Famous Irish Americans

St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday celebrated in not only Ireland, but many other countries as well. It is a feast day in which Saint Patrick, the most well known patron saint of Ireland, is honored. Some may wonder why our country celebrates an Irish holiday, even though there aren’t many Irish-Americans in the U.S. If you think that there is a small Irish population in the U.S., think again. Did you know that there are 34.5 million U.S. residents who claim to be of Irish ancestry? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Irish is the United States’ second most frequently reported ancestry (German is the leading ancestry). In addition, 12% of the nation comes from Irish ancestry. There are many famous people in our society that you wouldn’t have guessed are Irish. Here is a list of only a few of the thousands of famous Irish-Americans:

Entertainment Industry

George Clooney

Mel Gibson

Mariah Carey

Walt Disney

Conan O’Brien

Christina Aguilera

Political Figures

John F. Kennedy

Joseph Biden

Ronald Reagan

Business

Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motor Company)

Jonas Brothers World Tour

The only thing better than a Jonas Brothers concert is…well, nothing really!  This world-famous band made a stop at the HP Pavilion August 3 on their first ever world tour.  Pulling out all the stops, this concert featured a rotating in-the-round stage and intense effects which kept the crowd excited and energized for hours.  With opening acts like Honor Society and Jordin Sparks, as well as the Wondergirls from Korea, fans were treated to an amazing show even before their idols came onstage.

Opening with their hit single “Paranoid,” the brothers played all of their old favorites as well as songs from their new album Lines, Vines, and Trying Times, which was released in June.  New effects included an enormous water screen which rained from the ceiling and a trampoline stretched across the stage on which Kevin performed a flip with his guitar.  A giant disco ball made an appearance during “Much Better,” and Joe and Kevin sprayed the audience with foam while Nick sang at the piano.

Typical Jonas attire was sported; the fashionable rock-star preppy style kept them looking classy.  And yes, the skinny jeans are back.  Kevin also donned a raincoat for his trip under the water screen.

There seemed to be less audience interaction in this tour as the Jonas Brothers focused on running through dozens of numbers with new effects and video screens, which ran the “When You Look Me in the Eyes” music video during the song, as well as special images that enhanced songs like “Poison Ivy.”  However, Nick did tell the audience “You are my inspiration” during his performance of “A Little Bit Longer.”

This highly anticipated concert definitely lived up to expectations; just ask any of the screaming girls.  Personally, I enjoyed their previous concert because of the outdoor aspect and enthusiastic audience, but the world tour was by no means short of excellent.  From the amazing effects to the beautiful “A Little Bit Longer”/ “Black Keys” medley and the Jonas Brothers’ own rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” every second was exciting and memorable.

The Jonas Brothers continue to deliver family-friendly performances as they have always done.  Although the brothers recently hosted the Teen Choice Awards, the concert was totally appropriate with a complete absence of pole-dancing, unlike other Disney channel stars (need we say Miley Cyrus?).

When “Burnin’ Up” was performed as the grand finale, everyone was sorry to see the concert end.  Once again the Jonas Brothers have managed to deliver a talented and spectacular performance for all their fans.  I couldn’t have wished for a better way to end my summer, but maybe next time I can win the meet and greet passes!