As an American who’s always wondering about the subject matter addressed in this article, I need to say, ‘thank you’ for this little bit of insight. My grandparents emigrated to the US around the turn of the nineteenth century, attempting to escape the second famine and find a new life in the USA. My mother’s people were from Tipperary and my father’s from Cork! I never really knew any of my grandparents, which didn’t really matter as it apples to this discussion since they considered everything about themselves to be a deeply held secret. Such things were never discussed. As to my parents, they spent most of their lives - children of the Great Depression, as part of what was once termed, ‘the greatest generation’, always trying and failing to keep anyone from knowing that they were, ‘shanty Irish’. This is a long way (is there any other?) of thanking you, as I’ve always wondered how the Brits view the Irish amongst them just as much as I wonder how the Irish view their Centuries-long keepers. Once again, thanks to you.
of course from your I guessed you must be Irish American, Your grandparents silence doesn't suprise me, previous generations seem to have dealt with trauma by bottling it up while today we let it all out. Hard to be sure which is better
My Father’s favorite mandate, and incipient warning; “What goes on in this house stays in this house…” usually delivered with my nose in the vice of his two largest knuckles, will always place me with the former camp, and an underlying concern I may have just violated the first rule of the Dwyer household!
ha!!! My parents didn't go quite that far but for the most part didn't do emotions; ok, you've got a touch of fever but you don't have a sucking chest wound or a broken bone so you're going to school
As an American who’s always wondering about the subject matter addressed in this article, I need to say, ‘thank you’ for this little bit of insight. My grandparents emigrated to the US around the turn of the nineteenth century, attempting to escape the second famine and find a new life in the USA. My mother’s people were from Tipperary and my father’s from Cork! I never really knew any of my grandparents, which didn’t really matter as it apples to this discussion since they considered everything about themselves to be a deeply held secret. Such things were never discussed. As to my parents, they spent most of their lives - children of the Great Depression, as part of what was once termed, ‘the greatest generation’, always trying and failing to keep anyone from knowing that they were, ‘shanty Irish’. This is a long way (is there any other?) of thanking you, as I’ve always wondered how the Brits view the Irish amongst them just as much as I wonder how the Irish view their Centuries-long keepers. Once again, thanks to you.
of course from your I guessed you must be Irish American, Your grandparents silence doesn't suprise me, previous generations seem to have dealt with trauma by bottling it up while today we let it all out. Hard to be sure which is better
My Father’s favorite mandate, and incipient warning; “What goes on in this house stays in this house…” usually delivered with my nose in the vice of his two largest knuckles, will always place me with the former camp, and an underlying concern I may have just violated the first rule of the Dwyer household!
ha!!! My parents didn't go quite that far but for the most part didn't do emotions; ok, you've got a touch of fever but you don't have a sucking chest wound or a broken bone so you're going to school