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Wed 12 Dec 2001Stuck in neutral: Ireland's smug America-bashers
It is an issue that is particularly close to the bone for Irish Americans. Of the 3,000 who lost their lives at the World Trade Centre, an estimated 25 per cent have Irish backgrounds. In the case of the fire-fighters, at least 110 of the 343 killed were of Irish ancestry.
Anyone who has spent time with the families of such victims knows the fierce pride they continue to have in their Irish heritage and the cultural and social framework it provides for them. Thus, there is considerable shock and anger in the Irish-American community over Irish criticism of the United States and the war to defeat those who carried out September 11th.
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