Black Irish

While there are many definitions of the term "Black Irish" (see "What Others Say"), we were taught that it referenced an incongruous mix of physical traits found in a noticeable segment of Irish people: black/very dark hair yet very light skinned and usually light eye color. The dark hair was apocryphally thought to be from the survivors of the Spanish Armada crashing off the western coast of Ireland and the quite pale skin from the Nowegian/Vikings and the diminished sun of this damp, foggy, island nation.  This mixing of the "races" as evidenced by hair color and skin present in so many in Ireland was thought to be so unusual that it was even studied.

Today, who would think that either Norwegians, Irish, or Spanish are of "different races".  Decades from now how silly we will think ourselves to have thought of our first African American president as being "multi racial", because his father was Kenyan and his mother "Kansan" (you know what I mean).  Yet, his arrival remains a marvel and fascinates as did the existence of "Black Irish".

With the arrival of St. Patrick's Day, the timing of this president with the name Obama (not Irish BTW) just seemed too fun a name to ignore and miss the connection to Black Irish.  So, the t-shirt idea was born (see below).