Dominque DiFalco

The wildly popular blog, Humans of New York, was started by Brandon Stanton in 2010 in an effort to capture the diversity of citizens in the “Big Apple.”   Going off of this idea, I created this version called “Irish Americans of UC,” showcasing the students of the University of Cincinnati and how they think about their heritage in their daily lives.

As a university by the numbers, 21.1% of students at the University of Cincinnati are classified as minorities.  Students of color comprise 17% of the population and first-generation students are 21% of the UC population.  But beyond these categories, what makes a campus diverse? What constitutes true diversity?

Throughout the Honors seminar on “The Irish in America,” we have discussed the differences between race, ethnicity, and culture and the different effects these identifiers have on the way we classify people. That’s why, when conducting the short interviews with students and one faculty member, I focused on heritage rather than race or ethnicity.

Heritage, by definition, is “property that is or may be inherited.”  This definition, and the idea of passing on tradition, is evident in many of the students’ answers. Maybe they don’t have “traditionally” Irish names or fit the stereotype so commonly associated with the idea of being Irish, but because of the humanness of passing and receiving throughout generations, each student’s answer to the question “What does your Irish heritage mean to you?” is unique and personal, much like the families they represent.

The Interviews

“My Irish roots mean that I am a part of a unique group that together shares a tremendous amount of pride for our ancestry.” – Kaitlin C.

~

I appreciate the optimism passed down to me in my Irish heritage. Whether it be the social aspect of life in which I sit down at the pub and chat with a stranger over a pint, or the cheerful well-wishes of the age old “Irish Blessing.”” – Kitty D.

~

“It means that my mom sometimes makes Irish soda bread.” – Jack H.

 ~

“The part of me that’s Irish means a lot because it’s my dad’s grandma and she died when I was younger […] so anything Irish makes me feel connected to her even though she’s not here anymore.” – Annie M.

 ~

“My Irish roots are very important to me because my grandma is Irish and […] it is very sentimental to me that I hold a piece of her in me.” – Danielle A.

 ~

“My Irish roots are really interesting to me because being an African-American it’s cool to see […] the other parts of my heritage and it has actually had enough influence to have my middle name be O’Brian.” – Chandler R.

 ~

“The biggest thing […] is the importance of faith and emphasis on family that’s has […] been a part of what we do.” – Will K.

 ~

“My Irish heritage is important to me because I got a clover tattoo.” – Kaitlyn L.

~

“My Irish heritage means a lot to my family [because] my whole dad’s side of my family is very, very Irish. My grandma’s last name was MacNamara and a big thing for my family is just getting together and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and our heritage. […] Most of the time we have our family get togethers we have a lot of Irish food and it’s just a happy background within our family. It helps bring us together and we love to celebrate it.” – Sydney S.

 ~

“I think I’m part Irish. The story goes that my great-great-grandfather and grandmother came from Ireland. You know, it’s never been a big part of my identity because I know for a fact that I’m definitely Polish and to a greater extent than I am Irish.” – Matt B.

 ~

“My Irish heritage means to me that I enjoy having a nice, tall pint of classy beer and dancing to a good ol’ Irish jig.” – Hunter B.

~

“To me my Irish heritage means a connection to a deeper culture than my current one.” – Megan D.

~

“To me, it has a lot of do with […] the Catholic side of our family. My grandmother is Italian Catholic, but my grandfather is very, very Irish so growing up with learning about that part of my family is where my heritage informs me.” – Ryan. D

 ~

“When I think of my Irish heritage, I think of my grandma who is very Irish. She always stood up to my grandpa’s sisters who said she need to work in the house and she thought ‘I don’t like that. That’s stupid.” – Sammy B.

 ~

“My Irish heritage is not too close to my life because the Irish heritage in me is from Illinois and I don’t see them very much. I guess that kind of contributes to the whole Irish diaspora thing, like it was just in my dad to move out of Illinois and go to Ohio. Even though I’m not close to them, when we’re together, we’re still very close and we miss each other a lot when we’re away.” – Michelle C.

 ~

“So I think my Irish heritage is a little bit more of my family’s cultural practices rather than actual percentage Irish. So my father’s grandmother immigrated from Ireland, she was actually on the Lusitania, that famous World War I boat that sank, and then my father’s grandfather is also from Ireland, so he is very Irish, about 50% Irish. But his whole family, they are very into corned beef and cabbage, we all wear Claddaghs, I have a Claddagh necklace that I got for my 18th birthday, I wear a Claddagh ring every single day, so I think it’s more about that cultural pride. Also, living on the Jersey shore there is a very, very high Irish population, so things like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, we would do a Parade on the Boardwalk, and everyone wears green, and drinks Guinness, and everyone’s Irish for the day, but we feel really special because we’re actually Irish. Even my older brother has a tattoo of a giant shamrock, so clearly it’s important to him as well.” – Erin M.

 ~

“My Irish heritage is important because it has been a huge thing in my family ever since I was born. My grandparents are really Irish and my dad has six siblings and they all have really Irish names, and my last name is all over Ireland. We have been wanting to go to Ireland for a really long time just to see our culture set in place. On St. Patrick’s Day my entire family gets together, it’s the biggest deal. Everything my grandmother owned had shamrocks on it. My aunt will only text green hearts and green shamrocks at the end of everything she sends. They’re just really into their Irish blood and it’s been a huge thing in our beliefs and values ever since I was little.” – Katie B.

~

What does my heritage mean to me? My heritage means I come from a long line of people who have learned to fight and prosper regardless of what life throws at them. My heritage means I am one of millions who is proud to come from one of the most beautiful and prosperous countries in the world. My heritage means I am Irish, and I’m American, and I do not need to compromise one to be proud of the other. – Dominique DiFalco


Sources:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/heritage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell_Grant

https://www.uc.edu/inclusion/latest/diversitydata.html

http://www.humansofnewyork.com/about