Rogan best Irish heavyweight EVER?

All I'm saying is that you can easily make a case for the lads being irish. Without getting to heavy, the social and economic climate of the time dictated a lot of things in those 2 boys lifetime.

If you think their two Irish parents stopped being Irish just because they had to move to America then you are miles off the mark. They were Irish people, living an Irish lifestyle with their Irish culture and heritage, in Irish settlements and areas that happend to be in another country. Cultural dilution certainly doesn't happen within a single generation (you could nearly call it half a generation almost).

We all have our own culture and heritage that I'm sure we are proud of. I'll put it this way. If I move abroad with the missus to live (Botswana, Nepal, Australia, wherever) and I have kids when I move there I can tell you for a stone cold fact that my kids will be Irish. End of story. Sure they would acclimatise a bit of the culture of the country they are living in but they would still be Irish.

And I bet you a lot of people on here (regardless of where they are from), if they were being honest, would hold the same opinion

 

I havn't said I think their parents stopped being Irish, I just think when boxer is born in a country and fights out of the country throughtout his career then thats the country that gets the "credit" for want of a better word. Depending on how you look at it, calling Tunney and Sullivan "Irish" is certainly an arguable point (I personally regard them as American) but I don't really see the "if Lewis is regarded as British...." line as being valid.

 

Sooo your making a case that someone who wasn't born or ever even lived in a Country can be considered of that nationality...

Have to disagree with you there bud.

 

The problem here is that British posters dont understand what its like to be irish.

my uncle and aunt move to australia with my 2 cousins then they had another child

is that third child australian or irish?

it would boggle the mind that both her parents and 2 sisters are irish but she is not?

also another factor is that those fighters mentioned consider themselves Irish.

 

BamBam is spot on here lads. Most Irish that move to England, USA, etc consider their kids as Irish, regardless of whether they have ever stepped foot in Ireland!
Look at Matthew Macklin, born in England to Irish parents, has never actually lived in Ireland but for all intents and purposes still considers himself Irish.
BTW I have never heard Tunney refered to as anything but Irish or Irish American.

 

You've never heard Tunney called an American? I find that hard to believe mate. I'd agree that American or Irish American can be used but Tunney very rarely gets called just Irish (except maybe in Ireland)

 

Hey!! My names O'Connor....

 

my cousins name is cullen he has an irish passport two irish parents and hes english........

but the difference is these fighters considered themselves irish

do you consider yourself irish?

 

Many people who live in America don't even call themselves "American", but rather think of themselves as having the nationality of their ancestors, Italian, Irish, Spanish, Jewish,etc
If you ask most peolpe what nationality Tunney is they will tell you he is Irish/Irish-American

 

Americans are a bit strange like that though. I doubt very much if you asked most people (outsie of Ireland) what Tunneys nationality was that you'd get more people saying Irish than American. I've heard Tunney called Irish American many times but I can't recall a single time of the top of my head I've heard him called just Irish. Theres no way you've never heard him called American, I'm sorry I just don't buy that at all.

 

I can't see how

can be seen as spot on, not by a long shot. I don't have a problem with someone considering themself Irish because of heritage. But to say you're 'legit' Irish due to heritage when you've never even stepped foot in the country is wrong imo.

 

No, its 4 generations ago now. I'm English. I havn't read much on Tunney to know what nationality he regarded himself, I'd guess he'd have had that romantic view of the old country that the Yanks go for, but it was the US Marines he joined up with, the country he was born and raised in.

 

Macklin pretty much lived his summers in Ireland and spent a huge amount of time in the country.

 

That's because Irishness is in your blood, you don't have to live in Ireland to be Irish. That's how I see it anyway.