By Jennifer Adesina

The Double-Edged Sword of Recognition

As a first-generation Irish citizen, seeing how Ireland is perceived by the American mainstream feels like when your favourite underground artist suddenly skyrocketed into fame. On the one hand you are happy they are getting exposure; now people can appreciate them the way you do. On the other hand, you feel the need to keep them hidden, close to you and overall “gatekeep” for fear that others just don’t understand them the way you do.

A person’s relationship with their country can be conflicting. You can feel anger at its political situation, its leaders and even its people, yet when abroad, you sing its praises and speak its language with pride.  Being born and raised in Ireland, I can attest firsthand, like many, what it feels like to breathe her air, walk her streets and be a part of her existence. My relationship with Ireland is something so personal to me so when I see how the dominant American media portrays Ireland, often oversimplified, exaggerated, or romanticised, I cannot help but feel defensive.

A Legacy of Stereotypes

America’s relationship with Ireland can be linked historically to the mass Irish immigration to the United States during the Famine. During this time, almost 2 million Irish people emigrated from Ireland to the United States. Today 43 million Americans trace their heritage to Ireland. This period in history saw the Irish being subjected to many harmful stereotypes such as; being alcoholics, aggressive and uneducated. Many of these stereotypes have their roots with colonial Britain and some even go further back with Plato describing the Celts as “drunken and combative.”

Even in modern times, these harmful stereotypes continue to surface in pop culture. A striking example came in 2024 with Sabrina Carpenter’s hit song Please Please Please, in which she sings, “Whatever devil’s inside you, don’t let him out tonight. I tell them it’s just your culture and everyone rolls their eyes.” The lyric, seemingly referencing her then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan, plays into the age-old trope of the Irish as unruly, reckless, and hot-tempered, a stereotype that has followed Irish people for centuries.

While likely unintentional, the line reflects a broader issue: the casual acceptance of these outdated narratives. The portrayal of Irish identity in mainstream media often swings between romanticised mysticism and old-world chaos, rarely embracing the depth and diversity of contemporary Irish culture. For many, the lyric felt like, yet another example of how American pop culture reduces Ireland to a caricature rather than engaging with it in a meaningful way.

America’s Consumption of Ireland

American culture and consumerism are two sides of the same coin. In 2022 they Imported $ 3.2 trillion worth of goods. In a capitalist society driven by rapid production and turnover, there’s often little time or effort spent on understanding the origins of what is being consumed. Decades ago, you could go to your local market and buy products made by your Neighbour, friend, or family. Overall, our consumption was more personal. If we adapt this thinking to how America consumes Irish culture, we can see the same thing happening.

The way Americans consume has resulted in their expression of Irish culture being uneducated, lacking nuance and the treatment of Ireland and Irish people as a caricature. We can see this through their treatment of St. Patrick’s Day with the dyeing of the Chicago River green and the massive parades; it’s so much yet still so transparent.

It could be argued that we cannot expect America to know the intricacies and history of Ireland and realistically what obligation do they have to do so? But I feel as though America has a bad case of “main character syndrome”, the world must be aware of everything to do with the United States, yet the United States has no obligation to know anything about the world. In their eyes we are “extras” in their story. As individualistic as this is, it would all be fine if we didn’t consider the fact that America is not consuming a product but a culture that has been made and developed by real life people who have given their lives to create it.

Irish Identity in Celebrity Culture

One of the most interesting ways Irish identity is filtered through the American lens is via celebrity culture. While old stereotypes once positioned the Irish as unrefined or uneducated, today’s perception has shifted—but not always in a positive way

The word that comes to mind when thinking about American celebrity culture and Ireland is; context. Take Hozier, for example. As a fan myself I can attest to his American fanbase’s view of him being all a bit weird and romanticised. They often mythologise him into a “Celtic Forest God” figure, branding him as “forest daddy” in online spaces. While this stereotype isn’t overtly harmful, combined with toxic fan culture, it removes a level of autonomy from him. Suddenly they are held to an insane standard that no one reaches, we are over analysing every move they make, who they date and what they say. 

Throughout this online discourse all I could think is; he’s just a lad from Bray who decided to make music. I don’t say this to be demeaning or to humble him but rather to my point that our consumption is disconnected. Living in Ireland gives you the context of what it feels like to walk through the streets that Hozier talks about in his music, to know people who are similar to the likes of Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Niall Horan. The everyday exposure with Ireland and other Irish people allows us to respect and experience Irish media in a meaningful and nuanced way that Americans audiences seem to lack. 

Final thoughts 

America’s perception of Ireland speaks to a larger conversation about consumerism. In a world driven by capitalism, we are encouraged to consume at an overwhelming pace—whether it’s products, media, or even entire cultures. But meaningful consumption is personal. When we know the origins of what we engage with, we care more about the environment, about supporting small businesses, and, most importantly, about recognizing people rather than reducing them to products or content. The way Irish culture is often flattened into stereotypes for mass appeal highlights how easy it is to consume something without truly understanding it.