You've had the best of both worlds, America and Ireland. I'm proud of my Irish heritage but sadly, will probably never see the country of my ancestors. I think Americans should honor their heritage but always remember that first and foremost, they're American. If I must be hyphenated, I would prefer to be American-Irish. My biggest beef though, is the language. Though we have no "official" language, English is what we speak and I think those wishing to become American citizens should learn it. My Vietnamese manicurist came here as a young girl and she told me the first thing her parents did was enroll the whole family in an English class and apply for citizenship. I really respect that and most of the Vietnamese community in N.O. did the same thing. Many of them pay for their children to go to parochial schools and seldom do you seem them on welfare. In other words, they have become true Americans and give back to the system instead of taking from it.