1. MY AMERICAN AND IRISH CULTURE
Niamh Burke
Mr. Spedding, Grade 5B

2. Overview
 “Who am I?”, Thesis Statement
 Family Tree, My heritage
 My Living Irish Culture
 My Living American Culture
 Ten Elements of American Culture
 Geography and History, Yesterday and Today
 Video
 Conclusion

3. Thesis Statement
 I am 50% Irish and 50% American.
 My heritage is also German and/or Russian and
Norwegian but they are not a big part of my living
culture.

5. My Living Irish Culture
Irish
Culture
One of
my
Religions
My
Name
Sports
Food
Dress
Big Irish
Family

6. Irish Food

7. Irish Sports
 There are two Gaelic sports, hurling and football.

8. Irish Dress
 I wear Gaelic sports jerseys.

9. My Name
 Niamh is the Gaelic word for brightness and
radiance. Niamh is an historic name that goes back
to the oldest Irish folk tales.
 Éadaoin is also an old Irish name. According to Irish
tales, there was an Éadaoin who gave gifts of gold
and silver to St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).
 Burke is an ancient Irish family name.

10. My Irish Religion
 I am half Catholic. Most people in Ireland are
Catholic.

11. My Irish Family
 In Ireland, I have a big family

12. My Living American Culture
American
Culture
Food
Clothing
ReligionHolidays
Sports

13. American Food

14. American Dress
 I wear a lot of shorts, jeans and t-shirts.

15. My “American” Religion
 I am half Bahá’í. The Bahá’í Faith is not an
American religion, but America has a lot of religious
diversity. It is a big part of my American culture.

16. American Sports
 My favorite American sports are baseball, football
and basketball.

17. American Holidays
 We celebrate American holidays, especially the 4th
of July and Thanksgiving.

18. 10 Elements of American Culture
My American Culture My Irish Culture
Yes No Yes No
1. Views of Optimism X X
2. Saving Face X X
3. Views toward being informal X X
4. Attitude towards change so-so X
5. Views of Suffering X X
6. Attitude toward taking risks so-so X
7. Views on Equality X X
8. Views on Worth X so-so
9. Attitude towards age so-so X
10. Views on Fate X X

19. Geography and History, Yesterday
 Emigration of maternal grandparents, late 1800s
 The US had arms open to immigrants – US needed
workers and immigrants who were hoping for a
better future. Immigrants helped build and shape
our country.
 Distance severed immigrants from their home
country (no airplanes).
 Immigrants wanted to be successful, so assimilated in
American culture.

20. Geography and History, Today
 The world is smaller today partly because of better
transportation.
 Americans can connect with the culture of our
parents much better than in past times. This can
bring culture more alive and make America more
diverse.

21. Video

22. Conclusion
 I think I am 50% American and 50% Irish
because of the food I eat, the things I do at
home, what I wear, my religions and how people
act around me. My project has helped me learn
about my culture. It has also helped me notice
how I express my culture. But I feel like I still
have a lot to learn about my culture…