Barack Obama's visit to Ireland reminds this writer of her own eye-opening encounters on that island.
By: Teresa Ridley
Watching Barack Obama enjoying a pint on Monday at that pub in Moneygall, Ireland -- the town of at least some of his forebears -- during his visit to that country and the U.K., I couldn't help recalling my own biracial encounters with Ireland. Not surprisingly, the president was given a warm reception. I, too, felt very welcome -- with a few exceptions. It was 1992, and I'd decided that I was going to do a driving tour of the island. I'd long had a fascination with Ireland's politics and culture, especially its rebellious relationship with the land where most of my own white roots lay. Being a bit of a rebel herself, my white English mother -- who had married my black American father in the U.K. in 1959 and settled in the U.S. in 1960 -- wanted to come along. We decided that we would spend a few weeks traversing Ireland and then take the ferry over to Wales to meet up with relatives...[continued]
