Our Hyphenated Identities: Brennan's Story

Content

Meet Brennan McAvoy. Brennan is a sophomore in the Commonwealth Honors College, majoring in biology and chemistry. Brennan’s paternal grandparents migrated to Boston in 1958 from Eden Knock, County Mayo, in Ireland. His maternal grandparents migrated from Germany too many years ago to remember. Brennan is Irish-American and somewhat German-American, but also a confusing mix between Catholic and Protestant. When I first asked Brennan if he would be willing to have a conversation with me, he responded, “I mean I can, but I don't really have a cultural identity.” However, I insisted because every person has a story to tell, no matter how big or small. Of course, no single narrative should dominate as has been the case in the Western world, but a story like Brennan's delves into the nuances of what it means to be hyphenated and must be told. Here it is:

Brennan is a redhead with green eyes and pale skin that’s covered in freckles. He says people see his features and most definitely think to themselves, “Oh, that kid is obviously Irish.” To others it’s obvious he is Irish, but to him it is not. Brennan is Irish from his father’s side and German from his mother’s side. When he was in first grade, his parents divorced. Brennan was not able to see his father as much as he would have liked, leaving him disconnected from his Irish identity.

Growing up, Brennan spent most of his time with his mother. Being German, his mother was raised Protestant, but converted to Catholicism in order to marry his father. Brennan was baptized in the Catholic church and had his first communion when he was eight. But after the divorce, he stopped attending the Catholic church and Sunday school. His mother would occasionally take Brennan and his little brother to Protestant masses at Christmastime or Easter, but that was the extent of his religious exposure. Now, Brennan admits he does not really vibe with religion in general, but acknowledges how Catholicism is such an integral part of the Irish identity. He was never officially confirmed into the Catholic church, so when all his classmates in high school became official adults of the church, he felt like an outsider in a community that should have been his own.

The German hyphen of his identity is also a cause of confusion for him. When I asked about his mother’s side of the family, he responded, “I know even less about that side of the family. No one ever talks about it and it’s just my mom, grandma, and uncle.” But, overall, this mix between Irish and German and Catholic and Protestant does not seem to faze Brennan as much as one would think. While he does wish to visit Ireland and Germany one day, he understands that there’s more to identity than geography and DNA. Yes, his father gave him his Irish-Catholic identity, but he also gave him his love for music and old records. Yes, his mother gave him his German-Protestant identity, but she also gave him his love for books. Brennan’s father taught him how to be empathetic and understanding. His mother taught him the value of a strong work ethic.

So again, there’s more to ourselves than imaginary boundaries of nationality and religion. We are who we make ourselves to be.