Been on the bleachers for most of this but just, plain admire and respect the Irish- seems to me in our tapestry, ' America ' theirs is one of the most vibrant patterns. We'd be flatbread without them. And badly needed. We WASPS have a way of graying down landscapes given time and leeway. Goodness knows the Native American influence was rejected, most pretended our African American citizens were not really here and our Germans understandably developed their own communities, mostly.
Someone better than me at this will have to say why but it's always seemed to me the Irish fought- through whichever injustice came their way because it was what they did. Please no one scoff, am pretty convinced on this- just because it may not make sense sociologically doesn't mean you can't observe it. Whether an innate sense of dignity or place in the world- something. Always felt Shaara was onto something when Buster said what he did, " It's the aristocracy I'm after ", and why.
When our Molly Maguires here in Schuylkill County resisted, with deepest conviction and their lives, an aristocracy as pervasive as it was unjust, no, other segment of the population, equally oppressed had been able to muster that voice. It was sneered at all the way to Washington and they had no support- or little. Died rather than shushed.
I don't know. Agree hugely, you just cannot stuff everyone into the same cubbyhole, of course you cannot. The Irish, rich and poor seem to have hit these shores with an energy we hadn't seen and which I'm describing poorly. But possibly contributes to ' why they fought '.