THE (BRITISH) EMPIRE STRIKES BACK : Begorrah hyphen Beejabers
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People of America, we, the people of Great Britain have a question that you, and only you can answer.
Why were so many police officers in New York – and possibly other places, I have no idea – Irish?
We are curious. The question has long been fermenting in many minds over here, at least since the advent of television and the St Patricks day parade could be viewed.
Now don’t get me wrong. Personally I love the Irish dearly. For some inexplicable reason many past girl friends were of Irish decent. Kathy McGuire, Teresa O’Brien, Jacky O’Mara to name but three of many.
My grandfather, normally a mellow chap, had a deep and, for me, puzzling antipathy towards the Irish and was not overly impressed with my choice of girlfriends until I brought a lovely American girl home. Out of courtesy to him and a desire to not upset him further I avoided letting him know she was actually Irish (hyphen) American
But I digress as I am apt to do.
It appears that no sooner were the original Irish immigrants to your land off the boat than they were pressed into a nice police uniform as if it was the most natural thing in the world to appoint a race (possibly unfairly I grant you ) renowned for drunken brawling and using worrying methods for settling local disputes. Knee capping springs to mind.
Yet, these Micks and Paddys and Seamus’s were given the task of being the custodians of law and order.
I’m led to believe by an Irish (hyphen) American friend that they were damn good at it too.
I think he meant maintaining law and order rather than drunken brawling and knee capping. Well I hope he did anyway.
So, people of America. That is the question Britain seeks to have addressed today.
Why were the Irish considered the most suitable for the role of police officers, and is it still the case today?
(I need to know this due my impending trip to Ann Arbor and Memphis to ensure I don’t inadvertantly tell a funny Irish joke only to have a police baton pushed where police baton’s shouldn’t go)
And may I take this opportunity to wish all Irish men and women around the globe, with particular emphasis on Irish (hyphen) Americans, a bloody marvellous St. Patricks Day on the 17th March.
I will be scouring SKY in search of a channel showing some of the excellent parades as I quaff my chilled Guinness bought especially for the occasion!
Until next Sunday, I leave you with a stiff upper lip and an Irish quotation….
“If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, then you’re lucky enough.”
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Madmike,
chill their Guiness
Well, it’s usually served not hot nor ice cold either. Criminal to serve it ice cold, so I was told.
One great virtue of the Irish is their fantastic ability to weave an lovely Blarney yarn. 🙂
Hahahahah! Pleased with this post, old chap. I too love the Irish dearly especially when they are sober.
Why were so many police officers in New York — and possibly other places, I have no idea — Irish?
Hmmm… Not sure about suitability “for the role of police officers,”… 🙂 But, xcellent question well put, my fellow Britisher, excellent question well put.
Anyway, I too would like to know.
Gee! Doesn’t EVERYONE chill their Guiness 🙂 🙂
you chill your guinness? heathen!
what? you expect me to comment on anything else after you write THAT? wrong, wrong wrong.
They were great fighters too, a battalion from the US Army crossed over and fought on the (Catholic) Mexican side during the US-Mexican War. General Santa Ana said the Irish were his best troops.
I think Infidel is right. Being a cop or a fireman was the only kind of work the Irish could find when they first began settling in Boston and New York. There was so much prejudice against them (still is in some areas) and most people didn’t want to risk their lives in the line of duty.
Traditions die slowly. My first hubby, a damn nice guy btw, is 2nd generation Irish. Generations later, half the men in his family are either cops or firemen.
God, do these folks know how to party, which is precisely why I don’t go out on St. Patty’s. Actually, it’s really because of all the non-Irish amateurs.
4D dude>>> it’s because they spoke better English than the Italians, who had a different occupation in mind
ciao
xx
ps the Italians are master stonecutters…the Sicialians are master man cutters
An interesting question. If there are so many Irish-American cops, it’s because there are so many Irish-American everything.
Last I checked, Irish is the second-largest descent group in the US, after German (yes, there are more Americans of Irish descent than of English descent!). This is due to the potato famine of the mid-19th century, which drove great numbers of Irish to leave Ireland and immigrate here. The descendants of the groups that immigrated at that time tend to be concentrated in the north-east and Great Lakes areas.
(Ireland had become dependent on potatoes as a staple after potatoes were introduced into Europe by the Spanish, who got them from the Incas. So the reason New York has so many Irish cops is ultimately rooted in the botanical heritage of Peru. Funny how history works out sometimes.)
Partly because of a bias against Catholics, the Irish immigrants here were severely discriminated against (job ads with the phrase “No Irish need apply” were once common).
It has historically been the pattern that ethnic groups which were excluded from the mainstream in such ways tended to break into it first through blue-collar jobs, a category which once included the police. (Though I think most police jobs now require a college degree — inserting those batons properly takes some skill.)
At least here on the west coast, I don’t think most people care about such matters of distant ancestry or even know much about them. Except to those few who obsess about such things, Americans are just Americans. I’ve heard names like Kennedy and Reagan referred to as “Anglo”. In New York or Boston ancestry may still count for a bit more.
Ethnic jokes in general are best avoided in this country. They evoke unpleasant memories.
Oh, and St. Patrick’s day is a huge deal here. Around the office where I work there have been green decorations up for weeks. It makes no difference whether people are of Irish descent or not. It’s an American thing now.
OK! Here’s the deal. Irish immigrants made great cops and still do for all the reasons you mentioned. The number of cops with such heritage, however, has diminished and is most prominent in New York, Boston, and etc. You need not worry about getting bashed in the head by the Irish 🙂