I love American Holidays, July 4th and Thanksgiving. While I will always be Irish I am 100% unapologetically American, I am married to an American, my kid is a beautiful multi-ethnic American who is proud of his Irish heritage. There is no conflict with being a liberal and espousing my pride in being an American. I came to the US first in '89 when I over-stayed a student visa. I worked as an undocumented (we said illegal) alien doing whatever odd jobs I could find. After finishing college in Dublin I got my green card in the lottery and after admitting to having worked illegally, undergoing a health and criminal background check was admitted back into the country and given the opportunity to work. My life is the epitome of the American dream that has been made possible thanks to encouragement and support from Americans, including a lot of fellow immigrants, who encouraged me to take risks and to be true to myself. That foundation along with hard work and a lot of luck has afforded me material success and a very fulfilling and happy life. Its easy to think that the country is riven by partisanship. America is a big messy social experiment and any student of its history would know that it has probably been closer to falling apart more often than not. What hasn't changed is the common decency of the vast majority of its people, conservative and liberal, and the shared sense that this is still the land of opportunity where hard work is rewarded.
Will Hodgman
1w
Love you and your comments, Seamus. I feel lucky and very fortunate for knowing you.
Unfortunately many of us who grew up here take it for granted. Thanks for reminding us how great our country is.
great post Seamus,
Alan Daly ☘
1w
Great story, Seamus! Some parts very similar to my own. I came here as an electrician with half of a Masters in Education. How I ended up as corporate executive in tech industry is a story of its own but essentially I took advantage of the American spirit of opportunity and coupled it with a bit of Irish determination. I have done well, met many friends along the way and will be eternally grateful to the U.S.A.
❤️❤️❤️
Shep Maher
5d
Amen.
Thank you for sharing, Seamus. I’ve been fortunate to hear your story face to face and it’s incredibly impressive. I have an American, British and Irish passport and I’m so proud of my Irish heritage. It was a dream of mine to move to America (lived in San Jose, Austin and Boston) and it didn’t disappoint!
Kate Gunning
1w
Well said Seamus McAteer, a good reminder of the richness and opportunity we experience here!
Dan Miller
1w
Seamus: Quite a story. I’m glad you posted it. I share the view that we are all the beneficiaries of living in a multicultural country and I hope you’re correct in the view that we’ve seen this all before and will ultimately overcome biases against “others.” Congratulations! Keep spreading optimism.
Investing in transformations to the markets we helped to create
1wCheers to you, Seamus. We are all better off that you are here!!!