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Irish Twins

A month or so ago, someone called my girls Irish twins. I just thought it meant that they were close in age but looked like twins. People ask me all the time if they're twins, but they're really 2 yr, 2 weeks apart. Anyways, I thought it was a compliment of sorts--just a way to describe them. But, then I looked it up yesterday. In the past, it was a derogatory term! Like Pollock for polish people (which I am). It was used to describe Irish catholic children because people thought they had too many children and had no control--that's what I read when I looked it up. Goodness, I guess I won't be describing my kids as Irish twins anymore. I had no idea!

Comments

Kim said…
I always thought "Irish twins" referred to children born 12 months or less apart. Your girls would not qualify for that particular term. It's origins are tied up in the ethnic and religious strife that hit this country after the Civil War with the massive increase in immigration. Irish Catholic women tended to have very high fertility rates, and were often considered pitiable or contemptible. Because, clearly, the worst thing that could happen to a woman is pregnancy and children!
September 19, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Kim said…
Just want to clarify a point. The Irish immigration boom happened before the Civil War. After the war the increase in immigration came from southern and eastern Europe. Of course, most "white Americans" held similar views of those new arrivals as they had of the Irish Catholic immigrants.
September 20, 2009 at 7:03 AM
Anne said…
You know so many things! Thanks my friend =) I had no idea that there was so much more to the term!
September 20, 2009 at 10:12 AM
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