Wendy Lyon
I don't see why it's necessarily an imperialist thing. Ireland is certainly not an imperialist country but nationalism here has always been very strong. In some respects its overt expressions are even more common here than they are in the US. For example, it's not unusual for nightclub DJs to close with the national anthem, and on those occasions when Ireland qualifies for the World Cup you can hardly walk five feet without tripping over someone's flag. ( I think actually that in a lot of countries the occasion of an important soccer game would bring out a degree of nationalism that might surprise you!) You don't get that common American attitude of "we're the best country in the world" here, but as I was saying, that's only one type of nationalism.
^^^^^^
CB: Might Irish nationalism be national liberationism or anti-imperialist nationalism, since Ireland was Britain's oldest colony ?