Why do Irish people seem to have an issue with me as an American learning about my family culture and heritage?

[Anonymous]

I find this pretty distinct amongst the irish specifically. I've talked with germans, poles, brits, italians, etc. And they're all incredibly welcoming to the idea. But the only ones who seem to get mad that I'm trying to get into my family's culture and heritage seems to be the irish. "Oh you're American though, that's your family, you can only do American things." And it's funny because the only ones who have placed this judgement before on me have been fellow americans. Like "we don't have a culture and refuse to learn about our heritage because we're colonizers." Just the wokest stuff I've ever heard. I just don't get it.

[NamerOfStars]

As you've said: they're the "wokest" people you've ever met. Do you know the history of Ireland? It's a point-by-point refutation pretty much every theory those people espouse. The history of the Irish in America is, if anything, even WORSE from their point of view. Such people are, for genealogical purposes, safely ignored.

The Irish in Ireland will only be annoyed if you claim kinship with them without knowing anything about the country beyond what Hollywood tells you (many Europeans don't understand how American culture works, and don't realize that the distinction between ethnicity and culture has different meanings here than it does in the rest of the world). Go beyond Guinness and shamrocks and Saint Patrick, and you'll find them perfectly friendly people.

[Levin]

They're Irish. Hardly an agreeable lot. Even less agreeable than the Scottish, which says a lot.

I think you're finding out a lot about your culture, your Irish ancestry. That if you're ever a disagreeable, miserable git, it's because of the Irishness in you.

[Robert_]

Because there is this believe in America that there are different kind of Americans. But the truth is that even with different immigration backgrounds Americans hardly differ. Culture in America is rather monotone and nothing like as diverse as in Europe. And the American immigrant backgrounds have very little to do with the European backgrounds.

[Jamie05rhs]

I think the Irish probably get tired of everyone appropriating them (even if those people are actually ethnically Irish.). Like, I have Irish ancestry and I do claim it sometimes, modestly, but I try not to be obnoxious about it.

[Sparkie460]

I think it just depends on the people that you talk to. I'm a mixture of German and Irish, among other things. I've also done the same investigating years ago. If that person has a problem with what you are doing, ignore them and move on.