Who else wants to be Irish?

I just read this article on the BBC news website, about American presidents with Irish blood, wanting to be associated with Ireland. Even Barack Obama has Irish blood. The article indicates that this might simply be because American politicians want to appeal to Catholic voters in the US and it has nothing to do with a particular affection with Ireland. I would find it a bit sad if it was true. I have French and probably Scottish blood, but like most Quebeckers I think I must have some Irish blood. From the little research I did, my ancestors, although Scottish by name, came to Canada from Ulster, they were Ulster Scots. The line between the two nations often gets blurry in history and I probably have mixed blood.

I did not fall in love with Ireland as early as I fell in love with England. Unlike my love for England, my love for Ireland is not entirely an allophilia, as I feel a natural bond with the country. Maybe because there are so many Irish Quebeckers, maybe because I feel, rightly or not, that I do have a bit of Irish blood in me. Yes, yes, I blogged about it before. But I wonder if there is not something about Ireland that makes it more attractive to other cultures. I remember a literature professor who once told us that Quebeckers were desperately trying to be latin. I think many people, among them Americans, Canadians, even some Brits, are desperately trying to be Celtic.