Of course I'm Irish; I'm profoundly Irish

 from Pages 70 - 96

From a tiny corner in the house of Fiction: interviews

This is from the 9th interview of

Iris Murdoch, noted philosopher

and novelist of 20th century

Q: Would you attribute the sense of

marvel and sometimes fantastic trend

which I think I find in your novels to the

Celtic heritage?

Yes! Of course I'm not a Celt (selt)

or Celt (kelt) or however you

pronounce that word.  My ancestors

on my mother's side are pure Anglo-

Irish, English people settled in

Ireland as landed gentry.  My father's

ancestors are lowland Scots I assume

from my name, although I don't know

much about the history of my father's

family except that they were farmers in

County Down for a very long period.

So that my Irishness is Anglo-Irishness

in a very strict sense.  I think this is

a very special way of being Irish.  People

sometimes say to me rudely, "Oh,

you're not Irish at all!"  But of course

I'm Irish.  I'm profoundly Irish and I've

been conscious of this all my life, and

in a mode of being Irish which has produced

a lot of very distinguished thinkers and

writers.  It is a particular tradition in

Ireland.  It's one which has been connected

with sad things of course, because the

Anglo-Irish are identified in some people's

minds with intruders and exploitation.

(2003 Publication, Univ. of South Carolina

Press) ISBN 1-57003-499-0