Edition: U.S. / Global  Irish Americans  Published: December 19,
1993  To the Editor:  In the discussions about Northern Ireland,
an experience I had might be relevant. I was approached by an
ardent Knights of Columbus partisan, but not an official of that
body, to write a book or a long article about the remarkable
fact that 19 United States Presidents stemmed from ancestors who
had emigrated to this country from Ireland.  When I checked
biographies I found that he spoke the truth. Nineteen of our
nation's leaders did come from Ireland, but I had to point out
to him that only one, John F. Kennedy, stemmed from Ireland
proper. The other 18 all came from Northern Ireland, and none
were Irish Catholic.  All of them had Scots ancestry, their
forebears having been transplanted into Ireland at the time of
Queen Elizabeth I or later, and most of them were Scots
Presbyterian. They were of Ireland, but they were not Irishmen.
JAMES A. MICHENER Austin, Tex., Dec. 7, 1993