ThirstyFish

Since it's founding, the United States has been both a "melting pot", and a "cultural mosaic". The American Mosaic series of posts attempt to capture the interweave of American society.

Those of us who live in large metropolitan centers across the United States are fortunate because we get to interact with people from many cultures and backgrounds. During last Saturday's St. Patrick's Day celebrations, two guys from South America stopped and asked this Irish couple to pose with them...

There are an estimated 36 million Irish Americans, those who can trace their ancestry to Ireland, in the United States. 22 of 44 American Presidents, including President Obama, are at least part Irish. Irish have been immigrating in waves to the United States since the 1600's. Between 1830 and 1914, almost 5 million Irish came to the United States. Before the Irish Potato Famine of the late 1840's, the population of Ireland was estimated to be 8.5 million. Today, 160 years later, the total population of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is 6.1 million. It is estimated that 9 to 10 million Irish emigrated during this period. The Irish diaspora is among the largest in the world, with 80 million people worldwide claiming some Irish descent.

Song of the Day: Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin (1970)