St. Patrick's Legacy
I have often joked that my ethnicity is Ohio Redneck. Many of you have a shared a laugh with me as I’ve said it. That’s partially true. The best answer would be that my ethnicity is Appalachian, but before that: My family tree can be traced back to Ireland, Scotland, Germany, with a Native American. I still claim the Ohio Redneck, but the majority of my Heinz 57ness is Irish. I often say I come from a long line of Irish story tellers: That my destiny was found somewhere in my genetic code. (grin) Somewhere in my stacks of papers I can find the shipping manifest of where my grandfather’s father (I believe it may be an extra generation back) emigrated from Ireland. Within my cultural code, Ireland is the culture I find I most identify with, though I have a few German/Indian moments. One of these days I’d love to visit the country. ...