Sure an' begorah! We irish here in the states be layin it on thick!

No bullshit though, there are still places where the irish immigrants have carried along a similar subculture. Enough that they go to Ireland and don't feel like they're in a foreign country. I suspect that it would be similar for an actual Irish citizen to visit with those enclaves here.

But plenty of the irish here in the states came over not because they wanted what was here, but because they didn't have much of a choice. It was either immigrate or famine for many. They held on to their identity longer and more deeply than those that came over out of a desire for something else. You get enough Irish descended folks together, swapping stories, and you'll see that divide. It can get a little noisy when you've got a family where multiple family lines have intermarried. Hell, if you throw in the Scots-Irish into that, it can get outright loud.