How Family Structures Influence Irish Culture

 

Ireland's Various Familial Structures 

Although Ireland adheres to the “nuclear family,” many families embrace non-traditional structures, which influences how their children understand the relationship between family roles and cultural expectations (“Family,” 2022). Larry Samovar, author of Communication Between Cultures, claims that families provide children with their earliest exposure to cultural norms, which shapes how they view the world (Samovar, 2017, p.74). For example, in rural Ireland, children learn traditional “gender roles” because they view their fathers as a provider and their mothers as “caretakers” (“Family,” 2022). However, in urban areas, children learn non-traditional gender expectations because both parents are viewed as providers and “caretakers” (McGinnity and Russell, 2008, p.xi). These competing structures imply that families teach children how to interact in a society that values traditional religious values while accepting nontraditional changes (“Family,” 2022). Samovar reinforces this notion when he asserts that families provide “individuals with their most essential social identity” (Samovar, 2017, p.80). For example, Irish families teach children how to behave in a society that values individualism and collectivism when they encourage them to be “self-reliant” while respecting their role as a member of a family (“Family,” 2022; Samovar, 2017, p.80). This idea suggests that relatives are the primary educators of cultural norms and values for their children (Samovar, 2017, p.80). Irish culture demonstrates the unique role that families play when they raise “culturally-competent” members of society (Samovar, 2017, p.80).

21st Century Irish Family Statistical Infographic

How Globalization and Migration Affected Ireland's Family Life 

 While Ireland promotes traditional family structures, globalization and migration have shifted the relationship between family expectations and cultural values (McGinnity and Russell, 2008). Conor Goodman, author of “The Changing Irish Family,” asserts that “the family remains the most potent influence on Irish people [even though it] has changed in recent years” (Goodman, 2015). He suggests that Irish culture revolves around the family even though its structure evolved (Goodman, 2015). For example, people accept non-traditional familial “units,” such as “single parent households” (“Family,” 2022). These non-traditional family systems demonstrate how “globalization” blurs the line between traditional values and a changing society (“Family,” 2022). Linda Conolly, author of “Investigating the ‘Irish’ Family,” reinforces this notion when she claims that people are “[reinvigorating] relationships with parents and siblings,” even though they lead individual lives (Conolly, n.d.). This idea implies that Ireland still views community and family relationships as important cultural values even though their society has evolved(Conolly, n.d.). Even though globalization has altered Irish society, it has not changed how Ireland views their responsibilities to their families (Conolly, n.d.).

1965 McCabe Family Photograph