Is Ireland's Anti-Americanism Deep?

One of the truly great developments of the last two decades has been the surging economic prosperity of Ireland, commonly dubbed the "Celtic Tiger." Ireland's gains are perhaps not on a par with the economic miracles of post-war Japan and Germany but only because Ireland's rise has been so quick. In time, the Celtic Tiger may well turn out to be every bit or more of a miracle as those two examples. But economic prosperity has many consequences and Ireland will present a great case study for historians and sociologists who wish to track these consequences. Unfortunately, one of the truly sad developments coincident with Ireland's prosperity is growing anti-Americanism, and a vicious strain of it moreover. This is but one example, but it is one of many that you can find rampant in Irish media. It seems as if Ireland, just off the continent in terms of geography but never in the continent's league in terms of prosperity, strives for Continental acceptance now that its wealth is on a par with Europe's. Anti-Americanism is a result of that striving.

What is sad for me, whose grandparents emigrated from Ireland and whose family draws tremendous pride from their Irish roots, is that America has been the greatest of friends to Ireland for decades. Americans of Irish descent have been unflinching supporters in nearly every way - promoting arts, supporting tourism and business, giving charity, sponsoring cultural exchange, lobbying for strong government ties (and sadly not always in the most honorable way such as providing funding for the IRA) - for their ancestral homeland. Three generations of Irish-Americans have lived by the credo "be thankful and loyal to America for the advantages it has given us but to never forget from whence we came." It has to be said that seeing such virulent anti-Americanism in the Irish media brings feelings of betrayal and a sad pain. This pain is exacerbated by the cruel irony that Ireland achieved its economic miracle by virtue of economic policies that are far more American than Continental. Still it seems remarkably incongruent with the long standing ties between Ireland and America and just plain damned against the Irish nature. I can only hope this is just a case of the media, much like in the US, being dominated by a small subset of arrogant, elitists who are chronically out of touch with the broader attitudes and views of society.