I am not sure if this is the right place or even the right forum to write this but...

My sister said something to me that has got me thinking...am I wrong to be proud of where my ancestors came from? And therefore, feeling wrong of who I feel like I am?

My sister asked me why I was learning Gaeilge. She has no interest in it and was wondering why I had such an interest in it.
I told her, because I feel like it is apart of me. Our ancestors are from Ireland and Scotland. I love everything about Ireland. My Greatgrandmother and my Grandmother were keeping Irish traditions going for our family, with food recipes, to making sure the family got together at least once a week, (family members moved into different parts of this area). One major rule seemed to be and still is, be proud to be Irish. I love that.

My sister told me, I was born in Canada so I am a Canadian. That is all. I have a canadian accent, I am a canadian.
That seems to be the way our family is moving now. Even my Grandmother doesn't do the things that she did whe we were growing up.

I want so bad to keep these traditions alive. Another reason why I am trying so hard to learn Gaeilge.

You hear other people saying the same thing about other nationalities that live or were born somewhere else, 'how can you be Irish when you were born here?' or german, or american, or mexican....?

An bhfuil mé mícheart?

Níl tú mí-ceart ar chór ar bith!

It is a very natural aspect of an immigrant culture (such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia) for people to think of themselves as belonging both to their home country and to their cultural heritage. I can't speak for Canada specifically, but here in the U.S. such cultural identity is generally encouraged, starting when we're in elementary school and asked to do a project on "where my people came from."

Think of it this way: Would the same people say the same thing to a third- or fourth-generation person of Mexican descent? "You're American/Canadian/What have you now. Give up learning Spanish and forget you ever heard of Dia de los Muertos and the Battle of Pueblo!" Well, people other than Donald Trump, anyway.

You might also remind her that the only Gaeltacht to be located outside of Ireland is in (you guessed it!) Canada!

Redwolf

Go raibh maith agat le do fhocail...

I know about the Gaeltacht here in Canada. It is actually only a few hours from where I live. I have the documentary about it saved to my computer.
I think it is awsome.

To some, I think this subject is a bit...at war...I guess...with others views...(if that makes any sense).

I have heard others direct that same opinion...stories of how fights between people start because they claim a nationality but weren't born there or even been there. And some people get upset about that. I don't see how...I think you should be proud of where your people came from. Know and understand them, that should help you understand yourself better.

Go raibh maith agat arís.

There's a difference between a nationality and a cultural heritage. If you're not an Irish citizen, then "Irish" is not your nationality. But you do have Irish heritage, and there's nothing wrong with celebrating that.

It does sometimes surprise Europeans who visit here when they hear people identify as "Irish-American" or "German-American," but it's just a part of our culture that they (typically) get used to.

Redwolf

I'd say your Mamó/Granny is proud of you for keeping up the traditions. Your sister's attitude probably disappoints her and may be the reason she's not as vocal as she used to be about her heritage.

Go raibh maith agat Redwolf...That is what I tried to explain to her, about our cultural heritage...because that is the only way we are going to keep it going. Otherwise, traditional things get lost and forgotten, and I know we are just a little family and probably wouldn't make that much of a difference anyway but...I don't like the 'meh' attitude she puts forth towards it, because I feel that is a part of who I am. And it makes me a little sad.

Go raibh maith agat Bríd Mhór...My Grandmother started to kind of give up on alot of traditional things when my Great Grandmother/her Mother died.
Which I guess took a toll on me aswell, because her and my Mother both say that I kind of gave up wanting to celebrate things after she died.
Which of course makes me feel like...what happened?...I feel horrible about that, but I didn't realize it.

I think maybe somewhere in the back of my mind I am afraid of being labeled a poser or something like that.