Not just Irish. Starting around 1670, America became a popular dumping ground for the poor of the British Isles. A ship would show up and read the names of households or individuals who were considered not bad enough to hang, not good enough to remain.
Usually, but not always, a representative of the crown had compiled that list with the help of the town council. They had 24 hours to report dockside with their meager belongings for transport to America.
Many Scotland and northern England (as well as Irish) villages were depopulated in said manner. Anyone returning from Transportation could be hanged. For this reason, there are a lot fewer blood relatives here after 1670 than before.
The gene pool here by 1670 is so small that almost anyone here by then is related.
Not just Irish. Starting around 1670, America became a popular dumping ground for the poor of the British Isles. A ship would show up and read the names of households or individuals who were considered not bad enough to hang, not good enough to remain.
Cut it out! Cut it out! Cut it out! The hell's the matter with you?! Stupid! We're all very different people. We're not Watusi. We're not Spartans. We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts! Here's proof: his nose is cold! But there's no animal that's more faithful, that's more loyal, more loveable than the mutt.