More Irish than the Irish themselves
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"More Irish than the Irish themselves" or 'Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis' was a phrase used in the Middle Ages to describe the phenomenon whereby foreigners who came to Ireland attached to invasion forces tended to be subsumed into Irish social and cultural society, adopted the Irish language, Irish culture, style of dress and a wholesale identification with all things Irish. These forces were generally associated with Richard "Strongbow" de Claire, Hugh de Lacy, and Gilbert de Angulo. The first family to be thus recognised was the de Angulo, known as Mac Coisdeala (i.e. Gilbert, son of Jocelyn) the name which was given to his descendants in Connacht. It was rendered into English as MacCostello, which in time became Costello.Originally Mag Oisdealbhaigh as in classical Irish the initial vowel changed the c into a g, for example Mag Aonghusa is now Mac Aonghusa, Mag Uidhir is now Mac Uidhir
While this phenomenon was associated with earlier invaders, and particularly with the post-12th century English and Norman settlers who became known as the Old English, it was not associated with later arrivals from the seventeenth century onwards.
Unusually, the phrase is also used in a mildly derogatory sense by the Irish living in Ireland to describe Irish-Americans who exhibit their Irish nationalism, especially on visits to the "old country". Such people are also known as "Plastic Paddies" by residents of Ireland, the point being that although exclusively of Irish lineage [and invariably observant if not devout Roman Catholics] that their claims are pointless, because if anything, Ireland, like the United Kingdom and most English-speaking nations, has emulated US culture and behaviour for decades.
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