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)

Quiz: How Irish Are You?

1. You decorate your Christmas tree on…

a. the first of December

b. sometime in the middle of December

c. on Christmas eve

2. The meaning of The Irish Claddagh ring is:

a. friendship

b. loyalty

c. love

d. all of the above

3. St. Patrick’s Day celebrates which of the following:

a. the day St. Patrick died

b. the day St. Patrick was born

c. the day St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland

4. A shillelagh is…

a. a wooden pipe

b. a leperachaun’s outfit

c. shot, stout, oak club

5. Erin go bragh means…

a. Please get me my hat

b. Ireland Forever

c. A little leprechaun

6. Sláinte is a famous…

a. cheer

b. movie star

c. type of clothing