Irish-American Month

With St. Patrick's Day coming on March 17th, it's no surprise that March is National Irish-American Month. The Irish have made up a large percentage of immigrants coming to America over our history. In ten years from 1820 to 1830, it's estimated that 4.5 million came, and by 1860, nearly one-third of all immigrants to the United States were Irish. 

I've always loved the Irish sense of humor and their ability to laugh at themselves. When I began traveling abroad, Ireland was one of the first places I visited, and I could definitely live there. I was amused when a lady asked me where I was from, maybe Australia. When I told her I was from the States, she replied, "Oh, but you have a much nicer accent than most Americans." She liked my Southern drawl. Perhaps she heard a bit of an Irish lilt there.

For our anniversary last year, my husband and I gave each other a DNA test to learn the countries our ancestors came from. I was 34.6 percent Irish, Scottish, and Welsh and 48.2 percent English. Jim was 21.6 percent Irish, Scottish, and Welsh and 73.7 percent English. It's no wonder I've included a lot of Irish or Irish-Americans in my novels. They're a part of me.

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