Introduction
In the modern USA, it becomes harder to define what an Irish American Ethnic identity is and how it should manifest itself (Kenny, 2014). It is especially so for younger generations, as intermarriage and amalgamation of different cultures have led to the dissipation of ethnic lines.
In addition to that, migration from cities and cultural enclaves to suburbs and rural areas, greater participation in the public schools with multiple cultures attending, and a considerable reduction of immigrants from Ireland led to the further decline people of defining themselves as Irish Americans (Kenny, 2014). In the modern-day, while more than thirty-one million Americans have Irish ancestry, but American society as a whole has few associations with them (United States Census Bureau, 2017). Still, despite that, many descendants of those immigrants have their traditions and are proud of being Irish.
Ethic Event
Irish people have been a part of American society for more than two hundred years. Therefore, it is unsurprising that they have been assimilated into the broader American community, integrating into the existing culture and introducing some of their customs into it. While Protestant Irish were quickly accepted by the local population, due to the similar culture of such immigrants, it was harder for the Catholic Irish to adapt, especially with the animosity that brewed between them and English colonists.
This led to the spreading of denigrating stereotypes about the Irish, picturing them as violent drunks and savages that came to attack the local society (Kenny, 2014). Still, despite that, they were still able to mix with the American culture easier than other ethnicities due to having a common ground in language and the Western European legacy. Another point in their favor was their numbers, as they were able to create their communes, supporting each other, and welcoming other Irish immigrants (Kenny, 2014). Even Catholicism, which was a significant point of contention, became an essential part of the modern culture of the USA (Kenny, 2014). In other words, while integration was a hard and continuous process, rife with cultural and religious conflicts, in modern times, Irish culture is an accepted part of the modern US.
Wake
In most cultures, wakes are somber and dark events that allow a participating person to comprehend his mortality and to say goodbye to the dead. However, in Irish culture, it is the opposite of that. Irish wakes are organized in a boisterous, and some may even say playful manner. People participate in the drinking, singing, and storytelling to remember, as if not to mourn for the departure of the dead, but to celebrate that they have lived.
As it was believed that leaving the body lone will bring bad luck, the nightly vigil was kept, leading to the term ‘wake.’ Many researchers believe that such tradition is derived from the pre-Christian times and was continued since then (Watson & Halus, 2014). After the integration with American culture, however, that tradition has come into decline. Today most of the Irish Americans wakes are more sedate and respectable, even if still saturated with drinking and storytelling.
Wakes are usually held a few days after death, allowing friends and family members that live in other places to arrive on time. The primary purpose of awake is for the relatives, friends, and neighbors to visit and to pay respect for the departed and to offer their condolences to the family. Moreover, even with a significant amount of drinks, over-indulgence is often met with censure from the public.
If in the past, the body was laid out in the bed, modern wakes are usually held in funeral homes, where the bodies are placed in caskets. Rosary beads are placed in crossed hands of the deceased of the Catholic faith, and some of the departed are dressed in the habit of the Franciscan Third Order. Candles, flowers, and a photo of the deceased are placed near the casket.
Customary, women make sure that preparations for the deceased’s final departure are in order (Watson & Halus, 2014). While the men sit talking somberly, smoking, and drinking whiskey, the closest female relative, be it the mother or wife, is given time to grief and, thus, is exempt from preparations. Meanwhile, neighbors dress and place the body in its casket. It is also customary to open all doors and windows so the departed soul could leave unimpeded.
Another custom is to cover or remove all mirrors in the house so that no one could see the death. To show respect to the departed, there is always someone standing near the casket. That ritual has evolved from the need to protect the body from the snatchers that could sell it to the medical schools. Another tradition of Irish wakes is that of canine or keening (Watson & Halus, 2014). Although it became scarce in the modern days, it was a way to show the love, respect, and mourning for the dead. While keening is usually associated with wailing, it is often a sad song, usually a favorite of the dead, or a lament that was composed to extoll their virtue or a circumstance of death.
Health Issues and Barriers
In the first days of the Irish emigration, settlers brought to America their medical folk recipes and remedies (Watson & Halus, 2014). Most of those faded into obscurity among the modern Irish Americans, especially herbal medicine. However, some traditional treatments and beliefs survive to this day (Watson & Halus, 2014). Many Irish believe that for illness prevention, people should wear holy medals and scapulars, bless their throats, dry their hair before going to bed, not sit in a draft, and regularly take laxatives (Watson & Halus, 2014).
Moreover, it is believed that wearing camphor during influenza, taking tonics and extra vitamins, exercising regularly in the fresh air, and avoiding doctors unless the illness is serious will result in long and healthy life (Watson & Halus, 2014). Other traditional treatments, such as painting a sore throat with iodine and soothing it with a hot tea with honey and lemon, drinking whiskey with cloves and hops to help with a cough and cold are also preserved (Watson & Halus, 2014).
Modern Irish Americans suffer from the same health issues that affect other ethnic groups in the United States: pollution, stress, old age, excessive smoking and drinking, overly rich diet, unemployment, and monetary problems (Clarke & Ellenbecker, 2011). Heart-related diseases are the primary cause of death, further aggravated by the traditional high in fat and calorie diet (Watson & Halus, 2014).
Alcohol and tobacco play an active role in Irish American social life, exacerbating the risk of heart-related issues (Watson & Halus, 2014). In addition to that, the rate of alcohol-related diseases, including alcoholism, is high among the Irish American population. Moreover, Irish Americans have a higher than average rate of mental health issues, with schizophrenia and organic psychosis being the most prevalent (Clarke & Ellenbecker, 2011).
Irish Americans are concerned with the rising costs of medical care and its accessibility at the same level as any other ethnic group. A significant number of them would like an improved insurance plan, either national or private (Clarke & Ellenbecker, 2011). Large numbers of currently uninsured Irish Americans are apprehensive about the topic of the expensive medical treatment, being not sure whether they could afford it (Clarke & Ellenbecker, 2011).
While Irish Americans are mostly integrated into American society, there are still problems that provide obstacles to accessing health care. One such barrier is inner: among the Irish Americans prevails a belief that physicians should only be visited with something serious, leading people to lose the optimal moment to cure the illness. Visits to physicians are often discouraged, and visitors are stigmatized. Other than that, Irish Americans share the same problems with access to health care as most Americans, both in economic and social causes, both from the unemployment or inability to access due to other reasons.
Conclusion
In this assignment, the culture of Irish American people was researched, and an event of Irish wake was described. While some traditions and peculiarities remain, most of them were absorbed and changed during the integration of Irish immigrants in American society. Healthcare issues, beliefs, and barriers are mostly consistent with other American ethnicities. To these days, descendants of Irish people keep their traditions, though they have changed in certain ways.
References
Clarke, P. N., & Ellenbecker, C. H. (2011). Nursing research and the impact on healthcare reform: Dialogue with Carol Hall Ellenbecker. Nursing Science Quarterly, 24(1), 31-34.
Kenny, K. (2014). The American Irish: A history. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
United States Census Bureau. (2017). Selected social characteristics in the United States, 2017 American community survey 1-year estimates. Web.
Watson, W. E., & Halus, E. J. Jr. (2014). Irish Americans: The history and culture of a people. Santa-Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.