It’s everywhere in Ireland. The phrase “Proud to be Irish”, stretching across tourist keyrings, T-shirts and caps, on St. Patrick’s Day in the crowded streets of Irish towns, on pub signs, or in patriotic songs chanted loud and clear… Let’s face it: in Ireland, patriotic pride does exist. People are proud of their country, attached to its culture, history and identity. But where does this Irish pride come from? Let’s take a look back at why the Irish praise their nationality!
Ireland is a country with a rather troubled history over the centuries. The island has seen war, foreign invasions (Vikings and British), repression of their Gaelic culture, poverty, famine, and forced exodus to the United States in search of a better world. Add to this the Civil War, then the War of Independence in the 20th century, the creation of the Republic of Ireland, and the “loss” of Northern Ireland to the British, and you have a small glimpse of Ireland’s turbulent history…
What’s in it for us? The Irish have been through a lot in their history. There was a lot of conflict, a lot of loss of life… and a state of poverty that only began to disappear in the 90s and 2000s.
This situation led the Irish population to stick together. United in an act of resilience, the majority of the population seem proud of how far they’ve come, and have seen the creation of the Republic of Ireland as an opportunity to reaffirm their values, identity and culture.
That’s why we’re so proud to be Irish.
But beware: this patriotic feeling is not just about the history of the Irish nation. The Irish also like to sell themselves as cheerful, philosophical, party-loving, family-oriented, hard-working and simple.
In this way, they’ve created a kind of typical identity, in which the “average” Irishman possesses a number of human qualities that immediately make him cool and sympathetic to other nationalities!
Added to this, of course, is the pride of living on a magnificent, unspoilt island.
Ireland has turned all this into a brand image. Proud to be Irish” has become not only a patriotic phrase, but also a commercial slogan, contributing to Ireland’s positive cultural and tourist image.
And this image is exported all over the world, even to the United States, where the strong American-Irish community never ceases to claim its Irish identity!
In this way, all Irish folk symbols become patriotic messages, proudly displayed around the world. Green color, leprechaun, harp, sheep, Irish beer, shamrock, green, white and orange tricolor flag… The slogan “Proud to be Irish” is accompanied by many symbols! These symbols have become the emblem of an entire country!
Although Irish symbols are fairly recurrent throughout the year, they pale in comparison to March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. This national holiday is a time of excess for the Irish. Festive excesses with just one aim: to proclaim loud and clear that they belong to Ireland, to celebrate its history, its identity and its people!
St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland (and the USA) is also one of the must-do experiences if you want to get up close and personal with the Irish people. The icing on the cake: the Irish welcome everyone on this day! No matter what your nationality, whether you’re Irish or not: the locals welcome with open arms all those who wish to celebrate Ireland with them! A superb state of mind, which usually results in memorable parties!
