I am going to answer this one honestly even though I don’t really have an answer and what I am going to say is just an embarassing embrace of a really dumb stereotype. I apologize to everyone I am about to insult and offend in advance. I truly am sorry for not knowing more about your history and culture and reducing your marvelous heritage down to something silly and stupid. I am so sorry. So very sorry.

My father’s mother’s family came to the United States from Ireland. I think I used to know where in Ireland but I don’t recall at the moment. Was it Clare? It might have been Cork or it might have been Kildare. I don’t recall.

My father’s father’s family came to the United States from Canada, Nova Scotia specifically, but prior to that they were in England. They don’t count for this discussion. Partly because I am not really interested in the English piece of my ancestry, but also because he pissed off in 1950 and my father never saw him again so the hell with that dude. Also, there is some portion of that family that may have come from France. I say that because my name, which is very English, appears to have originated in French. That’s too far back for me to have any real information though, so the French piece doesn’t really enter into the equation at all.

Both of my mother’s parents came from Newfoundland. At the time, Newfie was not technically part of Canada. It was an English protectorate, or something like that. Prior to that, both families were in Ireland. I have no idea where. I’m not sure my mother ever knew exactly where.

When I think of my heritage, I think of Ireland. Unfortunately, I know jack shit about Ireland, or Irish culture. I know that Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher were killer guitar players who are both no longer with us. I know that U2 is a great band even though there have been a couple of phases in their recording career where they went to places that I didn’t want them to go. I know that historically they have been kicked around by their English neighbors. I know that within my lifetime they underwent massive political upheaval that included home grown terrorism. I know that technically they are two nations when they should really be one.

So is there an aspect of my cultural heritage that I am particularly proud of? I don’t think so. I can’t really say either way. It’s embarrassing that I know so little.

No, the thing that I am most proud of is a silly stereotype. I am honestly very proud of this but yeah it is a stereotype when you connect it to Ireland. I’m sorry for this. Truly and seriously.

I am a red head and I am fiercely proud of it. Well… as proud of the color of one’s hair as one can reasonably be. Red hair is generally associated with Ireland, is it not? There are a ton of red heads in Scotland too, from what I hear, but no one ever tried to make fun of me by asking if i was Scottish or not. Nope, it was always har har you have red hair har har are you Irish? Well hells yes I’m Irish, wanna make something of it asshole?

When I was a kid I hated having red hair. I was picked on and teased and hassled and ranked on all the time. It sucked. As I grew up though it turned into something positive. Something other people (people with taste) were jealous of. Hells yes, I am a red head. Don’t you wish you were me?

So when it comes to my Irish heritage, there really isn’t anything culturally that I am particularly proud of. There is that one little insignificant genetic trait though. That one little blip in my DNA that gave me red hair (and amazingly at age 52 I still have it… though there’s a little more grey mixed in every day). I’m pretty freakin’ stoked about that little Irish bit, I tell you.

So again, my apologies to the great people of Ireland for reducing their history and culture and achievements down to the color of my hair. I don’t mean it to be a negative. I don’t mean to be offensive or insulting. I really should know more about where my family came from. Maybe I’ll start doing some research and read a history book or two. Maybe this is just the push I need to broaden my horizons a little.