With half my family being full Irish and the other half being full Italian, one would think that I have a mix of very different traditions and cultures. But, this isn’t necessarily true. From an outside perspective, the very different foods and accents could lead one to believe Irish and Italian are very different, but the values and traditions behind each of the cultures are very similar. Both sides are very proud of the culture and where they come from.I wanted to dig deeper and find out why this is.
For a lot of people, hearing the word Irish automatically brings things to mind such as St. Patty’s Day, potatoes, and beer. One may also think of little men with strong accents and pots of gold, but for those of the culture, being Irish brings much more to mind than leprechauns. One of the best descriptions of what being Irish means to those of the culture is actually something from the culture itself, a claddagh ring. The heart shaped ring surrounded by hands and topped with a crown represents love, friendship, and loyalty. I always wore one of these rings but it wasn’t until I dove deeper into my Irish roots did I fully understand its meaning to the culture.
For a lot of people, hearing the word Irish automatically brings things to mind such as St. Patty’s Day, potatoes, and beer. One may also think of little men with strong accents and pots of gold, but for those of the culture, being Irish brings much more to mind than leprechauns. One of the best descriptions of what being Irish means to those of the culture is actually something from the culture itself, a claddagh ring. The heart shaped ring surrounded by hands and topped with a crown represents love, friendship, and loyalty. I always wore one of these rings but it wasn’t until I dove deeper into my Irish roots did I fully understand its meaning to the culture.