Irishtalian

I come from a very mixed ancestry. To me, it is really quite nice to have a blend of backgrounds because it makes me appreciate the differences in culture more than if I was only of one descent. Both of my parents have diverse ancestries leaving me to inherit an array of cultures and backgrounds spanning from the Middle East to Western Europe. On my father’s side, I am Italian and Turkish. His mother is completely Italian having ancestors from regions in southern Italy. His father was half Italian half Turkish. My father’s father [ my grandfather] died when my father was only 7, leaving him to be curious about much of his ancestry and past as it was never something discussed in great detail with his mother after the death of his father. As far as my father knows, a set of his great grandparents on his father’s side were from Turkey. My mother also has a variety of culture in her background. My mother’s father [ my grandfather] had relatives directly from Italy. My mother’s mother ( my grandmother) has relatives from Ireland, Scotland and Germany. As you can see, I am a mix of all types of ancestry and descents. I have a mix of physical characteristics that can be placed in several of these countries. One ancestry in particular that I know a little about is my Irish ancestry. I am closest with my mother’s mother [ my grandmother] and know that her Irish ancestry fought the hard battle that the majority of other Irish immigrants had to face when entering the United States. From the ride over on the disgusting often referred to as “ coffin ships,” the Irish fled Ireland because they did not want to die in poverty, oppressed by the British and fighting off the potato blight. Yet, when reaching the “ golden door” they thought of as America, the land of opportunity and of welcome, they were greeted with scouring faces and prejudice. After moving into America, towns of Irishmen and Irishwomen developed into “ Irish towns” or ‘ Shantys.” Irish could not find work in America and were often told “ NO IRISH NEED APPLY.” It was estimated that 80% of all newborns of Irish ancestry in the NYC area died because they lived in illness bred cellars and basements. This is something that definitely affected my ancestors as I know that my grandmother has often spoke of her grandparents and relatives living in NYC growing up and having to endure rough conditions.
http://www.kinsella.org/history/histira.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/27/navarette.may.27/index.html?iref=newssearch
I found this to be an interesting blog comment on how Hispanic immigration is similar to that of past-day Irish immigration : http://www.politicsincolor.com/blogs/marissa-trevi%C3%B1o/599/the-hispanic-immigrant-struggle-reflects-spirit-irish.html