Ireland the Irresistible!

Ireland. The Emerald Isle. The home of St. Patrick, leprechauns, the Troubles, and the seminal drunks stereotype. As Megan Mullally's character says in The Kings of Summer: "The Irish are the blacks of Europe." Now me, I have never seen Ireland. I must stress that outright. But I am Irish Australian, and I am tremendously proud of my ancestry. Read on to discover why.


I'd planned to do this entry on St. Patrick's Day itself, but I got sidetracked from writing it prior. Anyway, I'm doing it now. There's no doubt the Irish have done some awful things to each other and their neighbours, throughout history. But what nationality hasn't? We have lingered through the potato famine, the Troubles from the 1970s onwards as I said, the horrors of leprechauns (if they exist) , and yes, let's face it, widespread alcoholism (though I know not all Irish love the sauce). Hell, even the IRA's actions. If we can endure any of those, we should never be counted out.

Ireland has also become a booming hub for cultural traditions and pop culture phenomena. Halloween might be synonymous with America today but it originated with the Celts. From the 1800s writers like Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw in the global spotlight, and contemporaries like Monica McInerney are very much keeping it there. Daniel Day-Lews (a duel British and Irish citizen) is the only man to win three Oscars as Best Actor in a Leading Role. Game of Thrones, the most honoured show in Emmys history, is exclusively filmed in Ireland. It's even become a big international music scene as it's produced acts like Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Enya, Thin Lizzy, the Script, the Corrs, Westlife, Boyzone and, of course, U2, the most honoured band in Grammys history, and probably the best European band since the '70s. (However, sadly another Irish musician is One Direction's Niall Horan.)



I would fucking love a shirt with an Irish flag design. I guarantee I would wear it constantly and proudly. And while I don't hate them so much as the institution they have, I want the English flag removed from Australia's. You can't choose your ancestry but even if you could, I would still have chosen mine. Long live Ireland!