Irish and proud of it

I must confess that my family, what is left of it, is Irish. We have family in Southern Ireland, which I have not spoke to in years. What compounds the problem, as least it in eyes of Ulster is we are Catholic.

If we were living in Northern Ireland and with my quick temper and mouth, we would probably be dead by now. Old habits are hard to break and the killing of Catholic Irish is one of them. There was a period of time when an actual state of war existed between Northern Protestants and Southern Catholics, thank God, that has passed, at least somewhat.

Reading the dispatch from Ireland this moring brought back many bad memories of days gone by, but not forgotten. It also brought back the hatrid that exists to this day between the two religions.

One would assume, in this day and age people would be well past those problems. Not in Ireland, this is an on-going problem and an on-going hatred that has existed since the dawn of time and the early days when Ulster wore orange sashes and marched in their parades. To think that it all started from a King, long faded into history is even more mind boggling. There must come a time when hatred and distrust is buried and a new dawn appears, but not in Ireland.

My ancestors came into New York's five points when life was nothing, even a movie was made of this time and age and it was very accurate. Today, I am a multi-generation American and proud of it. Yes, I have nasty ancestors even one that road with the wild bunch and a few hung for horse theft, but through it all common sense has prevailed and the only thing I hate is flavored coffee.

I still have remnants of my ancestors, quick temper leading to tears and I tend to talk fast at times, other than that I am a normal, red blooded American. I wear the green on St. Paddy's day and watch the parades. I do not eat corn beef and cabbage as my relatives in Ireland have not even heard of it. My Mother, rest in peace, used to make a great soda biscuit and my Grandfather, a better tea. Other than that, I am American and proud of it.