It just occurred to me that some people reading this post might imagine that my claim to Irish ethnicity was frivolous and unfounded. After all, I'm a German-American living in England - where does the Irish come in?
Well, my mother's parents were of Irish descent: my grandfather was educated in Tipperary (his family farmed the land around Roscrea for generations - until the potato famine came along) and my maternal grandmother's family were from County Mayo.
So I don't think my purported ethnicity is at issue. Hey, I'm even wondering if I could get an Irish passport - it's safer for international travel.
At least it used to be.
