AHC: English culture assimilated into Irish culture; no English nation

I would imagine the best way is to simply strangle Anglo-Saxon culture itself in its cradle, because even if we don't have a great Anglo-centric example of assimilation of a larger culture by a smaller one, history has shown that such an action is made easier when the larger culture is poorly defined and fragmented. By the Norman conquest, I feel it is utterly too late for assimilation, even if conquest could theoretically take place until much later if as you said "the stars align".

Yeah. And even there, I'm not sure if the Irish would have as much success assimilating the locals as the Anglo-Saxons did OTL (its possible but I don't know).
 
Can you elaborate that a bit, please?
I'm not an expert on Scottish history, but from some things that I've read about the period I gather that couple that pushed Christianity in Scotland more heavily towards Roman Catholicism, actively working against whatever remnants of the separate 'Celtic' church were still around in their time. In fact, that seems to have been one of the reasons for Margaret's canonisation. (Malcolm was less pious than Margaret, but may also have been influenced by the fact that his own main centre of power was in the more 'Roman' areas of the south whereas his main rivals were based further north in areas where the 'Celtic' church was more influential.)
So, if you want an Irish-Scottish union after that time, you'll need either to undo their work -- which would involve a serious struggle in Scotland itself, before you could move against England, and would probably see your opponents inviting English forces as allies -- or you need to convert Ireland more solidly to the Roman church which IOTL seems not to have happened untill after Henry II's invasion. In fact, the Irish not being "good" Catholics is said to have gained papal support (and a blessed banner) for Henry... although admittedly the fact that (for the only time so far) the Pope himself was English might have helped in that respect as well.
 
Sigh. I meant 'traditional' in comparison to what it is today. Irish people today are -effectively, and even though many don't like to hear that- culturally British. They have adopted the English language, laws and regulations, rites and customs - there is no distinct Irish culture anymore. Of course, some unique aspects have survived - but these are rather regional differences, and can be found in other nation states as well.
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That could be said of any of the English speaking parts of the Former British empire.
USA, Australia, Canada, etc.
 
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