Chapter 7: Recognizing Being ‘Irish’

This chapter details the process of recognizing the Irish as discussed by participants. It differentiates between the ability to call oneself Irish or self-subscribe as Irish in comparison to ascribing Irishness onto a subject as an ‘insider’. Both are seen as affording the ‘insider’ or ‘native’ a position of privilege that conversely disempowers by externalizing an alternative subject as ‘outsider’ or ‘part-outsider’ and as the ‘newcomer’.

One mechanism that is alluded to in achieving this emerges in the conversation: there is evidence of a nuanced contrast between being ‘Irish’ and being or becoming an Irish citizen. Moreover, a subtle classificatory distinction is evidenced whereby a person is either recognized as ‘being Irish’, or in contrast, ‘being an Irish citizen’. The lingual distinction made implies an imbalanced power dynamic between both within social interaction. Yet, for all intents and purposes, legally they are both analogous, with both sharing equal claim to the benefits of the state such as the provision of an Irish passport.