While the Irish were certainly looked down upon by other Europeans, they were still European Christians and therefore white.
That’s a strange definition of “white”, to be honest. People put way too much emphasis on skin color, and “white” vs “non-white” is a ridiculously simplistic and narrow way to view anthropology.
The Irish and Scottish are ethnically and culturally Gaels, a Celtic people, and (as far back as history is recorded) the native people of their respective lands. Viking and Roman Catholic influences were imposed on Ireland through conquest and religious missions. Christianity was made to emulate and adapt elements of Gaelic mythology (for example: Brigid -> Saint Bridget) which made it easier for the Irish people to adopt. The Roman expansion wiped out and assimilated many of Northwestern Europe’s Celtic peoples, other than those in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
That is to say, ethnically Irish people are not Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Romantic, Germanic, Russians, or anything else.
Discrimination against Irish people in Europe and North America was a documented fact of life going well into the 20th century.
Today’s Ireland is a somewhat diverse place, with a mix of racial and religious backgrounds and is, thankfully, much more secular than it was just a few decades ago.
As for why Irish-Americans around you might identify as protestant, it’s probably either because they come from a Northern Irish (Anglican) background or because they they are really just Americans evangelicals searching for a distant familial cultural heritage to attach to. They best way to find out is to ask them.
That’s a strange definition of “white”, to be honest. People put way too much emphasis on skin color, and “white” vs “non-white” is a ridiculously simplistic and narrow way to view anthropology.
The Irish and Scottish are ethnically and culturally Gaels, a Celtic people, and (as far back as history is recorded) the native people of their respective lands. Viking and Roman Catholic influences were imposed on Ireland through conquest and religious missions. Christianity was made to emulate and adapt elements of Gaelic mythology (for example: Brigid -> Saint Bridget) which made it easier for the Irish people to adopt. The Roman expansion wiped out and assimilated many of Northwestern Europe’s Celtic peoples, other than those in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
That is to say, ethnically Irish people are not Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Romantic, Germanic, Russians, or anything else.
Discrimination against Irish people in Europe and North America was a documented fact of life going well into the 20th century.
Today’s Ireland is a somewhat diverse place, with a mix of racial and religious backgrounds and is, thankfully, much more secular than it was just a few decades ago.
As for why Irish-Americans around you might identify as protestant, it’s probably either because they come from a Northern Irish (Anglican) background or because they they are really just Americans evangelicals searching for a distant familial cultural heritage to attach to. They best way to find out is to ask them.