Most white British are really of Irish ancestry.

Sceala Philosopher Location: Kilkenny

Has to be the case if these reports are true.
I have a question then! How did the Irish lose their voting power in England?

Most white British are Irish or part Irish

Nearly 50% of those in Britain surveyed claimed to be at least part Irish.

Fourteen million Britons claim to have Irish roots
One in four Britons claim to have Irish background, a new survey suggests.
14 million Britons or 24% of the population have more than a passing interest in the St Patrick's Day festivities.

The desire to be Irish is most prevalent among young people. Almost half (42%) of those in the 18-34 category claim to have Irish ancestry.

Over 50% of the population of Britain claiming Irish roots, is very likely true.
Not just the stereotype Irish laborers of the early 19th Century who came to Britain to work on the canals, known as Irish Navvys.
During the first half of the 19th Century, the Irish made up the majority population in the two Islands, this was so up to before the potato famine.
During the great hunger and for decades after, Millions of Irish were forced to leave Ireland and many ended up in different parts of Britain.
The Irish were the majority in the British army and navy of the 19th Century and for much of the 18th Century.

We can assume that at least as many Irish ended up in Britain as they did the USA, the passage to Britain being so much easier than it was to America, this has to be the case. So consider then, that the USA now has well over 40 million who have Irish connections, and claim Irish and Ireland as their primary family cultural influence.
On a comparison of Irish in America and Britain, this would suggest their would be very few white people now classed as British who were not in fact either mostly or part Irish.

So how come the Irish in Britain are less well known?

Remember by this period the Irish were being encouraged to Anglicize their surnames and to no longer speak their own language and to speak English.
So someone in Britain today called White or Fox or Brown or Smith or many another Anglicized past Irish name, may well be completely unaware of their past Irish connections, unaware that their ancestor was Irish and had changed their surname, or more likely some British official changed it for them.

Remember too, how unlike the Irish in the USA, the Irish in Britain were actively discriminated against for a much longer period of time, continuously for centuries right through to the end of the 20th Century. Historically unlike the Irish in the USA, the Irish in Britain would have generally been more encouraged to forget their links to Ireland and their own Irish ancestors .

Thankfully more and more in Britain are now reclaiming their Irish ancestors and roots in Ireland.

Irish ancestry

The highest concentration is in London where more than three-quarters (77%) claim to have Irish roots.

Michael Coughlan, the editor of Ri-Ra, an Irish cultural magazine in London, said: "It has a lot to do with identity and culture. Irish culture - perpetuated through music, dance and literature - is a very vibrant one.

"Young Londoners are attracted to this as many perceive themselves as having no identifiable culture of their own."

A quarter of all Scots said they owed their ancestry to Ireland, while less than one in six (15%) in Wales said they had Irish roots.

The survey, carried out by Guinness and ICM Research, is a major fillip for a 'Be Irish, Be Counted' campaign for this year's census, which will have an Irish tickbox for the first time.

St Patrick's Day parade
Parades in Birmingham and London have been a huge success

Various Irish organisations in Britain are urging those of Irish background to declare their ethnic identity in the survey.

Campaigners said the census question relates to ethnic identity rather than nationality and those who consider themselves British, but have Irish roots can still tick the Irish box in the census.

Sean Hutton, of the Federation of Irish Societies, told The Irish Post: "What is important, from the point of view of the census, is whether people regard themselves as of Irish 'cultural background' (the actual terminology of the Ethnic Group Question) or not."

He said the census was not just a matter of head counts, but was vital in formulating government policy for the next 10 years and targeting support especially at the large number of disadvantaged, elderly Irish people in Britain.

"Census data plays an important role in policy formation, so we need to secure good data to raise the particular profile of Irish performance and need in Britain," he said.

Irish in Britain.
A third of people living across the United Kingdom are of Irish ancestry

In the independent survey commissioned by Rankin Selection Irish Breads, nearly half of all English, Scottish and Welsh people questioned said they would prefer to be Irish, after their own nationality.

Welsh emerged as the least popular with only 13% choosing it, while English was just in front with 14%. Scottish came second with a modest 29%.

A mutual love between the Irish and Scottish was also revealed with 58% of Scottish people choosing to be Irish and 72% of Irish people opting to be Scottish.

Biggest fans of Ireland were the younger generation, with 52% of 16-24 year olds nominating Irish as their preferred nationality, compared to 36% of 55+ year olds.

The survey which was conducted across Britain and Ireland, also revealed that 80% of respondents put St Patrick’s Day ahead of their own patriotic days,
In England just 13% nominated St George’s Day as most important, while St Andrew’s and St David’s Days got 5% and only 3% respectively.

Register

The Irish Community have posted
15 REPLIES TO THIS TOPIC
for logged in members to view.

Irish Forums Message Discussion :: Most white British are really of Irish ancestry.

Most white British are really of Irish ancestry.