'Kiss Me, I'm Irish' But How Many In Georgia Are REALLY Irish?

GEORGIA -- You may hear plenty of people say, "Kiss me, I'm Irish" this weekend, but how many Georgians are really Irish?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest data, collected in 2017, of Georgia's 10.41 million population, 459,257 say they are of Irish heritage. Of those, only 1,811 are actually foreign-born, from Ireland.

Cobb County had the most Blarney Stone kissers who said they were of Irish heritage, with 61,431, and Fulton had the second most, with 59,146.

The U.S. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1991, and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948.

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys.

Some facts about Irish ancestry in the United States:

There were 32.6 million or 10.1 percent of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2017.

There were 124,411 who said they were foreign-born U.S. residents who reported Ireland was their birthplace in 2017.

The county with among the highest percentage of people who claimed Irish ancestry in 2017 was Plymouth County, Mass., with 31.1 percent.

The estimated number of U.S. residents who said they spoke Irish Gaelic was 20,590.