countyism

Etymology

From county + -ism.

countyism means localism among Irish-Americans, based on the Irish counties they originated from. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 91 out of 100.

Why “countyism” is a great word

COUNTYISM — [Noun] An organized localism, particularly among the Irish diaspora, defined by fierce attachment and loyalty to the specific Irish county of one's ancestral origin. From county (denoting a territorial division, especially of Ireland) + the suffix -ism (denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy). Unlike nationalism (which denotes devotion to a nation-state as a whole) or parochialism (which suggests a general, narrow-minded focus on local affairs), countyism signifies a potent, sub-national identity rooted in a defined administrative territory. It is the banner of Cork carried in a Boston parade, the heated debate over hurling teams in a Chicago pub, and the quiet mapping of a remembered landscape onto a foreign city grid—a stubborn, transplanted geography of the heart that insists the soil of the old place is not uniform.

noun

Localism among Irish-Americans, based on the Irish counties they originated from.