Black Irish

Barack Obama enjoying a pint in Moneygall �" some say it takes more than one Irish ancestor and drinking Guinness to call yourself Irish

Donald Trump has a massive Irish following, a large element who hate Obama and call him Muslim, and that he cannot be Irish as he looks Kenyan. No one said that about Muhammad Ali when he came to Ennis, so why are the knives out for Obama?

I was at the visit of Obama to Dublin, and while I was not a fan of the pro capitalist speech that he made, I am glad to say that I went to see him in College Green. It is not that he is Kenyan and not Irish, or that he is Irish and not Kenyan, he is both, also has Flemish heritage through ancestors in Limerick from before they were in Moneygall…

But some do not agree… even a fellow Tullamroe Rhymer Cormac Lally has the alternative view on it…

Who were they, some ask, the Black Irish?
Did they ever exist?
Are they just a passing feature of history
Lost in the ancient mist?
Do they walk among us?
Does their blood in our veins flow?
These ancient people we have forgotten
From a long long time ago?

What about those who DO live among us
I address this to the reader, the task
That some say are not Irish being black
Is this right, I ask?
Some don’t like the fuss about Obama
That hes Irish some flat our deny
The connections too far back and hes Kenyan born
And is black �" and they’re not racist, they explain as why.

Some will listen to their Bob Marley
As they smoke their spliffs in their beds
Some like to wear their hair in the non Irish
But extremely cool hippie dreds
And they are cool and their Irish
But dont dare approach them with the racist attack
Sure Obama is as African as Obama
All cause the poor fecker is black!

No one doubts Paul McGrath is Irish
Deep to the core deep within
Hes as white as the moon in the darkest of night
Though black is the colour of his skin.
So if Obama learned to play soccer
Wore proud the jersey of the green
No one would doubt and all would forget about
All bar his mother the Irish colleen!

When Muhammad Ali came to Ennis
To call him Irish was allowed
No one said becuase he was black
To be called Irish was not allowed.
But sure he can fight like a Clareman
Up the wrong way no one would rub
You could imagine him knocking out some eejit
When hed cross him over a girl in a pub!

No one doubts Phil Lynott was Irish
Great lad for the tunes and the craic
And sure he died of the heroin
Which proves him as Irish though black.
So if Barack takes up the fiddle
And learns to knock out Spancil Hill
The demons might leave him be for a while
When of venting their bile they have had their fill!

Why cant we see beyond racist politics
That we can be racist too cant we see
Its not just the French and the British
Among the owrst us Irish can be.
We were slaves and we were slavers
Lets call all Irish no matter the colour of skin
Like Luther King said let us look to the man
Is he a good or bad Irish character within!

Glossary

Black Irish:

(1) A people of Monserrat and the Carribean, descendants of Irish and blacks. Also called Redlegs
(2) A semi mythical swarthy faced people said to live in Ireland centuries ago
(3) The “new Irish” �" recent imigrants since the 1960’s.

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Reviews

[.]

A very interesting write, Tomas.

You have informed this poet with your work. I had no idea he had Irish ancestry at all! And what i think the main reason is....not so much he is black, but he is American, and their outgoing President to boot. And the universal truth is that many people (not this poet!) have a problem with Americans and their place in the world.

It is a very informative piece with an interesting theme. The rhyme and flow bumps in a couple of places but that is no big deal. Well written.

[Coyote Poetry]

I did enjoyed the tale in the words.
"Like Luther King said let us look to the man
Is he a good or bad Irish character within!"
The above lines my favorite of the day. Thank you my friend for sharing your entertaining thoughts and words.
Coyote

[ReedWrite]

I love this piece...and I agree with Einstein Noodle. I would not raise a glass with the man. I believe he thinks he's done right by this country, but outside of legalizing gay marriage, which I strongly support, I have not been happy with his presidency. But I digress. Back to your poem. I love it. The symmetry and flow is beautiful...it wafts you along like riding on a gentle breeze...and yet the words are powerful and make a definite statement. Nicely done.

[A.D.]

Maybe if he went by O'Bama?

[Tomás Ó Cárthaigh]

Google the song "There Is No One As Irish As Barrack Obama"...
#ishityounot

[Tate Morgan]

It is hard to believe so many years have passed and still we cannot see that we all belong to the same race of man

[Tomás Ó Cárthaigh]

None so blind as those who refuse to see... alas!

[Tate Morgan]

so true if anything we owe our very existence to the darker of our specie Who first braved the wilds of europe to leave africa

[Einstein Noodle]

President Obama is a leftist idealist ... i think his thinking undermines the core of our founding father's intent ... i would not raise a glass with him .. i feel that strongly ... had no idea he was claiming a part of Ireland ... for me the heart of Obama (as i see it) is nothing like the heart of Ali ...making him honorary Irish is a bit of a stretch from Obama making a claim to Irish blood .. my Da use to talk about the Black Irish but not in the context of having dark skin ...nor racism ...his stories were of the Irish who sported black hair ... i am inspired by your poem to look up the history a little deeper ...racism has no place anywhere in my opinion ..i completely agree with you on that ...Obama has made so many poor decisions that have hurt the middle class and America as a whole .. he has ignored the debt he continues to rack up ..ignores sign of things all about him ...lives in a fantasy world he wishes to be true ...i could go on and on but i will stop now ;) love your poem .. you opened my eyes to news i knew nothing about
E.

[Colorado Brian]

This is why we can't have Nice Things in the United States of America. People who have Zero Comprehension of legislation passed, or legislation blocked, and it's effect on the economy

[Einstein Noodle]

not to mention the 349 lower court judges Obama has appointed ... along with those in the Supreme Court .. thank goodness Republicans found the guts to insist Justice Scalia (that great Constitutionalist) will be appointed by the incoming President .. a common practice in the final year of a Presidency ..