Irish have done well for themselves

McCook is more white than green this St. Patrick's Day, but we have to remember: It's still March, spring is still a few days away, and we've had some of our biggest blizzards after the calendar indicated the weather should have been warm.

But that didn't keep many of us from "wearin' the green" today -- even if we stayed home from school because of the snow.

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick's Day has been pretty much an American holiday since the world's first St. Patrick's Day parade took place on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military.

President Truman put his stamp of approval on the holiday by attending in 1948, a proud moment for Irish still battling prejudice, and March was proclaimed as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995.

It seems appropriate St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in the United States, since 36 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry -- nine times the population of Ireland itself.

With our German-Russian ancestry, McCook is like the rest of the country, which most often claims German ancestry. There are plenty of Irish here, however, the second most commonly claimed ancestry in the nation.

There are not as many in Nebraska as there are in Massachusetts, however, which claims 24 percent of its residents as of Irish ancestry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Immigrants from the "old sod" have done well in the new country, with 31 percent of them, age 25 or older, with at least a bachelor's degree. In addition, 91 percent have at least a high school diploma, compared to 27 and 84 percent as a whole.

Thirty-eight percent of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older work in management, professional and related occupations.

Additionally, 28 percent work in sales and office occupations; 15 percent in service, 10 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations, and 9 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations, according to the Census.

The median income for households headed by Irish-Americans is $54,531, compared to $48,451 for all households, with 9 percent of people of Irish ancestry in poverty, compared to 13 percent for all Americans.

Listen to Celtic music long, and you'll hear many a mournful tune about leaving Ireland behind.

Judging from the results, however, it's hard to feel sorry for the majority of those who made the trip.