You perhaps mean that the Anglican Ascendancy was English. (Although don't forget about those converted landlords.) Even at that, I seem to recall that there were some "renegade" Anglicans in Wolfe Tone's entourage (a la Russia's "penitent nobles").
But more to the point -- just what are you going to do with the Scotch-Irish?? They aren't English, but Celts -- Gaels -- like the Irish. But they are Protestant, which, in your definition (or the definition of your bigoted acquaintances --nihil is right about that), means they are ineligible to be considered Irish. So -- what are they? After living in Ireland over three centuries, they are still Scots? Or have become English, by default?
Why not do the same thing for the English? The only true Englishman, then, is of -- well, let's say -- Jute descent. No, that's too stringent. Let's broaden it, and make it Anglo-Saxon. No members of the Norman Elite need apply! Any English literature written by a descendant of the Norman elite is really French or Norwegian or whatever. And while we're at it, let us point out that you can't really be English unless you are properly Church of England. So, all those John Bunyans & D. H. Lawrences and so forth (not to speak of the Evelyn Waughs & their ilk) were really not writing English Literature either.....
You see how silly it is to hold the Irish to a different standard, even if some Irish folks themselves are goofy (and prejudiced) enough to do it..
Joan
An Anglo-Irish American |
