Irish American Immigration Stories
All of us are immigrants or children of immigrants,;it is at the core of who we are in this country. We should celebrate and embrace this rich heritage. Our common stories are told through our lives and our family stories.
Take a moment to come together to share stories from our Irish American neighbors on Sunday, November 9th, at 1 p.m. at the West Side Irish American Club (W.S.I.A.), 8559 Jennings Rd., Olmsted Township, Ohio.
Tom O’Grady and many of his family have done extensive research into aspects of their family’s immigrant journey to the U.S.A. Tom will weave the tale starting in Newport, County Mayo.
Irishmen journey to America in 1915: O’Grady, Sweeney, and Chambers head for Cleveland to support Ireland from across the pond.
In 1915, Irish Catholics across the Emerald Isle were pushing for Home Rule through the Irish Volunteer Force. Others were training with the Irish Citizen Army established to defend the picket lines and street demonstrations of the Irish worker’s union. Angry tenant farmers continued to battle extortion by livestock sellers and landowners. Britain was a leading Allied Power in World War I, recruiting Irishmen to join the British Army.
With increased tensions in the country, refusal to defend Britain in the war, and no opportunity to own their own land, three members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), a secret oath-bound fraternal organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent democratic republic, left the republican stronghold of Newport, and headed to Cleveland to organize support from the United States. The presentation provides a short summary of their lives as we know it, and a reading of a diary chronicling their journey across the British Isles, the Atlantic Ocean, and from New York to Cleveland in the spring of 1915. In addition, the chronicler of the West Irish American Club’s history, Judge Sean Gallagher will give a short pictorial overview of his father, John F. Gallagher’s, immigrant journey from Achilbeg Island, County Mayo, Eire to Cleveland. The tales will be shared in the Abbey and Madison rooms at the W.S.I.A.
The Pub will be open and the game will be on. But I suggest you skip the 1st quarter and take in this great presentation. I can guarantee it will be more entertaining than HeeHaw Haslem’s Hapless Hamsters. Thanks to the WSIA for hosting this topical cultural event and to the AOH & Boland-Berry, for their sponsorship.
It’s a Girl
While the results of the Irish Presidential election will be tabulated after the writing of this column, we are guaranteed that Ireland will have its third Woman President before the U.S. has its first. After the sudden departure of Fianna Fail’s Jim Gavin from the race for Aras an Uachtaráin, the field of candidates was honed down to Fine Gaels Heather Humphreys and Independent Catherine Connolly.
While The Fianna Fail party has not endorsed either candidate, Taoiseach Michal Martin has personally endorsed Heather Humphreys. Martin is in coalition government with Fine Gael, Humphrey’s party. Independent Catherine Connolly responded to the Taoisech’s endorsement that this should make the choice clear between Humphreys and Connolly by clarifying that those interested in change will vote the Independent Connolly, not the status quo Humphreys.
Heather served for a number of years as a TD from the Cavan/Monaghan parliamentary district and as Minister. Her district is up on the border of the Six Counties under occupation by the British Government. Heather would lead from the Center-Right view of the world. Humphreys could be symbolically useful to the United Ireland cause as she is a Ulster Protestant that might be able to bridge the divide between the Loyalists and Nationalist communities more readily that the Irish speaking Catherine Connolly, who, while an independent, has been endorsed by Sinn Fein, Ireland’s oldest political party and focused on uniting Ireland into a 32 county republic. Connolly, who would govern from a left of center view of the world, has been leading in the polls.
When Humphreys chose not to run for the Dail for reelection last year, she said, “As I get older, my health and energy levels are not what they were and I know going forward that I would not be able to give the job the time and commitment it deserves.” Not the most inspirational words from her who now is running for the Presidency of Ireland.
Catherine Connolly is a barrister and a clinical psychologist and one of 14 siblings, seven boys and seven girls. She represents the Galway West parliamentary district. The Irish betting bookies have the money on a close, but comfortable win for Connolly.
Shane Lowry’s Proud Granny
I will give him a big hug when he gets home, says Irish golfer Shane Lowry’s grandmother. She says she is very proud that Shane joined with fellow Irish golfer Rory McIlroy to muscle Team Europe to victory over the Americans, on American soil, in this year’s Ryder Cup. Lowry played brilliantly and finished dramatically on the 18th hole with a spot on putt that put Team Europe a half a point ahead of the Yanks.
Granny went on to say Shane never forgets where he came from and that he loves the GAA. Lowry, for himself said, “I am the luckiest man in the world.” The Ryder Cup is “the best tournament in the World.”
The next Ryders Cup will be on home turf for McIlroy and Lowry in two year’s time, when it is played out at Adare Manor, County Limerick, not too far from Shannon Airport.
Raidió Teilifis Éireann
Or in English, Radio and Television of Ireland (RTÉ), is Ireland’s public broadcasting company, which broadcasts programing in both Irish and English. Not always known for cutting edge material, they have risen above their usually routine programing to create a two-part documentary that was released a couple of months back. The doc is entitled, NORAID: Irish America and the IRA-inside, the new documentary provided some sorely needed historical chronicling of this recent period of history.
Usually, anything produced or written about NORAID (Irish Northern Aid Committee) has been characterized by misinformation, with heavy doses of hostility and melodrama. Often the victim of the masters of disinformation, MI5 and Whitehall in London, with willing Anglophilic accomplices in the U.S. State Department and American Media elites, NORAID labored to assist the families of Irish Republicans caught up in the nightmare of state sponsored British violence, known as The Troubles.
Great historical news video and coverage of NORAID founder Michael Flannery and other early advocates of Irish Republicans at the start of The Troubles was utilized. RTE relied heavily on contemporary interviews with former NORAID publicity director Martin Galvin, who joined the American groups efforts to aid Irish Republicanism in the 1970s and later became editor of The Irish People newspaper.
I travelled to Columbus to watch a screening of RTE’s NORAID doc, with Galvin presenting to a viewing sponsored by the Ohio Ancient Order of Hibernians at the Shamrock Club. It is well worth watching.
Not surprisingly, it is heavily focused on New York’s NORAID Committee, without reaching out to groups around the country. Regardless, try to track it down on the internet. RTÉ is blocking access to U.S.A. via its RTÉ Player in North America, but if you can utilize your VPN to sign in from an Irish IP address, one can get access. Likely wider distribution will happen, perhaps through PBS.
