irish naitonalists wearing kilts is just that, a small handful of people and does not constitute (in my opinion) a historical legacy of kilt wearing.

[denmcdough]

Funny, but I never get asked that question. I get asked, countless times, "Do you play the bagpipes?" If I had a dollar for every time that was asked, I could retire by now. LOL!!!

[kc8ufv]

I was just watching "Revenge of the Nerds III" and noticed it contributes to the confusion. After the gentleman of substance asks the location of the restroom, the president of the tri-lambs indicates he's English.

[JerseyLawyer]

I think the answer here is simple - most people are only exposed to kilts when they're worn by pipe bands, many of which in the USA are of Irish extraction.

So, the Friendly Celtic Sons of Saint Patrick the Auld Hibernian Emerald Society P&D wear the kilt on St. Patrick's day... that must make it Irish, right? And even though the Caledonian Club of St. Andrew RFC P&D might march in the same parade, they're playing "The Minstrel Boy" and "A Nation Once Again" too, so those not among the cognoscenti don't make much of a distinction.

[Jock Scot]

I have had debates about Irish historical kilt wear, I have to say though that the Royal family whom are English have been wearing kilts and other Scottish attire in Scotland (more notably balmoral) since the early 19th century, yet you could not say that this constitutes England having a history of kilt wearing. The same goes for English officers in the Scottish regiment.

A handful of Irish naitonalists wearing kilts is just that, a small handful of people and does not constitute (in my opinion) a historical legacy of kilt wearing.

I think if you took a look at our Royal family's pedigree you would find it hard to describe them as English.Which is useful for them as Her Majesty is also the Queen of Scotland, amongst other places.

[JockInSkye]

I think if you took a look at our Royal family's pedigree you would find it hard to describe them as English.Which is useful for them as Her Majesty is also the Queen of Scotland, amongst other places.

Well their ancestry is from all of Europe - Greece, Holland, Germany etc. However ethnically they are English.

But I take your point.

[Jock Scot]

Well their ancestry is from all of Europe - Greece, Holland, Germany etc. However ethnically they are English.

But I take your point.

Not forgetting a good dollop of Scots blood too, of course.

[Mike_Oettle]

Jock from Skye, while the British royals have a fair dollop of Danish blood (not Greek – remember the Greek royal family is actually Danish) and a good deal of German, they have no Dutch ancestry.
You may be thinking of William III, but remember that he left no legitimate descendants.
The German predominated after the accession of the Hanovers, and even more so since Victoria’s day, but Diana had more Stewart ancestry than Charles, and the Queen Mum was very much a Scot.
King George V was half Danish.
But you are right about the English culture. Philip, as a boy and a young man, felt himself to be English, not Greek or Danish. His maternal grandfather might have been German, but his maternal grandmother belonged to Victoria’s brood.
Regards,
Mike