sockgumbee
a reputation for social justice
Senior member
Posts: 325
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« on: January 27, 2008, 05:48:37 PM » |
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Since the Irish and their history of abjection under the English is a hot topic for some forumites, I believe it's apt to start a thread so we can really get at how important this is to current issues of diversity in the workplace.
I know a bit about the history of the Irish on the North American continent and Irish-Americans. However I am not conversant in the bigger, longer picture of Irish history nor how this translates to workplace diversity today. So I started this thread. I look forwarded to being educated by those who know more than I.
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"How come they didn't name Pluto's moon Goofy?"
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,568
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2008, 06:39:24 PM » |
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You are looking for book recommendations?
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samspade
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« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2008, 07:31:37 PM » |
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We Irish-Americans are known for our love of whiskey, U2, and Notre Dame football. According to Hollywood, we are prone to careers in law reinforcement, the priesthood, the U.S. cavalry, and as town drunks. When depressed, we uniformly begin whistling "Danny Boy." And at home next to pictures of Jesus Christ, we have large portraits of John F. Kennedy.
If you want to know more about us Irish, make sure you ask before 5 o'clock. After that, I can't guarantee our sobriety.
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dr_stones
We broke a six-pack in the store to get just one
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 5,445
пошлите законоведами пушки и деньг
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« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2008, 07:51:43 PM » |
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We Irish-Americans are known for our love of whiskey, U2, and Notre Dame football. According to Hollywood, we are prone to careers in law reinforcement, the priesthood, the U.S. cavalry, and as town drunks. When depressed, we uniformly begin whistling "Danny Boy." And at home next to pictures of Jesus Christ, we have large portraits of John F. Kennedy.
If you want to know more about us Irish, make sure you ask before 5 o'clock. After that, I can't guarantee our sobriety.
Don't forget that we are also all gun-runners, philanderers, political machinists, and we marry domineering matriarchal types who hang out with us at the local pub, downing pints and throwing darts. And we cross ourselves all the time. |
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"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Samuel "Steroid Free" Clemens
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kaysixteen
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« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2008, 07:52:23 PM » |
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Millions of Americans of Irish descent, not just Scotch-Irish, too, are protestants living in the South, too.
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dr_stones
We broke a six-pack in the store to get just one
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 5,445
пошлите законоведами пушки и деньг
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« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2008, 08:00:56 PM » |
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Millions of Americans of Irish descent, not just Scotch-Irish, too, are protestants living in the South, too.
David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed, FYI. |
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"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Samuel "Steroid Free" Clemens
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kaysixteen
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« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2008, 08:02:30 PM » |
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Fischer is clearly a great source for this, but one can also tell alot just by reading the names of the artists who record 'country music'.
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samspade
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« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2008, 08:21:27 PM » |
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Well as me ole pappy use to say, there are no Irish Protestants. Just a bunch of Scotsmen whom the English imported to steal our land.
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magistra
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« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2008, 08:24:32 PM » |
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The Irish in the South -- Scarlett O'Hara, of course, embodies them. Tara? Get it?
And what's that saying? There are two kinds of Irish - lace-curtain Irish and shanty Irish. The difference is, the lace-curtain Irish move the dishes in the sink before they piss in it...
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First it was Wolfram and Hart, now it's Blackboard. There's not much moral difference, if you ask me. -- Malcha
Grammar is the chocolate in the buttery croissant of life. -- Yellowtractor
Okay, so that was petty. Today, I feel like embracing pettiness. -- Mended Drum
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scheherazade
1/3 of the Triumvirate of Evil and the Most Delicious
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,109
Running feminist prostitution rings since 1998
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« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2008, 09:04:09 AM » |
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I can't for the life of me see how Irish-Americans would be considered a diversity issue in today's US workplace. There's a million-gazillion Irish-Americans in the US today, assimilated for generations.
If you want to know more about the history of Ireland, well, there's more books than I can list. I ended up working my way from the Troubles backwards, so I went about it a bit differently than most. But certainly if you want a safe background outline, The Oxford History of Ireland would work. Read up on the Norman invasions, Henry II, the Penal Laws, the Famine(s), Brian Boru (OK, he's just fun), the Plantation...there's a lot there. I also recommend reading up a bit on Ireland before the English invaded - it's good context for why the Irish responded to the English as they did and what, precisely, the English destroyed.
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You historians disturb me sometimes. |
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prytania3
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« Reply #10 on: January 28, 2008, 09:11:09 AM » |
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The Irish in the South -- Scarlett O'Hara, of course, embodies them. Tara? Get it?
And what's that saying? There are two kinds of Irish - lace-curtain Irish and shanty Irish. The difference is, the lace-curtain Irish move the dishes in the sink before they piss in it...
Scarlett was Catholic, though. She wasn't Protestant. |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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dr_stones
We broke a six-pack in the store to get just one
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 5,445
пошлите законоведами пушки и деньг
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« Reply #11 on: January 28, 2008, 01:24:02 PM » |
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The Irish in the South -- Scarlett O'Hara, of course, embodies them. Tara? Get it?
And what's that saying? There are two kinds of Irish - lace-curtain Irish and shanty Irish. The difference is, the lace-curtain Irish move the dishes in the sink before they piss in it...
Scarlett was Catholic, though. She wasn't Protestant. There is a wonderful description of her mother holding communion and mass in the novel ... |
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"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Samuel "Steroid Free" Clemens
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,568
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2008, 01:36:54 PM » |
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Discrimination against the Irish is so rampant in this country that sometimes Ted Kennedy cannot get over served in a restaurant.
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secretweapon
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« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2008, 01:47:52 PM » |
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Oh dear oh dear... Sockgumbee, do you want serious academic work on Irish-Americans? or Irish history? They are two distinct fields. When you are looking for information on the topic it is all too easy to stumble into glorified-genealogy-and-fairy-tales-'bout-dem-wee-people-oh-and-the-IRA. You get a very skewed view of history on that route.
As to whether Irish-Americans constitute an ethnic group that deserves special consideration in HR policies, I would generally say no. Although, Magistra's comment makes me wonder if there is latent anti-Irishism in American society. I generally think not.
PM me for more info.
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If you want a cookie, bake a cookie.
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helpful
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« Reply #14 on: January 28, 2008, 01:50:33 PM » |
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A great book on the history of the Irish in America is How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev. Quite provocative history.
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