Aine, Fine poem, it is nice to see that classical Irish poetry is alive and well.
As to the so called American facination with Ireland - My family have always been, first and foremost Otways - wheither in Wales Ireland England Austrailia or the US, and have a sence of our family where ever we are born. I grew up in a strong ballad tradition, and lived on both sides of the puddle. The same ones who object about our advocasy for Irish civil rights, would be the first, I believe, to be a comrad when we try to advocate for the rights of ethnic minorities in the third world or eastern Europe. As to the level of education, though my spelling is hampered by a learning disability, I have a Juris Doctorate, earned in the third best law school in the US, and got into that school before there was an Americans with Disabilities act, so earned on my own tallents and merits (not to say that thouse who get accomodations for their dissabilities did not make it on their merits.) My education about Irish politics happened on the streets of Belfast, and in most of Irelands western counties. Again, I fail to see how living exclusively in an environment of censorship gives one a better perspective than one who travels back and forth to that country and has access to facts that are suppressed in England and Ireland? But, there again, maybe to really understand the situation you need to have blinders on. I am reminded of the George Orwell book 1984, (yes I do read and respect English authors) What a wonderful Orwellian world where censorship opens your eyes to the truth...