Saint Patrick and modern narratives of Irish identity

Saint Patrick was not Irish, despite being a symbol of the nation globally and especially at this time of year. Research has shown that he was either Welsh or from the north of England with others claiming he may have come from Bath in Somerset.

Irish identity and stories of migration

Just like Saint Patrick’s identity, Irish identity itself is not wholly green and crystal clear, with rising tensions regarding immigration, emigration and what constitutes Irishness post pandemic.

In recent years, Ireland has seen significant shifts in migration from other parts of the world, including regions beyond our European neighbours. The majority of these people are under 45 and constitute a new workforce and an emerging new Irish population with a focus on contributing and looking for a better life. A familiar story to generations of Irish who left economic strife to head to Australia, North America and the UK over the last 200 years.

However, there is a shift in social views regarding this new inward migration trend including a focus on refugees, asylum seekers and those from Ukraine. This period in time is not aligned with a wealthy prosperous Ireland like the Celtic Tiger years were, where there was plenty to go around for all, with deepening economic tensions, and many Irish living pay cheque to pay cheque and struggling to find homes to rent and live. We are now seeing a rise in anger and frustrations, as well as far right racial attacks and protest marches with more aggressive nationalism.

Consequences of Irish migration narratives

The land of a hundred thousand welcomes is becoming less welcoming as its own people struggle to make ends meet. This Saint Patrick’s Day will be celebrated in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland but with it is an undercurrent of an identity crisis, after half a decade of anti-immigrant protests across the island in almost a dozen towns and cities.

Saint Patrick, a migrant, a slave, stricken by poverty and led by his faith came to Ireland penniless. In the centuries since, Irish people have left facing the same misfortune at home. As we move into the next decade, the tensions between those at home and those who come to Ireland to call home are rising and rising.

As a journalist, media educator and Irish citizen, I see that the role of media and social media in stoking these flames of discontent is ever more clear and echoes research from established academics including Dikwal-Bot and McIntyre. Their studies show how whiteness has come through as a message from established far right leaders to disconnected and disconcerted young Irish men regarding what it means to be Irish in this decade. Tommy Robinson, an Irish passport holder, has tapped into this as a far-right leader with his own populism and micro fascism agendas. Fellow voices in this sphere with connections to Ireland include Andrew Tate with Cork lineage and Conor McGregor who unsuccessfully attempted to run for president just a few months ago, pushing an Irish first nationalistic agenda.

Possible futures for Irish identities

With unemployment rates holding steady at just under 5% and waves of young educated and dynamic Irish people leaving in 2026 we could be facing a vacuum where Saint Patrick’s day becomes more than just national pride and collective spirit and instead runs the risk of being a parade that is focused on one type of Irish and not new and emerging types and communities within a nation that needs a diverse and skilled workforce to move forward at a time of great change and even greater instability.