They made us what we are

Mil Espaine, legendary father of the Gaels: Spanish. Palladius, early Christian missionary to Ireland: Gaulish. Patrick, founder of the Irish Christian church: Romano-British.

The Vikings, founders of Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick: Scandinavian. Edward Bruce, 14th-century king of Ireland: Scottish. William Bedell, organiser of the translation of the Old Testament into Irish: English. Bloody immigrants the lot of them.

Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party and president of the Land League: American mother. Frederick Lucas: co-founder of the Tenant League in the 1850s: English. Anna Parnell: feminist, nationalist and founder of the Ladies' Land League: American mother. Michael Davitt, co-founder of the Land League: grew up in Lancashire. James Connolly, leader of the 1916 Rising and co-founder of the Labour Party: born and raised in Edinburgh. James Larkin, founder of the Irish trade union movement: born and raised in Liverpool. Thomas Johnson, first leader of the parliamentary Labour Party and consolidator of the trade union movement: born and raised in Liverpool. Polluting our national purity.

Jean-Joseph Humbert, leader of the expeditionary force in support of the 1798 insurrection: French. Thomas Davis, Young Irelander and intellectual father of modern Irish nationalism: son of an English army surgeon. Maud Gonne, Irish nationalist and feminist: born in Surrey to English parents.

Patrick Pearse, leader of the 1916 Rising: English father. Erskine Childers, nationalist revolutionary and propagandist: born and raised in England. Éamon de Valera, founder of Fianna Fáil, Taoiseach, President: born in New York of Irish and Cuban parentage. Gerry Boland, organiser of Fianna Fáil: born in Manchester. Aodh de Blácam, important propagandist of early Fianna Fáil: born and raised in London. Erskine Childers, President: English father. Threatening the integrity of our citizenship.

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels: English father. Frances Sheridan, first important Irish novelist: English mother. Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan, novelist: English mother. Annie Horniman, founding patron of the Abbey Theatre: English.

Hugh Hunt, former artistic director of the Abbey: English. Tom Paulin, poet and critic: born in Leeds. Patrick Mason, ex-artistic director of the Abbey and leading director of new Irish plays: born and raised in England. Micheál Mac Liammóir, actor and co-founder of the Gate Theatre: born and raised in England. Hilton Edwards, director and co-founder of the Gate Theatre: born and raised in England. Helen Waddell, scholar and novelist: born in Tokyo. Francis Stuart, novelist: born in Australia.

Pearse Hutchinson, Gaelic poet: born in Glasgow. Peter O'Toole, actor: born and raised in England. Daniel Day-Lewis, actor: born and raised in England. Undermining our culture.

Kuno Meyer, Ernest Windisch, Heinrich Zimmer, linguistic scholars who systematised the study of the Irish language: German. Henri Gaidoz and D'arbois de Jubainville, ditto: French. Robin Flower, Gaelic scholar who helped inspire the Blasket Island writers: English. George Thompson, inspirer and editor of some of the great Blasket autobiographies: English. Taking away our distinctive heritage.

Robert Boyle, most important Irish chemist/ physicist: English father. Gustav Wilhelm Wolff, co-founder of Harland and Wolff: born and raised in Hamburg. Edward Pearse, Ireland's most important Palladian architect: English; James Gandon, Ireland's greatest architect: English. William Petty, pioneering geographer, sociologist and economist of Ireland: English. Sapping our intellectual strength.

Liam McCarthy, who gave his name to the All-Ireland hurling trophy: born and raised in England. Seán Óg and Setanta Ó hAlpín, hurlers: Fijian mother. Jason Sherlock, Dublin footballer: Korean mother. Ray Houghton, who put the ball in the English (and Italian) net: Scottish. Paul McGrath, Irish icon: African father. Mick McCarthy, last Irish football manager: born and raised in England. David O'Leary, who made us weep when he scored the penalty that put us in the World Cup quarter-final: born in London. Taking away the pure joy of Irish success.

Andy Irvine, influential traditional musician: born and raised in England. Eileen Ivers, one of best traditional Irish fiddlers: born and raised in Chicago. Phil Lynnott, progenitor of Irish rock: African father. Dave Evans (The Edge), U2 guitarist: born Essex to Welsh parents; Adam Clayton, also U2: born Oxfordshire. Michael Flatley, who made Irish dancing popular again: American. Jean Butler, ditto: American. Shane McGowan, songwriter: born and raised in England. Weakening our national identity.

The list could go on and on, but the point, even before we think of the other side of the coin and all the Irish emigrants who have helped to make us what we are, is surely clear. When we are told that we have to change our citizenship laws because they are out of line with the rest of Europe, we have to remember that being out of line with the rest of Europe is part of what makes us Irish. We do not have, and never have had, a simple, fixed sense of national belonging. Take away the immigrants and their children, and the exiles and theirs, and we have no Irish nation, no Irish culture, no Irish identity.

That, paradoxically, is what makes us distinctive. When the founders of this State had to formulate a notion of citizenship, they were faced with the impossibility of a crude, fixed definition. This is an island with many ethnic traditions. It is also the centre of a broad web of affection and affiliation, in which being Irish has seldom been a matter of destiny and always, a matter of choice. That choice used to make us proud because we once understood that immigration is the sincerest form of flattery.