Interesting email from an Irish fellow about Irish kilts.

[MacWage]

http://www.somebody.to/irishkiltclub.htm

From that site:
"-Last updated 15/2/04-"

Highly Active, that one is.

[Mr. MacDougall]

http://www.somebody.to/irishkiltclub.htm

Hey, that's cool... another club to join.

[BEEDEE]

So there really is an Irish Kilt Police?

Brian

[Jerry]

My grandparents, my father and my uncles were all born in the County Tyrone area of Northern Ireland, so I am only one generation away from there. I don't claim to be Irish, but I do respect and honor my roots. That is even though I've been told by The Irish American Society that my family is really Scottish. Sadly, with the passing of my last uncle in 2002, I lost all contact with any remaining relatives still there.

[Big Mikey]

Hey Al, no worries. I think that fellow falls into the farts and opinions category........you know what I mean: sooner or later every a*****e lets one out!!

[Marshal Moroni]

Until I read this post I hadn't heard the term "plastic" for a very long time. Kind off reminded me of the old Rowan and Martin Laugh-In TV show, mayhaps you remember...."Plastic hippies have no bippies!"

I wear a kilt mostly, because I like it. And I recently discovered how many very cool positive comments a fellow can get. A wonderful conversation starter. And just plain fun. It does honor some of my roots, but honestly, I am at least 7 generations removed from the "old Country", its far enough that I'm not sure if its Scotland or Ireland.

Stay Kilted, Live Longer (or something like that)

Cheers,

[slohairt]

Well, time for me, as an Irish citizen, to weigh in, I suppose!

I'm embarrassed to say, those are certainly the prevailing attitudes in Ireland right now. Even in Northern Ireland, where he is actually from. The irony of him bashing Irish Americans whilst staying in Ohio is not lost on me, either. Presumably he may himself become an Irish-American one day, or least some of his host relatives already are!

You'll find too, that many young Irish people are not aware of their culture themselves nor the special connection they have to the Irish diaspora. The older generation is more in tune with culture and have many relatives abroad. Many of these oldtimers remember strong displays of Irish nationalism, such as wearing saffron kilts, etc. No such displays occur today, really. That generation has died off. You still see that sort of thing in Northern Ireland as a show of Republican support, but that's about it. Perhaps therein lies his reaction. He may be of Unionist affiliations; people who traditionally didn't like many displays of Irish culture, whatever its form.

Historically, the Irish-American community had done much to achieve Ireland's independence, through funds and other support. Perhaps some of these people need to be reminded that Éamon de Valera was Irish-American! (He was born in New York City to a Spanish father and an Irish mother.) Many Irish patriots weren't born in Ireland. James Connolly was born in Scotland, Patrick Pearse's father was an English stonemason, Thomas Clarke was born on the Isle of Wight, Constance Markiewicz was born in England, Eamon Bulfin was born in Argentina, Liam Mellows was born in Manchester, the list goes on. In fact, the Irish word for Irish American is Gael Meiriceánach which literally means American Gael.

[Riverkilt]

Boy, I'm with Slohairt,

Exactly whom does an Irish pub in Ohio cater to???

Cracks me up....

Get a life guy,

Ron,
Six Great Grandson of Matthew Taft from County Louth.

[Pour1Malt]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

IRONY, i·ro·ny1 /ˈaɪrəni, ˈaɪər-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ahy-ruh-nee, ahy-er-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -nies.
1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: example: a Northern Irishman living and working in an Irish-American Pub, in Ohio, complaining about Irish-Americans patronizing said "Plastic Irish "Pub in Irish Kilts created in Scotland for Irish Americans.......

reminds me o' an auld comic bit--

"is that fella an oxymoron?"

"nay, he's jus' a moron!"

[McClef]

He may well have a point about the Irish tartans being designed and woven in Scotland but he's wrong about them being laughed at.

I had very good reactions to my County Antrim on my recent trip to Ireland and Gregory hasn't had bad reactions from the natives as opposed to one Australian.

He doesn't seem to have a good understanding of the Irish Diaspora nor seemingly of the strong ties and connections with Scotland that can be found in Northern Ireland.